Transcript Highlights:

• The employer pensions. That costs us $184 million a year.
• The employer pensions cost us $116 million a year, for a total of $1.6 billion over the last four years
• . $1.3 billion just in raises, the difference of another $300 million in health care benefits and pension
• In health care benefits and pension. So there's a lot of money spent on our state employees.

Bills: SB151 , HB8 , SB177

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: corporate income tax, franchise tax, gross receipts tax, tax credit, tax deduction, controlled foreign corporation, CFC, bonus depreciation, interest expense, apportionment, unitary group, high-wage jobs tax credit, local journalism, news media, newspaper printer, physician incentive, health care workforce, affordable housing, multifamily housing, construction materials

Transcript Highlights:

• The employer pensions... That costs us $184 million a year.
• The employer pensions cost us $116 million a year, for a total of $1.6 billion over the last four years
• . $1.3 billion just in raises, the difference of another $300 million in health care benefits and pension
• In health care benefits and pension. So there's a lot of money spent on our state employees.

Bills: HB253 , HB153 , HB255 , HB287 , HB371 , SB151 , HB8 , SB177

Committee: Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Summary: The committee first corrected its action on Senate Bill 151, noting that the earlier motion had been made incorrectly after the committee substitute was amended. Members then moved to do not pass the Senate Finance Committee substitute and do pass the same committee substitute so it could be sent to the floor. The only change identified in the substitute was an adjustment to the sunset date. A roll call vote followed, with several members voting yes and a few voting no or being excused, and the motion to report the committee substitute out with a due pass recommendation carried. After the SB 151 vote, the chair said the committee was essentially finished and expected to meet on the floor the next day, likely around noon, with a plan to come in earlier and handle a few more bills. The discussion then shifted to House Bill 2 and the broader issue of state employee compensation. One member argued that over the past several years the state had already provided substantial pay raises and benefits, citing roughly $1.3 billion in raises, about $184 million annually for health care costs, and $116 million annually for employer pension costs, for a total of about $1.6 billion over four years. That member said the state had done enough on employee compensation and that a proposed 1% increase did not make sense given competing priorities such as child care and other needs. The committee then adjourned, and there was a brief question about when the university fund bill would be heard, but no firm timing was given.

Transcript Highlights:

• These workers earn their pensions.
• They deserve to know that their money, These workers earn their pensions.
• The public markets have historically been the way that public pension funds invested.
• But now the portfolios of many public pension funds, including the biggest, By public pension funds is
• The public markets have historically been the way that public pension funds invested.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows for the delegation to a person with the sole and exclusive authority to take action or bring
• </c><00:43:37.119><c> and</c> security judicial security pensions and security judicial security pensions
• Now some of the things that we also have is we have an 11% contribution to our pensions.
• Now some of the things that we also have is we have an 11% contribution to our pensions.
• Now some of the things that we also have is we have an 11% contribution to our pensions.

Bills: HF747 , HF360

Committee: House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Transcript Highlights:

• provides the surviving spouse or the dependents with children a one-time $500,000 stipend and an ongoing pension
• Also, the surviving spouse will receive a $75,000-a-year pension.
• Pension and the other part of the question, if you would ask it again.
• The objective is requiring the divestment of public pension dollars and university endowment funds from
• So have you talked to PERSI about this particular bill and the impacts it would have on the pension fund

Committee: House Commerce and Human Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Employees' retirement boards oversee complex public pension systems, often managing multi-billion-dollar
• I firmly believe in public pensions and much of the work that we do.
• I firmly believe in public pensions and much of the work that we do in this body revolves around ensuring
• that public servants receive those pensions after a long tenure.
• And I'd like to thank Assembly Member McKinner for her commitment to protect our pensions.

Committee: House Public Employment and Retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• He's a minimum wage employee, and he received an FRS notice about his pension.
• I didn't know he had a pension. He was never supposed to have a pension.
• He's a minimum wage employee, and he received an FRS notice about his pension.
• I didn't know he had a pension. He was never supposed to have a pension.
• His pension amount was over the amount that is allowed in order to be qualified for Medicaid.

Transcript Highlights:

• liability and our pension liability.
• And so I'm hoping that my good friend can address the cost of addressing our pension liability that's
• And know the fact. ...to make forward payments to pay down our unfunded pension liability.
• It's a little bit old, but unfunded pension liability stood at 40.5.
• But unfunded pension liability stood at $40.5 billion.

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, adopted two commendatory resolutions honoring the Plimpton Historical Society’s Deborah Sampson Day recognition and Megan’s Light’s Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month observance, and suspended Joint Rule 12 to refer several House petitions to committee. The chamber also briefly recognized Diane Talk of the South Shore Regional Emergency Communication Center on her retirement after 30 years of dispatch service. Later, the Senate passed two local bills to enactment: House No. 4006, authorizing Dartmouth to grant an additional all-alcoholic beverages license, and House No. 473, relating to the charter of Westwood. The main business was the Senate Ways and Means presentation of the fiscal year 2027 budget, totaling about $63.3 billion. The chair described the budget as balanced, with no new taxes or tax cuts, based on a consensus revenue estimate of $986 million in growth over FY26 (2.4%), and including about $15.8 billion in federal financial participation and roughly $2.7 billion from the Fair Share surtax. The budget emphasized record local aid, including $1.376 billion in unrestricted general government aid, $7.66 billion for Chapter 70 education aid, increased minimum school aid, higher regional school transportation reimbursement, rural aid, and the revival of the Foundation Budget Review Commission. It also highlighted major investments in MassEducate free community college, food security, housing, and support for vulnerable residents. Members then engaged in extended colloquy on the budget’s major cost drivers and policy choices. Questions focused on debt service, pension and OPEB liabilities, MassHealth caseload and rising per-enrollee costs, child care funding, and program integrity in DTA and other benefit programs. The chair said debt service would be about $2.67 billion, pension payments would be $5.1 billion, OPEB would receive a $150 million payment, and MassHealth enrollment was projected at about 2 million with costs driven by acuity and medical inflation. He also said the budget includes no collective bargaining agreements and no state tax changes. Senators supporting the budget praised its investments in education, local aid, homelessness prevention, public health, libraries, and housing, while minority leaders and others stressed the need for fiscal discipline, transparency, and further work on affordability and municipal support. The Senate also received a House message on House No. 5316, which the House had nonconcurred in, and a conference committee was appointed on the disagreement.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a really high level of funding for any type of annuity-type pension system.
• And the reason for that is, if many of you may not know this, but if you teach 30 years, your pension
• This bill would allow them to draw their pension and continue working in a district.
• There is no more liability accrued by the pension, the PSRS system, but there is additional money.
• The next day, I could have gone to a different electric company and just kept getting my pension.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Summary: The committee met in executive session first and took up House Bill 3239, adopting a Hurlbert amendment that capped the program at $4 million and then adopting the House Committee Substitute. The substitute bill passed 11-7. The committee then combined House Bill 2913 and House Bill 3228 into one substitute; members discussed that it would not cover student teachers and was intended to start with the current scope and broaden later. The combined substitute passed unanimously, 19-0. In open session, the committee heard House Bill 2195, which would create a Missouri Integrated Safe Driving Program to let DESE vet and distribute safe-driving lesson materials for voluntary use in existing courses starting in 2027-2028. Sponsor Representative Reedy said the bill is intended to improve teen driver safety without a fiscal note. Supporters included AAA Missouri, traffic-safety and motorcycle groups, MoDOT, and the Missouri Insurance Coalition, who cited teen crash and fatality data, the benefits of formal driver education, and the need to address distracted driving, traffic stops, and motorcycle awareness. No one testified in opposition. The committee also heard House Bill 2502, which would clarify how records from closed nonpublic schools and charter schools are transferred and stored so students can later obtain transcripts and graduation records. The sponsor said the bill responds to missing records from closed schools and would direct records to the appropriate public district; a technical correction was noted to avoid including homeschool records. Missouri NEA supported the bill and suggested charter-school performance contracts include compliance expectations. The committee then heard House Bill 2396, which would allow retired teachers to return to PSRS-covered teaching jobs without a time limit, similar to existing critical-shortage provisions. The sponsor argued it would help districts, especially smaller ones, and could benefit teachers and students without harming the retirement system. PSRS/PEERS testified that the bill could raise contribution rates by an estimated 1.44% to 2.45% and raised concerns about behavior changes and IRS qualification issues; Missouri NEA and the Missouri State Teachers Association opposed the bill, saying it would not solve recruitment and retention problems and could damage the retirement system. The Missouri Retired Teachers Association testified for informational purposes, warning that the bill could prompt many eligible teachers to retire sooner.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Rebecca Atkins, the deputy executive director of the Kentucky Public Pension Authority.
• House Bill 71 is a reorganization measure requested by the Kentucky Public Pension Authority.
• The measure was vetted by the Public Pension Oversight Board during the past interim.
• Authority Ryan Barrow pension Authority Ryan Barrow kppa<00:07:33.960><c> you</c><00:07:34.160><c> have
• </c> requested by the Kentucky public pension requested by the Kentucky public pension Authority<00:07

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government considered several bills. House Bill 684, an elections “continuous improvement” measure, drew the most discussion. Rep. Jennifer Decker said it was based on issues identified during the 2024 election cycle and included changes to absentee voting for primary caregivers and other election administration updates. Senators focused on a committee substitute removing credit and debit cards as a second form of ID for provisional ballots; Decker said local election workers had reported people trying to use cards with no photo ID, and she did not want financial institutions determining voter eligibility. The bill also clarified that certain ballots could be issued by hand or by mail. It passed 9-1, with some members voting no or passing because they wanted more time to consider the ID change. House Bill 71, requested by the Kentucky Public Pension Authority, would reorganize KPPA by creating an Office of Financial Management and moving the CFO into an executive director-level role. Testimony said the change was structural only, with no impact on system funding and minimal short-term costs. It passed unanimously, 11-0. House Bill 290, by Rep. Nick Wilson, would allow county law libraries to use funds for online legal research resources, computers, and internet-related equipment. Supporters said libraries had money but were limited to buying books; the bill passed unanimously, with the chair noting it would let libraries use existing funds more effectively. House Bill 555, as amended by committee substitute, addressed audit and reporting requirements for small cities. Supporters from the Kentucky League of Cities and the Auditor’s Office said many small cities struggle to find certified CPAs, and the bill would raise the threshold for less frequent audits, expand the exemption threshold, allow the Auditor’s Office to contract to perform audits, and clarify that state-fund withholding for noncompliance would not apply to contractual or utility payments. It passed 10-1, and the title amendment was adopted. House Bill 160, with a committee substitute, would regulate manufactured housing and local zoning by establishing standards that supporters said were needed to prevent discrimination against modern manufactured homes. Several senators expressed concern about state interference in local zoning, while others supported the bill as a housing access measure; it passed 10-1. Finally, House Bill 455 would create a Unit of Election Investigations and Security in the Attorney General’s Office to handle election-crime allegation review, the voter fraud hotline, prosecutorial referrals, and legislative oversight. Supporters said it codified existing practices and would not require new funding, but opponents objected to placing the hotline in a partisan office. The bill passed 9-1 with one pass, and the committee adjourned after reporting favorable action on the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:10:33.240><c> pension</c><00:10:33.560><c> benefits.
• </c><00:10:34.680><c> And</c><00:10:34.920><c> we</c> the pension pension benefits.
• And we the pension pension benefits.
• >> What happened in the middle was when we did pension reform.
• </c> when we did pension reform. when we did pension reform.

Committee: Joint State Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Employer pension increases $116 million for a five-year total cost of $1.6 billion to the state.
• I don't know how that works, but I mean, that pension fund is one of the best.
• I don't know how that works, but I mean, that pension fund is one of the best.
• Pension reform is pretty darn hard, but you have to have solvency at the end of the day.
• We influxed all this money into payroll, and the pension funds are getting driven down.

Bills: SB151 , HB8 , SB177

Committees: Senate Senate Finance , Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: corporate income tax, franchise tax, gross receipts tax, tax credit, tax deduction, controlled foreign corporation, CFC, bonus depreciation, interest expense, apportionment, unitary group, high-wage jobs tax credit, local journalism, news media, newspaper printer, physician incentive, health care workforce, affordable housing, multifamily housing, construction materials

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 220, an act related to pension spiking in the systems administered by the Kentucky Public
• Pensions Authority.
• House Bill 220, an act related to<00:44:06.079><c> pension</c><00:44:06.400><c> spiking</c><00:44:06.720
• ><c> in</c><00:44:06.880><c> the</c><00:44:07.040><c> systems</c> to pension spiking in the systems to
• </c><00:44:10.000><c> Representative</c> Pensions Authority. Representative Pensions Authority.

Transcript Highlights:

• retirement, because there are pieces of this ballot referral that would remove access to an employee's pension
• That would be where they might have to forfeit their pension, and pension rights.
• Pension rights matter.
• And once a teacher is vested in their pension, to rip it away from them is wrong.
• concerns, including due process protections for public employees with established employment and pension

Summary: The Senate opened with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, attendance, and routine journal and appointment actions. Members also made brief announcements about caucus meetings and recognized guests from AIM Youth Mental Health, including a proclamation by Senator Epstein designating May 31, 2026, as Youth Mental Health Day in Arizona. The chamber then met as the Committee of the Whole to consider House Bill 2995, relating to legal decision-making and parenting time in domestic relations cases. A committee amendment and a Mesnard floor amendment were adopted; the floor amendment emphasized child and victim safety in domestic violence cases, tightened standards for rebutting presumptions, and added an emergency clause. The bill was then reported out of Committee of the Whole with a do pass as amended recommendation. Members next considered House Concurrent Resolution 2040, a proposed constitutional amendment concerning labor organization use of public resources in school districts. Supporters argued it would restrict use of district communication systems and public resources for union-related materials and work stoppages, while opponents raised constitutional, due process, contract, pension, and free speech concerns, and argued it would harm teachers and union communication. The Government Committee amendment was adopted, and after debate the resolution was reported out of Committee of the Whole with a do pass as amended recommendation by a 12-11 division. The Senate then adopted the Committee of the Whole report and adjourned until May 18, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• retirement, because there are pieces of this ballot referral that would remove access to an employee's pension
• That would be where they might have to forfeit their pension and pension rights.
• Senator Epstein: And pension rights matter.
• And once a teacher is vested in their pension, to rip it away from them is wrong.
• concerns, including due process protections for public employees with established employment and pension

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, those amendments include uh provision B10 relative to the exclusivity remedy.
• Um, those amendments include uh provision B10 relative to the exclusivity remedy.
• Um, those amendments include uh provision B10 relative to the exclusivity remedy.
• </c><00:49:13.200><c> The</c><00:49:13.359><c> exclusivity</c> exclusivity remedy.
• The exclusivity exclusivity remedy.

Committee: House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Transcript Highlights:

• All other state pension plans receive automatic COLAs. We don't.
• The House recently passed a bill that would move $4 billion in pension money to the general fund.
• Please use a small portion of that pension money to help bring equity to our majority women pension plan
• Plan 1 retirees tend to spend most, if not all, their pensions within the state.
• PERS and TRS 1 plans are the only state pension plans without an automatic COLA.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on a series of bills, beginning with House Bill 2689 on Working Connections Child Care. Staff explained that the proposed substitute would keep eligibility at 60% of state median income, eliminate scheduled expansions to 75% and 85%, reduce future subsidy rates from the 85th to the 75th percentile of market, end enhanced regional rates, and change reimbursement rules from prospective enrollment-based payments back to attendance-based payments with a reduced monthly payment after 11 absent days. Child care advocates thanked the committee for removing the proposed cap on the program but opposed the cuts to provider rates and eligibility expansions, warning of harm to families and providers. The committee then heard Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5124 on Medicaid network adequacy for post-acute care, with staff noting administrative costs and indeterminate fiscal effects; hospitals supported the bill as a way to reduce discharge delays and reliance on single-case agreements. Senate Bill 5832, which would raise the new motor vehicle arbitration fee from $3 to $6 to support the Lemon Law arbitration program, drew support from the Attorney General’s Office and auto dealers, who said the fee had not been updated since 1995 and the program was underfunded. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 5862, providing a one-time 3% COLA for certain PERS 1 and TRS 1 retirees, with retirees testifying in favor and local government representatives warning about added employer costs. The committee next heard Senate Bill 5922, allowing school districts to transfer money from the Transportation Vehicle Fund to other funds if they reduce their fleet and receive OSPI approval; staff said the bill would mainly add administrative work for OSPI, and no one testified. Substitute Senate Bill 5923 would allow a hospital on an island in Skagit County to qualify as a critical access hospital if federally certified; Island Health testified that the designation would help sustain rural services, and a committee member asked about bed count and Medicaid/charity-care pressures. Senate Bill 5944 would require language access providers to bargain over compensation for missed or canceled appointments and clarify that statutes prevail over conflicting contract terms; WFSE supported the bill, saying it would equalize bargaining rights across agencies. Substitute Senate Bill 5972 would extend interest arbitration rights to correctional employees in city and county jails regardless of population size; labor supported the bill as a retention tool, while cities and counties opposed it, arguing it would raise costs and should include ability-to-pay protections. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5988, authorizing the Department of Health to continue accrediting opioid treatment programs and charge accreditation fees, which DOH said was needed to avoid winding down the program. Later, the committee heard Senate Bill 6151, which would move Ecology fee revenues for landfill methane emissions and laboratory accreditation into dedicated accounts; Ecology supported the bill as improving transparency and reinvesting fees into the programs, and staff said the lab fee shift would be offset by a related budget action. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6194 would pay a rural hospital on a federally recognized Indian reservation, specifically Astria Toppenish, at 150% of the Medicaid fee-for-service rate beginning in 2027; hospital leaders and community members testified that the hospital serves a high-Medicaid, rural, and tribal population and faces persistent losses. Finally, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6302 would direct L&I to investigate possible misclassification of independent contractors on public works projects involving multiple workers doing the same finishing work; labor and business representatives both described it as a negotiated compromise to address underground economy abuses. The committee took no final votes during the hearing and ended by reiterating amendment deadlines for bills scheduled for executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Obviously that is different from a SAF usage issue exclusively, right?
• It's going to keep blue-collar family-supporting jobs with health care and pension benefits in California
• It's going to keep blue-collar family-standing jobs with health care and pension benefits in California
• Blue-collar family-supporting jobs with health care and pension benefits in California, and will ultimately

Summary: The subcommittee first heard an informational overview from the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement (GoServe), including California Volunteers, the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications, and the Youth Empowerment Commission. GoServe reported strong participation in programs such as California Service Corps, College Corps, Youth Service Corps, Climate Action Corps, and the new men’s service challenge. Testimony emphasized enrollment, retention, and completion outcomes, outreach results, and efforts to reduce administrative costs. The Department of Finance said the administration supports the programs but has already made reductions to help address the budget deficit, while the LAO said it had no new recommendations on the informational item. Committee members raised questions about program scale, demographics, and effectiveness, especially for Climate Action Corps and whether the programs are duplicative of existing volunteer opportunities. One member criticized the programs as too fragmented and costly, while others asked for more data on who is being served and whether the programs increase actual participation in state services. GoServe said it would follow up with demographic and regional impact information. The committee also discussed the men’s service challenge, which GoServe said has formed partnerships with organizations such as YMCAs and Big Brothers Big Sisters and has already attracted more than 2,000 participants. The item was informational only. The committee then heard a BOE overview and a budget request to implement SB 293, which gives wildfire-affected families additional time to claim intergenerational Prop. 13 property tax transfers. BOE requested $154,000 for guidance, public materials, and inquiry response, explaining that the work is urgent and tied to disaster relief in Los Angeles County, especially Altadena. The LAO had no concerns, and Finance had no comment. Members asked how many cases might be affected and whether more funding would be needed later; BOE said the full number is not yet known and that future requests are possible. The committee also heard BOE’s IT modernization proposal for the state-assessed property tax system, a 30-year-old mainframe replacement costing $3.2 million in 2026-27 and $3.1 million in 2027-28. BOE and Finance supported the project as necessary, while the LAO said it had no concerns but urged a high bar for new IT spending. Members generally supported modernization but cautioned about implementation risk. Finally, CDTFA presented an overview and two policy proposals. The department described administering 42 tax and fee programs, collecting $98 billion in FY 2024, and improving administrative efficiency. Members then discussed local sales tax tools and revenue-sharing agreements, with concerns raised about transparency, consultant-driven tax allocation disputes, and the impact on local communities. CDTFA and the LAO explained that local jurisdictions control how district sales tax revenues are spent and noted the Legislature could revisit the statutory cap on local add-on sales taxes. The committee then heard CDTFA’s proposal to treat all delivery network companies as marketplace facilitators so they must collect and remit sales tax on delivery-app orders. CDTFA said the change would resolve confusion, shift compliance from thousands of small restaurants to a few large platforms, and raise about $44 million annually. Several members questioned whether the proposal would effectively raise consumer costs and whether it would create a competitive advantage or disadvantage among delivery platforms. The item remained under discussion, with no vote taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, but I am particularly pleased about
• Lastly, the committee must take a hard look at our retirement system, specifically the failures of the Pension
• for watching, and I look forward to helping you be a better version of yourself. played to union pension
• government function better, reforming the PBGC is crucial to ensuring that Americans can depend on their pensions

Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• someone who works 40 hours a week, I have to pay pension contributions.
• </c> pension pay pay pension contributions pension pay pay pension contributions versus<03:20:12.800>
• For those two groups, special duty does count towards calculation of their pension.
• For those two groups, special duty does count toward calculation of their pension.
• <03:55:06.840><c> system</c><03:55:07.080><c> in</c> pension system in pension system in 2011<03:55:10.080

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 180, which concerns critical incident stress management teams. Representative Mark PR, the bill sponsor, proposed an amendment to add a definition of “team leader” and to clarify that teams may or may not be affiliated with a municipality. He argued that a certification test offered by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation is unnecessary and too expensive at $400, since team members are volunteers who already receive training and continuing education. Committee members asked about the training structure and certification language, and the sponsor explained that the teams are self-certified and that the amendment was intended to clean up the bill’s language. The committee then voted on HB 180 in executive session. Amendment 0261H was adopted 11-0, and the bill was then moved as amended and passed 11-0. The committee placed the bill on consent. Later, the committee heard House Bill 438, sponsored by Representative Timothy Horan, dealing with immigration detention and related state policy. Horan described the bill as an update to earlier legislation and said it would codify best practices, prohibit state cooperation with mass deportation efforts, bar for-profit operation of immigration detention facilities, and require Executive Council approval before the governor could deploy the National Guard for immigration deportation activities. Committee members questioned whether the bill could be read as authorizing detention facilities and discussed the relationship between the state and Strafford County Jail. An amendment presented on behalf of Representative Patrick Long was described as a technical rewrite that removed several sections and changed language, but the hearing ended before any vote was taken on HB 438.