Transcript Highlights:

• </c> prime ag soils, this is going to impact prime ag soils, this is going to impact farmers<00:23:33.880
• </c> is actually impacted by that. is actually impacted by that.
• </c> issue a report on the land use impact issue a report on the land use impact will<00:51:29.080><c
• </c> play in Vermont as well as what impacts play in Vermont as well as what impacts they<00:52:07.920
• Have some impact on ag lands.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• language that that removed some of the charitable bail bonds impacts? Senator Trunnell.
• Your impact will remain forever. Thank you.
• Your work has had a tremendous impact on our community.
• I'm just trying to understand the various impacts in real practice of what this would mean.
• If there was some water, whatever, whatever, some environmental impact, then the environmental impact

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And when I use impact, I mean in two senses: I mean the impact fees that are laid out by the state.
• how the state law impacts them in terms of the street impact and water.
• impact-like fees.
• impact-like fees.
• Now, if you have an impact fee, can you have an impact fee to save $25,000 per house?

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Really is impactful when we hear from people that's directly impacted.
• And so, keeping a structure like this, I think is really impactful.
• We've seen how impactful it can be around ending veterans homelessness.
• Um and I think we just have impactful.
• 18:47.280><c> around</c><00:18:47.600><c> ending</c> impactful it can be around ending impactful it can

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Substitute Senate Bill 6843 extends the property tax exemption for relief for residents impacted by the
• We've talked in this committee earlier this year about the value that granges provide to rural communities
• At this point, we are looking at the fiscal impact of making this exclusion.
• Now that they are no longer twins, that means that this bill does not have a fiscal impact, whereas 2257
• So I just want to check in, see what that does, see its impact on the shift, and just make sure we're

Bills: SB5994 , SB6244

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: timber tax, school funding, levy failure, tax distribution, education funding, tax exemption, agriculture, hazardous substances, crop protection, warehousing, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Reductions in legacy support will diminish that impact statewide.
• This would have significant impact on our programming.
• We're a very small agency, but I think we have a big impact here in the state.
• So, Legacy has a really big impact on how we run the zoo. So, Mr.
• And they mean real projects that impact people.

Bills: HF2563

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Keywords: HF2563, legacy finance bill, Legacy Amendment, outdoor heritage fund, clean water fund, parks and trails fund, arts and cultural heritage fund, Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, Clean Water Council, Minnesota legacy funds, habitat conservation, prairie restoration, wetland restoration, forest conservation, riparian buffers, water quality, groundwater protection, drinking water, septic systems, watershed planning

Transcript Highlights:

• So that will have an impact on revenues.
• And although it impacts our federal funding, and we had some impacts on other sources of revenue, our
• ><c> on</c> funding and we we had some impacts on funding and we we had some impacts on other<02:42:31.840
• 15.600><c> it's</c><02:43:15.760><c> it's</c> the inflationary impact, it's it's the inflationary impact
• Continuing funding or re- it's so remote and so, you know, rural. it's so remote and so, you know, rural

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting was a House budget briefing focused on the overall state budget and the first of three divisions. The presenter reviewed the size and structure of the budget, noting that the state had eliminated the interest and dividends tax and still balanced the budget. He explained the major spending categories in the general fund and total budget, emphasizing that health and human services and education remain the largest areas, while transportation is largely self-funded. He also walked through the revenue picture, including business taxes, insurance taxes, court fees, communications taxes, and Medicaid recoveries, and said the remaining interest and dividends tax revenue reflected late payments from prior assessments. Members asked about the size of the tax cut from eliminating the interest and dividends tax, federal funding stability, and why Medicaid was being reduced if federal support was expected to remain steady. The response was that the lost revenue would have been about $200 million absent repeal, and that the budget gap was addressed through many small cuts across departments. On federal funds, the presenter said most aid is tied to multi-year grants and that core programs such as Medicare and Medicaid were expected to remain relatively stable, though some federal reductions could occur. He also said some agency reductions came from eliminating long-vacant, funded positions and from expected lapses. The discussion then moved into Division One, which covers smaller and miscellaneous agencies. The division made cuts to the governor’s office, eliminated a temporary position at the Governor’s Commission on Disability, reduced Department of Information Technology spending through a back-of-budget cut, and found savings in Administrative Services. It also delayed maintenance at the Sununu Youth Services Center, stopped advertising for paid family medical leave, changed retiree health insurance funding, and consolidated several personnel-related boards into one. The division eliminated the Commission on Aging and the Office of the Child Advocate, made a temporary special education advocate position permanent, reduced the Secretary of State’s budget, kept municipal rooms-and-meals distributions flat, and made changes to the retirement system, including $55 million to improve Group 2 retirement benefits and a new retirement structure for future state hires. The judicial branch was also asked to find savings and received two additional judges because of expected caseload increases from other eliminations.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's particularly impacting elderly West Virginians, and putting some of these changes in place I think
• Further language is added detailing valuation determinations when a high-impact data center or power
• This is a real game changer for our very rural communities as well, who need this access.
• Can you explain to me how the impact of them not having an EMS levy?
• ...how the impact of them not having an EMS levy would they still be eligible for funds?

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the cities: general fund dollars, state gas tax, real estate excise tax, developer fees in lieu, impact
• And you can see that there's a 26% impact.
• Yes, your hard work... ...impact when they're actually working, it gives them a result.
• We saw the same lasting impacts.
• So the other major impact is media.

Committee: Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The committee began with member introductions, then heard a presentation on a draft final report studying alternative funding mechanisms for sidewalks and related pedestrian infrastructure. Consultants said current local funding sources are insufficient, with most jurisdictions unable to complete planned sidewalk networks within 50 years. They evaluated four options: a sidewalk utility fee, a modified transportation benefit district sales tax, a new real estate excise tax option, and expanded stormwater fee use for ADA sidewalk ramps. The consultants recommended authorizing the modified TBD sales tax and new REET option, considering a sidewalk utility despite legal uncertainty, broadening any authorization to all pedestrian improvements, and not pursuing the stormwater fee option. Members asked about legal authority, fairness, revenue adequacy, and whether jurisdictions had been consulted; the presenters said state enabling legislation would likely be needed for a sidewalk utility and that fairness could be defined either by direct benefit or by need. The committee then received an update on the 2025 assessment of city transportation funding needs. The consultants reported that city transportation revenues have grown in some local and federal categories since 2019, but state revenues have remained relatively flat and smaller cities are especially affected by declining fuel tax revenues and limited tax bases. They estimated annual city transportation needs at $4.25 billion, average annual spending at $1.89 billion, and a funding gap of $2.37 billion, larger than in the prior study because of updated data, inclusion of system improvements, and higher preservation costs. Draft recommendations focused on reducing costs and improving efficiency, preserving and increasing state support, and expanding local funding options, including preservation-first spending, a permanent federal fund exchange program, streamlined review processes, better coordination with WSDOT, possible property tax flexibility, and exploration of new local tools. Members raised questions about design standards, the role of density and transit, federal compliance, and whether the report would identify specific consolidation or process changes. The committee also heard a project update on evaluating zero-emission vehicle and electrification programs funded by the Climate Commitment Act. Consultants said they had reviewed roughly 23 programs and projects across seven agencies and were now evaluating options to improve delivery, including process improvements, reorganizing programs, or consolidating governance and administrative functions. Early findings highlighted staffing shortages, duplication and variation across agencies, differing levels of risk, and the challenge of coordinating climate priorities across agencies with other core missions. Members asked about program outcomes, administrative costs, whether some programs should have exit strategies, and how to strengthen the EV Coordinating Council. Finally, WSDOT provided an implementation update on its new public-private partnership authority under SB 5801, saying work is underway to prepare governance, legal, policy, and organizational structures ahead of the January 1, 2027 effective date.

Transcript Highlights:

• At MCE, we are acutely aware of the affordability crisis and we are committed to mitigating its impacts
• We are acutely aware of the affordability crisis, and we are committed to mitigating its impact.
• Earlier this month, we released a report that examined how the rapid growth of data centers may impact
• And the mitigated impact on communities, that it probably is a huge savings at the end of the day.
• This includes geographic diversity in terms of urban and rural, gender, professional experience.

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the expansion population but some of them also impact others in the Medicaid program.
• The expansion population, but some of them also impact others in the Medicaid program. I follow up?
• They do impact what Idaho could leverage in the future should we want to draw down additional federal
• So I don't want to understate the impact to providers that have absolutely built their business model
• I'd also say that the Rural Health Transformation Program, which does not report to Medicaid, but did

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee heard a budget presentation on the Division of Medicaid within the Department of Health and Welfare, including an overview of the division’s five programs, staffing, spending trends, and the large share of the budget that goes to trust and benefit payments. Ms. Williamson explained the difference between ongoing and one-time enhancements, the role of population forecast adjustments, and why the fiscal year 2026 and 2027 numbers change significantly. Members asked about the growth in the budget, the FMAP match rate, the impact of provider rate changes, and the shift of some positions into Medicaid from other divisions after last year’s reorganization. A major topic was House Bill 345 and related budget changes, including the hospital assessment fund alignment, the 4% provider rate reduction, and the effect on Medicaid expansion and other populations. The committee discussed the decline in expansion enrollment, rising costs in traditional Medicaid populations, and the governor’s recommendation to offset part of the 2027 increase with additional reductions. Members raised concerns about access to care, especially for dental, behavioral health, developmental disability, and home- and community-based services, while the deputy director said the department is trying to contain costs through prior authorization, fraud and abuse work, and policy changes. The committee also focused on the MMIS replacement project, which is in year four of a five-year procurement and is funded through dedicated and federal dollars tied to milestones. Another significant item was estate recovery, where the department requested funding to replace an outdated case management system and add contractor support to address a backlog of roughly 20,000 cases; members questioned the return on investment and asked for more detail on the software and staffing split. The deputy director also explained the federally qualified health center reconciliation issue, saying the state had not been properly paying change-in-scope amounts and is now using a new process with interim payments and later reconciliation. In addition, lawmakers asked about program integrity staffing, the use of AI, and whether the department could better target fraud, waste, and abuse investigations. The deputy director said the department is reviewing AI use cautiously and sees opportunities for it in claims review and anomaly detection, but emphasized that the current request is for dedicated receipt authority rather than general funds. No formal votes were taken in the excerpt, but the committee received the presentation, asked extensive questions, and was told that some follow-up information would be provided later.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:30:03.360><c> Now</c> lasting impact and a strong legacy.
• Now lasting impact and a strong legacy.
• And I just appreciate everyone celebrating her and remembering her and the incredible impact she had
• </c> just the incredible incredible impact just the incredible incredible impact she<00:35:04.160><c>
• </c> for teachers and students, for rural for teachers and students, for rural communities,<01:15:53.840

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• that's an aging long-term care really that's an aging long-term care really does<00:11:31.040><c> impact
• </c><00:11:31.600><c> all</c> does impact all does impact all ages.<00:11:33.519><c> As</c><00:11:33.760
• Even in Montana, with those massive, vast rural areas, they mandate a 10-day turnaround.
• </c> Montana with those massive vast rural Montana with those massive vast rural areas,<00:51:05.520>
• Uh, I think AI is going to have an impact, uh, to make things more efficient.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I understand that the Rules Committee amended your bill to remove some of that language that impacted
• I understand that the Rules Committee amended your bill to remove some of that language that impacted
• Your work has had a tremendous impact on our community.
• I'm just trying to understand the various impacts in real practice of what this would mean.
• If there was some water, whatever, whatever, some environmental impact, then the environmental impact

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, several introductions, and an announcement that there would be no weekend conference. The chamber then took up a long special-order calendar of bills, generally moving each measure through third reading and final passage, often by substituting House companion bills. Early measures included trust law modernization (SB 786/HB 895), military affairs changes and Guard retirement corrections (SB 474), rounding rules for cash transactions as pennies phase out (SB 1074), podiatric medicine regulation and informed-consent requirements (SB 1092), veterans court expansion (SB 50/HB 199), RV park special assessment clarification (SB 118), concurrent jurisdiction for juvenile offenses on military installations (SB 502/HB 351), alcoholic beverage loss deductions (SB 678/HB 1137), and bail bond/pretrial release revisions (SB 600). Most passed unanimously or near-unanimously; SB 600 passed 36-1 after questions about charitable bail bonds and an amendment aligning with the House version and prosecutors’ concerns. The Senate also considered bills on portable electronics and eyewear insurance (SB 772), the linking industry to nursing education fund and health science workforce programs (SB 1246), recovery residences and behavioral health licensing (SB 1030, with a technical amendment on background checks and probationary licenses), felony battery enhancements for repeat offenders and offenses against law enforcement (SB 436), and child welfare changes including foster-home visitor screening, a permanent statewide Step Into Success program, and a best-practices repository (SB 1718). These measures were explained by sponsors as efforts to streamline regulation, improve workforce and health-care training, strengthen public safety, and reduce administrative burdens while preserving safeguards. Votes on these bills were overwhelmingly favorable, with final tallies typically 36-0 or 37-0. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to a farewell tribute to Senator Lori Berman. Members from both parties praised her leadership, collegiality, policy work, and advocacy on issues including voting rights, women’s rights, Israel and antisemitism, school safety, breast cancer, and family law. Berman delivered a lengthy farewell reflecting on her 16 years in the Legislature, her caucus leadership, and the importance of dignity, respect, and public service. The Senate adopted a motion to spread her remarks upon the journal and then recessed before returning to continue the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> on being swayed by the emotional impact on being swayed by the emotional impact of<00:58:49.839>
• </c> jury wants to understand the impact jury wants to understand the impact on<01:13:18.800><c> the<
• </c> able to weigh the impact on a victim. able to weigh the impact on a victim.
• There's no fiscal impact, and we feel we can agree to that.
• There's no fiscal impact, and I ask for your aye vote.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> our</c> staggering losses impacting our staggering losses impacting our constituents<00:27:16.920
• </c><02:00:15.680><c> is</c> responsibilities and impacts is responsibilities and impacts is essential
• loses</c><02:13:47.320><c> enough</c> A rural district that loses enough A rural district that loses
• </c> fiscal impact on New Hampshire's budget. fiscal impact on New Hampshire's budget.
• </c> intent and impact. intent and impact.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, our members are primarily focused on solving the rural digital divide as quickly and efficiently
• It's a great tool for<00:41:56.800><c> deploying</c><00:41:57.119><c> to</c><00:41:57.280><c> rural</
• c><00:41:57.920><c> sparsely</c> for deploying to rural sparsely for deploying to rural sparsely populated
• Without essential broadband service and with little or no choice of alternatives in many rural parts
• </c> Um given that you uh serve very rural Um given that you uh serve very rural areas<00:46:45.119><

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:27 Legislative Research Commission 00:01:15 KentuckyWired Operations Company 00:17:30 Wireless Internet Service Providers Association 00:40:15 Administrative Office of the Courts 01:08:55 Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts 01:33:00, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the July 9 minutes without objection and heard from Jay Hartz and Jonathan Harris of the Legislative Research Commission. Members asked about Capitol and legislator security in light of recent targeted shootings in other states. Hartz said LRC had removed members’ home addresses from its website, was reviewing other state-government records for similar information, and was working with the Speaker, Senate President, Kentucky State Police, and outside security experts on broader safety measures. He also said LRC is exploring commercial products to help block personal contact information from public view, but declined to name vendors publicly. Harris added that driver’s license scans at the Capitol are handled by Kentucky State Police, while LRC has a process for flagging high-volume or concerning contacts for police review. The LRC also reported that redistricting work has already begun, with census coordination underway, evaluation of redistricting software including Mapitude and open-source tools, and plans to make the same tools available to the public in the LRC library. The committee then heard from Kentucky Wired Operations Company CEO Robert Morphonius, COO Tom Snyder, and counsel Patrick Hughes about the Kentucky Wired network. They explained the corporate structure: Kentucky Wired Operations Company is a private for-profit special purpose entity that designs, builds, operates, and maintains the network; Kentucky Wired Infrastructure Company is a nonprofit instrumentality used for financing; and Open Fiber Kentucky handles commercialization of excess capacity under a wholesale agreement. They said Kentucky Wired Operations is in the operations and maintenance phase, with those obligations continuing until 2045, and that technical changes to the network generally require KCNA approval through formal change-order processes. They also said the company conducted a market test in June 2023 under Schedule 19 of its contract, considered proposals including Open Fiber and the incumbent service provider, and retained the existing provider. Members asked about KCNA’s role, procurement, network customers, and revenue. The witnesses said Quac operates outside normal state procurement because its process is governed by contract, while KCNA acts as the Commonwealth’s oversight authority and filter for changes. They identified current network users as including AOC, KCTCS, postsecondary education, and other Commonwealth agencies, with all requests routed through KCNA; they also said a separate change process for Exceliccom is in litigation. On funding, they said the operation is paid through monthly appropriations, with roughly a million dollars a month for the service provider and a couple hundred thousand for Quac’s oversight, not including debt service, which is bundled into the availability payment. The discussion ended as members began asking about responsibility for damage-related costs such as squirrel-related outages.

Transcript Highlights:

• a lot of those are on the list because of considerable concern regarding health and environmental impact
• </c> understand the data and the impacts understand the data and the impacts associated<00:14:50.000>
• </c> um and looking at some of our more rural um and looking at some of our more rural areas<01:27:36.239
• Was that the most prevalent impact you found was the neurological impacts from the Chaco study?
• you found was the prevalent uh impact you found was the ological<01:51:23.040><c> impacts</c><01:51:

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: This joint informational briefing of Senate and House committees focused on restricted use pesticides in Hawaiʻi, with opening remarks framing the issue as one of health, environmental impact, and state-level regulation. The briefing reviewed the history of pesticide disclosure efforts, including prior county actions, a 2016 court ruling that shifted responsibility to the state, and Act 45, which enabled disclosure of restricted use pesticide data. Speakers highlighted 2019 reporting data showing concentrated use in parts of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, especially near schools and communities, and identified fumigants such as 1,3-dichloropropene and metam sodium as among the heaviest-used products. Concerns were raised about potential links to cancer, respiratory illness, reproductive harms, Parkinson’s disease, and developmental effects, as well as the lack of long-term mixture studies and the need for better buffer zones, reporting, and farmer transition support. The Department of Agriculture’s pesticides program manager described the state’s regulatory framework, explaining the distinction between general use and restricted use pesticides and the department’s role under FIFRA and Hawaiʻi law. He outlined the branch’s enforcement, education/certification, registration, and laboratory functions, including inspections, complaint response, market surveillance, applicator certification, product review, groundwater protection modeling, and special registrations. He also noted staffing and resource limitations, including the absence of an in-house toxicologist and long-term monitoring capacity, and compared Hawaiʻi’s resources to California’s much larger pesticide regulatory program. He said the department supports Act 231, which was passed the previous year and is moving forward this session. A pediatrician speaking for the Hawaiʻi chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasized concerns about chronic low-level pesticide exposure in children, citing AAP policy statements and technical reports that associate exposure with cancer, leukemia, birth defects, neurobehavioral issues, and asthma. Drawing on work with the Kauaʻi Joint Fact Finding Task Force, the speaker said the group found the west side of the island to be an unhealthy community but could not prove causation because of missing drift, geospatial, and biomarker data. The testimony pointed to elevated cancer mortality, pneumonia admissions, obesity, dialysis, and developmental delay indicators, and described concerns about pesticide drift near schools and homes, including reports of children becoming ill after nearby spraying and low levels of chlorpyrifos detected in dust samples. An environmental health scientist from the University of Hawaiʻi described a pilot project using restricted use pesticide data in a public health context. She said the project began after seeing maps of Central Oʻahu pesticide use and aimed to pair GIS data with health and ethnicity data, while also conducting community focus groups. Preliminary focus group themes included calls to action, voting and policymaker awareness, concern about pesticide use near homes and fields, lack of community consent, and a desire to stay engaged. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Substitute Senate Bill 6843 extends the property tax exemption for relief for residents impacted by the
• We've talked in this committee earlier this year about the value that granges provide to rural communities
• At this point, we are looking at the fiscal impact of making this exclusion.
• Now that they are no longer twins, that means that this bill does not have a fiscal impact, whereas 2257
• So I just want to check in, see what that does, see its impact on the shift, and just make sure we're

Summary: House Finance met in executive session on March 2 and reviewed a series of tax and property-tax bills. Staff described measures including removing acreage limits for nonprofit public assembly hall property tax exemptions (ESSB 5252), extending timber tax distributions to certain school districts (SB 5994), expanding housing-related local sales tax uses (SB 6027), updating Department of Revenue tax administration provisions (ESSB 6113), consolidating the state property tax levy and expanding senior/disabled exemptions (ESSB 6162), extending disaster-related property tax relief (SB 6343), rolling back 2025 estate tax changes (SB 6347), adding tribes to the Conservation Futures Program (SB 6097), and extending a hazardous substance tax exemption for agricultural crop protection products (SB 6244). Members also discussed several amendments, including changes to rental assistance, library and school tax treatment, veterans’ income definitions and application assistance, estate-tax exemption and CPI language, and reporting requirements for conservation futures land acquisitions. The committee adopted some amendments and rejected others. HRA 440 was adopted to allow rental assistance as an eligible use of the local sales tax revenue for all jurisdictions rather than only Snohomish County. On ESSB 6113, the committee adopted the striking amendment H-3718.2 but rejected amendments to exempt investigative services, live presentations for schools and nonprofits, and library-related exemptions. On ESSB 6162, amendments to modernize veterans’ benefit language, require DOR application assistance, and lower the levy rate were all rejected. On SB 6347, the committee adopted an amendment restoring the estate tax exclusion amount to 2.193 million and changing the CPI reference, while the broader bill was later reported out as amended. On SB 6097, an amendment requiring county reporting on conservation futures acquisitions was rejected. The committee then voted to report several bills out with do pass recommendations: ESSB 5252, SB 5994, ESSB 6027 as amended, ESSB 6113 as amended, ESSB 6162, SB 6343, SB 6097, and SB 6244. SB 6347 was reported out with a do pass as amended recommendation after the adopted amendment. Members generally framed the bills as providing tax relief, clarifying tax administration, supporting housing and schools, or extending existing exemptions, while some members raised concerns about fiscal impact, tax burden shifts, and the need for more accountability or broader policy changes. The meeting concluded with thanks to staff and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's not been a study done as far as the actual impact.
• But any impact that has an impact on the Baton Rouge City Court also has an impact on the city in general
• There's not been a study done as far as the actual impact.
• But any impact that has an impact on the Baton Rouge City Court also has an impact on the city in general
• But any impact that has an impact on the Baton Rouge City Court also has an impact on the city in general

Committee: Senate Judiciary A

Summary: The committee first approved the May 5 minutes and then heard House Bill 578, which would define sex in Louisiana law as biological sex, replace references to gender with sex in various statutes and forms, and direct the Law Institute to make conforming changes. Supporters from the governor’s office said the bill would bring clarity and consistency, while opponents argued it could create conflicts with existing law and weaken protections tied to gender identity. After debate, the committee reported HB 578 favorably. Members then considered House Bill 1250, a measure aimed at aerospace-related litigation. The bill would allow a special motion to strike certain claims against aerospace flight entities when the claims are preempted by federal law. Senators raised concerns that the language was broad enough to affect airports, airlines, contractors, and even unrelated incidents, and the author said he was willing to work on narrowing amendments. The committee nevertheless reported HB 1250 favorably. House Bill 718, dealing with liability protections for private airstrips used for recreation, was amended to narrow its scope and then reported favorably, while House Bill 163, a narrower related airstrip bill, was voluntarily deferred so the committee could work from the other measure. The committee also approved House Concurrent Resolution 61, which asks the Louisiana Law Institute to review possible conflicts between the constitution and statutes on expropriation. House Bill 180, defining foreign adversaries and agents of foreign adversaries for a proposed constitutional amendment, and House Bill 192, a constitutional amendment barring foreign adversaries from expropriating land in Louisiana, were both reported favorably. House Bill 1008, which sets out academic freedom and whistleblower protections for higher education, was rejected on a roll-call vote after concerns about its scope and limits on university discipline. House Bill 638, a prompt-payment bill for contractors, was set aside while amendments were being located. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 71, which would extend existing liability protections for justified use of force to properly trained armed security guards. The author and the Board of Private Security Examiners said security officers receive training and often face dangerous situations, but opponents argued the bill would give too much protection to personnel with far less training than law enforcement and could shield bad shootings. After debate, the committee voted to defer HB 71. The last measure discussed was House Bill 1082, which would change venue rules for lawsuits involving the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System so actions by the system would be filed where the employer is located; the author said the bill was meant to help small municipalities, and members indicated they were open to narrowing amendments.