Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a tech junkie. I love technology. I love the whole AI thing.
• He writes, true local control means neighbors write the rules, not tech lobbyists.
• And big tech, big industry, big commercial, everything is not okay.
• And then it becomes much harder to say, how do we figure out accountability?
• Probably the most important thing is human control and accountability.

Summary: The committee held its first meeting on artificial intelligence and data centers, established a quorum, and heard introductory remarks from Majority Leader Hogue and the chair about the committee’s charge. Members said the goal was to build a factual foundation on AI, hear from experts and stakeholders, and develop practical North Dakota-focused recommendations rather than simply produce a large volume of bills. Legislative Council also reviewed interim committee rules and procedures before the informational presentations began. Staff and NCSL presenters then gave overviews of AI concepts and the state and federal policy landscape. The background memo and presentations covered AI categories and terms, state laws in areas such as consumer protection, algorithmic discrimination, deepfakes, chatbots, children’s safety, health, education, and government use, as well as data center siting and economic impacts. NCSL described a growing number of AI bills introduced and enacted across the states, with comprehensive laws in places like Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, and Illinois, and noted recurring issues around transparency, privacy, liability, and protections for minors. A major focus of the discussion was federal preemption and the tension between state regulation and national AI policy. NCSL said a recent White House executive order and related federal framework seek a light-touch, innovation-friendly national standard, with possible challenges to state laws and possible funding conditions tied to compliance, though no broad federal preemption has yet been enacted. Members asked about Commerce Clause concerns, industry pushback, oversight models, and whether AI policy is bipartisan; presenters said the issue cuts across party lines, with broad agreement on child safety and deepfake restrictions but more disagreement on broader regulatory approaches. No votes or formal actions were taken at the meeting, and the committee recessed briefly for technical issues during the second presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The House Bill 27 is a bill to modernize our high tech research and development tax credit.
• &D tax credit is a proven return on investment here in our tax structure, and it incentivizes high tech
• It's from high tech jobs to the industry of electricians.
• Chair and Secretary, is that economic impact analysis also takes into account the competitive nature
• target sectors that we've discussed around advanced energy, advanced computing space, defense, ag tech

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Investing slowly just outside of our borders, our high-tech companies.
• or is it is it more of a tech type job? or is it is it more of a tech type job?
• And so these are not tech effectively.
• just the big tech workers. just the big tech workers.
• Should I be moving my entire retirement account over to AI technology staff?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Delivering enhanced funding and increasing that accountability and shifting decision-making.
• That $126,000 will be returned into the pool for Career and Tech Ed going forward.
• The 15th floor is also the floor that Career and Tech Ed is in.
• And, ladies and gentlemen, that is the Career and Tech Ed budget. Please vote green. Mr. Speaker.
• Going to Section 7, it addresses the long-standing issue of double accounting of IT costs.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, pledge, and roll call, establishing a quorum. It then took up a series of appropriations and policy bills, with the most extensive debate centered on Senate Bill 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs budget. The House approved amendments that shifted governance of the department and veterans’ home from ACOVA to the governor, citing concerns about ACOVA’s salary-setting actions and broader appropriation oversight. Members opposed to the change argued ACOVA had studied compensation and acted within its role. The amended bill passed 57-34, and the final bill passed 69-22 with the emergency clause carrying. The House also passed Senate Bill 2001, the legislative branch budget, which funds the 2027 session, legislative staff, chamber upgrades, IT improvements, and salary adjustments for legislative leaders; the bill passed 62-29, but the emergency clause failed. Senate Bill 2019, the Career and Technical Education budget, passed 82-10 with emergency clause. Senate Bill 2021, the Information Technology Department budget, passed 75-17 after discussion of data center migration, service automation, mainframe transition, ERP study, and DPI’s move from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus. Other measures passed included Senate Bill 2228 for rural grocery store sustainability grants, Senate Bill 2390 creating a rural catalyst community grant program, Senate Bill 2188 adjusting the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, and Senate Bill 2265 authorizing a veterans national cemetery grant and line of credit with added reporting safeguards. Several House bills returned from the Senate were concurred in and then passed, including House Bill 1361 on mandatory minimum sentences for human trafficking offenders, House Bill 1017 for the Game and Fish Department, House Bill 1588 on firearms and dangerous weapons provisions, House Bill 1429 on harassment and stalking involving robots, House Bill 1591 on county fair resiliency grants, House Bill 1537 on service agreement protection for water projects, House Bill 1203 on edible medical marijuana products, and House Bill 1027 transferring administration of the State Fire and Tornado Fund from the Insurance Commissioner to OMB. The House also rejected a motion to reconsider Senate Bill 2307, which dealt with library materials and obscenity-related restrictions, by a vote of 48-51. In addition, the chamber appointed conference committees on several House and Senate measures where concurrence had failed, and laid over Senate Bill 2340 for two legislative days.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of it is fund balance, and it's to account for a 12.8% increase last year.
• Development and analyst companies in the U.S. to do a science and tech roadmap for New Mexico.
• New Mexico Tech accounts for 16 of these centers, followed by the University of New Mexico with four
• So, that includes investing in, for example, within New Mexico Tech in Playas. 6G, right?
• So, for example, the same way that New Mexico Tech can focus on 5G technology, they can serve as that

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• from big tech.
• No care, no empathy, no accountability.
• But platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are not being held accountable.
• , literally you cannot even use certain websites without having an account. ...sign up to have an account
• Samantha Gordon on behalf of Tech Equity Action in support. Thank you.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• KPMG um for accounting students securian KPMG um for accounting students securian for<00:37:36.640>
• So you see in NOA Ramsey, in NOA Tech, B Miji State University, in Northwest Tech, our board has had
• IRP accounts are defined-contribution retirement accounts that some Minnesota State employees choose
• <01:30:46.840> IRP retirement plan IRP accounts IRP retirement plan IRP accounts IRP accounts
• defined contribution accounts are defined contribution retirement<01:30:49.920> accounts<01:30

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities presented an overview of the system and several budget riders. Board Chair George Soul described the system’s structure, noting 26 colleges and seven universities governed by a 15-member board, and emphasized that Minnesota State serves about 270,000 students annually, including many students of color, adult learners, Pell-eligible students, first-generation students, and veterans. He highlighted the system’s workforce role, saying it offers more than 4,000 programs, extensive employer partnerships, and that 86% of graduates find jobs in their field or a related field. He then turned the presentation over to system staff to discuss specific funding requests. Associate Vice Chancellor Kim Lynch focused on the Z-degree textbook program, which supports zero-textbook-cost courses and degrees. She said prior legislative support has produced about $3.1 million in savings in academic year 2024 and more than $12.6 million in aggregate savings, with 10 colleges now offering Z degrees and 12 more on track or exploring implementation. She described the program’s use of open educational resources, instructional design support, and library resources to fill gaps where free materials are not available, and said students save roughly $7 to $10 for every $1 invested. Members praised the program and asked about its expansion. Associate Vice Chancellor Paul Shepard discussed student support funding, including a centralized basic needs resource hub, the Mantra Health mental health platform, and the emergency grant program. He said student surveys showed significant food, housing, and homelessness insecurity, and that the basic needs hub has served over 2,400 students with a 97% positive response rate. He said Mantra provides telecounseling, peer support, self-paced courses, and crisis support, and clarified in response to questions that it is not AI-driven and does not sell student data; general usage data is collected, and follow-up with campus counselors occurs only at the student’s request. He also said the emergency grant program has distributed over $3 million to more than 4,800 students, with grants averaging just under $700, and that campuses use application review and recordkeeping to manage repeat requests. Members asked about counselor staffing, data privacy, and grant safeguards. The final item addressed sexual assault reporting and prevention funding. System staff said the appropriation supports technology infrastructure for statutory reporting, case management for investigations, campus prevention training, and professional development for Title IX coordinators and related staff. They noted that the statutory student training requirement is funded by individual colleges and universities, not by this appropriation. No formal votes were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• One was accountability.
• Part of it was measurement and driving accountability.
• Accountability begins now.
• Big tech has done a great job in a lot of areas.
• VA employee accountability is important.

Keywords: veterans affairs, VA modernization, employee layoffs, mental health, suicide prevention, transparency, senate committee, bipartisan support, oversight

Summary: The meeting involved detailed discussions on various veterans' issues, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amidst a backdrop of significant staffing changes. Members expressed deep concerns over the recent layoffs of over 1,000 VA employees, emphasizing the crucial nature of these positions in the context of mental health support for veterans, particularly amid rising suicide rates. Senators articulated the need for transparency and effective communication between the VA and Congress to avoid further breakdowns in services. The session also spotlighted the ongoing modernization of VA systems and the urgent need to streamline processes to benefit veterans effectively.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1650 is about safety, transparency, and accountability.
• is visible and accountable.
• How can we repair what we won't be accountable for?
• What we won't be accountable for.
• The bill does not fully account for pass-through.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Recommendation is to pass with amendments, adopting LRB tech amendments. Any discussion? Not sure.
• Recommendation is to pass with amendments, adopting LRB tech amendments. Any discussion? Not sure.
• Recommendation is to pass with amendments, adopting LRB tech amendments. Any discussion? Not sure.
• Recommendation is to pass with amendments, adopting LRB tech amendments. Any discussion?
• Tech amendments any<00:24:04.559> discussion Thank you.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Ways and Means and Judiciary committee met in decision-making mode and took up a long list of measures, mostly recommending passage with or without amendments. Early actions included S.B. 414, which was amended to blank the appropriation, draw funds from the major disaster fund, and change the effective date to 2050, and S.B. 223, which would require fire breaks in hazardous fire areas and create or expand wildland fire prevention and protection programs with blank appropriations for FY 2026 and 2027. The committee also advanced S.B. 1009 on state reserve parking space enforcement, S.B. 1149 on reported hate crime definitions and reporting, S.B. 402 on mooring-line requirements for certain vessels, S.B. 1441 on the Oahu regional health care system transfer, S.B. 1442 on child and adolescent mental health responsibilities, S.B. 1478 on harbor evacuation orders, and S.B. 493 on written notice for emotional support animal sales or verifications. Members generally raised little opposition, and most measures were adopted without reservations. Some bills drew brief discussion or committee-report notes, including S.B. 1149, which referenced a Hawaii Civil Rights Commission report encouraging policy-level hate crime data reporting, and S.B. 1442, which was amended with a far-future effective date and a committee-report note about whether mental health services should be expressly subject to funding. S.B. 1441 was substantially revised to require a memorandum of agreement between the Oahu Regional Health Care System and the Department of Health by November 30, 2025, with patient care to begin by December 31, 2025, and a report to the legislature before the 2026 session. The committee also considered several finance and energy-related measures. S.B. 897 on the wildfire liability trust fund prompted questions about whether costs would be passed to consumers; the response was that the proposal contemplated cost sharing and that some amounts were still blank. S.B. 1395 and S.B. 1396 were amended to remove special-fund structures, direct revenues into the general fund, and require the governor to include equivalent amounts in the executive budget for climate-related projects. S.B. 501 was amended to expand step-in agreement provisions for future PPAs and establish a fund outside the State Treasury, and S.B. 1589 was amended so private donations to the stadium authority would go into the NID special fund for stadium infrastructure and sod, with members discussing accountability and the source of stadium-related consultant spending. The committee adopted the recommendations on all measures considered, with some members noting reservations on a few bills, and one item, S.B. 1418, was deferred.

Transcript Highlights:

• industry in this state, and lead innovation and encourage emerging technologies for the benefit of tech
• We have a very low-tech guy. It's a high-tech gavel, sir. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you.
• She goes to Texas Tech, and in fact, she will graduate this December with a degree from Texas Tech.
• The PA program at Tech has been wonderful, and it continues to grow.
• It says they may take that into account. They may take that into consideration.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The three distinct business parks are Los Modos Business Park, Huening Business and Tech Park West, and
• Every penny was accounted for.
• Ariana Green, who completed the farm tech program just in April of this year, described her previous
• She was able to access the funding that the GROW funding provides, take her pharmacy tech class, and
• And Madam Chair, just recently, Rio Tech just opened, and it's a very unique partnership with CNM.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> I was just curious if those career tech >> I was just curious if those career tech
• <04:37:56.639> programs they're going for career tech programs they're going for career tech
• This is specifically defined for career tech, and career tech is defined, and it doesn't include anything
• separate career tech school. separate career tech school. >> Yes. >> Yes.
• <04:40:31.840> It homeschool, defining career tech. It homeschool, defining career tech.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• However, we need to make sure we're holding those companies accountable.
• , an accountability system based upon... ...and maintain accountability, an accountability system based
• So it does not, again, alter the accountability system in any way.
• And so, as she mentioned, like we're... ...into the state's accountability system.
• In fact, this ties in seamlessly to the accountability.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:27:29.679> amendments,<00:27:30.080> a committee report, any tech amendments, a
• <00:27:49.919> And<00:27:50.080> then date and any tech amendments.
• And then date and any tech amendments.
• Any tech amendments identified by HMSO and a defective date of July 1st, 3000.
• at this time. um any tech amendments at this time. um any tech amendments identified<03:08:35.040

Bills: HB676

Keywords: HB676, Hawaii correctional facilities, youth correctional facilities, adult correctional facilities, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Youth Services, inmate phone calls, prison phone calls, jail phone calls, free prison calls, free communication services, incarcerated persons, prison reform, reentry, family visitation, recidivism, video visitation, electronic messaging, commissions, ancillary fees

Summary: The committee heard three public safety bills. HB 2235 would appropriate $1.3 million for the Military Affairs and Community Relations Office to strengthen coordination on military and defense issues. Supporters, including the Hawaii National Guard and DBEDT’s military relations office, said the office helps Hawaiʻi understand federal contracting, USA Jobs, and military-related economic impacts. One member questioned why the state should fund a DoD-related office while Hawaiʻi remains under-reimbursed on impact aid; supporters responded that the office serves Hawaiʻi communities and helps prepare residents for federal jobs. The chair said she intended to recommend the bill pass with a HD1, a blank appropriation to be filled in the committee report, technical amendments, a defective effective date, and updated office title language. HB 2263 would expand Hawaiʻi family leave law to cover qualifying military exigencies. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, DBEDT’s military relations office, and the Hawaii National Guard supported the measure, saying military families often face short-notice deployments, relocations, briefings, and urgent family arrangements that require time away from work, and that aligning state law with federal standards would provide clarity and consistency. The chair said she would recommend passage with a HD1, a defective effective date, and technical amendments. HB 2291 would clarify that certain National Guard Youth and Educational Programs employees are excluded from collective bargaining, rename the program, and codify its Hawaiian name. The Hawaii National Guard said it was a housekeeping bill with no appropriation, but requested an amendment to align the bill with updated authorities and program references; the chair asked for proposed language before the later decision-making. She said she would recommend passage with a defective date and the requested amendment if provided, and then recessed the hearing until 11:30 a.m. for decision-making on all three bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Brad Reynolds with the Comptroller of Public Accounts. Yes, you have a current.
• He spent over $600,000 between lawyers and accountants, defending himself to figure it out.
• And our community colleges have aviation tech industry certification classes and training for aviation
• tech folks all day long.
• We also have Mike Domeo from Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Bills: SB214, SB935, SB1030, SB1901, SB2018, SB2020, SB2066, SB2206

Keywords: HVAC, tax exemption, energy efficiency, residential heating, installation services, Energy Star, sales tax, residential, installation, sales tax exemption, Environmental Protection Agency, temporary exemption, motor fuel tax, county exemption, diesel fuel, gasoline tax, transportation funding, SB 1030, Texas Tax Code, use tax exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• Calculated by looking at what's called cost accounting.
• Are they in interest-bearing accounts? What is going on with that interest?
• I’d love to see the numbers on the tech transfer—how much your tech transfer, and kind of what the university
• It will stay in a state account.
• It will stay in a state account.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met to hear an overview of State University System finances from the Board of Governors and detailed budget presentations from Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of North Florida. The witnesses explained how university budgets are organized into fund categories such as education and general, contracts and grants, auxiliaries, local/designated funds, capital projects, and component units such as direct support organizations. They also described carry forward funds, the statutory reserve and spending-plan requirements, the PICO/HECO capital outlay process, and how universities use investment accounts, audits, and board oversight to manage restricted and unspent funds. The universities emphasized that most operating dollars are restricted to specific uses and that state support helps keep tuition low. Members asked about differences in funding levels among institutions, especially why FSU receives more funding than UCF despite lower enrollment. Officials said preeminence funding, performance funding, and special legislative appropriations explain much of the difference, and the Board of Governors noted that Florida now has four preeminent universities, with UCF nearing that status. Questions also focused on what happens to unspent carry forward money, how it is invested, and whether the Board of Governors or Legislature can require funds to be returned; officials said the money is invested conservatively, subject to board and audit oversight, and can roll forward under a detailed spending plan, though the Legislature can change funding levels. The committee also discussed capital projects, with members asking about delays, inflation, and whether more projects should be phased or funded faster; witnesses said PICO funds remain with the state until needed and are reimbursed as construction proceeds. A substantial portion of the discussion covered athletics, research, student fees, and endowments. The universities said athletics is generally expected to be self-supporting, though limited use of auxiliary or carry forward funds may be allowed for projects benefiting the broader student body. They also described the financial pressures from name, image, and likeness changes and new NCAA-related costs, and said institutions are planning for those changes now. On research, the universities explained sponsored research funding, indirect cost recovery, compliance obligations, and tech transfer, but did not provide specific commercialization revenue figures and said they would follow up. Members also asked about student fee increases, student input, counseling and wellness funding, and how housing costs affect affordability; the universities said student committees and boards review fees, and aid packaging is intended to keep student debt low. Endowments were described as being held in separate foundations/DSOs with independent investment committees and used mainly for scholarships, faculty support, and research.

Transcript Highlights:

• you just do vet tech? you just do vet tech?
• And there's in tech all their life.
• probably going to go to the tech probably going to go to the tech program,<00:54:49.240> but<
• They just require the account.
• accounts payable. accounts payable.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that certainly is problematic and may account for the drop.
• And secondly, the sense of accountability and the thought process around accountability, I just wanted
• So it's about that accountability, right?
• So, just the last commentary, again, is that accountability.
• And we are making ourselves accountable, our education is accountable, accountable that these students

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then received a lengthy DPI presentation from Stanley Schauer on statewide reading and math assessment data for students with and without disabilities. He explained the assessment systems used over time, the absence of 2019-20 data, and how North Dakota’s standards are set by educators. Members asked about alternate assessments, cohort trends, the apparent drop in proficiency in higher grades, and the new NDA+ assessment. Schauer emphasized that the biggest pattern in the data was the relative stability of students with disabilities, the post-pandemic drop and partial recovery, and the need to focus on reducing the novice category. He also said the state plans to revisit high school standard setting and that future data could be broken out by program, disability category, and schools using science-of-math or other initiatives. Public testimony from special education staff suggested that the flat performance of students with disabilities during COVID likely reflected continued services and intensive supports, and committee members discussed whether the current disparity goal is realistic and whether growth measures would be more useful than simple proficiency buckets. After the presentation, the committee took a short break and then moved into discussion of special education funding models. Chair Richter said members should contact Schauer directly with ideas for additional data views and noted that the committee would continue its work on funding and possible model changes. Brandon Bomback of Grand Forks Public Schools began a presentation arguing that the special education funding formula, especially the weighting factor, should be reconsidered if the committee wants a system that better reflects accountability and student needs. He said his comments were based on the perspective of a larger district and focused on the special education weighting factor rather than other parts of the formula. The remainder of his presentation was not included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then lastly, we have our business partner accountability.
• <00:14:10.639> So,<00:14:11.199> generally partner accountability.
• So, generally partner accountability.
• and we're starting that with tech 100. and we're starting that with tech 100.
• I just want to know if we can also take that Tech 100 class.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Intelligence Task Force met with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the August 14 meeting. The first presentation was from the National Retail Federation on artificial intelligence in the retail sector. NRF described AI use cases in three areas: consumer-facing tools such as chatbots, product descriptions, and marketing; employee-facing tools such as company-specific apps trained on employee manuals; and internal uses such as supply chain forecasting, inventory planning, fraud detection, cybersecurity, and coding support. The presenters said retail has been among the top deployers of AI and emphasized that the goal is to improve both customer and employee experience. NRF also outlined its principles for responsible AI use, organized around governance and risk management, customer engagement and trust, workforce applications, and business partner accountability. The group said retailers should maintain strong internal oversight, be transparent with customers, ensure compliance with existing laws, closely review workforce-related uses because they can be high-risk, and clearly define responsibilities between retailers and third-party developers. In policy discussion, NRF urged a tiered approach focused first on high-risk uses such as hiring, health care, financial, mortgage, and rental decisions, warned against fragmented rules that could favor only the largest firms, and encouraged voluntary standards and worker upskilling incentives. In response to a question about dynamic pricing, NRF said its members do not target consumers based on pricing and offered to follow up with more information. The committee then moved to a follow-up discussion on energy policy and data centers, hearing from Bartley Cleland of NetChoice. He explained that AI runs largely in data centers and that cloud computing shifts processing and storage away from individual devices, which he argued improves efficiency and can reduce costs. He said electricity demand has been rising over time and that AI will increase compute-related electricity use, but framed electricity as a normal input to economic growth. No votes or formal actions were taken after these presentations.