Video & Transcript : 'MVP grant program' :
Page 418 of 500
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Standing Committee on Appropriations and Revenue (3-10-26) - Reupload
Appropriations & Revenue
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><00:04:53.440><c> of</c> assuming you've got a federal grant of assuming you've got a federal grant
- </c><00:15:15.560><c> So</c> programmed to funding. So programmed to funding.
- Um, as well as the grant program and others. Um, as well as the grant program and others.
- Um as well as the grant program<00:25:11.480><c> um</c><00:25:11.560><c> and</c><00:25:11.760><c> others
- </c> will it put the program on the ground?" will it put the program on the ground?"
Committee:
House Appropriations & Revenue
Keywords:
An issue was found with the live stream of this meeting. This version was uploaded as a complete version and should contain the entirety of the meeting.
Meeting Start 00:00:00
Roll Call 00:00:15
HB 647 Discussion 00:02:00
HB 647 Vote 00:05:47
HB 501 Discussion 00:07:40
HB 501 Vote 00:09:53
HB 502 Discussion 00:11:20
HB 502 Vote 00:14:48
HJR 75 Discussion 00:16:53
HJR 75 Vote 00:17:35
HJR 76 Discussion 00:19:00
HJR 76 Vote 00:19:43
HB 869 Discussion 00:21:22
HB 869 Vote 00:30:00
HB 619 Discussion 00:31:39
HB 619 Vote 00:34:33
HB 356 Discussion 00:36:22
HB 356 Vote 00:40:19
HB 900 Discussion 00:43:17
HB 900 Vote 00:46:21
HB 816 Discussion 00:48:02
HB 816 Vote 00:53:47
HB 9 Discussion 00:55:05
HB 9 Vote 01:18:25
HB 757 Discussion 01:21:04
HB 757 Vote 01:35:55, 958, all
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee Mar 24th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- resilience projects the Conservancy can fund, and provide the Conservancy with authority to provide grants
- These are facilities, services, programs, and landscapes that are worthy of their enjoyment as well.
- This narrow exemption grants the board the authority it needs to effectively administer measurement and
- It's just to grant it. It's to make it permanent, right? So when it had this...
- Now, granted, for Sierra County, it's not going to be a huge windfall to us by any means.
Summary:
The committee heard and advanced several bills related to parks, wildlife, water, and veterans. AB 1592 would authorize the Department of Parks and Recreation to partner with the California Indian Heritage Center support organization; supporters said it would help move the long-planned center forward with Native-led governance. AB 2216 would expand the Delta Conservancy’s service area and update its authority to better support watershed-scale conservation, climate resilience, workforce, tribal grants, and related projects. AB 1702 would expand state parks access for veterans, National Guard, reservists, and active duty service members by broadening eligibility for the Distinguished Veterans Pass and creating a discounted parks pass. AB 1673 would allow county fish and game commissions to use certain revenues to reimburse sheriffs for fish and wildlife enforcement and wildlife-conflict prevention, especially in rural counties with limited state enforcement presence.
The committee also considered AB 1912, which would allow archery deer hunters to carry concealed firearms while hunting, aligning deer hunting rules with those already in place for other big game archery hunts. Supporters argued it would improve hunter safety in remote areas without harming wildlife enforcement, while opponents were not present. AB 1987 would dedicate revenues generated from state wildlife areas back to those areas for operations, maintenance, and habitat management; supporters said the areas are underfunded and need a stable funding source. All of these bills received due pass recommendations and were later approved by the committee, with AB 2216 passing 11-1 and the others passing 12-0.
The most contested measure was AB 2630, which would give the State Water Resources Control Board emergency-style authority to make measurement and reporting changes for water diversions and use, with a five-year sunset. The author and supporters said the board needs flexibility to update the CalWATRS reporting system quickly as technology and conditions change. Water agencies, farm groups, and business groups opposed the bill, arguing it would bypass public input and could allow repeated emergency regulations affecting compliance and operations. After extended debate, the committee passed AB 2630 on an 8-4 vote. The committee also approved two consent items, AB 1804 and AB 2260, both unanimously.
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- And we were able to submit, and granted, I work for an interior design and architecture firm, so I was
- And we were able to submit, and granted, I work for an interior design and architecture firm, so I was
- And granted, I'm talking on behalf of the architecture portion of my office because we have both.
- And granted, I'm talking on behalf of the architecture portion of my office because we have both.
- And granted, I'm talking on behalf of the architecture portion of my office because we have both.
Committee:
House Business
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
02/17/2026 - House Democratic Caucus Calendar #6
Transcript Highlights:
- assistance program.
- Madam Chair and members, HB 2824, Capital Improvement Financing Program, establishes a C-PACE program
- Madam Chair and members, HB 2824, Capital Improvement Financing Program, establishes a C-PACE program
- It expands the acceptable uses of grant monies from a program to include acquiring or installing one
- It expands the acceptable uses of grant monies from a program to include acquiring or installing one
Summary:
The caucus reviewed a large number of House bills, mostly on third-read consent or for floor strategy, covering education, health, water, land, energy, housing, taxation, and public safety. Topics included ESA administration funding, AI in schools and legal communications, towing and DUI changes, health facility licensing and nursing records, internationally trained physicians, nurse anesthetist reimbursement, childhood cancer research, cybersecurity encryption, school mental health instruction, superintendent pay and benefits, adoption disclosures in college health settings, anti-Semitism provisions, school safety firearms authorization, coerced abortion penalties, domestic violence testimony standards, border health and terrorism-related bills, and multiple water, land, and state trust land measures. Several members flagged concerns about unfunded mandates, local control, constitutional issues, and special legislation, while others supported bills as technical fixes, public safety measures, or ways to expand access and funding.
A number of bills were pulled from consent for further discussion, including HB 2020, HB 2093, HB 2386, HB 2481, HB 2575, HB 2906, HB 2040, HB 2136, HB 2665, HB 2904, HB 2957, HB 2044, HB 2352, HB 2667, HB 2830, HB 2307, HB 2425, HB 2426, HB 2427, HB 2497, HB 2751, HB 2780, HB 2804, HB 2926, HB 4030, and HCR 2052, among others. Some bills were noted as unanimous or split votes, and several were described as party-line or having constitutional problems. The caucus also discussed committee amendments on multiple measures, including changes to water, land, health, and AI bills.
The meeting ended with a series of remarks on the late Reverend Jesse Jackson and an “affordability award” presentation to Representatives Lorena Austin and Simacek for work on economic justice and working families. The caucus then adjourned.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
HSH Public Hearing - Thu Feb 6, 2025 @ 10:00 AM HST
Human Services & Homelessness
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> the Medicare Medicaid Savings Program the Medicare Medicaid Savings Program the<01:03:41.880><c>
- </c><01:28:40.800><c> SOA</c><01:28:41.280><c> program</c> homeless and soota program SOA program homeless
- </c> our program the return to home program our program the return to home program that<01:29:16.119>
- This program has been a hit. It's a pilot program. It is focused on women.
- So many good programs, and so expensive. So many good programs, and so expensive.
Committee:
House Human Services & Homelessness
Summary:
The House Committee on Human Services and Homelessness met on February 6, 2025, and heard testimony on several measures. HB 44, which would appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services to work with community-based organizations on social services needs, drew broad support from nonprofit providers and coalitions that said contracts and reimbursement rates have not kept pace with the actual cost of services, leaving agencies unable to retain staff or meet demand. DHS said it supported the bill’s intent but asked for clarification because the language was broad and did not specify which organizations or how funds should be allocated. Committee members and the bill’s introducer discussed how to make the measure more specific and equitable, including whether to set a percentage increase, use a baseline date, and direct DHS to distribute funds among different program areas; the True Cost Coalition and DHS agreed to follow up in writing with proposed language and a funding number.
The committee then heard HB 1349, which would authorize Medicaid/CHIP coverage for income-qualified pregnant persons and children regardless of immigration status. Supporters, including the Legal Clinic, Aloha Care, and the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights, said the bill would improve prenatal and child health, reduce the chilling effect of immigration enforcement on care-seeking, and help prevent premature or underweight births by ensuring earlier access to providers. DHS provided comments and the committee asked where the measure would fit in the budget; the department identified the relevant budget code. Written testimony in support came from multiple advocacy and health organizations and dozens of individuals.
Finally, the committee heard HB 613, which would appropriate funds to DHS for emergency shelter and services for unaccompanied homeless youth. The Office of the Public Defender, the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions, the Office of Youth Services, Rise, the Hawaiʻi State LGBTQ+ Commission, and others supported the bill, emphasizing youth homelessness, the need for coordinated shelter and outreach, and the high share of LGBTQ+ youth among homeless minors. OYS asked that the committee consider funding its existing Safe Spaces pilot rather than creating a new program, while DHS said it supported the intent but wanted clarification because multiple department programs could be implicated. No votes were taken during the hearing; the chair instead requested follow-up language and funding information for HB 44 and continued the measures for further consideration.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
March 25, 2025 - 09:00 AM
Transcript Highlights:
- And when they left office, the program kind of sort of...
- And since 2018, since my freshman year, we've had this program coming back up in Tallahassee.
- In my district, we have a rigorous recycling program that is very successful.
- Waste cleanup programs at $221 million.
- Drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater revolving loan programs...
Summary:
The Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee met to consider three bills before moving to its budget presentation. HB 843, relating to Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trust funds, was explained as a set of clarifying changes to improve budget flexibility, including use of certain trust funds for law enforcement and other conservation-related purposes. After questions about whether the bill would shift resources away from conservation, an amendment removed the sections dealing with the Administrative Trust Fund and the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund. The amended bill received support in public testimony and was reported favorably.
The committee then heard HB 295, which directs the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan by 2026 based on prior recycling recommendations. Supporters, including students involved in an “Ought to Be a Law” program and representatives from the waste and recycling industry, said the bill would create a roadmap for improving recycling and waste diversion. An opponent argued the state should instead enact more direct statutory changes on issues such as food waste, yard waste, and manure handling rather than study them further. Members praised the student participation and the bill passed.
HB 339, creating a temporary alternative credentialing pathway for surveyors and mappers, was presented as a response to workforce shortages and an aging profession. The sponsor said the bill would help meet demand while preserving oversight, and an amendment added a four-year work requirement and adjusted renewal provisions. After brief supportive debate, the amended bill passed. The subcommittee then received its Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget proposal, which emphasized spending reductions, vacant-position cuts, and a smaller overall budget than the current year while still funding water resources, Everglades restoration, resiliency, land management, cleanup programs, agriculture facilities, and other projects. Members closed by thanking the chair for an inclusive budget process, and the meeting adjourned after a motion to rise.
WA
Transcript Highlights:
- House Bill 2559 concerns a local government option for the funding of essential affordable housing programs
- In King County, the revenue must be divided between certain housing programs, museums, the arts, and
- programs that promote tourism.
- into a newly created account and used by the local government to fund certain affordable housing programs
- to support the operations of existing programs.
Committee:
House Finance
Keywords:
affordable housing, local government funding, housing programs, community development, financial assistance, adaptive housing, disabled veterans, tax preferences, housing affordability, retail sales tax, property tax, senior citizens, tax exemption, permanent legislation, local government, tax authority, sales tax, use tax, real estate excise tax, REET
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Floor Session May 27th, 2025
California House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- It is a year-long learning program designed to engage students and prepare them for professional roles
- At a time when the federal government is dismantling environmental programs and defunding scientific
- We were notified of a categorical denial of mental health grants for Asian American teenagers because
- Non-custodial wardship probation is only granted to children...
- Non-custodial worship probation is only granted to children. Wardship.
Summary:
The Assembly met in session, established a quorum, and opened with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Members then moved through guest introductions, including students and fellows from California Lutheran University, UC Merced’s CAPE program, the Maddy Institute, and Madera High School’s Madtown Robotics Team 1323, which was recognized for multiple robotics world championships. The chamber also adopted an adjournment in memory and took up the daily file.
Several bills and resolutions were considered and passed, including AB 1390 on school board compensation thresholds, AB 1338 on air district cost recovery for fence-line air monitoring, AB 648 on community college housing, AB 1207 on cap-and-trade price ceilings, ACR 66 recognizing Skin Cancer Awareness Month, AB 49 on keeping ICE out of public schools, AB 317 on a CEQA exemption for certain single-family homes, AB 527 on geothermal exploratory wells, AB 665 on the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation ombudsman report, AB 940 creating quantum innovation zones, AB 1021 on workforce housing for education agencies, AB 1112 on property tax apportionment in Rancho Mirage, AB 1318 on nonprofit eligibility for public funding, and AB 1470 on using student housing loan funds for affordable housing in downtowns and commercial districts. Most measures passed with broad support; AB 49 and AB 1318 were urgency bills and passed with the required higher vote threshold.
The floor also adopted H.R. 40, declaring May 25 as Rosenda’s Day to honor a teen killed by a drunk driver, and H.R. 42, recognizing May as Behavioral Health Awareness Month. Both drew extensive personal testimony from members about mental health, suicide, substance use, and the need to reduce stigma and expand access to care. Additional health-related bills passed, including AB 408 creating a physician health and wellness program, AB 546 requiring coverage for HEPA purifiers for certain enrollees after wildfire disasters, AB 967 expediting licenses for out-of-state physicians, and AB 968 expanding pharmacist authority to provide non-hormonal contraception.
The Assembly also debated AB 1056 on phasing out gill net fishing and AB 1376 on limiting juvenile probation terms, with supporters framing both as conservation or rehabilitation measures and opponents warning about economic harm or public safety concerns. Both bills ultimately passed. Throughout the session, members repeatedly emphasized public safety, education, housing, climate, health care access, and support for immigrant and youth communities, with recorded roll-call votes and voice votes taken on each measure.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Feb 18th, 2026 at 10:30 am
Early Learning & K-12 Education
Transcript Highlights:
- I didn't know what the program was in the state of Washington, so that's very helpful.
- Engrossed House Bill 2317 relates to early learning program licensing requirements.
- The bill before you adds a child care licensing exemption: a school-day ECEAP program or a Head Start
- This bill solved a problem that ECEAP programs have been experiencing for years.
- ECEAP programs have been experiencing for years.
Bills:
HB1796
Committee:
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Environment & Energy Jan 27th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- And this is an outcome the legislature said it wanted to avoid in the cap-and-trade program.
- And this is an outcome the legislature said it wanted to avoid the cap-and-trade program.
- Most of these barriers cannot be addressed directly through the cap-and-invest program.
- Simplot welcomes targeted funding for EITEs through cap-and-invest program revenues.
- And cap-and-invest program revenues.
Summary:
The Environment and Energy Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2537, which would change how energy-intensive, trade-exposed facilities (EITEs) are treated under the Climate Commitment Act. Committee staff and the bill sponsor explained that the measure would require Ecology to update its post-2034 report to include proposed allowance-reduction methods, leakage-risk adjustments, and consignment recommendations, and would add new reporting and decarbonization-planning requirements for EITEs to continue receiving no-cost allowances. The committee also briefly took up House Bill 2245, a separate Clean Energy Transformation Act bill, and later voted the proposed substitute out of committee on an 11-8 vote with 2 excused, after debate over exemptions for certain utilities and market customers.
Supporters of HB 2537, including The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, Washington Conservation Action, Climate Solutions, Clean and Prosperous Washington, Ecology, and some utility representatives, said the bill would provide needed clarity, better data, and a path for long-term industrial decarbonization while helping prevent emissions leakage. They argued that EITEs receive substantial public value through free allowances and should be required to document emissions sources, energy needs, and feasible reduction pathways so the state can design a post-2035 policy consistent with climate goals. Ecology said it generally supports the bill, though it recommended streamlining duplicative reporting and noted the work would require significant agency resources not included in the governor’s budget.
Opponents, including the Association of Washington Business, the Northwest Pulp and Paper Association, the Association of Western Pulp and Paperworkers, WISPA, the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers, Food Northwest, Simplot, Kaiser Aluminum, and Newcor Steel, warned that the bill could increase compliance burdens, expose sensitive business information, and worsen leakage risks by making Washington less competitive. They said many facilities have already made major investments and face high capital costs, limited clean electricity supply, permitting delays, and technologies that are not yet commercially viable at scale. Several speakers pointed to recent plant closures and job losses in pulp and paper, food processing, and metals as evidence that leakage is already occurring, and urged the committee to preserve flexibility, protect confidentiality, and consider targeted funding or other incentives rather than new mandates alone.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> it's going to come in as a great Grant it's going to come in as a great Grant and<00:46:27.480><
- </c><00:46:47.720><c> from</c> through fiscal with the Grant from through fiscal with the Grant from
- </c> felt he could use to start the program felt he could use to start the program up<02:23:49.640><c
- </c> average length of time in this program average length of time in this program is<02:33:18.960><c
- </c> 274 this one is four-year pilot program 274 this one is four-year pilot program to<02:46:04.359>
Committee:
Senate Finance
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee 3/24/26
Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
Transcript Highlights:
- Uh it Justice Programs policy bill.
- The Office of Justice Programs engages in research efforts including program evaluation that may involve
- </c> Justice Programs. Justice Programs.
- </c><00:57:03.640><c> engages</c> The Office of Justice Programs engages The Office of Justice Programs
- </c> in research efforts including program in research efforts including program evaluation<00:57:07.920
Bills:
HF3951 , HF4005 , HF962 , HF4585 , HF3870 , HF4542 , HF3893 , HF4293 , HF4075 , HF4057 , HF3809
Committee:
House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
Keywords:
submetered utility service, tenant rights, digital payment, eviction protection, housing policy, biometric data, consent, data protection, civil penalties, privacy laws, HF4585, Minnesota, harassment restraining order, HRO, restraining order, temporary restraining order, petitioner notice, service of process, law enforcement notification, sheriff
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- Grant us strength and peace, especially in times of stress and uncertainty, that we may lead with humility
- through the program.
- </c><01:54:37.880><c> having</c> federal immigration program having federal immigration program having
- Twenty-one states are currently participating in section 287(g) programs.
- Twenty-one states are currently participating in section 287(g) programs.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session (Full Formal without Calendar) Jun 4th, 2026
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Report of the Committee on Rules, to whom was referred the Senate order relative to granting the Committee
- Our teachers are enrolled in the Retirement Plus program and receive enhanced retirement calculations
- Our teachers enrolled in the Retirement Plus program receive enhanced retirement calculations with an
- The program automatically enrolled most teachers hired after July 1, 2001, but required teachers hired
- If passed, teachers, the Retirement Plus program, and the Boston Retirement System would be required
Summary:
The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and adopted two resolutions: one recognizing the town of Sturbridge on the 250th anniversary of the United States and another congratulating Zachary Erich on earning Eagle Scout. The chamber then handled several procedural matters, including suspending Joint Rule 12 on multiple petitions and adopting extension orders giving the Committee on Financial Services additional time to report on credit union and mortgage financing bills, with members emphasizing the extensions were limited and needed to complete ongoing work.
The Senate then took up House No. 4361, a bill relative to benefits for teachers, which was amended by Ways and Means and passed to be engrossed after extensive support from members. Senators described the measure as a long-delayed fix to the Retirement Plus program, creating a one-time window through June 30, 2027 for eligible teachers to buy in, with required back payments of missed contributions. The bill passed by a roll call of 39-0. The chamber also passed S. 3106 on toxic-free medical devices and S. 3107 on advancing the profession of commercial interior design, both after supportive floor debate.
The Senate later adopted a conference committee report on the FY26 supplemental budget, H. 5470, after debate over its major spending items. Supporters highlighted municipal winter relief, MBTA operating and capital support, education funding, housing incentives, and collective bargaining agreements, while opponents criticized MBTA subsidies, legal defense funding, and tax-related provisions. The report was approved by roll call, and the bill was passed to be enacted. The Senate also enacted several local bills, including measures for Berkeley recall elections, a Milton school construction deadline extension, a Lexington parkland exchange, and long-term municipal roads and bridges financing.
Near the end of the session, the Senate concurred in a House amendment to S. 2563, a broad bill revising laws affecting individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities by replacing outdated and offensive terminology in 346 sections of the General Laws. Members described it as a dignity and language modernization measure. The Senate adopted the emergency preamble and passed the bill to be enacted. The session concluded with an adjournment order to meet again the following Monday, and the day’s adjournment was dedicated to the memory of Richard Louis Volpe of Sturbridge.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Feb 19th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- As you may recall, this bill requires WSU to establish a Heritage Orchard Program.
- We did that with the College Grant Program.
- As I mentioned, College Bound, all of our access programs.
- We even have classes at the Puget Sound Naval Base apprenticeship programs.
- Okay. at the Puget Sound Naval Base apprenticeship programs.
Summary:
The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee first waived the five-day notice rule and held a public hearing on Substitute House Bill 2525, which would establish a Heritage Orchard Program at Washington State University. Staff explained the bill was narrowed from the original version and would require WSU to maintain a registry of heritage orchards and a list of rare and lost apple varieties, with a null and void clause and fiscal note available. Representative Gloria Mendoza testified in support, describing Washington’s apple history and the effort to identify and preserve old apple trees still found on farms and trails around the state. Members asked questions about how the program would locate trees and preserve historic varieties, but no vote was taken on the bill during the hearing.
The committee then heard several gubernatorial appointments to higher education boards. Representative Deborah Inteman was nominated to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Bryce W. McKibben to the Pierce College Board of Trustees, former Senator David Frockt to the Western Washington University Board of Trustees, and former Senator Christine Rolfes to the Olympic College Board of Trustees. Each appointee described their background in higher education, public service, and community college or university advocacy, and members asked about attendance, board service, and how they would help bridge legislative and institutional priorities. The committee also held a work session on Central Washington University’s geothermal and decarbonization efforts, with staff explaining the university’s open-loop geothermal system, planned geo-eco plants, and climate action goals tied to state clean building and decarbonization mandates. CWU officials said the project is intended to reduce emissions, support campus heating and cooling, and serve as a living laboratory for students.
In executive session, the committee moved to report a panel of gubernatorial appointments, including the higher education appointments heard that day, with a recommendation that they be confirmed. The motion passed by voice vote, and the committee adjourned.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- We are going to grant our Democrat colleagues excused absences.
- Throughout most of the history of our shopping cart retrieval program, we only charged the retailers
- If they participate in the program, they get a 50% discount, so it brings that to $25.
- where a taxpayer dollar on educators' paychecks instead of addressing oversight in programs where a
- If there were federal funding programs that promoted these types of practices, there was a fear that
Bills:
HB2015 , HB2060 , HB2062 , HB2100 , HB2118 , HB2165 , HB2258 , HB2327 , HB2397 , HB2445 , HB2460 , HB2641 , HB2745 , HB2876 , HB2917 , HB4011 , HB4049 , HB4056 , HB4087 , HCR2013 , HCR2016 , HCR2040 , HCR2044 , HCR2048 , HCR2056
Committee:
Senate Government
Keywords:
budget procedures, late filing penalty, accounting standards, financial reporting, state appropriations, abortion, educational institutions, health education, state aid, public schools, Buffalo Soldiers, monument, commemoration, Arizona, public funding, Wesley Bolin Plaza, military history, historical memorial, small land subdivision, land use
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Natural Resources Committee Apr 20th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- The bill establishes a grant program to facilitate the development of the innovation parks with tenant
- , as well as incorporate the use of engineered wood products in state grant programs to incentivize their
- These programs work.
- Since 1997, the Whale Tail Grant Program has supported over 200,000 student field trips, reaching kids
- We're actually the ones that run the programs, operate the programs, to try to help incentive programs
Summary:
The committee heard a long series of bills, beginning with AB 2026 on groundwater recharge. The author and supporters said the bill would streamline permitting for recharge projects, codify long-standing CEQA exemptions for flood diversions to recharge, and add tribal consultation and other guardrails. Water agencies and local districts supported the measure as a way to capture high-flow water and reduce groundwater subsidence, while environmental groups and some irrigation districts opposed it, warning that the bill’s exemptions and broader diversion authority could harm rivers, Delta resources, and public trust values. The bill was discussed but not voted on because the committee lacked a quorum at that point.
The committee then took up AB 1577 on data center energy accountability, which would require monthly reporting of energy-use data and permit-related estimates of energy and water demand. The author and the Little Hoover Commission argued the bill would improve transparency, help protect ratepayers, and give regulators better information for grid planning. Data center industry representatives opposed it as duplicative, burdensome, and uniquely targeted, while local governments, environmental groups, and some utilities supported it or supported it if amended. The bill was later reported out with a due pass recommendation once a quorum was established.
Members also heard AB 2245 on a producer responsibility program for lubricant products and containers, AB 2170 on CEQA language-access and environmental review protections for overburdened communities, AB 2059 on rural transportation and VMT mitigation, AB 1808 on Western Joshua tree permitting and fee relief, AB 2182 on industrial energy efficiency program changes, and AB 2231 on streamlining two hospital projects. Testimony was mixed on most of these bills: supporters emphasized affordability, local control, environmental justice, or project urgency, while opponents raised concerns about CEQA scope, regulatory duplication, costs, and environmental impacts. Several measures received due pass recommendations and roll-call votes, including AB 2170, AB 2059, AB 1808, AB 2182, and AB 2231, with some members voting no or not voting and some bills left open for absent members.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- However, only 51% of the applications, um, were actually granted.
- And supports under the state's Medicaid program, including Section 1915 C waiver program, the STAR Kids
- managed Care Program, or the SAR Plus Home and Community-based service and support programs.
- There are Medicaid programs for people who need full-time. Long term care.
- We feel that it is a good and honorable program. We strongly support the intent behind it.
Committee:
House Ways & Means
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Health and Human Services Oversight Committee (05/16/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> the department's division of program the department's division of program quality<00:43:47.839><
- </c> different types of child care programs different types of child care programs and<00:58:44.559><
- In New Hampshire, it's programs.
- </c><01:00:37.119><c> the</c> a childare program can sink it. the a childare program can sink it. the
- Um, is there a program for that?
Summary:
The committee met with DHS Chief Financial Officer Nathan White to receive an update on the department’s budget lapse and vacancy rates. White explained the difference between the “back-of-the-budget” reduction and lapse assumptions, saying DHS is facing a current biennium reduction of about $23 million and estimating roughly a $60 million general fund lapse in state fiscal year 2025, compared with about $13.5 million the prior year. He said DHS’s lapse is driven largely by program utilization, labor market conditions, contract spending, and statutory carry-forwards in areas such as Medicaid and developmental disabilities, which tend to produce a smaller lapse in the first year of the biennium and a larger one in the second year. He also noted that the House and Senate budgets differ on some operating items, including Medicaid rates, with the Senate having struck a House proposal to reduce rates by 3%.
Members questioned White about whether DHS ever spends down lapse money on last-minute purchases. He said the department does not engage in that practice, though it does retain some flexibility in its facilities budget for emergencies. He also described the process for transferring funds within and between class lines, including the need for fiscal committee approval above statutory thresholds, and gave examples such as moving funds to cover overtime in the SYSC budget and to ensure Medicaid payments for nursing facilities. White said such transfers are public and transparent and are reviewed by the governor and Executive Council.
The committee then discussed DHS staffing. White said the department has a little over 3,200 authorized positions, with a vacancy rate around 14.5%, and that a hiring freeze had been imposed a few months earlier while exempting direct care positions. He said DHS is planning for about a $30 million general fund reduction to personnel, equivalent to just under 400 positions, and is managing postings centrally to stay within budget by July 1. In response to questions about the loss of about $80 million in federal funds, White and Associate Commissioner Patricia Tilly said DHS avoided layoffs by shifting staff into vacant positions, but that the cuts affected community contracts, public health workers, laboratory work, and some IT/data projects. Tilly said roughly 20 positions were affected, most were reassigned, a few staff left voluntarily, and the department has less flexibility going forward if more federal funding ends.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Press Conference: DFL Members Discuss Federal Impacts, Medicaid, SNAP Cuts in 2026 Budget - 04/29/26
Transcript Highlights:
- That, you know, is a federal program that historically costs for that have been covered by the feds.
- That, you know, that the SNAP program.
- That, you know, that is<00:15:59.640><c> a</c><00:15:59.720><c> federal</c><00:16:00.080><c> program<
- , which covers other um hospitals grants, which covers other um hospitals uh<00:18:12.560><c> that</c
- The programs would collapse. People in Minnesota will die.
Summary:
Senate DFL senators discussed the Health and Human Services supplemental budget on the floor, framing it as a response to federal HR 1 and related Trump administration policies that they said shift costs to states, counties, hospitals, and families. Senators Liz Bolden, Lindsey Port, Erin Murphy, Alice Mann, and Rob Kupec argued the bill is needed to backfill cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, stabilize hospitals, and prevent property tax increases and service disruptions. They said the package totals about $700 million, with more than $250 million aimed at hospital support and roughly $300 million to help counties absorb food-support cost shifts.
Members described the federal changes as adding red tape and work-reporting requirements that would cause eligible people to lose coverage, with estimates cited of more than 150,000 Minnesotans losing Medicaid and about 62,000 losing individual-market coverage due to higher premiums. They also said counties would face new administrative burdens and hiring needs, and that rural hospitals, safety-net providers, and EMS systems would see more uncompensated care. One senator noted Dakota County could face an additional $11 million next year and property tax increases, while another said Minnesota hospitals could see charity care rise by more than $269 million next year.
The discussion also covered specific funding in the bill, including $300 million for hospital stabilization, with $150 million for HCMC, nearly $115 million for other hospital stabilization grants, almost $18 million for community safety-net providers, and $15 million for rural EMS uncompensated care. Senators said these funds are short-term measures, not long-term fixes, and that if the state did nothing, the health care system and SNAP administration could collapse. They said they do not expect Republican support in the Senate and suggested longer-term options could include federal changes after the next election or state-level tax changes on the ultra-wealthy. No vote outcome was stated in the excerpt, but the senators indicated the bill would move forward with DFL support.