Transcript Highlights:

• Without the tariff, even in effect, the Atlanta Fed has dropped the real-time GDP estimate for the first
• Statistics, that indicates that real average hourly earnings for private sector employees actually dropped
• And the bottom 20% saw their federal tax rate drop to the lowest level in 40 years.
• employees received health insurance through Medicaid, and the uninsured rate of small business workers dropped
• It will force small businesses to drop coverage and lose employees.

Keywords: joint hearing, small business, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, economic recovery, tax relief, job creation

Summary: In this joint hearing of the House Committee on Small Business and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the primary focus was on the importance of making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) permanent. The chair emphasized that small businesses are crucial for the nation's economic recovery, especially in the wake of current federal policies perceived as detrimental. Witnesses shared their experiences and highlighted how the tax cuts facilitated job creation and business expansion, stressing the need for continued support through ongoing tax relief measures. The meeting included discussions about the economic implications of the TCJA's potential expiration, with members voicing their concerns regarding how this could impact small businesses and the broader economy.

Transcript Highlights:

• Oil production tax grew by 84%, but that's because the oil price recovered so strongly from it dropping
• increasing, we see an increase in invalid findings and as the market is stabilizing, We see kind of a drop
• from 23 and even 24 preliminary, as we see the market kind of coming to a more stable place, we see a drop
• I don't have the data with me to answer that, but the first question, um, it's the drop in invalid findings
• What is the explanation behind the significant drop in Uh, natural resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• Oil production tax grew by 84 percent, but that's because the oil price recovered so strongly from dropping
• market increasing we see an increase in invalid findings and as the market is stabilizing we see of a drop-off
• from 20. and even 24 preliminary as we see the market kind of coming to a more stable place. we see a drop-off
• I don't have the data with me to answer that but the first question, the drop in invalid findings is
• on page three, Well, actually, page 3, 4, and 5, what is... the explanation behind the significant drop

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because we know untreated children with MLD will show dropping numbers, we can tell whether treatments
• Because we know untreated children with MLD will show dropping numbers, we can tell whether treatments
• with<00:32:16.919> MLD<00:32:17.559> will<00:32:17.760> show<00:32:18.159> dropping
• <00:32:19.000> numbers<00:32:20.000> we with MLD will show dropping numbers we with
• MLD will show dropping numbers we can<00:32:20.320> tell<00:32:20.600> whether<00:32:20.880

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• order of selection process, which means that the number of individuals that will get services will drop
• order of selection process, which means that the number of individuals that will get services will drop
• that will get number of individuals that will get services<00:25:44.520> will<00:25:44.799> drop
• don't<00:25:45.919> know<00:25:46.200> to<00:25:46.399> what services will drop
• we don't know to what services will drop we don't know to what extent<00:25:47.279> yet<00:25

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Roll Call 00:13 SB 15 Discussion 00:45 SB 15 Vote 08:40 SB 103 Discussion 11:12 SB 103 Vote 29:49, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Committee for Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor heard two bills. Senate Bill 15, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Bledsoe, was presented with testimony from Major League Baseball in support of exempting minor league baseball players from Kentucky wage-and-hour treatment. Witnesses said the bill would preserve the negotiated collective bargaining structure for players, avoid impractical time-tracking requirements, and keep Kentucky aligned with other states. Senators discussed minor league salary levels, the importance of baseball to Kentucky communities, and the bill’s relationship to minimum wage law. The committee then took a roll call vote and passed the bill with unanimous support from members present. The committee next heard Senate Bill 103 from Sen. Danny Carroll, which would require the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to adopt regulations under Chapter 13A, limit reciprocal agreements with other states until in-state provider contracts are exhausted, establish procedures for service fee memos before a new fiscal year, and require an annual report with operating and financial information. Testimony from community rehabilitation providers and disability advocates emphasized that the bill would increase transparency, protect local providers, and improve services for people with disabilities seeking competitive employment. They said Kentucky has a large disability population, that many working-age individuals with disabilities are not employed, and that better oversight could help address workforce shortages and reduce reliance on public assistance. Senators asked about the disability population, age ranges served, funding, and recent changes to provider rates and selection processes. The committee then voted to pass Senate Bill 103 unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• will see their tuition rate tripled, maybe quadrupled, and they will probably have to Senator Smith: Drop
• Senators, the reality is for those students who are currently enrolled, the vast majority of them will drop
• They will drop out. You have priced them out of higher education.
• Someone do a 180 for political expediency, dropped 120,000 dollar positions and exchange it for a million
• Senator Fine: We can say hey, we will drop them off in two hours.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So what we're doing is dropping it down to two times, which would still be 600. ...area.
• So what we're doing is dropping it down to two times, which will still be 600 names, or close to 600

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's nonverbal with intellectual disability and would also not follow directions to drop the knife.
• He's nonverbal with intellectual disability and would also not follow directions to drop the knife.
• He's nonverbal with intellectual disability and would also not follow directions to drop the knife.
• He's nonverbal with intellectual disability and would also not follow directions to drop the knife.
• Police could use things like a modeling technique to encourage him to drop an object.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on a range of public safety bills, with especially emotional testimony on the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act, which would require short-term rentals to be inspected for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and require platforms or agents to verify compliance before listing. Rep. Hadley Luddy, Sen. Julian Cyr, and the Hubbard and Waldron families described the fatal Airbnb fire that killed Shannon Hubbard and her daughter Maggie in New York, saying the deaths were preventable and that the bill would save lives. Committee members expressed sympathy and support for the families’ efforts to turn their loss into legislation. The committee also heard testimony on a proposed peace officer oath (S. 1680), described by Sen. Lydia Edwards as a binding ethical standard tied to certification and recertification, with discipline and annual reporting to promote accountability and de-escalation. Rep. Tom Walsh testified for a bill requiring hotel and motel workers to be trained to recognize human trafficking and to post hotline signage, and later testimony supported a school safety data grant program to provide first responders with standardized, up-to-date school maps for emergencies. Another major topic was a bill to allow temporary door-locking devices in public buildings; supporters said the devices are removable, do not alter fire code, and could improve lockdown response during active shooter events. Additional bills discussed included measures to transfer the Office of Emergency Medical Services to EOPSS, increase penalties for unlicensed hood-system cleaning, expand membership on the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, and strengthen confidentiality for peer support and critical incident stress debriefings. Firefighters and fire chiefs also supported a bill to tighten penalties for violations of hot-work regulations, citing the 2014 Beacon Street fire that killed Lt. Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy. Law enforcement groups backed a package including a Blue Star plate and Blue Alert system for fallen officers’ families, stronger move-over penalties, and a memorial fund, while the State Police Association supported the move-over provisions but asked for further work on the special state police officer bill before final action. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Student debt is a drag on our economy, and even when students drop out due to cost, they can be saddled
• The number one reason students drop out of UMass Boston is financial.
• We had students who spent 10 years getting a degree as they dropped out and rematriculated because of
• And we have had many others drop out for good because they could not afford to continue.
• Around 18% of all freshmen in Massachusetts public institutions... ...will drop out after their first

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education heard testimony on a broad set of bills focused on making public higher education more affordable and accessible, protecting student information, and changing social work licensure rules. Chair Rogers and Senator Comerford opened by emphasizing the committee’s focus on financial aid, tuition and fee waivers, scholarships, admissions, and institutional changes, and they reminded witnesses about the three-minute testimony limit. No votes were taken during the hearing. A large portion of the hearing centered on the “Super Act” (H. 1423/S. 218), which would eliminate the master’s-level social work licensing exam and create grant support for social work internships. Supporters—including students, practitioners, educators, and advocates—argued that unpaid internships and the exam create financial barriers, worsen workforce shortages, and disproportionately affect Black, brown, older, ESL, and other marginalized candidates. Opponents from the Association of Social Work Boards argued the exam is a necessary public-protection standard, helps maintain uniform licensure, and is important to the social work licensure compact; they said workforce shortages should be addressed through pay, working conditions, and caseloads instead. Committee members asked detailed questions about compact participation, exam accommodations, and how other states such as Rhode Island and Connecticut have handled similar changes. The committee also heard extensive testimony in favor of debt-free public higher education bills (H. 1436/S. 929). Witnesses, including students, faculty, advocates, and Senator Eldridge, said Massachusetts should expand on free community college by covering tuition and mandatory fees at public colleges and universities, with additional aid for living costs for lower-income students. Supporters said student debt delays homeownership, family formation, and career entry, and that the state should use Fair Share revenue to invest in public higher education. Some committee members voiced support but also raised concerns about prioritizing K-12 funding and the cost of expanding free college further. Several witnesses also supported bills to extend tuition and fee waivers to young adults raised by grandparents or other kinship guardians outside the DCF system, arguing that these students face the same trauma and financial barriers as foster youth but do not receive the same benefits. Representative Donato, Joseph O’Leary, Shauna Manning, Sandra Vecchio, Karen Gardner, Judy Walter, Elaine Arsenault, and others described the financial strain on grandparents raising grandchildren and urged parity with DCF-related waivers. In addition, Senator Jake Oliveira testified for a bill to protect public higher education student directory information from data mining and unauthorized sharing, and Deirdre Cummings testified for an open educational resources bill to reduce textbook costs. The hearing concluded with continued testimony on kinship care and college access, with committee members thanking witnesses and indicating follow-up on some bill language issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• insurance, and competition was stopped filling in the gaps to restore options for those people who got dropped
• In the gaps to restore options for those people who got dropped.
• your circuit breaker in your garage and the little circuit breakers in your bathroom, where if you drop
• your, like, my wife dropped her hair straightener thing in the sink one time and it flipped the breaker
• huge, and now you have homes that are literally if someone was walking in the nature preserve and dropped

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance held an informational hearing on how climate change, wildfire risk, and related catastrophes are affecting California’s insurance market, affordability, and availability. Chair and members framed the issue as a statewide challenge tied to resiliency, land use, utilities, legal liability, and the FAIR Plan. Senator Becker noted the hearing was connected to SB 254 and its recent report, while the Vice Chair emphasized that the state’s current regulatory framework limits flexibility and that industry testimony would also have been useful. Amy Bach of United Policyholders described worsening availability and affordability, driven by climate impacts, insurtech/risk scoring, inflation, and the growth of surplus lines coverage. She said the Sustainable Insurance Strategy is beginning to show progress, but the FAIR Plan remains too large and non-admitted carriers create concerns because they are less regulated and do not share FAIR Plan or guaranty fund obligations. She stressed that mitigation incentives, grants, and voluntary insurer rewards for wildfire-hardening are important, but that many households cannot afford the needed improvements. In response to questions, she said underinsurance remains a major problem, especially after recent fires, and suggested stronger insurer responsibility for replacement-cost estimates or broader replacement-cost endorsements. Actuary Nancy Watkins and Stanford’s Michael Wara argued that California must both reduce wildfire risk and allow actuarially sound pricing if it wants a healthier market. Watkins compared the market to a household with rising expenses and said the state needs a mitigation framework focused on the highest-risk communities, especially older neighborhoods and homes near the wildland-urban interface. Wara said premiums must roughly equal expected claims plus expenses, and that California is “burning down too many houses,” which drives both availability problems and higher rates. He highlighted the role of structure-to-structure spread, older housing stock, utility ignitions, and the need to focus on community hardening, not just vegetation management. Both speakers said mitigation should be targeted, science-based, and sustained rather than one-time or scattered. Frank Freebalt of Cal Poly and Michael Gullner of UC Berkeley continued the discussion on fire modeling and risk reduction. Freebalt said the problem is best understood as a structure ignition and urban conflagration problem, requiring integrated land-use, utility, and community mitigation, with evidence-based priorities and better analytics. He emphasized that the state should focus on the highest-risk intersections first and that targeted mitigation can multiply the effectiveness of suppression and evacuation resources. No votes or formal actions were taken; the hearing was informational and focused on testimony, questions, and policy discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• But when you drop below that, if a person shall operate an online platform, if you're the company, and
• But<00:02:33.200> when<00:02:33.360> you<00:02:33.519> drop<00:02:33.760> below
• > that<00:02:34.239> if<00:02:34.400> a<00:02:34.640> person But when you drop
• below that if a person But when you drop below that if a person shall<00:02:35.280> operate<00
• before I drop an amendment out<00:10:13.839> there<00:10:14.000> on<00:10:14.240> that

Keywords: Judiciary, Division B - Room 409, 28 January, 2026; 9:00 A.M., 925, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 21104, a Gaming Commission criminal penalties bill presented by Commissioner Jay McDaniel. He said the measure is essentially the same as a bill passed by the Senate last year and would keep penalties low for people merely playing gaming, but make it a felony for operators of illegal online gaming platforms, with a $100,000 fine per conviction and forfeiture authority for funds tied to the crime. The committee substitute was described as clarifying that the penalties target the operator rather than the platform being used. After no questions, the committee moved and adopted the bill. The committee then heard three Department of Public Safety bills from Commissioner Tindle. Senate Bill 2232 would raise seat belt fines from $25 to $100 and direct the additional revenue into existing driver education-related funds, with the stated goal of supporting driver education programs and improving teen road safety. Members asked about the revenue impact and whether the money would be appropriated back to the department and schools; Tindle said the funds would still be subject to legislative appropriation. The bill was moved and adopted, though some members raised concerns about redirecting local fine revenue. Senate Bill 2314 was described as a cleanup bill for driver’s license statutes, updating outdated references, removing obsolete paperwork requirements, allowing first-class mail and optional digital notice through mobile ID, and reflecting the department’s move from Jackson to Pearl. Members questioned whether first-class mail could shorten response time for suspension notices and how mobile ID notices would work; Tindle said the change was intended to save money and allow electronic notice if users opt in. The committee also adopted this bill. Senate Bill 2817 would reorganize DPS by consolidating several divisions into a new Mississippi State Bureau of Investigations, combine equipment and software purchases, raise autopsy fees from $1,000 to $1,200, increase salvage title inspection fees from $75 to $125, and open a broader discussion about the Highway Patrol’s future role. It was also moved and adopted. The committee then heard Senate Bill 2230 from Senator Hill, which would extend electronic warrants to misdemeanors; members discussed efficiency, warrant databases, and Fourth Amendment concerns, but no final action on that bill was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2024 alone, more than 264,000 Arizonans dropped their early ballots at polling places, and tens of
• Also, frankly, the people who do these late early drop-offs the most, historically, at least in recent
• about a broad constitutional amendment, but I never received any language, and then I saw the bill drop
• And if the ball is dropped, it's certainly my fault. And I apologize. Very good. Ms.
• We used mid-February as really the drop-dead date by which we could change the date of the primary.

Bills: HB2009, HB2022, HCM2001, HCM2002, HCM2004, HCR2001, HM2001, HM2004

Keywords: campaign contributions, foreign contributions, constitutional amendments, public disclosure, Arizona Revised Statutes, elections, voter registration, provisional ballots, primary election, voter participation, Muslim Brotherhood, terrorism, foreign terrorist organization, national security, Islamist extremism, Congress, Arizona, domestic security, CAIR, terrorist organization

Summary: The committee met to hear several measures, beginning with HCM 2001 and HCM 2002, both memorials urging Congress to review and potentially designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations. Supporters argued the groups have documented ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood’s stated goal of undermining Western civilization, citing the Holy Land Foundation case, FBI concerns, and testimony from national-security advocates. Opponents, including CAIR representatives, Muslim community members, and civil-rights advocates, said the memorials relied on guilt by association, would stigmatize Muslims, and lacked a factual or legal basis; they emphasized CAIR’s civil-rights work and warned of First Amendment concerns and community harm. After extensive debate and questions about the relationship between national and Arizona CAIR entities, the committee approved HCM 2001 and HCM 2002 on 4-3 votes, with members on both sides explaining their votes at length. Supporters framed the measures as simple requests to Congress based on existing federal findings, while opponents called them political theater and discriminatory. The committee then recessed briefly. When the committee returned, it heard HB 2009, which would prohibit committees primarily organized to influence constitutional amendments from accepting foreign national contributions and require donor verification and disclosure of out-of-state funding. The sponsor said the bill is meant to help voters understand outside influence on Arizona constitutional initiatives and suggested it could be broadened to all ballot measures. The bill passed 4-3. The committee then took up HCR 2001, a proposed constitutional amendment on elections that would limit voting to U.S. citizens, ban foreign contributions to candidate and ballot measure campaigns, require government-issued ID, and adjust early voting and mail-ballot rules. A late amendment clarified that the citizenship requirement applies to primary, general, and municipal elections, set early voting to end the Friday before an election, and refined mail-ballot rules while preserving federal overseas military voting requirements. The sponsor argued the measure would make Arizona elections more secure and efficient, while critics said it would create barriers and longer lines. The transcript cuts off during sponsor questioning on the amendment and ballot-access provisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• my last question then is on the software that you spoke of: is this something that, if we need to drop
• And my last question then is on the software that you spoke of, is this something that if we need to drop
• sites in to just go to work. own or that we have a subscription to that we can just drop sites in to
• So there's a drop in federal funds, but an increase in utilization of our permit funds.
• So there's a drop in federal funds, but an increase in utilization of our permit funds.

Summary: The committee first recognized Mark Roper of the Economic Development Department for his long service and retirement, with members and the secretary praising his work on economic development across the state. Secretary Rob Black then presented EDD’s budget and special appropriation requests, describing strong recent job and income growth and outlining the department’s strategy around science and technology, site readiness, workforce development, foreign direct investment, and rural/community programs. He highlighted wins in advanced energy, quantum, space and defense, and biosciences, and asked for funding for quantum/DARPA matching funds, additional site readiness work, LIDA closing funds, JTIP training support, New Mexico Partnership, and healthy foods and other community programs. Members asked detailed questions about the quantum proposal, site readiness, the new mapping tool for industrial sites, workforce participation, trade missions, foreign investment, tariffs, water and produced water, tribal site evaluation, and public engagement on major projects. Black said the quantum request was intended to match federal dollars and build a workforce pipeline, that the site-readiness software would be a set enterprise license, and that the department was working with tribes and local partners on future site evaluations. He also said tariffs have created uncertainty but New Mexico’s infrastructure and foreign trade zones could help attract manufacturing, and he acknowledged concerns about transparency and community input while noting that some projects, such as Pacific Fusion, had gone through extensive public processes. The committee also discussed specific projects and funding balances, including Mantis Space’s move to Albuquerque, the status of Virgin Galactic’s spaceport lease, and the current LIDA fund balance and encumbrances. Black and Deputy Secretary Isaac Romero said the department was trying to use State Investment Council-backed venture funds to attract companies and that the new investments were already producing deals and jobs. Members generally supported the department’s direction but pressed for more targeted expertise, faster deployment, and stronger community involvement in future economic development decisions. Later, Secretary de Blassie of the Department of Health presented the department’s budget request and progress report. He said DOH had improved revenue cycle management, reduced old Medicaid-pending cases, increased census at facilities, improved budget and contract timeliness, and responded effectively to the measles outbreak. The department requested additional base funding for epidemiology and response, the DOH helpline, the Vital Records Virtual Vault, state labs, and the veterans home, along with special requests for respiratory vaccinations and marketing and lab equipment replacement. He also noted progress on MOUD and the medical psilocybin program, and said the department was not seeking to launch new programs given the limited time left in the administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's necessary, and then from that, we dropped about 200,000 people from Medicaid because they did
• We dropped about 200,000 people because they didn't fill out the sufficient paperwork.
• Scenarios on the Craig baseline run up until 2030 and then drop off.
• come up 1% or 2%, and 1% in the first year, 1.5% in the next year, and then level off and start to drop
• In 26, they dropped to 191 because of natural disasters, but 314 in 2014.

Transcript Highlights:

• We dropped off a physical copy of the rules to your office on Tuesday and sent it via email, and a copy
• is also available currently in the committee drop box.
• Are there any questions regarding In the committee drop box, are there any questions regarding the committee
• And there was... ...if they drop below, as long as they continue to function as they were prescribed
• I hope y'all will do the right thing and drop this thing.

Summary: The Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting held its first regional hearing, focused on South and Central Texas, including Bexar County, Travis County, and the Rio Grande Valley. After establishing a quorum, the committee adopted its rules on a 6-3 roll-call vote, with Senators Alvarado and Miles voting no. Chair Phil King explained the regional-hearing format, the use of 2020 census data, the online testimony process, and the availability of written comments and future hearings. Several members then gave opening remarks, with Republicans emphasizing public input and Democrats arguing the special session and mid-decade redistricting were unnecessary and aimed at minority districts. A major procedural issue arose over whether the committee should invite or subpoena the DOJ attorney who authored the July 7 letter that prompted the redistricting discussion. Senator Miles moved to subpoena the attorney; the motion was seconded but then set aside after the chair said the committee could not take formal action on a non-procedural matter during a regional hearing under the adopted rules. The chair said he would consult legal counsel about issuing an invitation, and members discussed the August 7 deadline referenced in the DOJ letter. The committee then moved on to public testimony. Witnesses, including Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, law professor Ellen Katz, and Texas NAACP president Gary Bledsoe, argued that the DOJ letter misread the law and that the targeted districts were lawful opportunity or coalition districts. They said the Fifth Circuit’s Pettway decision was limited to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and did not declare coalition districts unconstitutional, and they cited Bartlett v. Strickland as warning against intentionally dismantling effective minority districts. Garcia and Bledsoe said the hearing was politically motivated and would harm Black and Latino representation; Katz said Texas would act illegally if it followed the DOJ letter’s instructions. Members asked questions about the legal status of coalition districts, the 2021 map-drawing process, and the difference between opportunity, coalition, and crossover districts. The hearing continued with additional public witnesses, including labor representative Emily Amps, who said workers and communities of color were being harmed by the proposed redistricting effort.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if we adopt the A21, the tax article drops out and then the proper motion after that would be to pass
• committee because none of these amendments—well, no, it would include the A21 amendment even as it drops
• So if we adopt the A21, the tax article drops out and then the proper motion after that would be to pass
• committee because none of these amendments—well, no, it would include the A21 amendment even as it drops
• So if we adopt the A21, the tax article drops out and then the proper motion after that would be to pass

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Once they made these changes and rents came under control, homelessness started dropping in Raleigh.
• Once they made these changes and rents came under control, homelessness started dropping in Raleigh.
• <00:55:41.280> because<00:55:41.599> incomes and homelessness dropped because incomes
• and homelessness dropped because incomes had<00:55:42.160> a<00:55:42.400> time<00:55:
• dropping in Raleigh. dropping in Raleigh.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:15 Roll Call 00:00:45 Discussion of Pro-Growth Housing Policies 00:02:33 Adjournment 01:17:15, 958, all

Summary: The Housing Task Force 2.0 reconvened with several new members and heard a presentation from Kentucky Housing Corporation Executive Director Winston Miller and Deputy Executive Director Wendy Smith. They framed the task force’s work as a practical effort to address Kentucky’s housing shortage, update members on the current housing landscape, summarize existing state and federal resources, and suggest areas for the task force to focus on over the coming year. KHC said its 2024 housing supply gap analysis found Kentucky is short about 206,000 housing units, split roughly evenly between rental and homeownership, and projected the gap could grow to 287,000 units by 2029 if current trends continue. They emphasized that every county in Kentucky needs more housing, that the 2008 housing crisis and loss of construction capacity remain major causes of the shortage, and that current pressures include high interest rates, rising insurance and tax costs, construction cost inflation, and housing prices and rents growing faster than incomes. KHC also said homelessness has risen in Kentucky, with point-in-time counts showing double-digit increases in recent years. The presenters reviewed existing resources, including federal programs, the Kentucky Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the rural housing trust fund, KHC mortgage and down payment assistance programs, and the state mortgage interest deduction. They said these resources are important but insufficient to close the gap, and noted that a proposed federal FY2026 budget would cut HUD programs by 44%, potentially removing about $286 million from Kentucky housing resources, though no action has been taken yet. They urged the task force to consider stronger, more flexible tools such as a revolving loan fund, a state affordable housing tax credit, and economic development and employer-assisted housing incentives, and pointed to Indiana’s housing infrastructure and regional development funds as examples. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It will manage household hazardous waste such as paints, pesticides, and auto fluids and include a drop
• It will manage household hazardous waste such as paints, pesticides, and auto fluids and include a drop
• It will manage household hazardous waste such as paints, pesticides, and auto fluids and include a drop
• off for recyclables such as a drop off for recyclables such as plastic<00:41:30.160> bottles<
• I know in Plymouth we do for drop off? I know in Plymouth we do for some<00:43:31.839> things.

Bills: HF474, HF218, HF210, HF441, HF691, HF720, HF1068, HF1314, HF1465, HF1860, HF2046, HF1389, HF2404, HF2854, HF2985, HF3128, HF3103, HF778, HF3125

Keywords: HF474, Hubert H. Humphrey, Henry Mower Rice, Statuary Hall, United States Capitol, statue replacement, capital investment, general fund appropriation, Minnesota State Capitol, Minnesota State Historical Society, public art, commemorative statue, National Statuary Hall Collection, commissioner of administration, cultural heritage, monument, Washington D.C., HF218, Minnesota, Department of Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• 44.919> basically affording the the premiums basically affording the the premiums basically drop
• 00:26:46.279> the<00:26:46.399> market<00:26:46.760> start<00:26:47.039> dropping
• drop out of the market start dropping drop out of the market start dropping out<00:26:47.520>
• > out<00:57:35.559> of<00:57:35.680> the<00:57:35.760> market have people drop
• out of the market have people drop out of the market therefore<00:57:36.920> we're<00:57:37.079

Bills: HF837

Keywords: health insurance, premium security plan, federal funding, state innovation waiver, Minnesota, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So effectively, April 10th is when we have work to do before then, so there are drop-dead dates along
• the way, but the major drop-dead date is April 10th, when the full Finance Committee takes HB 1 and
• So effectively, April 10th is when we have work to do before then, so there are drop-dead dates along
• > date<00:10:08.760> is way but the major drop dead date is way but the major drop dead
• She would drop her off at the end of the day. At first, that was fine.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: Division 3 Finance held a work session to move through five bills before noon, noting one member’s early departure and adjusting the order of bills accordingly. The first item, HB 54, would allow some alternative treatment centers in the medical cannabis system to operate for profit. Members discussed a fiscal note showing a one-time $133,000 cost, which was described as a Division 1 budget item to be handled through HB 2 rather than directly in Division 3. After discussion about keeping Division 1 informed and the distinction between retaining a bill versus funding it, the committee voted unanimously to retain HB 54 for further finance work and conversion into HB 2. The committee then took up HB 547, concerning reimbursement to counties for enhanced FMAP funds during the COVID period. The chair summarized the issue as federal enhanced Medicaid matching funds that were received by the state before authority existed to pass them through to counties, creating a disputed amount owed to counties. County representatives said the money should have gone to counties and clarified the relevant time period, while the department did not take a position. The chair proposed retaining the bill and moving it into HB 2, with discussion of a possible four-year repayment structure in equal annual installments. The committee agreed to retain the bill for continued work in the budget process. During the HB 547 discussion, members also clarified the fiscal and accounting details, including that the fiscal note had not been widely available and that some figures in the note should be treated as county revenue rather than county expenditure. Testimony explained that the enhanced FMAP increased from 50 percent to 56.2 percent, and that the state’s and counties’ shares of claims were affected by the timing of the federal change and the later state authorization. The committee emphasized that the issue was complex and budget-dependent, and that retaining the bill would allow further negotiation and incorporation into HB 2 rather than immediate final action.