Transcript Highlights:

• and distribute account monies in accordance with Section 58-15-5, Idaho Code.
• The department shall administer the account and distribute account monies in accordance with Section
• The language set up an account, but it did not give authority to spend money from that account.
• Government accounting measures are very different from general accounting measures.
• It's the difference in the accounting systems. Thank you. Very good on motion.

Summary: The House convened with 67 members present, approved the journal, and received committee reports referring a large slate of bills and resolutions to various committees or to second reading. Several new bills were introduced, including measures on cemetery maintenance districts, ICE agreements and immigration status reporting, milk testing, specialty license plates, driver licensing and vehicle registration deadlines for new residents, child custody interference, cloud seeding, urban renewal, and a sales tax rebate. House Concurrent Resolutions 21 and 22, concerning Transportation and Education rules, were sent for printing. On the floor, the House suspended the rules to take up House Bill 613 immediately. The bill, which addresses liability protections for private polling places, election workers, volunteers, and certain nonprofit locations used for Election Day, passed 68-0 and was transmitted to the Senate. The House also passed House Bill 587, providing continuous spending authority for the rangeland improvement account, after extended debate over legislative oversight versus the need to spend grant and account funds on time; it passed 44-25. House Bill 573, expanding flexibility for enhanced concealed carry instructor qualifications, passed 68-0, and House Bill 624, revising oversight and accountability requirements for the Idaho Home Learning Academy, also passed 68-0. The House returned House Bill 547 and House Bill 525 to committee at the request of sponsors, moved House Bill 530 to general orders, and held the remaining third-reading bills until Monday, February 16, 2026. Announcements noted upcoming committee meetings, a 4-H breakfast, a memorial committee event, and other caucus or lunch notices. The House then adjourned until 10 a.m. Monday, February 16, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't have the normal checks and balances for holding bad actors accountable who are driving cars
• Nobody's held accountable. So so what? What's the natural solution or than the next natural step?
• But this is a problem that we keep having because no one's held accountable was held accountable for
• accountability anymore.
• I'm all for increased accountability.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have firsthand accounts of this accounts of this accounts of this exposure.
• with the parent account and accounts with the parent account and accounts with the parent account and
• . account.
• Parent account. An account custody. 12. Parent account. An account custody. 12. Parent account.
• One, an account transfer. account transfer. account transfer.

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> funds so as we go through the accounting funds so as we go through the accounting units<00:12:41.560
• Sounds like a lot of accounting.
• Sounds like a lot of accounting.
• There is the accounting unit for TANF, so the rest of the accounting units in this particular bureau
• There is the accounting unit for TANF, so the rest of the accounting units in this particular bureau

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a Division 3 budget work session focused on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Economic Stability. Karen Hebert, the division director, and Nathan White, DHHS chief financial officer, walked members through the governor’s operating budget pages and a briefing book, explaining that the division was consolidated in 2018 and serves programs aimed at financial stability, poverty reduction, child care access, and related supports. Members repeatedly asked for clearer breakdowns of general fund spending, historical growth since consolidation, and how the division’s broad mission areas map onto specific budget lines. A major portion of the discussion centered on the Bureau of Child Development and Head Start collaboration and the child care subsidy program. Hebert said the child care scholarship/subsidy helps low- and moderate-income families access daycare so parents can work, attend school, or receive treatment, and that eligibility is based on state median income up to 85%. She reported a 45% increase in utilization, 4,032 children receiving daycare support as of the end of January, and about 15% of eligible children being served. She also described the quality improvement system “Granite Steps for Quality,” with 160 providers enrolled out of 717 licensed programs, and noted that 1,200 child care professionals added credentials in the last year. Members pressed for cost-benefit information, asking for data on how much the state pays, how many providers and children are served, and whether the department could quantify unmet need. The witnesses said some projects were funded with short-term ARPA child care dollars and that detailed cost data for specific examples, such as the Gorm Community Learning Center expansion, would need to be looked up. They also explained that the child care fund is a federal block grant with required spending set-asides of 9% for quality, 3% for infants and toddlers, and up to 5% for administration, and that unused funds remain available. The committee also reviewed slide 10’s accounting units, including that the Child Care Workforce Fund is 100% general funds and was created as a priority item under HB 2 from the 2024 session, while some other child care-related units are 100% federal funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• Does that come out of a special account?
• In other words, do you have like a debit card to that account, or how does that work? Yeah, yeah.
• and draw from your health savings account.
• and draw from your health savings account.
• It's a personal health account that goes with you from job to job, and it rolls from year to year.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a hearing with Chair Jamie Murphy and Senate co-chair Senator Feeney presiding. Members asked witnesses to keep testimony to three minutes and noted that written testimony could still be submitted. The committee heard testimony on several health insurance and pharmacy-related bills, including a proposal to allow controlled prescriptions to be transferred between pharmacies within the same chain, legislation affecting health savings account (HSA)-compatible plans and future insurance mandates, a bill on small business health insurance incentives, and H. 1212 on emergency insulin access. Several parents and patients testified in support of emergency insulin access, describing severe diabetes emergencies, diabetic ketoacidosis, prescription delays, and the need for pharmacists to dispense insulin in urgent situations when doctors or insurers are unavailable. A parent also described the burden of repeatedly obtaining new prescriptions for ADHD medication when pharmacies are out of stock. Witnesses supporting the HSA bill argued that state coverage mandates can unintentionally disqualify HSA-qualified plans and that the bill would preserve tax advantages for enrollees while avoiding repeated legislative fixes. A representative of the Retailers Association supported the small business health insurance incentives bill, saying it could help retain small employers in the merged market by allowing carriers to offer financial incentives tied to cooperative purchasing and utilization efforts. One witness, Kathleen Demarest, testified against a co-pay assistance restriction, saying a state rule had unexpectedly cut off her drug assistance before a generic was actually available, leaving her with very high out-of-pocket costs. Committee members asked a few clarifying questions about HSAs, insulin dispensing, and school support for diabetes care. After all scheduled witnesses had testified and no additional testimony was offered, the committee voted to close the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• These accounts change the minds.
• These accounts change the minds.
• </c> whether they have a savings account. whether they have a savings account.
• Not so much when it comes to accounts like these, not opposed to accounts like these, but I'm also not
• ><c> accounts</c><01:18:07.880><c> like</c><01:18:08.080><c> these,</c> not opposed to accounts like

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Was there any accounting for it?
• </c> accounted for? accounted for?
• </c> holding them accountable. holding them accountable.
• are being held accountable.
• c> accountable.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> firearm owners accountable. Thank you. firearm owners accountable. Thank you.
• </c> about accountability and transparency. about accountability and transparency.
• They need to be accountable.
• We need less brutality and more accountability. The bill before you is about accountability.
• We need less brutality and more accountability. The bill before you is about accountability.

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , and we found that they all were credited to the accounts.
• Of the seven bank accounts DCB has, there's only one remaining without of the seven bank accounts DCB
• And they are holding those funds in that account for the same purpose.
• That's when school districts reconcile their accounts.
• But Stark County is held accountable for this $5 million. Thank you.

Committee: Joint Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Summary: The committee convened, approved the prior meeting minutes, and received a memo summarizing major audit items. The State Auditor’s office and outside auditors then presented a series of audits, many of which were clean with unmodified opinions and no findings, including the Bank of North Dakota, the Guaranteed Student Loan Program, the Office of the Governor, the State Treasurer, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Quality, Lake Region State College, and the Office of the Governor. The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association audit was also clean overall, but it repeated findings about limited segregation of duties and auditor assistance in preparing financial statements, which the auditor said were expected to continue because of the organization’s small size. Committee members asked about out-of-state board addresses, and the association explained those members were North Dakota residents using South Dakota mailing addresses. Several audits did include findings. The Council on the Arts audit identified two issues: payroll charged to federal awards without supporting time records, and $12,825 in Cultural Endowment Fund spending that was not allowable under state law, including staff training, retreats, and executive director candidate travel. The Department of Public Instruction audit found unsupported scholarship applications in the paraprofessional-to-teacher program, but additional testing confirmed the funds were credited properly and students completed required school district work, so no improper payments were identified. The University of North Dakota audit found a lack of documentation and transparency in School of Law admissions decisions; the auditor said the law school used a holistic process but did not keep notes or evaluation tools to show why applicants were admitted, waitlisted, or denied. UND leadership said the school is in good standing with the American Bar Association and agreed better documentation is needed, and the auditor said the issue was the missing documentation, not ABA accreditation itself. The most extensive discussion centered on the North Dakota Racing Commission audit, which found four findings: overspending the promotion fund’s 25% operating cap, grant conditions not being met, improper breeder fund awards, and improper procurement. The auditor said promotion fund spending exceeded the cap by $327,447 and the fund balance dropped sharply over the audit period. Racing Commission director Bruce Johnson said the agency had become complacent, that grant requests were treated as routine, and that controls and documentation need to be tightened. He also explained that the breeder fund overpayments involved two horses whose ownership transfers were not properly documented before racing, and that the procurement issue stemmed from an advertising contract that proceeded without proper written procurement procedures after a misunderstanding with the State Procurement Office. The auditor said the Racing Commission will now be audited every two years because of the findings. The committee also received updates on Dakota College at Bottineau’s bank reconciliations, which Minot State University said had been brought current after an 18-month backlog, with only one account still needing cleanup; members asked for a written report on the corrective actions. The North Dakota Fair Foundation was reported to have dissolved, with remaining funds transferred to another nonprofit account for continued support of the state fair. Finally, the Department of Public Instruction provided an update on school meal debt, revising the earlier estimate to about $1.1 million based on incomplete district survey responses, and said the Anti-Lunch Shaming law likely increased meal debt because schools must feed students regardless of account balance. Members discussed the need for a more accurate year-end debt figure and possible future reporting at a later committee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the dedicated accounts. the dedicated accounts.
• </c> own uh private account. Only a portion. own uh private account. Only a portion.
• They could retain it in a account.
• </c> patient account at a nursing facility. patient account at a nursing facility.
• </c> this personal account. It's Medicaid. this personal account. It's Medicaid.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 118, as amended, which contains several unrelated provisions with a modest fiscal note. Nathan White of the Department of Health and Human Services explained that section 1 would change the personal needs allowance for Medicaid-eligible residents of private and county nursing homes from an adjustment every five years to an annual adjustment, increasing the state cost by about $50,000 per year. He also described section 2, a one-time appropriation of about $160,000 to make certain Hampstead employees whole for missed bonuses and lost leave during the state’s transition of the facility to Dartmouth management. White then outlined sections 3 through 5, which would create a dedicated fund for Hampstead lease revenue to cover the state’s contractual obligation to match Dartmouth capital improvements dollar-for-dollar up to $3 million. He said the state receives about $1.141 million in lease revenue in the first year, with a 3% annual escalator, and that the fund would hold lease revenue until needed for reimbursement. Members questioned how the matching arrangement would work, what happens if Dartmouth spends before the fund has enough money, and whether the state could refuse to match certain improvements. White said Dartmouth has final determination under the agreement if disputes arise, and that if the bill does not pass the state could face difficulty meeting the obligation without cutting services or finding other general funds. Several members also raised policy concerns about the personal needs allowance becoming an automatic cost driver. Brian Clark, attorney for the Bureau of Adult and Aging Services, clarified that current law requires the allowance to be updated at least every five years, but the legislature could change it in an off year if it chose. He also explained that the allowance is money residents retain from their own income, such as Social Security, as part of Medicaid cost-of-care calculations, and that the department does not regulate how residents keep those funds. No vote was taken during the discussion, and the committee paused to correct the bill copy before continuing testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• This $2.57 million ask is from the renewable development account.
• Agreement last year on renewable development account funds.
• </c> account, part of a larger conversation. account, part of a larger conversation.
• May not be within development account.
• I'll also renewable development account.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the way it's explained to me is that if they decrypt one account, then everybody's accounts are open
• can find those accounts.
• That gives parental rights over those accounts. proactive that gives parental rights over those accounts
• can find those accounts.
• This is just something: if you want these accounts, these are the rules and how it works on these accounts

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The committee took up a series of bills, beginning with SB 1422 on unmanned aircraft systems. The bill increases penalties for flying drones over critical infrastructure, prohibits drones equipped with weapons or explosives, creates a first-degree felony for drones carrying a weapon of mass destruction, and includes a law enforcement exception. A lay-filed amendment by Senator Pizzo warning against the use of force to shoot down drones was debated but failed, and the bill was then reported favorably. The committee also reported favorably on SB 846 addressing notary public fraud in immigration-related services, SB 650 on hazardous walking conditions for school transportation, SB 922 on employment agreements including non-compete and garden leave provisions, and SB 1820 on motor vehicle manufacturer and dealer relations, covering performance measures, retaliation, and franchise termination standards. Several bills focused on education, health care, and disability issues. SB 540, the Evan B. Hartzell Act, would require disability history and awareness instruction across grade levels; it drew emotional testimony from the bill sponsor, family members, and supporters, and was reported favorably. SB 998 would allow advanced practice registered nurses to certify deaths and file death certificates in hospice settings under physician protocol, and SB 1412 would modernize home health agency rules by expanding administrative flexibility and contract service use; both passed. SB 1736 would allow direct support professionals and relatives to administer insulin in group home settings for individuals with developmental disabilities, and it was also reported favorably. The committee also advanced several regulatory and court-related measures. SB 1650 expands Florida’s vexatious litigant law, including allowing designation based on conduct in a single case and extending the look-back period, while SB 1652 creates a public records exemption for certain stricken non-criminal court filings; both were approved. SB 1076 on roofing contractors was amended to require continuing education for roof-to-wall connections and then passed, and SB 1078 on fire prevention was amended with stakeholder-agreed language before being reported favorably. SB 1080 on local government land regulations, after multiple amendments and significant debate over agricultural enclaves and local control, was also approved. Other major measures included SB 818 on utility relocation, which creates a relocation fund funded by a portion of communications services tax revenue and was supported by multiple industry and local-government groups after a compromise amendment; SB 868 on social media use by minors, which would require a decryption mechanism for law enforcement access under subpoena and prohibit disappearing messages for minors, remained under discussion as the transcript ended. The committee also heard SB 96, a claims bill for Jacob Rogers against the City of Gainesville, and reported it favorably after testimony that the city would pay the settlement amount.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the same accountability the same accountability is<03:13:32.479><c> expected.
• </c> student eligibility and count account student eligibility and count account expenditures.<03:22:
• </c> concerning education freedom accounts concerning education freedom accounts because<03:23:23.840
• </c> standard accountability practices. standard accountability practices.
• This is democratic accountability.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• California's school accountability system is long overdue for modernization.
• School Dashboard and the School Accountability Report Card, known as SARC.
• For years, California has operated with two parallel systems: the School Accountability Report Card,
• Not take any local control into account. And it created a lot of havoc for our local communities.
• When accountability is unclear, students and families bear the cost.

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This program will serve 100,000 students with education savings accounts, ESAs.
• Also members, this is a fully universal education savings account program.
• If you take into account the attendance that will be lost, okay?
• savings account.
• If they do not use the total amount of the education service. account savings account as the bill states

Bills: SB2 , SJR36 , SB2 , SB2 , SR29 , SB2

Keywords: Maverick County, recognition, economic development, Texas Senate, community celebration, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> know because there's no accountability. know because there's no accountability.
• accountable for those expenditures?
• </c> Third is accountability.
• Accounts.
• freedom account or education savings<03:25:57.279><c> account</c><03:25:57.600><c> program.

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill ensures that anyone working in the juvenile justice system can be held accountable if they,
• Effectively, we should, we should have never removed this accountability in the first place.
• But if we don't start having accountability, if we don't put any mechanisms in for accountability, these
• If we removed accountability and we removed consequences for that accountability for coming to school
• There's no accountability. Thank you.

Committee: House S/C on Juvenile Justice

Transcript Highlights:

• They were struck down years ago, so we have empowerment scholarship accounts.
• Once it's fulfilled, it'll go into another account.
• DeLatino, I'm just thinking of this from the perspective of nonprofit accounting.
• This bill was about accountability. This bill is about safety.
• So for all these reasons, respect the teacher, school safety, accountability.

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Not all balances in the account are available to spend.
• number A detailed breakdown of the sub-accounts and allowable uses of each sub-account in Fund IX are
• Page 12, on page 12, there's a list of game, fish, and water safety account number nine, sub-account.
• Does this request take into account all the boats and the trucks?
• Also an accounting team lead that will help oversee the daily operations of the accountants in addition

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the branch chief for homelessness programs and accountability at HCD.
• This trailer bill seeks to establish those accountability and performance metrics.
• We need real accountability about the outcomes that people care about.
• The other thing is the accountability side, and I absolutely agree: we need to hold people accountable
• It is highly leveraged with private dollars, and there is accountability.

Summary: The subcommittee heard several May Revision proposals related to the state’s housing and homelessness reorganization. On the first item, administration and Finance staff described technical adjustments to move administrative positions and resources between the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, HCD, and Cal ICH, plus authority for a chief deputy director at the new Housing Development Finance Committee. The LAO recommended approval but asked for clarification on funding for the chief deputy position. Several senators questioned whether the staffing shifts would reduce Cal ICH’s capacity and whether adding communications support and a new executive position was appropriate absent new housing funding; the item was held open. The second item proposed a new $100 million CalHFA Disaster Rebuilding Fund, with $56 million General Fund and $44 million in existing National Mortgage Settlement funds, to help disaster-impacted homeowners access construction financing through tools such as a loan loss guarantee and interest rate buy-downs. CalHFA said the fund would help close the gap between insurance proceeds and rebuilding costs and would work through approved lenders. The LAO raised concerns about the lack of alternatives analysis, the broad delegation in the trailer bill, and the General Fund cost. Senators pressed for more detail on the estimated number of homeowners served, lender and homeowner eligibility, equity safeguards, and the role of the Legislature in program design; the item was held open. The third item was trailer bill language for HAP Round 7, including accountability metrics, pro-housing designation requirements for certain large cities and counties, local match requirements, and a mechanism to recapture unspent funds. HCD said the proposal would streamline reporting by using one consistent set of system performance measures and would phase in the new requirements. The LAO questioned the timing, the burden of pro-housing designation, the size and source of the local match, and whether the proposal conflicted with the Legislature’s prior goal of getting funds out quickly. Several senators criticized the added requirements and the lack of new funding, while others said the proposal could improve accountability and reduce administrative burden by reusing existing plans. The item was also held open. The fourth item began a proposal to reduce local development impact fees on state-funded affordable housing projects, framed as a condition on competitive multifamily funding rather than a statewide mandate. The presentation started but the transcript cuts off before questions or action on that item.