Transcript Highlights:

• , and Municipal Aid, for county road aid, and Municipal Aid, for county road aid, the<00:05:20.040
• Municipal road aid.
• rural secondary, and municipal road aid. rural secondary, and municipal road aid.
• basic projects to uh to handle basic basic projects to uh to handle basic needs<00:41:03.800>
• to the first of the year. to the first of the year.

Keywords: 00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 01:22 Overview/Impact of Executive Order 47:02 General Funds in Road Plan 50:37 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met for its first meeting and received an overview from Transportation Cabinet officials on the governor’s executive order responding to high gas prices. Deputy Secretary Mike Hancock and budget director Shawn McKiernan explained that the order declared a state of emergency, reduced the state motor fuels tax by 10 cents per gallon, froze the tax rate for FY27, and urged Congress to suspend the federal gas tax. They said the emergency regulation would remain in effect until the war in Iran ends or Kentucky gas prices fall below $3 per gallon, and that any transportation budget shortfalls could be covered by the state budget reserve trust fund if requested later by the governor. McKiernan estimated the 10-cent reduction would reduce the road fund by about $26.8 million per month, with roughly 44% flowing to county road aid, rural secondary, and municipal road aid. He said the immediate impact to counties and cities would be about $11.8 million for one month, while the cabinet would see about $15 million per month less available for its own use. He also said the freeze on the FY27 motor fuels tax rate would prevent a scheduled increase and, compared with the budget assumption, would produce about $42 million in net additional revenue, split between local governments and the cabinet. He added that if the reduction lasted through December, the major transportation programs could be down about 16.9% from budgeted levels. Members focused on the effect on local governments, the road fund, and the cabinet’s cash management process. Several senators and representatives criticized the executive order as short-sighted or political, while others emphasized the need for a long-term solution to transportation funding. Questions were raised about how make-whole payments to counties and cities would be handled, how the cabinet manages cash flow, and whether the state should continue relying on general fund transfers to support the road plan. Cabinet officials said they would work with lawmakers, explained that project authorizations are managed based on cash flow and seasonal spending patterns, and noted that construction and maintenance costs have risen sharply, making revenue adequacy a continuing concern.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's nothing new to the Department of Revenue. $37 basically if you spend $37 basically if you spend
• uh benefit pension plans Legal Aid uh benefit pension plans Legal Aid Services<00:31:32.720>
• aid out of the aid so if you take legal aid out of the mix<00:32:48.240> and<00:32:48.519>
• Next, repeal local government cannabis aid.
• <00:54:33.720> is<00:54:33.839> the<00:54:33.960> most aid is the most aid is the

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• you said you spoke to first responders. you said you spoke to first responders.
• And in speaking with first price, right?
• <00:19:43.760> emergency for some training for basic emergency for some training for basic
• first aid to understand the emergency or to provide assistance in a non-emergency.
• And to just have an individual on staff who is trained in basic first aid in the EMR program and to be

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• for special education aid.
• would create a new first-draw school aid program in that... ...appropriation and would create a new first-draw
• school aid program in that amount.
• Could I use the aid in this budget, the per-pupil aid, to help my classroom to buy some chalk to make
• The special education aid would be spendable resources; the other aid would be property tax.

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of Vermont Cares, the state's first AIDS service organization.
• Vermont Department of Health AIDS Vermont Department of Health AIDS Program<00:04:04.120> Chief
• <00:04:07.560> AIDS Vermont Cares, the state's first AIDS Vermont Cares, the state's first
• , Advisory Council on HIV AIDS, Advisory Council on HIV AIDS, and<00:04:30.120> eventually
• Thank you. access services to meet their basic access services to meet their basic human<00:18:22.040

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House began with a moment of silence and read two adopted House Concurrent Resolutions. HCR 298 recognized the importance of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife’s fish culture program and hatcheries to aquatic sustainability, recreational fishing, education, and the economy. HCR 300 honored the life and work of Terry Anderson, a Vermont AIDS advocate, Democratic Party leader, and longtime activist; members offered personal tributes to his compassion, mentorship, and political leadership, and the resolution was sent to his family and the Vermont Democratic Party. The chamber then took up several bills returned from the Senate. H. 583, relating to clinical decision-making, was explained as having minor Senate amendments adjusting dates and adding collaboration language for Green Mountain Care Board reporting; the House Health Care Committee recommended concurrence, and the House agreed. H. 657, relating to Department for Children and Families programming, was also amended in small ways, including changes to language on Social Security benefits for youth in foster care, certification forms for unaccompanied youth, and an effective date; after debate about whether the bill could affect family separation, the House adopted the Senate changes by roll call vote, 133-2. The House next considered S. 202 on portable solar energy generation devices. The Senate’s changes narrowed landlord-related language and updated appliance efficiency standards; the House Energy Committee then proposed a further amendment striking the Senate’s addition of electric motors from the efficiency list, citing conflicting testimony, and the House concurred with that further amendment. Members also discussed notice procedures between tenants and landlords and the safety rationale for the bill. Finally, the House passed S. 208 on standards for law enforcement identification and S. 212 on potable water supply and wastewater system connections, both in concurrence with proposals of amendment. The House then recessed until 1:00 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first displays the compensatory aid modification, and the second displays the estimated district-level
• The first um displays the compensatory<00:20:07.679> aid<00:20:08.160> modification compensatory
• The first is including safety aid to charters in the form of a one-time funding.
• First, the $44 per pupil one-time safety aid is both timely and necessary.
• First, the $44 per pupil one-time safety aid is both timely and necessary.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the first name I have on the list is a person who is remote: Julie Watt for the Home Care Aid Council
• My father first needed services, and I knew a lot of these things.
• In its first 10 years, the commission supported first-in-the-nation legislation for LGBTQ cultural competency
• Other basic things, we're talking about safety.
• But it's basic, basic sort of stuff that somebody should understand when caring for an Alzheimer's patient

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging and Independence held a hearing on several bills, led by Chair Tom Stanley and Senate Chair Patricia Jehlen. The committee first heard testimony on H. 765/S. 487, an act relative to councils on aging, which would update outdated statutory language and allow directors of councils on aging to make staffing decisions when a council is structured as an advisory body. Representative Donahue and Betsy Connell of the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging said the change reflects how most councils now operate and would resolve conflicts like the one that arose in Sherborn. Members asked about whether the bill would affect town managers, volunteer roles, and whether the language should more clearly exempt informal volunteer help; supporters said the bill is aimed at municipal staffing structures, not unpaid volunteer assistance. The committee then took extensive testimony on H. 789/S. 470, an act to improve Massachusetts home care, which would create a statewide licensure system for non-medical home care agencies and entities. Julie Watt, Jay Krillovich, Betsy Krimmins, Lisa Gargoni, Tim Foley, and several providers and advocates supported the bill, arguing that licensure would establish baseline standards for background checks, training, service plans, insurance, complaint procedures, and labor-law compliance, while helping consumers identify legitimate providers and reducing fraud and abuse. Several witnesses described problems with unlicensed or poorly supervised providers, and family members and dementia advocates emphasized the need for dementia-specific training and better oversight for vulnerable clients. Tim Foley also raised concerns about private equity’s growing role in home care and said stronger regulation is needed to protect consumers and workers. Committee members focused on practical questions about the bill’s scope, including whether it would reach informal paid helpers, volunteers, or people doing occasional household tasks, and what agency would enforce the rules. Supporters said the bill is intended to cover entities advertising home care services, not unpaid volunteer help, though they acknowledged regulators would need to work out details. John Sneeth of Tribute Home Care offered a more cautious view, saying licensure should not unduly burden smaller providers or reduce competition, and that enforcement would be key. The hearing also included testimony from the Alzheimer’s Association and family caregivers, who strongly supported the bill’s dementia-training provisions and described how trained caregivers improved safety and quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. At the end of the hearing, the committee also heard support for H. 778/S. 473, regarding the Commission on LGBTQ Aging, with Lisa Krinsky urging funding for a full-time director and continued support for the commission’s strategic plan. After public testimony concluded, the committee adjourned the hearing by motion and voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And basically, what has been the trend over the last.
• could basically see what they do and why it's needed.
• grant aid to keep student loan burden low.
• Uh, 9 out of every 10 first-time students in an ICUT institution receive some sort of grant aid, heavily
• Nobody's talking about their first year in the SEC.

Transcript Highlights:

• aid or community funded A new funding mechanism to meet the new demand so that basic aid or community-funded
• Many basic aid school districts are only marginally above the LCFF target.
• San Luis Coastal that are barely above the basic aid requirement.
• would widen the per-pupil funding gap between basic aid and other districts.
• But, you know, given my concern about exacerbating the inequities between the basic aid and the non-basic

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard AB 84, a charter school accountability measure focused on non-classroom-based charter schools and fraud prevention. The author and supporters said the bill was intended to respond to the A3 charter fraud case and related scandals by strengthening audits, transparency, authorizer oversight, and funding determination rules, while ensuring public education dollars are used for public education. Supporters included FCMAT, CSEA, CTA, and CSBA, who argued the bill would improve oversight and protect taxpayers. Opponents, including the California Charter Schools Association, Green Dot, many charter parents, educators, and charter operators, said the bill was too broad, would impose major new costs and bureaucracy on all charter schools, and could reduce options for families, especially those using flexible, homeschool, or special-needs charter programs. After extensive testimony and committee discussion, the bill passed on a 5-1 vote and was sent to Appropriations, with the item left open for additional votes. The committee then approved a consent calendar of 11 education bills, including AB 542, AB 563, AB 731, AB 753, AB 784, AB 964, AB 988, AB 1034, AB 1233, AB 1255, and AB 1381, all moving to Appropriations. The consent calendar passed unanimously. Later, the committee heard AB 1454, a literacy and reading instruction bill authored by Assembly Members Rubio and Revis. The bill would require the state to create professional development resources for evidence-based literacy instruction, update English language arts and English language development instructional materials, and revise administrator preparation standards to include literacy training. The authors and a broad coalition of supporters, including CTA, EdVoice, Families in Schools, Decoding Dyslexia, school administrators, and parent advocates, described the measure as a compromise aimed at improving reading outcomes and addressing California’s literacy crisis. There was no opposition testimony at the hearing, and members voiced strong support for the bill and its collaborative approach.

Transcript Highlights:

• aid community funded or necessary small schools district and when funds are sent out basic aid districts
• Basic Aid School District.
• aid districts and I I know that you have some ideas about you know a graduated approach for basic aid
• widen the per pupil funding gap between basic aid and other districts.
• aid and the non basic aid districts.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I hired different home care aides to be with him when I needed to leave the house, depending on the aides
• The aide, a younger woman, left him in soiled clothing the entire time I was gone.
• Today I urge your I vote on AB 412 so that California home care aides receive basic dementia training
• But this bill ensures that every home care aide, every affiliated home care aide, which essentially means
• These congressional proposals would cut billions in food aid.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Human Services heard two measures after announcing that SB 792 had been pulled from the agenda. The first bill, AB 412, would require affiliated home care aides to receive training on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care. The author and supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP, and the Home Care Association of America, said the bill would help ensure more consistent and compassionate care for people living with dementia. A witness described difficult personal experiences finding aides who understood her husband’s needs. There was no opposition, and the committee members expressed support and personal appreciation for the issue. AB 412 was moved on a do-pass-as-amended motion to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and passed 7-0. The committee accepted the author’s committee amendments. The committee also heard SJR 3, a resolution urging Congress to avoid cuts to SNAP, known in California as CalFresh. The author and supporters from the California Association of Food Banks and End Child Poverty California argued that the program is essential to reducing hunger, supporting children and families, and sustaining the food economy, and that food banks could not replace lost benefits. Public testimony was overwhelmingly in support, with no opposition. Members from both parties spoke in favor, including one member who shared personal experience relying on SNAP. SJR 3 was adopted 7-0 and sent forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:56:46.839> one<00:56:47.079> first you understand the first one first you understand
• the first one first because<00:56:47.520> it<00:56:47.640> gets<00:56:47.760> a
• We were just wrestling about who should go first. Let your arm wrestle first.
• building aid.
• So that was at first $18 million.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee Division II met with the New Hampshire Department of Education to review school nutrition programs and related funding. Department staff Melissa White and Kelly Rambo walked through a packet covering the National School Lunch Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Community Eligibility (CEP), After School Snack Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program, explaining that these are federally funded USDA programs, with some state supplemental funding in certain areas. They also reviewed reimbursement rates for lunch, breakfast, child/adult care, and summer meals, noting that summer rates follow calendar-year timing while most others follow the state fiscal year. Members asked several questions about how the funding works, especially the difference between federal reimbursements and the state match. Staff explained that the state lunch line in the budget is a fixed match amount tied to federal participation, while breakfast funding is broken out by meal type and reimbursement category. They also discussed why FY 2022 federal spending was much higher during COVID, when USDA covered meals at the free rate for all students, and why FY 2023 and FY 2024 dropped as normal income-eligibility rules returned. A committee member also asked about the “severe need lunch” two-cent rate, and staff said they did not know USDA’s formula. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on summer meals and the distinction between the Summer Food Service Program and Summer EBT. Staff explained that SFSP provides meals at approved sites, which can be open or closed sites, while Summer EBT is a separate DHHS-operated benefit program that provides funds to families. They said some schools or sites may not qualify under USDA rules, but eligible children can often use another nearby open site, and the department posts an interactive map and phone line to help families find locations. The committee also discussed the Community Eligibility Provision. Staff said New Hampshire currently has three CEP schools, that the eligibility threshold had recently been lowered from 40% to 25% identified students, and that the program allows participating schools to offer free meals to all students while the local district covers the non-federal share. Members asked whether any districts in the 25% to 40% range had joined; staff said no. The department offered to provide the eligibility report in Excel and noted that the CEP intent is to reduce application burden, though the lower threshold can make the local cost share harder for some districts to absorb.

Transcript Highlights:

• which are ineligible to receive special education aid: those basic costs of the classroom, the basic
• which are ineligible to receive special education aid: those basic costs of the classroom, the basic
• We know that there are some costs which are ineligible to receive special education aid: those basic
• We know that there are some costs which are ineligible to receive special education aid: those basic
• applications for school building aid applications for school building aid grants.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is this the first hearing of this bill? is this the first hearing of this bill?
• For the first time in almost 50 Range.
• So, given this new mine for the first So, given this new mine for the first time<00:02:18.400>
• However, this is also one of the first However, this is also one of the first times<00:02:45.840
• Section four, the taconite municipal aid Section four, the taconite municipal aid account.<00:08

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is school meals for all.
• But in the meantime, rural aid is not just a band-aid.
• First, fix the funding formula.
• My first Boston call this week.
• I'll go first. Okay, I'll go first. We are. We are.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know if you have an answer to the first one.
• We're doing SB 323 first, correct? Would you prefer to do 323 first? Oh no, I'll do 98 first.
• SB 323, the California Financial Aid Assurance Act.
• And that is what comes to every grant aid agency in the United States.
• The California Student Aid Commission. He said. I can, his name is Tay.

Summary: The Assembly Higher Education Committee heard several Senate measures focused on student access, workforce needs, and institutional stability. Senator Laird presented SJR 4, which urges the federal government to restore NIH funding cuts and protect California’s research universities; UC testified in support and there was no opposition. Senator Ashby presented SB 761, the CalFresh for Students Act, to connect Cal Grant applicants with potential CalFresh eligibility and expand qualifying programs; the bill drew broad support from higher education, student, anti-hunger, and county groups, with members sharing personal experiences with food insecurity and no opposition. Senator Cabaldon presented SB 520 to create a California Nurse Midwifery Education Fund for a new master’s-level nurse midwifery program, citing maternal health disparities and provider shortages, especially in rural and Central Valley communities. Supporters from the California Nurse Midwives Association and the Black Wellness and Prosperity Center emphasized workforce shortages and maternal mortality; one member raised concerns about the bill’s use of inclusive language, but the bill was otherwise well received. Cabaldon also presented SB 640, which would create a statewide direct admissions process to CSU for eligible high school seniors using existing data systems; supporters said it would reduce barriers, improve equity, and help declining-enrollment campuses, while members raised questions about special education students, rural access, dual enrollment, and measuring effectiveness. The committee voted SB 640 out on a 6-0 roll call. Cabaldon’s SB 744 would preserve California students’ access to enrollment and financial aid if a federally recognized accrediting agency loses approval, by treating affected institutions as accredited for state purposes; the bill drew no public testimony and advanced on a 4-2 roll call. Senator Cortese’s SB 494 would require classified school employees’ disciplinary appeals to be heard by an administrative law judge, matching protections already available to teachers and community college faculty; labor groups supported the bill, while school districts and administrators opposed it over cost, local control, and implementation concerns. The committee also heard SB 550, a revised pilot to allow San Jose State and a nonprofit, state-accredited law school to jointly develop a public law school pathway; supporters argued it would expand affordable legal education and public-interest careers, while UC and independent colleges opposed it as inconsistent with the Master Plan. Members debated access, jurisdiction, funding, and bar pass rates, and the bill advanced on a 4-2 roll call to the Judiciary Committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will move into first House File 1082.
• Chair, and I first want to you, Mr.
• aid, and it's all online.
• <00:16:04.160> it's<00:16:04.360> like basically it's like basically it's like a<00:16:
• ,<00:16:13.760> receive get apply for financial aid, receive get apply for financial aid,

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• first first instance<01:49:59.840> it's<01:50:00.080> actually<01:50:00.360> RSA
• felony first felony first um um um experiment<01:53:25.320> recognizing<01:53:26.320>
• the what is the ca I asked the first the what is the ca I asked the first question<03:54:42.560>
• First of all, suicide is not legal.
• I just have to go back to basics: first, do no harm.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 199, which would extend the statute of limitations for civil actions seeking damages from PFAS contamination from six years to 20 years. The prime sponsor and other supporters argued that PFAS contamination in southern New Hampshire has long-term and often delayed health and property impacts, making the current six-year period too short for victims to discover harm, connect it to exposure, and seek relief. Supporters described contamination in places such as Merrimack and surrounding communities, cited health concerns including cancer, developmental issues, and other illnesses, and said a longer period would better preserve legal rights while still requiring proof of causation. The Department of Environmental Services said it was not taking a position but acknowledged the contamination and ongoing work to address it. The Business and Industry Association opposed the bill, arguing that evidence becomes stale over time, memories and documents fade, and a longer window would make it harder to determine causation when other exposures or intervening factors may be involved. Committee members questioned both sides about causation, the difficulty of proving PFAS-related illness, and whether a 20-year period was necessary if a plaintiff already knows of the injury and its source. Supporters responded that PFAS effects can emerge slowly, that scientific understanding continues to develop, and that current knowledge is still incomplete. Opponents said the existing discovery rule already starts the clock when harm and causal connection are known, and that extending the period would reduce clarity and fairness in litigation. After testimony and questions, the chair closed the hearing on HB 199. The committee then opened House Bill 268 FN, which was described as a technical measure to confirm that the Board of Tax and Land Appeals may hold hearings in its Concord hearing rooms. The sponsor indicated the bill reflects current practice and does not require additional facilities. With only one witness listed and no apparent opposition, the discussion was brief and focused on why the authorization should be placed in statute rather than left to practice.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:32.959> day very seriously so this is the first day very seriously so this is the first
• > year an appropriation only in the first year an appropriation only in the first year and<00:
• Financial Aid Services Grants and loan Financial Aid Services Grants and loan repayment<00:45:08.720>
• > loans are not considered Gift Aid loans are not considered Gift Aid because<01:03:51.640> you
• Yes, I basically did.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Higher Ed Finance and Policy Committee met to begin a budget overview for higher education. The chair noted quorum, committee member introductions, and that Democratic members were absent. The chair also said the Office of Higher Education would not be appearing for the planned budget deep dive, so nonpartisan fiscal staff would present instead. Ken Savory, the committee’s nonpartisan fiscal analyst, introduced a presentation on the higher education finance structure and timeline. Savory explained the state budget cycle, the difference between direct appropriations, statutory appropriations, open appropriations, base funding, tails, and one-time appropriations, and how those concepts apply to higher education. He described the committee’s usual budget areas: the Office of Higher Education, Minnesota State, the University of Minnesota, and the Mayo Foundation. He also reviewed historical spending charts showing higher education’s share of the general fund over time, the 2/3-1/3 funding policy in statute, and how tuition and general fund support have shifted. He noted that the FY 26-27 base for the Office of Higher Education area is about $725 million, including roughly $450 million for the State Grant program and about $99 million for North Star Promise. Members asked about comparing the current budget to earlier biennia, and staff responded that they would need to calculate the percentage difference. The chair then summarized prior budget growth, saying the previous budget was about $650 million over base and the current budget/tail was about $450 million over base. Staff also reviewed the 2024 omnibus higher education bill, including a roughly $5 million reduction to North Star Promise that was redirected to the Fostering Independence Grant program and a $500,000 appropriation for Minnesota State’s Kids on Campus program. The committee did not take any formal votes or actions during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And yeah, my capital is going to basically support the basic needs that we don't think about, you know
• If legislative aides are covering this and district aides. Mr.
• So, for the district's legislative aides to date.
• When I was trying to hire my district aide, I was specifically told our district aid is part of the $14
• I know that I have the intention of the district legislative aid policy that those aides are in the district