Transcript Highlights:

• Wigg, well, announce a quick announcement: SB 436 by Senator Cloud, the author asked that that bill be
• Wigg, well, announce a quick announcement: SB 436 by Senator Cloud, the author asked that that bill be
• Wigg, well, announce a quick announcement: SB 436 by Senator Cloud, the author asked that that bill be

Bills: HR118 , HB1039 , SB436 , SB442

Committee: House Ways & Means

Keywords: water utility, tax credit, excessive rates, residential service, subcommittee, local sales tax, local use tax, sales and use tax, tax audit, local collector, tax collector, prescriptive period, prescription waiver, interest suspension, delinquency penalties, estimated assessment, arbitrary assessment, certified mail notice, audit notice, taxpayer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Cloud for a really important project.
• </c><00:24:55.080><c> water</c> what is happening at the St Cloud water what is happening at the St Cloud
• </c><00:25:04.960><c> uh</c> resources to uh the city of St Cloud uh resources to uh the city of St Cloud
• Cloud.
• Cloud green hydrogen project.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:24:21.440><c> Solutions</c><01:24:22.080><c> and</c><01:24:22.320><c> services</c> 150,000 for cloud
• Solutions and services 150,000 for cloud Solutions and services funded<01:24:23.600><c> by</c><01:24
• </c> they had asked you to reduce the cloud they had asked you to reduce the cloud solutions<01:25:04.199
• When you look at the original request for cloud solutions, which was $2.15 million, they're modifying
• The other item is to upgrade the cloud-based hosting services for the electronic filing of involuntary

Summary: The committee held a public hearing and work session on House Bill 25A, the capital improvements appropriations bill, which Representative David Mills said was based on Governor Ayotte’s budget and included appropriations for capital improvements and extensions of prior appropriation lapses. The hearing drew testimony on several requested additions to the bill, with the chair noting the unusually large turnout and moving quickly through speakers. No questions were taken on the initial bill presentation, and the public hearing on HB 25A was later closed. The Community College System of New Hampshire asked for an additional $2.6 million, including $800,000 for IT infrastructure, $1.3 million for critical maintenance, and $500,000 for energy management systems. The witness said the money would address cybersecurity and online learning needs, replace failing boilers and a roof at several campuses, and prevent costly damage such as frozen pipes. The New Hampshire Veterans Home requested $1.5 million for ADA compliance and safety improvements, including floor replacement and wider doors, citing an upcoming VA inspection and the importance of preserving federal funding. Testimony also focused on career and technical education and airport funding. Milford CTE sought to keep $9.9 million in the budget for renovations after a local vote fell short, explaining the project had been scaled down from an earlier $60 million concept and that the school board wanted another chance to seek voter approval. On aviation, Concord, the New Hampshire Municipal Association, and Department of Transportation representatives urged restoring state matching funds for FAA airport grants, saying roughly $3.6 million in state money would leverage about $62 million to $65 million in federal funds for safety and infrastructure projects at public airports. Committee members asked about project selection, matching requirements, and the airport priority process, and witnesses said the program is driven by FAA-approved capital improvement plans and safety needs rather than business-return rankings.

Transcript Highlights:

• Gentlemen, you talked about certain properties had a cloud on the title or title deficiencies.
• Well, what's it probably worth down the cloud on the title?
• Well, I mean, the cloud should be cleared. It should, yeah.
• Well, what's it probably worth down the cloud on the title?
• Well, I mean, the cloud should be cleared. It should, yeah.

Committee: House Government Efficiency

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, any other... so this is more personnel-type stuff, not moving to the cloud, and that would be
• and that would be my moving to the cloud and that would be my assumption<00:17:40.360><c> all</c><00
• The cloud migration will be occurring during this calendar year, which is our goal.
• so there's an an go to the cloud so there's an an undetermined<01:28:20.280><c> um</c><01:28:20.560>
• </c> reality once we do make it to the cloud reality once we do make it to the cloud uh<01:28:30.800>

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Insurance Commissioner DJ Bettencourt on the New Hampshire Insurance Department budget. He said the department is self-funded through assessments on insurers based on New Hampshire premium volume, with about $8 billion in premiums written in the state and a department budget of roughly $15.5 million. He explained that the department has 88 authorized positions, eight vacancies, and that three full-time positions were unfunded after the governor’s requested 4% reduction exercise. He also said the department is trying to balance staffing needs with not overburdening carriers during a hard insurance market. A major topic was the department’s $2.6 million rebate to industry from the prior fiscal year, which Bettencourt described as a credit against the next assessment rather than a direct cash payment. Members questioned why that credit was not reflected as a reduction in the upcoming budget, and Bettencourt and staff explained that the budget assumes full staffing and full spending, with any year-end surplus returned to insurers. The commissioner said the department had added staff in recent years for succession planning and to preserve institutional expertise, and that the rebate reflects careful budgeting rather than excess spending. Members also asked about staffing changes by division, including positions unfunded in fraud, property and casualty examinations, life and health examinations, and tax. Bettencourt said fraud investigations remain strong and that the department can use outside contractors for examinations, with those costs billed to the company being examined. He also described the department’s examination process, including periodic financial exams and targeted market conduct reviews triggered by consumer complaints or trends. Additional questions covered OIT transfers, the department’s oversight of fully insured health coverage, the insurance premium tax and fines going to the general fund, and the department’s limited role in auto repair reimbursement disputes, where he said complaints have recently declined.

Transcript Highlights:

• Cloud to establish not more than two redevelopment districts.
• </c><00:10:19.600><c> Cloud</c> senate authorizes the city of St.
• Cloud senate authorizes the city of St.
• Cloud to<00:10:20.079><c> establish</c><00:10:20.560><c> not</c><00:10:20.800><c> more</c><00:10:20.959
• Cloud, which would extend the five- and six-year rule periods to 10 and 11 years respectively. uh article

Transcript Highlights:

• Cloud and throughout the state.
• Cloud and throughout the state.
• Cloud and throughout the state. Development. This is great for economic development.
• Cloud and throughout the state. Is there any member discussion to House File 2908?
• Cloud and throughout the state. Is there any member discussion to House File 2908?

Transcript Highlights:

• Nobody has given up their phone or their computer or their electric vehicle or any of the stuff they
• Nobody has given up their phone or their computer or their electric vehicle or any of the stuff they
• You know, when I was a kid, driving up into Phoenix in the wintertime and in the summertime, the clouds

Committee: House House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee took up several energy, transportation, and land-use bills. HB 2428, dealing with county and ADEQ authority to issue voluntary permits certifying emission reduction credits for mobile and non-road sources, received neutral testimony from ADEQ and support from Maricopa County; the committee adopted the Griffin amendment and passed the bill 10-0 with a due pass recommendation. HB 2145, which expands who may request certain gasoline fuel reformulation actions and is contingent on EPA approval, also passed on a 5-4 vote after brief staff explanation and no amendment. The committee then considered HB 2331, a strike-everything amendment requiring electric utilities to ensure 85% of generating capacity serving retail load comes from “reliable resources” by 2030. Supporters, including the sponsor and Arizona Free Enterprise Club, argued it would protect affordability and grid reliability by favoring dispatchable power; opponents, including the Sierra Club and Rural Arizona Action, said it would effectively favor fossil fuels, raise costs, and limit cleaner resources. The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill 6-4. HB 2795, which would bar counties from using zoning to block small modular reactors once federal permitting conditions are met, drew strong support from the sponsor and industry advocates who framed it as pro-property-rights and pro-nuclear, and opposition from county, city, and environmental groups who raised preemption, local control, safety, waste, and siting concerns; it passed 6-4. The committee also passed HB 2340, which allows the Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee to evaluate proposed generating facilities along with transmission lines, on a 5-4 vote. HB 2400, an emergency measure to suspend the motor vehicle fuel tax in Areas A and C during part of the year and replace the lost revenue through state highway funding, drew opposition from cities and counties over transportation funding impacts but support from the sponsor and some members focused on gas affordability; the Griffin amendment was adopted and the bill passed 6-4. Finally, HB 2401 was introduced as a requirement for ADEQ to conduct a biennial review of available fuel formulations and their air-quality impacts in Areas A and C, but the transcript ends before testimony or action on that bill is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Nobody has given up their phone or their computer or their electric vehicle or any of the stuff they
• Nobody has given up their phone or their computer or their electric vehicle or any of the stuff they
• know, but when I was a kid, driving up into Phoenix in the wintertime and in the summertime, the clouds

Bills: HB2014 , HB2113 , HB2145 , HB2331 , HB2340 , HB2389 , HB2400 , HB2401 , HB2428 , HB2494 , HB2696 , HB2756 , HB2795 , HB2955 , HCM2008

Committees: House Natural Resources, Energy & Water , House House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference

Keywords: air emissions, fuel blends, environmental quality, feasibility study, Arizona Department of Agriculture, utility consumer, rate intervention, public service corporation, Arizona Revised Statutes, residential rates, consumer protection, fuel reformulation, gasoline standards, environmental regulations, ethanol supply, Air Quality, energy reliability, electric service providers, reliable resources, public power entity

Transcript Highlights:

• gain fluency in Hawaiian language, along with the ability to identify the names of the rain, winds, clouds
• <00:12:08.040><c> the</c><00:12:08.160><c> rain,</c><00:12:08.680><c> winds,</c><00:12:09.160><c> clouds
• ,</c> name of the rain, winds, clouds, name of the rain, winds, clouds, mountain<00:12:10.080><c> peaks

Bills: HB1166 , HB389 , HB644 , HB1509 , HB1692 , HB1842 , HB1878 , HB1926 , HB1949 , HB2116 , HB2581

Transcript Highlights:

• Our satellite will and other satellites already do deliver their satellite data into our cloud, cutting
• space lasers, a new earth observation observation phenomenology in advance rendering software and cloud-based
• There are novel approach to cutting edge software, offering seamless access and analysis in the cloud
• working on today's were busy adjusting all of the states like our acquisitions from the past into one cloud-based

Transcript Highlights:

• Cloud<00:17:10.920><c> where</c><00:17:11.040><c> builders</c><00:17:11.439><c> have</c><00:17:11.640
• ><c> numerous</c> Cloud where builders have numerous Cloud where builders have numerous housing<00:17
• Cloud and the Twin Cities.
• </c> Cloud and the Twin Cities. Cloud and the Twin Cities.
• Cloud and the Twin Cities.

Bills: HF3700 , HF3982 , HF3927 , HF3933 , HF3949 , HF4238 , HF4275 , HF4476 , HF4504

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: Duluth, Lake Superior Zoo, capital improvements, funding, bonds, appropriations, capital investment, port development, grant caps, state assistance, navigation facilities, Dakota County, state bonds, park improvements, infrastructure, transportation, safety, congestion, water infrastructure, bond issuance

Transcript Highlights:

• Cloud.
• Cloud.
• Cloud.

Transcript Highlights:

• Cloud and surprisingly she texted me back. Um, and St.
• Cloud has, to Chair Rarick’s point about equity, uh, St.
• Cloud and the superintendent in St.
• Cloud has uh to to uh chair uh St.
• </c><00:44:17.920><c> school</c> Cloud is the worst funded school Cloud is the worst funded school district

Summary: The committee first took up a series of “same and similar” provisions between the House and Senate higher education bills and adopted them one by one, with brief explanations from members and staff. The items included a cybersecurity addition for a doctoral degree program, Northstar Promise definitions and eligibility limits, self-loan provisions on institution eligibility and data disclosure, and dual training language requiring certificates, diplomas, or degrees to come from accredited postsecondary institutions. The committee also adopted an amendment to the private career school provisions that clarified exempt institutions remain within the act, and removed certain limited-license and renewal fees for institutions participating in dual training grants or the eligible training provider list. Each of these motions prevailed by voice vote. The committee then moved into policy differences between the House and Senate bills, beginning with emergency grants and hunger-free campus grants. Members discussed shifting funding from OHE-administered competitive grants to direct appropriations for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State, while the Senate retained competitive grant access for private and tribal colleges and added reporting requirements. OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said the added reporting would be an extra administrative task but raised no significant concerns. Testifiers from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State, and the private college sector supported faster, more direct funding and described the grants as important for emergency housing, transportation, food insecurity, and other student basic needs. A LeadMN representative also supported the changes, saying campus staff and students wanted funds delivered more quickly. The committee also discussed direct admissions on R31. The Senate proposal would require public and charter high schools to participate in the direct admissions program by the 2029-2030 school year. Assistant Commissioner Wendy Robinson said OHE supports statewide expansion and that the program has improved FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and student retention in Minnesota. Members noted the bill had bipartisan support and heard from advocates such as Ed Allies and Students United. No votes were taken on the policy-difference items during this portion of the meeting, and the chair said further discussion of state grant and sexual misconduct policy differences would be held at a later hearing with additional OHE staff present.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we arrived, it was drizzling rain with thick dark clouds.
• From the 110th floor, you can see above the clouds.
• Looking down, you can see the tops of skyscrapers popping up here and there all around you through the clouds
• we're in a place where the decentralization of media is taking place, where, you know, we have a computer

Summary: The Assembly convened after initially lacking a quorum, completed the roll call, and opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Members then moved through a long daily file and concurrence calendar, with many items passed without debate and several bills taken up for final votes. The chamber also handled procedural motions, including re-referring AB 1152 to the Public Safety Committee, suspending rules for guest introductions, and later a roll-call vote on a motion to print a journal letter, which passed 41-16. Among the major Senate bills considered on third reading, SB 385, SB 753, SB 838, SB 643, SB 645, SB 761, SB 774, SB 400, SB 24, SB 37, SB 258, SB 364, SB 403, SB 770, and SB 22 all passed, with debate focused on topics such as shopping cart recovery, housing and land use, carbon removal grants, jury selection rules in civil cases, student CalFresh access, real estate licensing sunsets, renewable energy tax incentives, utility spending transparency, attorney advertising ethics, spousal rape protections for disabled spouses, freeway advertising placement, medical aid in dying, EV charging access in HOAs, and gift certificate redemption values. SB 596 on hospital nurse staffing drew the most extended debate, with supporters arguing it enforces existing law and protects patient safety, while opponents warned it could worsen rural hospital closures; the bill ultimately passed 59-0. The Assembly also concurred in numerous Senate amendments to Assembly bills, including measures on service of process, firearms, workers’ compensation, family leave for crime survivors, solid waste, water reporting for data centers, student information privacy, Diwali recognition, wildfire workforce recovery, educational equity, civic education, office-to-housing conversions, cannabis tax relief, browser privacy, housing element transparency, landlord-tenant appliances, code enforcement, homelessness, DEIA in state government, inmate firefighter wages, children’s health, real estate, rehiring protections for laid-off hospitality workers, hazardous materials, housing covenants, aging, care facilities, species protection, CalWORKs modernization, cannabis access for seriously ill patients, foreign labor contractors, and downtown revitalization financing. Most of these concurred with broad bipartisan margins; AB 247 on inmate firefighter wages drew especially extensive bipartisan support and passed 74-0, while AB 93 on data center water reporting and AB 766 on state DEIA planning drew some opposition but still passed concurrence.

Transcript Highlights:

• They fueled our nation's space race by serving as human computers, breaking barriers every step of the
• of civil subpoenas to out-of-state third-party companies when electronic records are stored in the cloud

Transcript Highlights:

• . ...labels, robotics for precision agriculture, science for extending shelf life of fruits, and computer
• It really was a positive event, but it came with sort of a looming cloud, which is what you've heard

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business, Financial Institutions, and Trade met off-site at SEA Airport for a work session focused on Washington’s air and maritime cargo economy. The first panel featured Port of Seattle air cargo manager Tom Green, Northwest Seaport Alliance CEO John Wolfe, and Washington Public Ports Association executive director Eric Fitch. Green described SEA’s air cargo mix, emphasizing the importance of belly cargo on passenger flights, the airport’s international freighter and domestic cargo operations, and the value of air cargo to exports, imports, and jobs. Wolfe outlined the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s role as a joint Seattle-Tacoma maritime gateway, the competitiveness of West Coast ports, recent volume volatility tied to tariffs and supply chain shifts, and regional partnerships such as inland logistics efforts in the Tri-Cities and work with tribal and city partners. Fitch then presented a broader trade strategy effort led by public ports and industry groups, centered on making Washington the most competitive West Coast gateway through partnership, workforce support, truck parking, site readiness, foreign trade zones, permitting, and land-use protections for industrial areas. Committee members asked about whether a separate cargo airport would relieve pressure at SEA, how cargo is measured, the role of Moses Lake and Paine Field, truck parking, and the effects of tax increment financing and international trade planning. The witnesses generally said cargo relocation would not solve the need for belly cargo at SEA, that kilograms/metric tons are the industry standard, and that smaller airports can capture some charter or niche cargo but SEA remains the main hub. Fitch said truck parking is a major unmet need and that tax increment financing has helped some port projects, especially in Pasco. Chair Kauffman and members also raised workforce development, manufacturing incentives, and coordination with broader state trade planning. The committee then heard from the Department of Commerce on small business export assistance and international investment promotion. Commerce staff said exports are critical to Washington’s economy, but tariffs and trade uncertainty are raising costs and threatening competitiveness, especially in aerospace and agriculture. They highlighted the state’s overseas consultant network, the Paris Air Show delegation, and participation in Fruit Attraction in Madrid as examples of trade promotion work that can generate business leads and jobs. They also warned that federal funding for overseas representation and the STEP export program is at risk, which could reduce Washington’s visibility in global markets and limit support for small exporters. A roundtable followed with Washington Farm Bureau’s Brianna Elsie, ILWU longshore worker Ali Vekich, and Eric Fitch. Elsie said specialty-crop agriculture has been more resilient than some other sectors but is still under severe pressure from high labor and input costs, farm losses, and market uncertainty; she urged broader policy solutions beyond mental health support. Vekich described how tariffs, zoning changes, and industrial land pressures are hurting longshore jobs and argued for stronger protections for maritime industrial lands. Fitch closed by stressing that Washington’s trade economy depends on cooperation among ports, labor, agriculture, and state government, and that maintaining competitiveness will require active policy support rather than complacency."}

Transcript Highlights:

• We are not using the cloud version of Oracle, so raise and keep us off. It is hosted in the cloud.
• The cloud or write is it's it's not technically a software as a service, right?
• And then the recommendation is part of that list to host everything in the cloud there.
• were called agency percent technology at the time additional services rules that pushes much to the cloud

Transcript Highlights:

• because of the continued support by this body have allowed us to step into the 21st century and into the cloud
• In fact, one of our requests is to make sure that gets on the cloud.
• your exceptional items and of course it was, uh, in particular listed that y'all were moving to a cloud-based
• your exceptional items and of course it was, uh, in particular listed that y'all were moving to a cloud-based
• heard and seen quite a bit of different organizations, particularly in the legal field, not implement cloud

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present to hear Article VI Natural Resources agency budget recommendations, beginning with the Railroad Commission. LBB staff summarized the commission’s 2026-27 base recommendation at $458.7 million, down from the prior biennium, with an increased FTE cap. The presentation highlighted reduced federal IIJA funding, volatility in oil and gas regulation account 5155, continued support for IT modernization, and rider changes. The commission’s major exceptional items were then presented, including requests for produced water and injection data reporting, an authorized pit registration system, regulatory filing/permitting upgrades, an underground injection well investigation team, site remediation support, and especially $100 million for orphan well plugging. Members asked about biennium-to-biennium comparisons, salary biennialization, the scale of orphan well risks, federal funding delays, bonding, and whether the state should rely more on industry or general revenue for plugging costs. Commission leadership explained that orphan wells can threaten water and public safety, that plugging costs have risen sharply, and that current funding is insufficient to keep up with emergency wells and the backlog; they also said the agency is moving to cloud-based systems with cybersecurity protections and that the proposed performance measure may need adjustment if funding does not increase. The Railroad Commission testimony was followed by LBB and agency testimony for the Texas Animal Health Commission. LBB described a $42 million recommendation for 2026-27, an increase overall, but with a reduced FTE cap due to turnover and salary reallocation. The recommendation maintained funding for cattle fever tick work, chronic wasting disease, lab testing through an MOU with Texas A&M’s veterinary diagnostic lab, and a new $5 million spay-and-neuter pilot program, while deleting a capital budget rider and adjusting riders tied to entry point inspection stations and clinical trials. Agency leadership then outlined the commission’s mission to protect livestock health and the state’s $22 billion animal industry, and described major disease threats including highly pathogenic avian influenza, cattle fever ticks, New World screwworm, and chronic wasting disease. Their exceptional items focused on recruiting and retaining veterinarians, replacing fleet vehicles, creating an ectoparasite identification lab, adding field staff and IT support, improving records and epidemiology reporting, strengthening central administration, supporting secure food supply planning, expanding chronic wasting disease work, and staffing the new spay-and-neuter program. Members asked about field identification of ticks, the use of disinfectants and PPE, fleet management, the scale of cattle fever tick risk, and chronic wasting disease; the agency explained its current inspection and lab-confirmation process, its reliance on field disinfecting and biosecurity, and the need for more staff and better data systems to keep pace with growing workloads and disease threats.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, it's changed, you know, we're talking about the cloud.
• </c><01:26:05.960><c> So,</c><01:26:06.640><c> it</c> the cloud. So, it the cloud.
• I mean, it's changed, you know, we're talking about the cloud.
• How often we're talking about the cloud.
• </c><01:27:28.960><c> even</c> were you talking about the cloud even were you talking about the cloud

Bills: HF4906 , HF3971 , HF4777 , HF2109 , HF2988

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: property tax, tax refund, taxpayer relief, Minnesota taxation, one-time payment, taxation, property valuation, Tax Court, evidentiary standards, Minnesota Statutes, disparity reduction, aid payments, local government, funding, Fillmore County, education funding, managed forest land, classification, forest management plan, agricultural land