Transcript Highlights:

• funded in here they in this budget funded in here they in this budget request<00:04:42.120> they
• But it's our software line.
• We've stopped budgeting that because it just is not handled through the budget.
• than their basic budget.
• Um, Kathy can speak to the budget if you want straight budget questions from DOJ.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a work session on the Department of Business and Economic Affairs budget, with testimony from Chase Hegman and Kathy Frederickson. Early discussion focused on staffing and vacancies, including a senior planner position tied to FEMA requirements, a program assistant funded by federal ORID dollars, a program specialist being considered for reclassification, two Housing Champions positions to be funded in the next biennium, and temporary welcome center positions. Members also reviewed the commissioner’s office, indirect cost recoveries tied to federal program administration, and the structure and staffing of rest areas and welcome centers, including the Turnpike-funded locations and seasonal staffing patterns. Members then moved through economic development and federal grant-related accounts. Hegman explained that a large share of the agency’s funding is federal, with some programs requiring state match, including the Apex Accelerator, which supports government contracting assistance for businesses. He described Apex as a small team that helps businesses with DOD and other contracting opportunities through webinars, matchmaking, and one-on-one support. The Office of Workforce Opportunity was described as largely federally funded through Commerce-related workforce programs and subrecipients, with some general fund support for agency-wide needs. The Northern Borders Regional Commission dues and capacity grant were also discussed, with officials explaining the state’s required contribution and the federal funds used to administer the program. A major point of discussion was the proposed reduction to the Small Business Development Center, which officials said provides one-on-one technical assistance to new and small businesses and has a strong return on investment. Members questioned the cut, the federal funding sources, and whether there was a waiting list for services; officials said they would provide more detail on matching requirements and funding. The committee also reviewed travel and tourism accounts, including the joint promotional grant program and tourism advertising funds, both of which are proposed to increase. Officials said the tourism marketing formula is based on a percentage of meals and rooms tax revenue and argued that the spending generates significant visitor spending and tax revenue, citing an outside ROI study and examples of advertising in test markets. No votes were taken during the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• What we what we would generally do is we look at an analysis of all the charges, wires, you know, software
• That's well over a 3rd of our court systems, entire budget for the state of Florida.
• You are now doing work for that company for a prearranged rides using their app, their software, they're
• Chair in light of Florida's current budget constraints, we chosen to return the original definition just

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're budgeting for enrollment numbers that you're not achieving, the next time you budget, you decrease
• I think it is no easy task for them to cut $20 million out of their $100 million budget.
• A budget note...
• This project now is lagging a year or two behind and millions of dollars over budget.
• They're going through some budget reconciliation exercises.

Summary: The Emergency Board approved a series of consent federal grant applications from the Natural Resources and Public Safety subcommittees, along with several budget and position requests. The board approved grant applications for parks, transportation, judicial, emergency management, higher education, school nutrition, and other programs, including retroactive approvals where deadlines had passed. One member objected to the Natural Resources consent grants over concerns about future funding needs, but the motion still passed. The board also approved a one-time increase for Judicial Department court security, including digital privacy protections, circuit court security, and a statewide facilities assessment. A major discussion centered on Southern Oregon University’s financial stability. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission reported on SOU’s structural deficits, declining enrollment, and projected cash shortfall. The subcommittee recommended, and the board approved, allocating $7.5 million from the special appropriation for short-term stability, with a required update at the September 2026 Emergency Board meeting and a future request for the remaining funds. Members debated the broader crisis in higher education, with several saying SOU’s situation reflects systemwide enrollment and funding pressures and that long-term restructuring will be needed. The board also approved an AmeriCorps volunteer generation grant, an apprenticeship expansion grant, and a Department of Education nutrition equipment grant. In public safety, it approved funding for Oregon Military Department readiness facilities, a statewide evacuation planning tool, and a juvenile justice information system modernization report, while requiring a follow-up viability report. The Department of Justice received approval for additional antitrust positions and expenditure limitation, though several members raised concerns about the funding structure and incentives tied to settlement revenues; the motion passed despite objections. In natural resources, the board approved funding for the Water Resources Department’s well abandonment, repair and replacement grants, an assistant water master position in Washington County, groundwater data collection in the Lower Umatilla Basin, a wetlands remote sensing pilot, and parks-related grant applications for operations, maintenance, and capital improvements. Members generally supported the requests but raised concerns about geographic equity, long-term sustainability, and whether some county responsibilities were being shifted to the state. The meeting also included discussion of a Department of Emergency Management evacuation tool as an urgent wildfire preparedness measure, with members emphasizing its potential to save lives.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is also infiltrating different decisions. that are made in schools with curriculum, software, and
• I'm a registered lobbyist for the Entertainment Software Association, which represents all the video
• find now, and when I look at the total outlays, which include the capital outlays in the operating budget
• , it appears that you've got between your operating budget and your revenue a shortfall of about a million
• for the last six years, and they still are telling me they're working on it with a million dollar budget

Transcript Highlights:

• Smaller schools that are being honest but denied federal funding have smaller budgets and fewer resources
• The budget for these operations is said to exceed the budget of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• I remember giving a speech that talked about 90% of Chinese software being stolen or acquired, mostly
• And this is something that goes back to sort of the back-end software that is on Huawei telecommunications

Transcript Highlights:

• budget be solved by our foundation? budget be solved by our foundation?
• in the supplemental budget. in the supplemental budget. Senator<00:29:04.760> Lang.
• supplemental mental budget supplemental mental budget recommendation.<00:30:05.800> Thank
• that we don't do a supplemental budget that we don't do a supplemental budget this<00:36:27.760>
• budget? budget? Mr.<00:37:25.880> Johnson.<00:37:26.440> Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that places additional strains on our budget.
• When we have a budget allocation, our dollars no longer cover our cost.
• Long production schedules can complicate compliance with state budgeting rules, contracting, Department
• Again, I mentioned from my past in Kern County, the budget was approved on July 1st.
• I think some of the things that they also are looking at is really the budget.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In the FY 2025 budget, the Army increased funding for barracks maintenance problems, but the effects
• He will be handed a budget that has not kept pace with inflation.
• The Army continues to face a multi-year trend of flat budgets, which has forced Army leaders to fund
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and I am a consistent supporter of a big. increase in DHS' budget
• They hog up the software rights or the technical data, all to...

Transcript Highlights:

• The system must be able to integrate with existing contractor software.
• The system must be able to integrate with existing contractor software.
• The system must be able to integrate with existing contractor software.
• The system must be able to integrate with existing contractor software.
• So it's essential that the state works closely with contractors, software providers, and project owners

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So we will We'll have to get some of those tools and some of that software to be able to help identify
• We appreciate all your work on that one the earlier panelists mentioned Upgrading software.
• The answer to that is yes, but that software and technology is very expensive.
• That software, most of it requires a subscription, and it is. is very costly.
• And those — those tags — have a lot of software that they're now allowing the sheriffs to to try and

Bills: SB20, SB1621, SB412, SB441, SB442

Keywords: child protection, sexual offenses, visual material, artificial intelligence, criminal penalties, law enforcement, defense against prosecution, obscenity, judicial officer, deepfake, deep fake, synthetic media, AI-generated content, machine learning, nonconsensual pornography, revenge porn, sexually explicit media, intimate images, digital manipulation, visual depiction

Transcript Highlights:

• IS DONE EASIER ON THE FRONT END WITH ACCESS TO THE ACTUAL DEVICE ITSELF AND ON THE BACKEND BY THE SOFTWARE
• THEY SAY THEY CAN'T, EVERYTHING IS INCLUDED, EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN TERMS OF ALGORITHMS AND SOFTWARE TO
• I DO NOT BELIEVE A SOFTWARE COMPANY, SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY CANNOT CODE SOMETHING IN THE WAY TO PROTECT
• I'VE ARCHITECTED SOFTWARE BEFORE BUT I HAVE NOT CODED IT.
• Burgess: THIS AMENDMENT IS INTENDED TO HELP CHARTER SCHOOLS PLAN THEIR BUDGET FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do, however, have a budget line in the state budget, and I want Commissioner Timmons to talk about
• smallest and Least Complicated budget smallest and Least Complicated budget you<00:08:36.080>
• <00:08:43.000> which<00:08:43.120> is budget which is budget which is 115,000<00:08:45.720
• the time that the governor's budget the time that the governor's budget narrative<00:10:43.120><
• We budgeted for that seat to be filled. Well, you did already.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:18:03.600> but um I believe was part of the budget but um I believe was part of the budget
• For example, during other budget years—yep, it's a budget year—I know in 2016 the New Hampshire Department
• short for example during other budget short for example during other budget years<00:44:11.359><
• year I know in years yep it's a budget year I know in 2016<00:44:15.160> budget<00:44:15.440>
• <00:46:48.839> years once but at least twice in budget years once but at least twice in budget

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 561, sponsored by Representative Nancy Murphy, which would limit the state’s ability to discontinue, reclassify, or revert state-owned highway property to municipalities without local approval. Murphy and other supporters argued the bill would protect towns from unfunded mandates and prevent property tax increases caused by taking on costly road maintenance. Representative Wendy Thomas, Rosemarie Rung, Merrimack Town Council Chairman Finley Rothhouse, and Town Manager Paul McAuliffe all testified in support, describing the financial burden of the planned transfer of Continental Boulevard in Merrimack and warning it would set a harmful precedent for other communities. The Department of Transportation’s Steve Leon explained the department’s current authority and processes for discontinuance and reclassification, said active highways are not surplus property, and noted that the Supreme Court’s Town of Nelson decision held such reclassifications were not an unfunded mandate. The committee then closed the public hearing on HB 561. The committee next took up House Bill 578, presented by Representative Mooney on behalf of Representative Bill Boyd, to require sound barriers along the F. Everett Turnpike in Merrimack. Supporters said widening the turnpike would increase noise in nearby neighborhoods and that a 2019 NHDOT study identified 17 neighborhoods with noise levels above federal standards, though only four were included for mitigation under the current project. They argued the remaining neighborhoods should also receive relief and cited quality-of-life and property-value concerns. Senator Tim McGuire also testified in support, saying residents were experiencing unexpected and severe noise impacts and urging the committee to act outside the usual criteria to approve the barriers. The transcript provided does not show a final committee vote or action on HB 578.

Transcript Highlights:

• Every state agency, as you well know, has a budget and has to work within that budget, which we fully
• On within the district because each district has a budget. I got that, and they have a budget.
• The districts have a budget.
• There are budgets, and budgets are set, and yes, future revenue is projected to go down some, but it's
• have to reach into my budget to pay for that software use.

Bills: HB2007, HB2863, HB2921, HB3331, HB3332, HJR144, HB3514, HB3528, HB3720, HB3751, HB3859, HB3947, HB4148, HB4346, HB4880, HB5603, HB4337

Keywords: commercial signs, county approval, transportation code, regulations, road signage, vehicle title, revocation, hearing process, Transportation Code, county assessor-collector, confidentiality, personal information, local government, airport data, public records, vehicle regulation, transportation, steel industry, state fees, safety standards

Transcript Highlights:

• university's budget. university's budget.
• So, my recommendation would be to work the budget. >> Go ahead. Work the budget.
• So, my recommendation would be to work the budget. >> Go ahead. Work the budget.
• So, my recommendation would be to work the budget. >> Go ahead. Work the budget.
• . budget. budget.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because what happens is, you said it perfectly, the point of sale software sometimes, if you get your
• Because the tip is just the way the software is made, and so the tip is left off and they don't calculate
• I don't know if they'll, after this legislation passes, be upgraded to the software where they can show
• that it would work is, once the bill goes into a In fact, the checkbox would be undone through a software
• Unfortunately, yeah, it's a trust game with this one because There are hundreds of POS software developers

Transcript Highlights:

• with contractual exemptions in how they utilize that data to train their systems and develop their software
• train their systems and<00:06:37.720> develop<00:06:38.000> their<00:06:38.120> software
• and develop their software. and develop their software.
• 00:26:31.800> the know, toggle switches in the in the know, toggle switches in the in the software
• software software uh<00:26:34.840> configured<00:26:35.520> properly<00:26:36.240>

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 4205, as amended, was heard and then re-referred to the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee. Representative Tabke said the bill is intended to protect Minnesotans’ private data tied to license plate reader systems by requiring warrants for out-of-state access, limiting dissemination of privately collected data, and adding reporting and oversight. He said the amendment was substantive and was adopted before the bill was discussed. Tabke also said he was open to changes, including revisiting the audit requirement, and noted the bill should still allow law enforcement to use license plate data for investigations. John Beeler of the ACLU of Minnesota testified in support, arguing that automatic license plate reader use has expanded far beyond what the 2015 statute contemplated and that third-party vendors have complicated data practices and accountability. He said the bill would modernize the law, require public disclosure of data-sharing relationships, and ensure private vendors are subject to data obligations. Jeff Potts of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association opposed the bill as written, saying LPR technology has been important in investigations, including a recent child abduction case, but that the annual audit requirement would be too costly for small agencies and could make the technology unaffordable. He said the association was open to further discussions on guardrails but opposed the bill in its current form. Members raised questions about what data is actually returned by a license plate query versus an LPR hit, with Representative Duran arguing the bill conflated limited registration information with broader private data. Representative Feist supported the bill, saying the public should not trust Flock and that the issue is the cumulative tracking of people’s movements, not just isolated data points. Representative Hudson said the bill raised valid questions but might unintentionally hinder investigations, and he requested a roll call. The committee ultimately adopted the A1 amendment and moved the bill forward on a roll call vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then January and the very early part of February was budget refinements, and I'll talk about that
• We were told all states to submit a hypothetical budget for $200 million.
• We were told all states to submit a hypothetical budget for $200 million.
• <00:03:01.680> Um hypothetical budget for $200 million.
• Um hypothetical budget for $200 million.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Health Services Committee heard a presentation from Dr. Steven Stack, Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, on Kentucky’s Rural Health Transformation Program. He said Kentucky received about $213 million in federal funding, among the highest awards nationally, after a fast application and negotiation process. He emphasized that the grant is time-limited, must be used for the specific goals in the state’s application, and cannot be treated as a general bailout or replacement for existing funding. He also noted the state will use a website, ruralhealthplan.ky.gov, to share the full application, award terms, and future opportunities. Dr. Stack outlined five focus areas: maternal health and prenatal/early childhood supports; EMS and trauma response workforce and transfer capacity; behavioral health crisis care through the EMPATH model and mobile crisis services; oral health access through more hygienists, telehealth, and hub-and-spoke models; and rural community hubs for chronic disease prevention and innovation, including food-as-medicine and healthier lifestyle interventions. He stressed that the program is meant to be transformative, not duplicative, and that it cannot pay clinician salaries, fund new construction, replace EMR systems broadly, or duplicate billable services. He said the state will work with community partners, hospitals, universities, and others, including the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, to begin implementation. Members responded positively overall. Senator Berg praised the award and the goal of integrating care across the state, but raised concerns about access to prenatal care and about possible future changes to water fluoridation, warning both could harm children and rural families. The chair and other members thanked Dr. Stack for the update and congratulated him on the award. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Would these restrictions apply to an election software company that is headquartered outside a country
• of concern if some of its software developers are located in a country of concern?
• Now, if the person is from a foreign country of concern and they are developing the software and it's
• their software, This may capture that individual.
• Do you have a specific section that you think would impact that or a specific software that you would

Bills: S1622, S1178

Keywords: financial disclosure, statement of financial interests, ethics, late filing, late-filed disclosure, automatic fine, waiver, Florida Commission on Ethics, public officials, state officers, local officers, state employees, ethics enforcement, government transparency, sunshine law, reporting persons, penalty reduction, first-time offender, election ethics, general revenue fund

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and first took up Senate Bill 1178, the Foreign Interference Restriction and Enforcement Act, sponsored by Senator Garcia. The bill would expand state restrictions on foreign countries of concern and designated foreign terrorist organizations, including creating a state registration framework for foreign agents, banning gifts to public officials from covered foreign entities, requiring ethics training on foreign influence, tightening procurement limits for information technology and critical infrastructure, restricting sister-city/sister-state encouragement, revising linkage institute rules and tuition provisions, and criminalizing certain conduct tied to foreign governments or unauthorized enforcement of foreign law. Members asked extensive questions about how the bill would affect election technology, software development, federal foreign-agent registration, educational exchanges, and the treatment of organizations such as CARE; the sponsor said the bill focused on ownership/control and foreign countries of concern, not specific components or general participation in events. An amendment by Senator Grall was adopted to clarify definitions, align penalties with willful violations, and specify that new ethics training content is additive. The committee then heard supportive testimony from Kelly Curry of State Armor and Rob Pierce of American Global Strategies, both of whom argued the bill would help Florida counter foreign influence, protect data and infrastructure, and improve transparency. CS for SB 1178 was reported favorably by roll call vote. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1622, which provides a one-time waiver of the automatic fine for a late-filed financial disclosure under specified conditions, including that the filer submitted the disclosure before the maximum fine accrued and had not previously received such a waiver. Carrie Stillman of the Commission on Ethics testified in support, saying the bill preserves transparency and compliance goals while making the fine and appeals process more workable. The bill was reported favorably by roll call vote. Finally, the committee took up confirmation hearings for appointments in tabs 3 through 26. No separate votes were requested, no public testimony was offered, and the block of appointees was recommended favorably to the full Senate by roll call vote. The meeting then concluded with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• I did email Brady Larson up at fiscal staff who does the transportation budget earlier.
• It's like 2 percent of my budget is funded by that formula.
• I did email Brady Larson up at fiscal staff who does the transportation budget earlier.
• It's like 2 percent of my budget is funded by that formula.
• next year, I would maybe just remind you that, but, um, Budget.

Summary: The committee met as a study subcommittee on fixed-route public transportation and first approved the December 11 minutes. It then heard detailed presentations from transit leaders in Grand Forks, Bismarck/Mandan, and Fargo about their systems, including route structures, paratransit service, ridership trends, fare changes, funding sources, fleet replacement needs, and operational challenges. Grand Forks described Cities Area Transit’s 17 routes, university shuttle service, expanded paratransit coverage, a 2025 fare increase, and rising costs for labor, fuel, parts, and new buses. Bismarck/Mandan’s Bisman Transit outlined its fixed-route and paratransit operations, recent service expansions approved for April 1, fare structure, ridership recovery since COVID, and major funding streams including mill levies, federal grants, and new local sales tax revenue. Fargo’s MATBUS representative emphasized the importance of continued state support for urban fixed-route transit. Members asked extensive questions about cost per ride, fare increases, school transportation, veteran service partnerships, app-based ticketing, local funding formulas, and whether ride-share or microtransit could replace fixed routes. Transit officials said fixed-route service remains essential because it provides reliable capacity, supports jobs and access to services, and preserves federal funding tied to public transit operations. They also said paratransit is costly but necessary for riders with disabilities, and that vehicle and maintenance costs have risen sharply. Minot’s transit superintendent added context on the state’s existing transit aid formula, explaining that it is weighted more toward rural and paratransit providers and that urban fixed-route systems are seeking a separate, dedicated funding source rather than changes to the current formula. The committee also heard public testimony from North Dakota Protection & Advocacy supporting both fixed-route and paratransit service for disabled riders, and from Minot staff on refurbished buses, CDL driver recruitment, and why the agency is not pursuing full electric buses. Near the end, members discussed whether to recommend additional state funding for the four urban fixed-route systems. A motion passed to have Legislative Council prepare a summary of the subcommittee’s activities for inclusion in the Government Finance Committee’s report to Legislative Management. Members then continued discussing possible recommendations, including a separate funding source for urban fixed-route transit and whether the four urban systems should meet to develop a proposed amount.