Transcript Highlights:

• There is also a request for a reappropriation of the acquisition phase for the courthouse project in
• So I've been told they weren't getting done because there were property acquisition issues, on and on
• Ahmed speak more specifically to some of the local government challenges, the acquisition of the land
• We currently have five projects that are in acquisition.
• We are very, I mean, we are closer regarding a lot of those acquisitions than we were a year ago, and

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 held an informational hearing on the Governor’s May Revision proposals for labor, public safety/judiciary, and transportation, and no votes were taken. In Part A on labor, the Employment Development Department described funding for EDD Next document management work, updated UI loan interest costs, disability insurance and paid family leave benefit increases, WIOA adjustments, UI and school employee benefit changes, an EMT training reappropriation, and a technical correction tied to an EDD Next reversion. PERB discussed reduced funding requests for AB 288 due to litigation and a proposal to implement AB 1 covering legislative employees. DIR presented proposals for legal unit reclassifications, two major IT modernization projects, a new Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, a COIA reappropriation, and trailer bill language requiring electronic payment of employer assessments and removing a salary cap for the DWC administrative director. CalHR proposed consolidating employee assistance services into a statewide contract with enhanced support for first responders, and CalPERS and CalSTRS presented budget adjustments tied to investment costs, state contributions, and benefit overpayments. Members focused heavily on the unemployment insurance debt and interest payments, asking why the administration had no concrete plan to pay down principal. Finance and LAO explained that the state’s UI tax structure has long been insufficient and that any long-term solution would need to address both the outstanding federal loan and the structural imbalance in employer taxes. Questions also centered on EDD Next costs and timelines, with the chair asking for clearer long-term project cost estimates and Finance noting that future maintenance and operations costs will continue after implementation. On DIR’s emerging technologies unit, members asked whether it would address AI-driven workplace harms; DIR said the unit would focus on physical workplace safety issues involving AI, robotics, autonomous equipment, and related guardrails, while LAO noted broader labor-practice questions would likely fall outside Cal/OSHA’s scope. In the CalPERS discussion, members raised concerns about transparency in private equity and external management fees, while CalPERS said higher fees reflect a strategy of greater private-market and active-management exposure and are offset by higher net returns. Members urged more information on specific investments and future reporting. For CalSTRS, Finance presented routine contribution and overpayment adjustments, but members also raised broader transparency concerns that CalSTRS staff said they would follow up on separately. Public comment in Part A was dominated by strong support for an immigrant worker emergency relief fund, along with support for apprenticeship and workforce proposals and PERB staffing. The chair and members said they would follow up on where the immigrant relief proposal should be considered, noting it may belong in another policy area. The hearing then moved into Part B with an overview of Judicial Branch-related May Revision items, including court interpreter funding, appellate court security, workload cap changes, lactation room implementation delays, and a reduction to the state court facility construction backfill.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is about land acquisition.
• And this is about land acquisition.
• This is about land acquisition.
• This is about land acquisition.
• This is about land acquisition.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you've heard NADAC in here, the national average drug acquisition cost.
• medical market have squeezed and squeezed and squeezed to where we're getting paid less than our acquisition
• charging, prohibits charging the beneficiary at risk cost share based on price exceeding the BBM net acquisition
• The main thing this bill requires is that if a generic’s or a biosimilar’s wholesale acquisition cost
• The challenge is nobody pays the wholesale acquisition cost. What matters to us is the net cost.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A couple of really important notes on acquisition. As a general... ...purchased by the state.
• A couple of really important notes on acquisition.
• And then second, while typically acquisition proceeds design, it doesn't have to work that way.
• While typically acquisition proceeds design, it doesn't have to work that way.
• In order to, well, importantly, as I mentioned at Secretary Sin's point, acquisition can be divorced

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• major highlights of the budget are over $350 million for Florida Forever programs, which include acquisitions
• of rural and family lands, DEP land acquisition, and the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront Program. $738
• of rural and family lands, DEP land acquisition, and the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront Program. $738
• We allocated $35 million for the acquisition of environmentally endangered and unique lands.
• We allocated $35 million for the acquisition of environmentally endangered and unique lands, and $15

Summary: The Senate began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then moved into floor consideration of the 2026-2027 budget. Appropriations Chair Hooper presented Senate Bill 2500, describing a $115 billion budget that reduces overall spending from the prior year, maintains reserves, and includes a 3% pay raise for state employees and 5% raises for state law enforcement, firefighters, correctional officers, and park rangers. Committee chairs then outlined major spending in their areas, including K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/tourism/economic development, and environmental and agricultural programs. Highlights included increased funding for school scholarships and safety, workforce and university programs, Medicaid and child welfare, corrections operations, affordable housing, rural communities, Everglades and water quality projects, and infrastructure. Members then asked detailed questions about several budget items. Senators sought clarification on the Emergency Management Trust Fund, arts and cultural grants, Florida Forever land acquisition versus conservation easements, teacher salaries, charter school capital outlay funding, EASE grants, New College funding, DOC inmate counts and reimbursement, lottery staffing, concealed weapons licensing positions, election security funding, iBudget waiver support, ADAP funding, Medicaid hospital rate reductions, and scholarship and enrollment supplements in K-12 education. Chairs explained that some reductions reflected technical shifts or right-sizing, that some funds were being moved below the line for better tracking, and that several items—such as ADAP and corrections operations—would likely remain conference issues with the House. After questions, the Senate substituted House bills for the budget and implementing measures and adopted amendments placing the Senate language onto the House vehicles to prepare for conference. The chamber passed the budget-related bills and several conforming measures, including bills on retirement, fuel taxes, the state agency law enforcement radio system, court trust funds, judgeships, and K-12 and higher education conforming changes. Votes on the major bills were overwhelmingly unanimous or near-unanimous, and the Senate repeatedly voted to accede to the House’s request for conference on the substituted bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• A division of land caused by the acquisition of a portion of an existing lot tracked by an agency with
• Eligible uses of grant funds include property acquisition, property rehabilitation, tenant improvements
• Revenue collected may be used for property acquisition, redevelopment of existing grocery store sites
• proceed only when there is documented notice to or acknowledgement by the property owner, even if acquisition
• has not yet Documented notice to or acknowledgement by the property owner, even if acquisition has not

Bills: HB2313, HB2451, HB2298, HB2566, HB2517

Keywords: grocery stores, public ownership, food accessibility, community services, economic development, tax increment financing, local government, municipal finance, public infrastructure, property title protection, land record fraud, county auditors, voluntary program, real estate, procurement, contracting, transparency, financial oversight, municipal permitting, transit projects

Transcript Highlights:

• A division of land caused by the acquisition of a portion of an existing lot tracked by an agency with
• Eligible uses of grant funds include property acquisition, property rehabilitation or tenant improvements
• Revenue collected may be used for property acquisition, redevelopment of existing grocery store sites
• proceed only when there is documented notice to or acknowledgement by the property owner, even if acquisition
• has not yet Documented notice to or acknowledgment by the property owner, even if acquisition has not

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2517, which would give regional transit authorities, especially Sound Transit, more flexible permitting tools for high-capacity transit projects. Staff and the bill sponsor said the goal is to let permit applications and technical reviews proceed concurrently with property acquisition and land use decisions, reducing delay and uncertainty for large transit projects. Sound Transit testified that the bill could save as much as nine months, while a city representative from Bothell asked for an amendment requiring notice to property owners before permits are advanced on land not yet owned or controlled by the agency. The committee then took testimony on HB 2313, concerning publicly owned grocery stores in underserved areas. The bill would let cities acquire land, build or rehabilitate stores, seek capital grants, and create tax increment financing areas for grocery access projects, with annual reporting requirements. Supporters, including the sponsor, Food Lifeline, and Northwest Harvest, argued that grocery closures and food deserts are real problems and that local governments need tools to fill gaps when private grocers leave. Opponents, including grocery industry groups and several students, warned that public stores could undercut private grocers, burden taxpayers, and create operational and property-rights concerns; some testimony also questioned the need for government ownership and the use of tax increment financing. A proposed substitute removed eminent domain and tax increment financing provisions and narrowed the bill to grant-funded stores in underserved areas. Next, the committee heard HB 2451, a major rewrite of local tax increment financing rules. The bill would tighten notice, consultation, reporting, and mitigation requirements for TIF areas, strengthen the “but-for” test, limit where increment areas can be located, and protect existing taxing districts by excluding certain levies and requiring negotiation, mediation, or arbitration when impacts are significant. Cities, ports, counties, libraries, fire chiefs, and hospital districts largely described the bill as a negotiated compromise that improves transparency and addresses unintended impacts, though some local governments said they still wanted more flexibility or protections for existing projects. One city testified against the bill, arguing the new restrictions would make TIF much less useful for large redevelopment efforts. The committee then heard HB 2298, which would authorize county auditors to create voluntary property title protection programs to help prevent land-record fraud by allowing owners to record a protection instrument that delays recording of a title transfer for up to five business days unless identity verification is provided. Auditors, treasurers, and county officials strongly supported the bill as a practical response to rising deed fraud, while title and foreclosure industry representatives said the proposal was too limited, could interfere with foreclosures or other transfers, and would only delay—not prevent—fraud. The final bill heard was HB 2566 on local government procurement, which would raise certain small-purchase and small-public-works thresholds for counties, remove some differences between larger and smaller counties, and give counties more options when no bids are received. County representatives supported the bill as a needed update to procurement rules and a way to reduce bureaucracy and keep pace with inflation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Removed um several outdated provisions uh regarding loan of hardware, software acquisition, and software
• outdated provisions uh regarding loan of hardware,<00:16:24.639><c> software</c><00:16:25.120><c> acquisition
• </c><00:16:26.160><c> and</c> hardware, software acquisition and hardware, software acquisition and software
• 29.440><c> the</c> ...software library, and then updated the purchasing procedure, future hardware acquisition
• , and communications acquisition provisions to align with current procurement practices for the Senate

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration met virtually on January 6, 2026, and took up four administrative policy items. Darren Hoff, Senate Human Resources Director, presented updates to the Legislative Coordinating Commission benefit book, including insurance changes tied to SEGIP, mental health and substance use office visit cost sharing, dental plan updates, dependent eligibility clarifications, a new voluntary legal services benefit, a 17% increase in Medicare premiums, and multiple leave-policy revisions to conform with the new paid leave law and other employment rules. Senator Pappas moved adoption of the benefit book with the LCC’s November 10, 2025 changes and staff technical corrections, and the motion passed. Secretary Tom Bern described a proposed Senate Policy 1.56 allowing written rules of conduct for visitors in Senate spaces, aimed at setting clear expectations for behavior such as not blocking hallways or using shouting and profanity, while being developed with consultation to address First Amendment concerns. Senator Marty moved adoption, and the committee approved the policy. Council Lexi Stangle then presented a change to Senate Policy 2.47 on severe weather emergencies that would allow employees who work remotely on severe weather days to accrue compensatory time with supervisor approval; Senator Johnson moved adoption, and the motion passed. The committee also considered a modernization of the Senate information systems policy. Secretary Bern and staff explained that the policy had not been substantially updated in about 20 years and was being condensed and updated to reflect current technology and practices. The revisions reduced the policy from 29 pages to 10, removed obsolete references, added a purpose statement, clarified email inspection and hardware/software procedures, updated website rules and accessibility guidance, and removed the secondary member page option. Senator Coleman moved adoption of the Senate information systems update, and it was approved. After the Rules Committee adjourned, the Subcommittee on Committees met and approved two appointments: one public member to the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources through December 31, 2030, and Senator Gustafson to the Financial Crimes Advisory Board Task Force. Members asked about the task force’s scope and the public appointee’s background; staff explained the task force advises on identity theft and financial crimes, and identified the public appointee as Sha Lang of Preston, Minnesota. Senator Pappas moved adoption of the appointment list, and the subcommittee approved it before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Can we talk about the rolling stock a bit? Yes, absolutely.
• Are we talking rolling stock, the rolling stock piece? Okay, what page are we on here?
• Rolling stock starts on page 15 towards the bottom of page 15.
• But all that piece does not pertain to the rolling stock part. Okay.
• On the rolling stock, we've actually had some facilities shut down because of it.

Summary: The Agriculture Committee first established a quorum and then went into executive session, where it voted House Bill 24-22 do pass by a vote of 18 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 present. The committee then moved into public hearing on House Bills 2713 and 2716, both sponsored by Representative Deal. HB 2713 was described as the larger agriculture tax credit package, including removal of sunsets from several existing ag-related credits and technical changes to programs such as biodiesel, meat processing, specialty crops, wood energy, and rolling stock. HB 2716 focused on the short-line rail tax credit and related rail infrastructure incentives, including track rehabilitation and industrial development credits. Representative Deal said the bills were intended to provide long-term certainty for agriculture and rail investment and noted the programs’ positive return on investment. Committee members raised concerns about eliminating sunsets, how future legislatures would review the credits, and whether some credits could be used if Missouri moved toward eliminating income tax. Questions also focused on whether abandoned or minimally used rail lines would qualify, and on the transferability of rolling stock credits to entities with different tax liabilities. Deal and witnesses said the rail provisions were aimed at active short lines and that data on the credits’ performance could be provided. Testimony in support came from the Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Soybeans, the Biodiesel Coalition of Missouri, Missouri Dairy, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Missouri Bankers Association, Missouri Eastern Railroad, Missouri Economic Development Council, Osage Valley Electric Cooperative, and the Missouri Railroad Association. Supporters said the credits have stimulated ethanol, biodiesel, dairy, specialty crop, meat processing, and rural economic development projects, and that rail credits help preserve and expand short-line service, reduce truck traffic, and attract industrial investment. No opposition testimony was offered on either bill, and the hearings on HB 2713 and HB 2716 were adjourned without any recorded committee vote on those bills in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right, because the stock market was so high, right?
• less than two weeks' notice to respond or they were going to make structural impacts to our fish stocking
• And if they can't figure out, anything but stocking on that $1.3 million of the 2.8.
• And it's very frustrating that it specifically happened in my stocking cuts happen in the state.
• We're going to grant the request, and we're going to make sure that stocking continues to take place

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The barriers come from distributor limits, denied orders, inconsistent stocking, and lingering stigma
• Still, they cannot find a pharmacy that has suboxone in stock. It's a huge barrier.
• this and said that they would not stock it.
• If the only local pharmacy doesn't stock buprenorphine, patients may have no realistic way to access
• HB 137 increases pharmacy stock. What they actually dispense guarantee medication is. Thank you.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:37:06.480><c> site</c> expenditures like um acquisition site expenditures like um acquisition
• The city has made significant investment and acquisition and demolitions of the properties within the
• The city has made significant investment and acquisition and demolitions of the properties within the
• The city has made significant investment and acquisition and demolitions of the properties within the
• The city has made significant investment and acquisition and demolitions of the properties within the

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• With the amount of investment that the state has in Tesla stock, that accounts for over $400 million
• President, that any time that any elected official stands up and tries to affect the value of a stock
• , that accounts for over in Tesla stock, that accounts for over $400<00:24:41.080><c> million</c><00:
• ,</c><00:25:00.320><c> be</c> tries to affect the value of a stock, be tries to affect the value of a
• afterwards, the stock started to go<00:25:13.520><c> up.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:35:06.640><c> These</c> many as 10 different feed stocks.
• These many as 10 different feed stocks.
• ,</c> staff in Minnesota from any feed stock, staff in Minnesota from any feed stock, we<00:35:19.359
• </c><00:37:09.839><c> Um</c><00:37:10.160><c> and</c> different feed stocks come in.
• Um and different feed stocks come in.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:12:35.920><c> locally</c> encouraging growing feed stocks locally encouraging growing feed stocks
• </c><00:17:00.720><c> for</c> and demolition waste as feed stocks for and demolition waste as feed stocks
• </c><00:17:28.679><c> and</c> trying to have GMO Beed stocks and trying to have GMO Beed stocks and enzymes
• </c><00:20:53.520><c> we're</c> eligible Solid Waste feed stocks we're eligible Solid Waste feed stocks
• </c><00:59:00.880><c> Renewable</c> updated renewable feed stock Renewable updated renewable feed stock

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Economic Development and Technology heard testimony on HB 976, a measure related to incentives for renewable fuels, including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. Supporters said the bill would help close the cost gap between renewable and conventional fuels, strengthen Hawaii’s energy security, support climate goals, and encourage local economic development. Testifiers from Pono Pacific, PAR Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaiian Airlines/Alaska Airlines, the Hawaii Department of Transportation, Pacific Biodiesel, Aloha Carbon, and others described ongoing or planned projects, local feedstock development, and potential benefits for agriculture, waste diversion, and emissions reductions. Several testifiers also discussed proposed amendments. The Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition said it wanted to remove the import tax credit, eliminate the aggregate cap increase to avoid additional state funding, and revise local-production language to rely on a carbon-intensity threshold rather than location-based preferences. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii raised technical concerns about the bill’s administration, including prorating credits if the cap is exceeded and the feasibility of a 30-day filing window. Some supporters urged keeping solid waste, including construction and demolition debris, as eligible feedstock, while Energy Justice Network opposed that approach and also urged removing GMO-related language and waste-based feedstocks because of environmental and toxic emissions concerns. Opposition testimony focused on the bill’s cost and feasibility. Energy Justice Network and Ted Metros argued the measure could become a large subsidy for a refinery and questioned whether Hawaii has enough land and water to produce meaningful quantities of biofuel locally. Metros also criticized the refundable credit structure and said the state should not bear the cost for what he described as a benefit largely tied to tourism and imported fuel. No vote was taken during the portion of the hearing provided; the chair later noted the committee had received 13 testimonies in support, 18 in opposition, and seven comments, and then invited further discussion on cost allocation and lowering caps to broaden participation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Land acquisition state came in federal grants make up the majority of our funding federal funds come
• licenses which helped fund the state can trust fund and obviously documentary stamps for the Land Acquisition
• and come from the constituency level as far as how those are designated in as new lands come into acquisition
• And so whenever we're looking at land acquisition and land management, we are thinking how do we set

Transcript Highlights:

• , for instance, has since the 1970s been supposed to provide a report every year on their land acquisitions
• 00:11:36.959><c> land</c> report every year on on their land report every year on on their land acquisitions
• ><c> and</c><00:11:38.399><c> what</c><00:11:38.560><c> they're</c><00:11:38.800><c> doing</c> acquisitions
• and and what they're doing acquisitions and and what they're doing out<00:11:39.200><c> there.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You may recognize some projects of note, particularly, we've got some right-of-way acquisition, for example
• I think you're still in acquisition, but I'm not sure. That would be my first question, Mr.
• And so we have, um, together with the county, we have projects to take care of the right of way acquisition
• Acquisitions, we've got mapping, and we have some design for a cross at the ultimate cross-section of

Transcript Highlights:

• And then subdivision 3B, which is right under there, um, that's the Sand Lake 7 Beavers acquisition,
• um we have to notify title acquisition um we have to notify all<00:37:25.839><c> of</c><00:37:26.000
• . acquisition. acquisition.
• </c><01:34:28.880><c> of</c><01:34:29.199><c> 9,451</c> approved the acquisition of 9,451 approved the
• , which is a Lake 7 Beavers acquisition, which is a little<01:34:36.480><c> over</c><01:34:36.800><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also provide technical assistance to farmers for land acquisition, training, lending, and machinery
• We also provide technical assistance to farmers for land acquisition, training, lending, and machinery
• We also provide technical assistance to farmers for land acquisition, training, lending, and machinery
• We also provide technical assistance to farmers for land acquisition, training, lending, and machinery
• We also provide technical assistance to farmers for land acquisition, training, lending, and machinery

Keywords: 1187, senate, all