Transcript Highlights:

• Rents in New Mexico have been rising at more than double the rate of the U.S. overall.
• Rents in New Mexico have been rising at more than double the rate of the U.S. overall.
• Yes, we do have a dearth of a lack rate of affordable housing, but. of a lack rate of affordable housing
• But we just don't have the commercial infrastructure to be able to pay commercial rates.
• But we just don't have the commercial infrastructure to be able to pay commercial rates.

Bills: SB211 , SB131 , SB183 , SB222 , SB246 , SB254

Committee: Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs

Keywords: appropriation, local government, Las Vegas, Rodriguez Park, public facilities, zoning reform, building regulations, residential apartments, commercial use, multigenerational housing, local government authority, healthcare, urgent care, emergency services, feasibility study, medical facilities, physician training, medical residency, New Mexico, massage therapy

Transcript Highlights:

• The hourly contract rate for snow and ice drivers is up 12% over the past two years, while the contract
• mowing hourly rate is up 36%.
• The hourly contract rate last benium.
• The hourly contract rate for<00:08:44.880><c> snow</c><00:08:45.120><c> and</c><00:08:45.360><c> ice<
• </c> mowing hourly rate is up 36%. mowing hourly rate is up 36%.

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met without a quorum at first, then later approved the minutes once quorum was established. The committee heard presentations from Transportation Cabinet officials Mike Hancock, Jeremy Slinker, and Sean McCarnieran on maintenance, vehicle regulation, general administration, highways, and related capital projects. Hancock emphasized that maintenance is the cabinet’s most visible public service, especially for snow and ice removal and routine roadway upkeep, and said rising costs have outpaced funding. He cited a 61% increase in highway construction costs since 2020 and said maintenance spending was $488 million in FY 2024 and $511 million in FY 2025, while the FY 2026 baseline request was $483.3 million. The cabinet’s additional maintenance request would add $23.6 million in FY 2027 and $38.6 million in FY 2028, with expected impacts on litter pickup, mowing, vegetation management, and pothole repair if not funded. The cabinet also outlined five maintenance-related capital projects: additional funding for Ballard County maintenance/salt storage, Hopkins County maintenance/salt storage, Whitley County maintenance/salt structure, and the District 2 office and materials lab, plus reauthorization of the Breckinridge County maintenance and salt facility. Hancock also asked for budget language allowing the cabinet to use unexpected restricted and federal funds more quickly, similar to existing authority for federal earmarks. McCarnieran described the governor’s inclusion of funding for the ASHTOWare system, employee health exams, priority IT projects, and a District 7 office renovation request, noting that some items were not funded because they ranked low among competing projects. He also said the governor’s budget included a $7.5 million annual maintenance pool for the cabinet’s 1,200 facilities and requested additional restricted fund authority for Trimark and the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. Slinker focused on the Department of Vehicle Regulation, saying recent investments in staffing and equipment had reduced wait times and improved customer service in driver licensing offices. He requested $535,600 to keep temporary contract workers in place for the rest of the year, warning that without it regional office operations would have to be reduced. He said the surge in demand was driven by new 15-year-old licensing requirements, vision testing, and Real ID implementation, but believed the volume was beginning to level out. He also outlined FY 2027 and FY 2028 plans totaling $20.38 million and $19.85 million, including six new regional offices and a shift away from temporary workers toward state positions. Additional requests included $106,000 for debt service on the new driver’s license modernization system and operating costs of $5 million in FY 2027 and $2.5 million in FY 2028 to support the transition from the old system. Members asked about the cabinet’s funding sources, and officials said the road fund is the primary source, supported by motor fuels tax, usage tax, driver-related receipts, and some restricted funds; they stressed that the requests were not for additional general fund dollars. Questions also covered employee health exam reimbursements, the annual Trimark/Cumberland Gap contract, and the District 7 renovation request. No votes were taken on the budget items during the meeting, beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, will this cause those rates to go up? >> Okay.
• Uh, will this cause those<00:20:24.320><c> rates</c><00:20:24.640><c> to</c><00:20:24.880><c> go</c><
• </c> those rates to go up? those rates to go up?
• It maintains actuarially sound rates, reserves, and excess insurance.
• actuarily sound rates, maintains actuarily sound rates, reserves,<00:29:51.360><c> and</c><00:29:51.600

Committee: Joint Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• And the only other somewhere else is the general fund budget or contribution rates.
• higher, so that amount of extra money has helped every budget for years and has kept contribution rates
• purchasing the ability to invest in all these companies from third parties who charge us really low rates
• past decade, fossil fuel assets have been quite volatile and have significantly underperformed the rate
• I am willing to accept the lower rate of return on my pension. Thank you. Elaine. Thank you.

Bills: SB5439 , SB6109 , SB6304

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: investment, thermal coal, divestment, state investment board, fossil fuels, environmental impact, renewable energy, detention facilities, state funds, privatization, criminal justice reform, Washington State Investment Board, responsible investment, sustainability, corporate governance

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2389 requires the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to develop rules for the rated
• date after age 26 are no longer placed in a DCYF institution when the facility is at or above 105% of rated
• House Bill 2389 requires the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to develop rules for the rated
• Only about 9% of serious adolescent offenders go on to continue criminal offending at a high rate.
• The police precinct that covers my district has the highest rate of juvenile-involved crime in Seattle

Bills: HB2389 , HB2456

Committee: House Early Learning & Human Services

Keywords: juvenile justice, youth sentencing, juvenile rehabilitation, DCYF, Department of Children Youth and Families, community supervision, community transition services, suspended disposition, less restrictive alternative, sentencing grid, juvenile confinement, juvenile prison, rehabilitation, recidivism, mental health treatment, substance use disorder, chemical dependency, trauma-informed care, racial disparities, equity

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a low interest rate... program where what you're doing is redirecting dollars that you'd be spending
• We're able to charge a lower interest rate than the open market rate, and in many instances below...
• the school bond rate.
• Our interest rates are pretty low. We're at 2.5% right now for our interest rate for our loans.
• In Texas, the flaring rate dropped by 60% since June of 2019, to where we now have a flaring rate of

Committee: House Energy Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> increase in exam pass rates. increase in exam pass rates.
• The pass rate is 90%, to be exact.
• We want that 84% pass rate, right? you. We want that 84% pass rate, right?
• rates.
• They are evaluated on their pass rate. So they're inherently incented to have a good pass rate.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• And then on the top of page nine, you will see the victimization rate among children who received in-home
• And then on page 15, I'm going to page 15, the permanency rate for children entering foster care within
• The permanency rate for children entering foster care within 12 months is 36%, just barely trending slightly
• We got 5,933 closed, with 1,641 of those being found true, which gave us a 28% substantiation rate.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging, Children, and Youth first approved the February 11 minutes and then reviewed a DCFS policy manual update from Director Tiffany Wright. The rule changes were described as largely terminology and compliance updates to align with new laws, an executive order, and current practice, including moving internal procedures out of the public manual and into DCFS’s internal procedure manual. Members asked whether the changes altered practice or just wording, and Wright said they were mainly procedural and vernacular updates, such as changing terms like “protection plan” to “immediate safety plan” and “safety factor” to “safety threat.” The committee then reviewed and accepted the rule without objection. Wright also presented DCFS performance data for the third quarter of FY 2026, including hotline reports, investigations, foster care, in-home services, permanency, and adoption measures. She noted staffing shortages in some counties, lower timeliness in completing maltreatment reports, and efforts to support those areas with central office staff and daily calls. Members asked about neglect trends, sexual abuse/exploitation categories, behavioral issues, and workforce recruitment and retention. Wright said DCFS is expanding hiring support, outreach, retention efforts, trauma support through UAMS, and a new staff training model beginning July 1. She also presented the biannual overturned investigations report, which tracks hotline calls, true findings, appeals, and reversals by county, and answered questions about comparing it with prior years. Major Jeff Drew of the Crimes Against Children Division presented the 2025 annual report, saying the hotline received 67,987 calls and 37,986 were accepted for investigation, with 6,539 CACD investigations assigned and a 28% substantiation rate. He described hotline operator training, including a four-week program with policy review, scenarios, recorded calls, live call monitoring, and evidence-chain and decision-making instruction. He said the starting salary for hotline operators is $43,888 plus benefits and would check on comparisons with other states. Elizabeth Pooley of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas reported that the state’s 29 CACs and 64 multidisciplinary teams served 13,568 children and families in 2025, up about 3,000 from the prior year, and hosted 259 trainings. Members asked about funding, and she said state funding is the same for each center at roughly $70,000 to $75,000, supplemented by federal and community support, with work underway on Arkansas-specific best practices. The meeting ended after a brief unrelated question about Meals on Wheels and a Project Zero adoption event announcement.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then on the top of page nine, you will see the victimization rate among children who received in-home
• And then on page—I'm going to page 15—the permanency rate for children entering foster care within 12
• months... ...the permanency rate for children entering foster care within 12 months is 36%, just barely
• We got 5,933 closed, with 1,641 of those being found true, which gave us a 28% substantiation rate.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging, Children and Youth approved the February 11 minutes and then reviewed a DCFS policy manual update from Director Tiffany Wright. Wright said the changes move internal procedures out of administrative rule into DCFS’s internal procedure manual under an executive order, while also updating terminology, conforming to enacted laws, revising foster family continuing education hours, and removing obsolete requirements. Members asked whether the changes would alter practice; Wright said they were mainly terminology and process-location changes, intended to make the department more efficient and flexible. The committee then accepted the rule review without objection. Wright next presented DCFS quarterly performance data for the third quarter of FY 2026. She reported 8,610 hotline reports accepted, 6,919 assigned to DCFS, 22% of investigations found true, neglect as the most common substantiated allegation, and continued staffing shortages in some counties affecting timeliness. She also reported 3,420 foster care cases, 1,788 in-home cases involving 4,568 children, 72% monthly home-visit compliance, 36% permanency within 12 months, 4.5% re-entry into foster care, and 156 children available for adoption. Members asked about neglect trends, sexual abuse/exploitation data, behavior-related removals, staffing recruitment and retention, training improvements, and whether ACE-style testing should be considered for children; Wright said DCFS is expanding recruitment, retention, and training efforts and was open to further discussion on education-related assessments. The committee also received DCFS’s biannual overturned investigations report, covering July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, which tracks hotline calls, accepted reports, true findings, appeals, and overturned findings by county. A member asked for comparison to the prior year’s report. Major Jeff Drew then presented the Crimes Against Children Division annual report, saying the hotline received 67,987 calls in 2025, 37,986 were accepted for investigation, and CACD handled 6,539 cases with a 28% substantiation rate. Members asked about hotline operator training, qualifications, salary, and whether Arkansas compares with other states; Drew said operators receive a four-week training that includes law, policy, scenarios, recorded calls, live-call monitoring, and evidence-chain/decision-making instruction. Finally, Elizabeth Pooley of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas reported that the statewide network of 29 CACs and 64 multidisciplinary teams served 13,568 children and families in 2025, up about 3,000 from the prior year, and hosted 259 trainings for professionals. She said funding comes from a mix of state, federal, and community sources, with state funding set at roughly $70,000 to $75,000 per center and not based on caseload. Members asked about funding stability and standards of care; Pooley said CACs follow national standards and Arkansas is developing state best practices. The meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• But if you do more than 120 days per year, then you have to accept a reduced ad hoc daily rate.
• So as the employer rate comes down, we would pick up half of that to increase this percentage funding
• to prevent long-term debt growth, even if it results in a minor short-term increase in the employer rate
• limit re-employment to critical shortage roles, and require DPS to pay the full employee contribution rates

Bills: SB8 , SB10 , SB11 , SB12 , SB13 , SB14 , SB16 , SB17 , SB18 , SB20 , SB21 , SB22 , SB416 , SB455 , SB456 , SB477

Committee: House Retirement

Summary: The Retirement Committee met on April 29, 2026, established a quorum, and heard a series of retirement-related bills, mostly cleanup or technical measures affecting various public retirement systems. SB 22 would extend Municipal Employees Retirement System eligibility to certain positions in the Second City Court constable’s office in New Orleans. SB 17 would create a funding deposit account for cost-of-living adjustments for registrars of voters’ employees’ retirement system. SB 455 would allow certain district and parish courts to participate in the Parochial Employees Retirement System. SB 456 would update compensation rules for assigned retired judges, and SB 8 would add the Louisiana Asset Management Pool as a participating employer in MERS. All of these bills were described as aligning statutes with current practice or expanding participation options, and each was reported favorably without objection. The committee also heard several Louisiana State Police retirement bills. SB 10 would repeal outdated priority allocation and retiree raise rules and adjust handling of surplus employee contributions; SB 11 would increase the funding cap for benefit increases from 2.5% to 3.5%; and SB 12 would update membership and definition language to reflect the State Police Commission rather than the Civil Service Commission. SB 18 would repeal a special exception allowing certain MERS retirees to return to part-time work while collecting full benefits, while protecting roughly 30 current participants. SB 20 and SB 21 would update actuarial gain/loss and unfunded liability funding rules for school employees’ retirement and LASERS, respectively, in light of the new permanent benefit increase funding structure. Each of these bills was supported by system officials as cleanup or modernization measures and was reported favorably. The committee spent the most time on education and return-to-work issues for teachers and public employees. SB 16 would reduce annual trustee training requirements for retirement system boards from 16 hours back to 12 hours, which witnesses said would better fit smaller systems and match the original intent of the law. SB 13 would similarly update TRSL’s actuarial funding rules after the sunset of the experience account. SB 14, based on a 2025 study work group, would consolidate and simplify TRSL return-to-work rules and expand options for retired teachers, with witnesses emphasizing teacher shortages and the need to retain experienced educators. All three were reported favorably. Finally, SB 416 would allow certain Department of Public Safety and Corrections retirees to return to critical shortage positions after one year, and SB 477 would classify the chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board as a full-time state employee for retirement purposes. Both bills drew questions and discussion, especially SB 416, and both were reported favorably. The chair announced the committee’s next meeting would be moved from Monday to Tuesday, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• worse by their time in uniform, and nearly half of those veterans, about 174,000, have disability ratings
• worse by their time in uniform, and nearly half of those veterans, about 174,000, have disability ratings
• As far as total disabled veterans, in the disability ratings of veterans, it goes from 0% disabled, which
• What we looked at was anyone 70% or higher, and that was 174,000 that have a disability rating of 70%

Committee: House Military and Veterans Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• is no new development process that will pencil out in this state given construction costs, interest rates
• , and rents. allowed in this state given construction costs, interest rates, and rents.
• is no new development process that will pencil out in this state given construction cost interest rates
• and rents. allowed in this state given construction cost interest rates and rents.

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment

Summary: The Commerce Committee first took up House Bill 1845 in executive session and voted it do pass unanimously. The committee then moved into a public hearing on House Bill 3080, sponsored by Representative Riggs, which was presented as a technical/emergency fix to restore Missouri’s historic preservation tax credit provisions after a court ruling invalidated prior legislation because of unrelated “chicken coop” language. Riggs said the bill was needed to protect more than $300 million in projects already underway and noted companion legislation was moving in the Senate. Committee members expressed support and emphasized the importance of historic redevelopment, especially in St. Louis and other communities. Supporters testified that the bill would stabilize financing for projects already in progress and preserve a key tool for redeveloping vacant historic buildings, schools, theaters, and other properties statewide. Witnesses described specific projects including Delmar Devine in St. Louis, a vacant school in Hermann, the Englewood Theater in Independence, Cooper House, and Elliott School, explaining that tax credits were essential to making the projects financially feasible and to leveraging private investment, grants, and other financing. Several speakers said the credits help address housing shortages, neighborhood blight, and community revitalization, and that uncertainty after the court ruling was threatening construction and financing commitments. One witness, Arnie C., testified in opposition, calling the measure a corporate giveaway and arguing the state could not afford the program. Committee members responded that the bill was a corrective measure, not an expansion of credits, and that it was necessary because projects had already been approved and were in various stages of completion. After hearing testimony from supporters, one opponent, and no additional witnesses, the chair closed the hearing on House Bill 3080 and adjourned the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• They have Higher ACT scores, higher GPAs, they have higher college retention rates, and most importantly
• , they have higher completion rates than other students.
• They graduate at a higher rate than their non-Oklahoma Promise peers.
• they are staying in the state and that they are here working a year later in five years later at a rate

Committee: House Appropriations and Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• the opportunity to make a recommendation on assumed inflation, general salary growth, and investment rate
• the opportunity to make a recommendation on assumed inflation, general salary growth, and investment rate
• Those were based on an assumed investment rate of return of 7%.
• It seems like when we raised the contribution rates on the unfunded liability too, we basically weren't

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Pension Policy

Summary: The Select Committee on Pension Policy Executive Committee approved the June minutes and received a brief update from Assistant Attorney General Jesse Yoder, who had no litigation updates but offered to answer questions. Actuary Michael Harbour then previewed the September full committee meeting, which will include a report on the financial condition of the DRS-administered pension plans and the state actuary’s recommended economic assumptions. He also cautioned that any actuarial pricing done over the summer could change if assumptions are updated, and suggested taking votes on potential legislation later in the interim, possibly in November or December. A discussion followed about the Left 1 benefit improvement and where the funding came from. Harbour said the benefit tied to SSB 5791 (2022) was paid from the Left 1 trust fund, while a separate Left 2 benefit improvement was in SHB 1701, and he agreed to double-check the issue with DRS after members raised conflicting information. Members then discussed the broader Left 1 study, including whether IRS approval is a key barrier and whether options are limited to merger or closure. Several members asked to hear from Ice Miller, which has been advising on the tax issues, and staff said the committee should receive a written response in the next couple of weeks and could have Ice Miller appear in October. The committee reviewed and adjusted its interim work plan. September will include the actuarial presentations, a more detailed Left 1 study update, and a presentation on PERS and TERS Plan 1 COLAs, including a recap of the bill recommended this year and initial considerations for an ad hoc COLA. October is expected to include DRS administrative and performance updates, with November reserved for the State Investment Board update and a final Left 1 study update, and December may include an educational presentation on excess compensation. Members also requested a future briefing on the month-of-death benefit discussion. The September agenda was adopted, correspondence materials were noted, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• A roll call, AB 286, Gallagher, Electricity Rate Prescription, hold in committee.
• AB 61 Pacheco, legislation and utility rates do pass out on a an A-roll call.
• AB 532, Ransom, Water Rate Assistance Program, do pass as amended to strike sections one and three.
• AB 99 electrical utility rates hold in committee. immigrant care do pass out on an a roll call maybe

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• Despite being the fifth-largest economy in the world, California has an extremely high poverty rate.
• California's supplemental poverty rate, a measure that takes cost of living and government aid into account
• This high rate of medical debt shows that current tax benefits provided for medical costs are not sufficient
• apartment owners and property managers who are responsible for over 2 million affordable and market-rate

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Summary: The Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee heard six bills and announced at the outset that, under its suspense-file rules, every bill on the agenda would be referred to suspense rather than voted on immediately. The chair also reminded witnesses to submit position letters in advance so their positions would appear in the analysis. A quorum was established and the committee proceeded through the agenda. AB 814 would exempt law enforcement pensions from state income tax to help recruit and retain peace officers in California. The author and supporters, including several police and sheriff associations, argued that many retired officers leave the state and that the tax exemption would encourage them to stay and continue contributing to their communities. There was no opposition testimony, and the bill was referred to the suspense file. AB 918 proposed a targeted income tax exemption for pay earned by local first responders while deployed within California on mutual aid during declared emergencies. Supporters said mutual aid is increasingly strained by major disasters and that the bill would reward and retain responders who leave their home communities to assist elsewhere. AB 976 would create a nonrefundable tax credit for small retailers in disadvantaged communities to help pay for security equipment; supporters framed it as a response to retail theft and violence, while one member questioned whether the state should instead fully fund broader crime-enforcement efforts. AB 984 would allow tax deductions for contributions to CalABLE accounts, with testimony from a CalABLE account holder and a family member describing the importance of the accounts for people with disabilities and their long-term savings needs. AB 1282 would create a deduction for out-of-pocket medical expenses up to $5,000 through 2030, with the author citing high poverty and medical debt rates; members voiced support for helping low-income Californians with medical costs. AB 838 would raise California’s renter tax credit from $60/$120 to $2,000 for eligible renters, with support from the California Apartment Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, both arguing the current credit is outdated and should better reflect housing costs. All six bills were ultimately referred to the suspense file, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are in about 20 counties in the state of Alabama, and they have really good recidivism rates.
• One is lowering the disability rating for entrance into the scholarship program back to 20%, which is
• Currently, you need to have lived in Alabama for five years and have a 100% disability rating.
• This pilot program would explore allowing residency with a 50% disability rating, which could potentially

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• At the 18.5% vacancy rate, what primarily is vacant in your district?
• So I think that 1.5% inflation rate is probably about right.
• Our vacancy rate right now is at 8.1%.
• I'm glad to see your vacancy rates are only at 8.1 percent.

Transcript Highlights:

• Tuition has increased over the last 30 years at the rate of three times inflation.
• Tuition has increased over the last 30 years at the rate of three times inflation.
• Tuition has increased over the last 30 years at the rate of three times inflation.
• Students and families still have to pay the published tuition rates even if the tuition and fee rate
• recognized</c> tuition and fee rate is not recognized tuition and fee rate is not recognized in<01:31

Bills: HF4252

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:14:29.240><c> in</c><00:14:29.360><c> our</c> absenteeism rates are higher in our absenteeism rates
• And I think they're at like 98.6% graduation rate. But they're also one of the bottom.
• </c> 6% graduation rate. 6% graduation rate.
• </c><01:41:54.920><c> And</c><01:41:55.040><c> if</c> to get the best rate for people.
• And if to get the best rate for people.

Bills: HF3119

Committee: House Education Finance