Transcript Highlights:

• eligible state that has received funds, we have the ability to subgrant our funding to eligible entities
• ability to subrant our funding to the ability to subrant our funding to eligible<00:22:10.320><c> entities
• </c><00:22:11.679><c> In</c><00:22:12.000><c> Kucky's</c><00:22:12.640><c> program,</c> eligible entities
• In Kucky's program, eligible entities.
• RECCC is the service provider to the main meter in those two parks, and they were selected as the entity

Keywords: 00:02 EEC – State-Owned Dams 21:07 EEC – Grid Resilience Grant Funds 37:24 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee heard presentations from the Department for Environmental Protection and the Office of Energy Policy on Kentucky’s state-owned dam repair program and the electric grid resilience program. Commissioner Tony Hatton explained how state dams are defined and classified under Kentucky law, the criteria used to prioritize repairs or decommissioning, and the status of several projects funded in the last biennium. He said the department is using a design-bid-build process, with major work planned or underway at Willisburg Lake, Big Bone Lick State Park Dam, Clemens Lake Dam, Marion County Sportsman’s Dam, Chinoa Lake Creek/Canning Creek Dam, and Lake Malone, and that $0.5 million is reserved for routine repairs. He also described the timeline and cost pressures, noting that construction seasons and bid uncertainty can affect schedules and estimates. Members asked several questions about whether the estimates were current, how accurate the bids tend to be, why the process takes so long, and whether it would be better to fund design separately before construction. Hatton said the estimates are the best current engineering estimates, that costs often stay within about 10% but can vary, and that the overall process is usually closer to two years than four, though delays can occur. He also said all of the allocated dam funds must be available before bids can be let. The committee discussed whether design work can become stale if construction is delayed. Kenya Stump then updated the committee on Kentucky’s electric grid resilience program under federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding. She said Kentucky has received years one through three of the five-year program and has allocated funds to state park electric systems and municipal utilities, with years four and five not yet received. She identified Ken Lake State Park and Kentucky Dam Village as the two state park projects in progress, and Owensboro, Princeton, Williamstown, and Hopkinsville as the municipal projects selected through a competitive process. She said the projects are under contract or in final negotiations, with municipal construction expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026 and finish by the end of 2026, and explained that the work includes line, pole, transformer, meter, and outage-management upgrades. Members asked about the relationship between this program and prior park appropriations, the timing of agreements with Parks, and whether the park systems could eventually be transferred to the local electric cooperative; Stump said the park agreements are imminent and that the upgrades are intended to bring the systems up to code so the cooperative can maintain them. No votes were taken, and the chair adjourned the committee until the following Wednesday, with a possible time change to avoid a scheduling conflict.

Transcript Highlights:

• How are you working with these entities to ensure that you're at the table?
• It's really the work of both entities that resulted in that $1.2 billion project being announced.
• I think, in combination with the work of both entities that resulted in that $1.2 billion project, these
• for Western states that created these sovereign wealth funds to create them largely as separate entities
• There are just so many risks when an entity decides to put in some amount of capital into this sort of

Committee: House Investments & Pensions Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We really encourage those entities. entities, if they believe there’s a geothermal resource available
• And then to apply for a grant or a loan and do the study, as these public entities of Zia and the O.K
• He's the private entity.
• aquifer characterization and good monitoring data, and importantly, With authorities and responsible entities

Committee: House Economic & Rural Development & Policy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It makes sure that every public or private entity that receives tax dollars, those dollars are going
• It makes sure that every public or private entity that receives tax dollars, those dollars are going
• makes sure that every public<00:01:46.880><c> or</c><00:01:47.200><c> private</c><00:01:47.520><c> entity
• </c><00:01:47.920><c> that</c><00:01:48.240><c> receives</c> public or private entity that receives public
• or private entity that receives tax<00:01:48.960><c> dollars</c><00:01:49.439><c> that</c><00:01:49.680

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bell County has also recognized that there are other entities, other than in Bell County and those still
• why Bell County has supported and will continue to support efforts to expand eligibility to those entities
• It changes the duties of the Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee, which is an entity within the
• It expands the entities that the commission may work with to include intergovernmental agreements with
• These entities absolutely love when a large number of unsavvy investors enter a market they do not understand

Bills: HB42

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: special prosecutor, state law, criminal justice, accountability, law enforcement

Summary: The committee heard Senator Flores lay out the committee substitute for HB 2894, which would expand state reimbursement eligibility for local governments disproportionately affected by the disabled veterans homestead exemption. Flores said the bill would add certain municipalities in Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas counties if lost ad valorem tax revenue equals or exceeds 10% of general revenue, while existing recipients would remain under the current 2% threshold. Lampasas and Bell County officials and the City of Killeen testified in support, describing significant revenue losses and urging adequate funding. One witness, Howard Avery, argued any reimbursement should be counted as property tax revenue for voter-approval rate purposes to avoid a windfall. The committee later adopted the substitute and reported the bill favorably, with one nay. The committee also heard SB 782, which would create a temporary severance tax exemption for restimulated inactive oil and gas wells, intended to encourage investment in mature wells. The Comptroller explained the revised fiscal note as effectively zero because the wells are currently marginal and not generating meaningful tax revenue, while industry witnesses said the bill could extend well life, support local economies, and reduce orphan-well liabilities. Public testimony was supportive, and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 3033, a DPS-related grant program funded by voluntary $3 donations on driver’s license and ID applications to support nonprofits aiding injured or fallen DPS officers and their families, including memorial highway signs. The DPS Officers Association supported the bill, citing existing foundation assistance and the need for a steady funding stream. The committee later reported the bill favorably. The committee also considered SB 524, which would permanently extend the franchise tax and fee exemption for qualifying veteran-owned businesses for their first five years; testimony from a veteran business owner and veterans advocates supported the measure, and the committee adopted the substitute and reported it favorably. Additional measures were laid out and left pending or voted out: HB 3594, a local San Antonio retiree health care fund bill with agreed changes for contributions, spouse benefits, and remarriage rules, was supported by stakeholders and reported favorably; HB 4738 would repeal small administrative fees tied to certain loans and was reported favorably; HB 42 on HEAF funding and HB 5246 on the Texas Space Commission were heard and left pending. The committee also reported HB 3474, a cleanup bill for the Pension Review Board’s investment performance review schedule, and HB 2802, the Austin firefighter retirement fund bill, both favorably. Finally, the committee took up HB 1056, which would allow gold and silver held in the Texas Bullion Depository to function as legal tender through debit-card transactions. Supporters framed it as a way to use hard assets and expand financial options, while bankers and some senators raised major operational, consumer-protection, tax, and constitutional questions; the bill remained under discussion as testimony began.

Transcript Highlights:

• receiving 2%, 3%, or 5% cuts, and then you see on the flip side here with the CSU where the entire entity
• More than 50 entities, including our local public universities, participated in this work.
• of the components of the savings here, concerning Control Section 4.05, unlike some other state entities
• We were forced to make cuts to partnership programs that are part of larger entities or programs that
• forward, operates within the State Library and provides research services for the public and state entities

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is simply wrong for these enormously powerful social media entities to have rights to do harm to Americans
• without accountability that no other entity shares.
• the social platforms because of what parents, in particular, have to go through just to hold these entities
• provided that we have an administration that isn't going to put a blanket hold on all grants to entities
• our local partners; laterally with all the different efforts being put forth on the trafficking of entities

Committee: Senate Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• it through the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department by providing grants to eligible entities
• As identified local tribes, Pueblos, Nations, land-grant school districts, public entities where tax
• To represent Murphy's point, we're funding public entities, is that correct?
• Okay, so when public entities, since they don't pay taxes, can't use tax credits. Okay.
• And speaking of public entities, thank you for adding the land-grant communities.

Committee: House House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Actually, we think of becoming a standalone entity under the UH system that encompasses all our 10 campuses
• Actually, we think of becoming a standalone entity under the UH system that encompasses all our 10 campuses
• becoming a stand actually we think of becoming a stand and<00:24:20.919><c> Loan</c><00:24:21.360><c> entity
• </c><00:24:21.799><c> under</c><00:24:22.080><c> uh</c><00:24:22.520><c> system</c> and Loan entity under
• uh system and Loan entity under uh system encompasses<00:24:23.600><c> all</c><00:24:23.760><c> our<

Committee: House Higher Education

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met on January 31 and heard six bills. The chair opened by outlining committee practices, including giving at least 72 hours’ notice for hearings, releasing testimony by 5:00 p.m. the day before hearings, and deferring bills needing substantive HT1 changes so members would not vote “blind.” Members briefly thanked the chair for the transparency approach before moving to the agenda. HB 223 would create a Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy special fund and workforce assessment fee to support a pharmacy center. Testimony from the Board of Pharmacy, the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo College of Pharmacy, Mokai Drugs, and others generally supported the measure, emphasizing workforce data, rural access, student loan repayment, and retention. The committee later advanced HB 223 with amendments, including leaving fee amounts blank for further discussion and inserting a defective date, and the motion passed unanimously. HB 940 would appropriate funds for the rat lungworm lab at UH Hilo; HB 546 would establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute at UH to advance AI; HB 549 would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program; HB 1172 would add the Department of Taxation to the Statewide Longitudinal Data System for wage-data sharing; and HB 1320 would require UH to collect and publicly report graduate outcome data and create a dashboard. Testimony on these bills was largely supportive, with some privacy concerns raised on HB 1172 and a request to protect taxpayer confidentiality. In decision-making, the committee passed all five bills with amendments, generally deleting or blanking appropriations and FTEs for Finance Committee review, adding defective dates for further discussion, and in HB 549 adding a statement that the program is a matter of statewide concern. The committee recessed briefly for decision-making and then adopted the chair’s recommendations on each bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know who's going to be the entity for this bill.
• I don't know who's going to be the entity for this bill.
• I don't know who's going to be the entity for this bill.
• Um as and and I appreciate all entity.
• ,</c> license the entity, license the entity, &gt;&gt; right?

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 26 of the Constitution requires a minimum of $90 million annually to be distributed to local entities
• The annual allocation to the local entities can be found on pages 40 through 43 of this bill.

Bills: HB1 , HB2 , HB3 , HB312 , HB313 , HB314 , HB383 , HB983 , HB1126 , HCR3

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: state budget, appropriations, education funding, public health, social services, government operations, state institutions, capital outlay, budget, infrastructure, appropriation, general obligation bonds, bond authorization, capital improvement, financial management, state treasury, funding, state general fund, local government, fiscal year

Transcript Highlights:

• So if they don't have an address now, they are at least an Idaho entity and they are showing up as an
• Idaho entity.

Committee: House Business

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of cash or a loan or guarantee or other financial instrument or services that support the eligible entity
• Or services that support the eligible entity in the completion of a qualified project.

Bills: SB169 , SB1991 , SB1992 , SB1204 , SB1339 , SB182 , SB1847 , SB1360 , SB1346

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Keywords: longevity pay, state employees, Oklahoma government, salary increase, emergency declaration, capital planning, funding allocation, state budget, infrastructure, emergency measures, income tax credit, qualified project, economic development, infrastructure funding, small population areas, school employees, teachers, support personnel, support employees, public schools

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee met with a quorum and considered a series of bills, most of them receiving unanimous or near-unanimous support. Senate Bill 169 would increase the annual longevity payment award for state employees by 50% across all service years and passed 17-1. Senate Bill 1991, described as a cleanup bill for the Ocamp Fund, passed 19-0. Senate Bill 1992, which defines “strategic financing partner” under the SIDE Act for Department of Commerce projects, passed 20-0. The committee also approved Senate Bill 1204, as amended, to provide Oklahoma teachers and school employees three days of bereavement leave after the death of a spouse or child, including a miscarriage; the amendment specified funding from the public school paid maternity leave revolving fund. Senate Bill 1339 passed to codify continued funding for off-the-formula schools and allow the State Department of Education to access funds to cover the 2023 teacher pay raise for those schools. Senate Bill 182 passed to allow certain CLEET-certified law enforcement officers and resident care specialists to join the OPERS hazardous duty retirement plan. Additional measures approved included Senate Bill 1847, allowing certain Advantage Waiver Medicaid recipients diagnosed with cognitive impairment to remain in assisted living and age in place; Senate Bill 1360, creating a three-year pilot program placing math instructional teams in the lowest-performing districts; and Senate Bill 1346, as amended, directing the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to establish a water and wastewater infrastructure investment program after removing an appropriation section. Several questions focused on funding sources, eligibility, and population-based allocation formulas, but no bills were rejected. Senate Bills 1427 and 1566 were laid over to go directly to the floor with no fiscal impact, and the committee adjourned after announcing it would meet again the following Wednesday.

Transcript Highlights:

• extent the body approves such an application and waives sovereign immunity for the state governmental entities
• quite a large coverage of this in the news and I wonder if you had any other pushback from other entities

Transcript Highlights:

• The committee member said he was concerned about out-of-state entities coming in and mining Oklahoma
• He responded that some entities do not have a concern about how much water will be left for the second

Bills: HB2976 , HB4459 , HB3142 , HB4316 , HB4338 , HB4230

Committee: House Energy

Keywords: environmental protection, water quality, aluminum, Department of Environmental Quality, EPA standards, groundwater conservation, water rights, permit allocation, metering, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, liquefied petroleum gas, safety regulation, LP-Gas Board, inspections, accident investigations, rural water service, district organization, emergency legislation, Oklahoma, water management

Summary: The House Energy Committee met for its second scheduled meeting and announced it would need to meet again the following week because of bill reassignments and new agenda items. The committee first considered House Bill 2976, which requires the Department of Environmental Quality to promulgate water quality criteria rules for aluminum. An amendment was adopted to extend the rulemaking deadline to December 31, 2027, to allow time for an OU study on aluminum in water to be completed. The bill then passed 9-0. The committee next heard House Bill 4459, which would create a five-year averaging option for certain water users, mainly irrigators, allowing flexibility in annual use while requiring measurement and reporting over the five-year period. Members questioned whether the bill could encourage excessive use during drought years and whether it would improve reporting accuracy; the author said he was open to discussing a possible reduction from 200% to 150% and emphasized long-term aquifer conservation. HB 4459 was reported out due pass. House Bill 3142, described as a revised version of a bill vetoed last year, also passed unanimously after the author said it addressed the governor’s veto concerns. The committee then advanced House Bill 4316, which updates outdated language related to rural water districts and passed 11-0. House Bill 4338, the so-called Brine Act, was adopted with a PCS and would allow wastewater or produced water to be used in ways that could expand Oklahoma’s iodine production industry; the author said it would create value from material now disposed of and would not change disposal rules. Members asked about treatment and environmental safeguards, and the author said the bill only recognizes the activity as legal and does not mandate it. HB 4338 passed 11-0. Finally, House Bill 4230, which expands the ability to use qualified outside suppliers for training and technical assistance, passed 11-0 after brief questioning about who those suppliers might be.

Transcript Highlights:

• tend to err on the side of protecting private interest versus mandating law to dictate what private entities
• do... ...versus mandating law to dictate what private entities do.

Committee: House Commerce and Human Resources

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• amending Section 67-23-03A, Idaho Code, to revise provisions regarding flags flown by a governmental entity
• ; to remove provisions regarding flags flown by a governmental entity; to provide an exception; to provide

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• regulation of food inspections by placing cottage food, farm-to-fork, and other programs under one entity
• We are the entity that is responsible for zoonotic diseases.

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows them to write and petition government entities to prevent them from releasing their personal
• It allows them to write and petition government entities to prevent them from releasing their personal

Keywords: This meeting will take place upon Recess of the Senate Chambers. There is not an exact time for this meeting therefore a placeholder time for the live stream has been set for 12:00PM est. Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call: 00:00:08 HB 662: 00:00:38, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up House Bill 662, relating to personally identifiable information. Representative John Blanton explained that the bill would let judges, including federal and state judges, request redaction of their personal and immediate family information from public records, but that the protection would end if they later made identifying information public themselves. He also said the bill would restrict access to certain medical examiner information tied to insurance-company examinations, while still allowing doctors and hospitals access to know who is reviewing the information. The chair noted a committee substitute with a small change on page 3, line 12, removing name and license number language. After discussion, the sponsor agreed to proceed with the substitute. Senator Nemes moved adoption of the committee substitute, seconded by Senator Carroll, and it was adopted without opposition. The committee then voted on the bill itself. Senator Nemes moved passage, Senator Carroll seconded, and the roll was called. House Bill 662 was reported favorably with the expression of opinion that it should pass.

Transcript Highlights:

• These awarded amounts were what the entities proposed that they needed in order to deliver the service
• These awarded amounts were what the entities proposed that they needed in order to deliver the services
• So I'm just wondering which entity might be the one to bring such a proposal forward, ...which entity
• So each entity that was identified in the language has their own data systems, basically.
• The only entity it doesn’t bind is the Department of Corrections. Okay.”

Committee: Joint Judiciary Committee

Summary: The committee opened with a moment of silence honoring a deceased member, then approved the April minutes. The first major presentation was from Chelsea Florey of Child and Family Services on the Diversion Task Force and related grant programs created with one-time funding from HB 1012. She reported that five of six proposals were funded, with youth diversion services operating in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, and a Red River Children’s Advocacy Center program focused on problematic sexualized behavior. Members discussed barriers such as staffing shortages, voluntary family engagement, service fatigue, and the need for better coordination, broader outreach, and possible changes to diversion eligibility rules so low-level cases can remain in diversion longer. Several legislators pressed for more practical system changes and clearer service navigation, while Florey said the task force is trying to build a service array or hub and is leaning on the Children’s Cabinet for broader recommendations. The committee then heard from North Dakota Lottery Director Thomas Lawler, who gave an operational overview and biennium report. He described the lottery’s history, games, retailer commissions, Pick and Click subscriptions, Players Club membership, and revenue distribution. For the 2023-25 biennium, about $67 million in tickets were purchased, with roughly $16.2 million transferred overall, including money for the general fund, drug task force grants, and compulsive gambling prevention and treatment. Members asked about the compulsive gambling allocation and whether the amount is set by statute. A lengthy presentation followed from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on criminal justice data connectivity and reentry. Adam Anderson explained that North Dakota’s jail, court, HHS, and correctional systems use multiple separate databases that do not communicate in real time, requiring manual cross-checks and staff communication. He said the department is exploring a centralized hub or other integration approach, but noted challenges with identifiers, vendor contracts, confidentiality, and cost. Robin Schmolenberger then updated the committee on a Medicaid data-sharing project with HHS, saying monthly application assistance is now occurring in correctional facilities and that automated bi-directional data exchange is expected in late 2026 to help suspend and reactivate Medicaid coverage and identify former foster care youth. Members also discussed parole, probation, transitional housing, and the need for better real-time notifications and clearer data definitions. The committee also received an update from county representatives on the 24/7 sobriety program, including a recent attorney general opinion that if a court waives 24/7 fees, sheriffs may use the cheaper twice-daily breath test or urine testing instead of SCRAM bracelets or drug patches. Finally, Bruce Johnson of the Racing Commission presented on an audit report, acknowledging serious findings involving overspending from the promotion fund, grant documentation failures, a breeders fund eligibility reversal, and repeated procurement violations. He said the commission has already changed its procedures by tracking fund limits monthly, requiring grant applications and itemized reports, enforcing breeders fund rules as written, and routing purchases through procurement with written contracts. The committee asked follow-up questions throughout but took no formal votes on these presentations.