Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:37:19.840><c> we</c> budget and um in Medicaid schools we budget and um in Medicaid schools we
• </c><01:39:19.199><c> districts</c> how does the school districts how does the school districts um<01
• town that has multiple schools, be multiple schools.
• It can be like Manchester, for example, versus another town may only have one school or two schools,
• </c> have one school or two schools so have one school or two schools so they're<03:18:15.319><c> all

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Division Three work session on February 21, 2025 focused on the Division of Medicaid Services budget. The chair opened with procedural guidance, noting the division’s role is to make recommendations to the full Finance Committee, that the budget must be balanced, and that members should track possible amendments ahead of a March 26 target for House Bills 1 and 2. Members also discussed the importance of using official budget documents and online resources, and the chair said no motions would be taken at this session. A major early topic was concern over a five-point Medicaid policy document and the timing of House Bill 2. Representative Tarki objected that the document appeared to be an unofficial draft and argued that significant Medicaid policy changes should have been transmitted by February 15 under state law. He said the lack of an official, posted document raised transparency concerns because the changes could affect tens of thousands of residents. Committee leadership responded that the five-point document was a working document, that it would be posted online within minutes, and that House Bill 2 is often delayed while the Office of Legislative Services finalizes and formats the governor’s proposed trailer bill. DHHS Chief Financial Officer Nathan White and Medicaid Director Henry Litman then began the budget presentation. White said the committee would use the PowerPoint as the document of record, starting with the governor’s operating budget pages 885-893, and noted that Medicaid is the largest accounting area in the state budget. He said the governor’s budget reflects about $60 million in reductions within the Medicaid area, with Granite Advantage handled off-budget and another $10 million in reductions there, for roughly a $70 million difference overall. Members asked whether the comparison was being made against an efficiency budget or a prioritized-needs budget, and White said the department could look at it different ways. The presentation then outlined Medicaid’s role in New Hampshire: it provides health coverage, serves as the state’s direct interface with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and helps finance related services such as long-term supports, school-based services, adult dental coverage, and re-entry programs for people leaving correctional settings. White also reviewed enrollment and program context, saying New Hampshire has about one in seven residents enrolled in Medicaid, making it the fourth smallest Medicaid program in the country by enrollment, and described recent efforts such as youth re-entry and the Medicaid unwind after the end of the federal continuous coverage period. He said the state had to process more than 238,000 redeterminations after the public health emergency and that the department tried to avoid unnecessary coverage loss during that transition.

Transcript Highlights:

• Of course, my school had testified in the last week.
• And not only is it being provided to these high school cases.
• Last year, there were over 83 school shootings and 486 mass shootings.
• Better than we'll be in the school.
• It's a program that allows to pick a school year school model. ...to take both here slow model and break

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing covered a wide range of Judiciary Committee bills, with much of the testimony focused on criminal justice, public safety, and civil asset forfeiture reform. Several lawmakers and advocates supported bills to increase penalties or create new offenses related to assaults on sports officials, assaults on transit workers, reckless discharge of firearms, fires and explosives, pill press machines, and drug-induced homicide. Testifiers described rising harassment and violence against youth sports officials and transit workers, as well as the fentanyl overdose crisis and the need for stronger tools to prosecute dealers whose conduct leads to death. Supporters of the sports-official and transit-worker bills emphasized declining referee availability and repeated assaults on commuter rail and MBTA workers. District attorneys also backed bills on reckless firearm discharge and fires/explosives, saying current law does not adequately address dangerous conduct that endangers bystanders. The committee also heard testimony on several proposals related to youth diversion and prison mitigation. Supporters of the youth court justice fund bill said youth courts are peer-led diversion programs with strong compliance and low recidivism, and argued for a stable funding source rather than annual earmarks. A representative from Bridgewater supported a prison mitigation fund for municipalities that host state prisons, saying the costs of public safety and emergency services are not fully covered. On gun policy, testimony split between supporters of a bill to ban in-state manufacture of assault-style rifles for civilian sale and opponents or skeptics of other firearm-related measures, including a bill on collateralizing firearms and a bill to increase penalties for drug trafficking combined with illegal firearm offenses. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to civil asset forfeiture reform. Advocates from the ACLU, CPCS, the Boston Bar Association, the Institute for Justice, and others supported bills to increase the burden of proof, improve transparency and reporting, require counsel, and limit or eliminate the current practice of directing forfeiture proceeds to law enforcement. They argued the current system creates perverse incentives, lacks adequate due process, and is insufficiently transparent. District Attorney Paul Tucker defended current forfeiture practices, saying his office has reporting and oversight, uses the funds for investigations and community programs, and warned that reducing forfeiture revenue would hinder crime fighting. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing; the chairs repeatedly thanked witnesses and indicated the bills would remain under consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• schools,... million young people statewide.
• Each community school has a community coordinator or county coordinator that helps connect schools and
• Each community school has a community coordinator or county coordinator that helps connect schools and
• That is not a school problem.
• That is not a school problem.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a technical trade school graduate, not a college graduate.
• I am a technical trade school graduate, not a college graduate.
• ,</c> the first credit union in a high school, the first credit union in a high school, I<00:10:26.360
• Um, so, I'd like to perhaps set up tables at UH Law School.
• </c> UH UH Law School. UH UH Law School.

Committee: Senate Labor and Technology

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard and acted on several gubernatorial nominations to the Hawaii Workforce Development Council and one nomination to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board. For GM 779, Mark Fong Su Wat said he would bring his experience as an electrician and labor community member to workforce development, and he committed to serving if confirmed. Testimony was unanimously supportive, with 10 in support and none opposed, and the committee voted to recommend advise and consent; the recommendation was adopted. For GM 792, Sheryl Cross sought a second term on the Workforce Development Council and described her work on employer engagement, military veteran affairs, and military spouse employment. In response to questions, she emphasized the need to better connect military spouses, underrepresented workers, and students pursuing trades or non-college pathways to jobs, including through school academies and online hiring initiatives. The item was held for later decision-making. For GM 793, Ashley Lohua, also nominated to the Workforce Development Council, said her focus would be helping people stay in Hawaii by improving job retention, listening to community concerns, and building pathways between sectors. Support testimony highlighted her work with marginalized communities and her empathy and leadership. She told the committee she would use her nonprofit and HR experience to help address vacancies and workforce barriers; the item was also held for later decision-making. For GM 774, Douglas Thomas Moore, nominated to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board, said his first priority would be reducing the backlog. He proposed using informal conferences and mediation to speed workers’ compensation appeals and suggested recruiting more practitioners, especially younger ones, into the field. The committee noted 11 supportive testimonies and no opposition; no vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• For many of them, school is not simply a place to learn letters and numbers.
• school in Stockton.
• Increasing school funding directly supports our students.
• My name is Peter Perez and I'm a CTA member and a high school math teacher at a highly diverse high school
• Increasing school funding directly supports our students.

Summary: The joint informational hearing examined California’s taxation of multinational corporations, especially the state’s water’s-edge election versus worldwide combined reporting. The LAO and Franchise Tax Board explained the basic mechanics of unitary taxation, apportionment, and how water’s-edge generally excludes most foreign subsidiaries while worldwide reporting includes the full unitary group. FTB officials said water’s-edge filers are a small share of corporate filers but account for a large share of tax liability, and they described filing trends, industry mix, and the administrative steps needed to administer either system. Members and witnesses debated the policy trade-offs. Supporters of moving away from water’s-edge argued that it enables profit shifting, especially for large multinational and IP-heavy firms, and that eliminating it could raise significant revenue and improve fairness for smaller domestic businesses. They cited estimates of billions in potential revenue and said California already has the audit and reporting infrastructure to handle worldwide reporting, though some transition time would be needed. Opponents argued that worldwide reporting would tax foreign activity unrelated to California, create double taxation, increase compliance burdens and litigation, and could be difficult for foreign-based multinationals to document. They also warned that some of the revenue estimates are highly uncertain because foreign affiliate income is not directly observable. Committee members asked about foreign government pushback, the risk of companies leaving California, the effect on intellectual property shifting, and whether federal or Supreme Court action could block a change. Witnesses generally said major firms would be unlikely to leave because California taxes sales rather than physical presence, but some costs could be passed on to consumers. The panel also discussed alternatives such as conforming to federal international tax rules like NCTI/GILTI and adding anti-abuse rules. No vote or bill action was taken; the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• Their school could be included as well. Include their school could be included as well.
• Again, this only affects public schools, not private, religious, or homeschools.
• Again, this only affects public schools, not private, religious, or homeschools.
• Again, this only affects public schools, not private, religious, or homeschools.
• Again, this only affects public schools, not private, religious, or homeschools.

Committee: House Emerging Issues

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Home games were not held at Lincoln High School.
• Egan High School. Apply now at www.Fl diffusion.com Thank you, members. Happy Monday, everybody.
• In California, our very own Kern High School.
• After high school, the vast majority of them ending up in trade schools or community college and careers
• He earned his law degree from UC Davis School of Law in 1980.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now more than ever, we need to teach this history in our schools.
• It was an internment camp we never learned about in school.
• We never learned about it in school.
• And so I stand before you as a former school board trustee representing the Poway Unified School District
• She was the go-to babysitter at their church and volunteered at Vacation Bible School.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . schools. schools.
• </c> changes it from schools to locals. changes it from schools to locals.
• </c> from not letting them go to school. from not letting them go to school.
• These are our local schools. These are our neighborhood schools.
• </c> our neighborhood schools. our neighborhood schools.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• School districts are really struggling right now.
• </c><00:44:38.440><c> districts</c> revenues so that our school districts revenues so that our school
• shift below that. 88020 our school districts do usually 88020 our school districts do usually have<01
• </c><01:04:08.799><c> please</c><01:04:09.039><c> vote</c> back our schools please vote back our schools
• </c><01:21:15.480><c> districts</c> ...cities, counties, and school districts pick up the slack.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And I was proud of the work that we did establishing the School Trust Fund Commission, which is there
• He's a junior in high school, right? At St. Thomas Academy.
• And finally, one day, I sat down and said, "When you go back to school, do you ever talk about what's
• with because of my that I go to school with because of my experience<00:11:39.280><c> here."
• The other part that I remember is riding on the school bus coming down here with my sixth grade class

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• HCR 2040, as passed by the Senate, refers a measure to the voters that prohibits a school district from
• It prohibits school district employees from distributing written, printed, or digital communications
• It states that a school district employee has the right to negotiate their own terms and conditions of
• It prohibits school district employees from distributing written, printed, or digital communications
• It states that a school district employee has the right to negotiate their own terms and conditions of

Summary: The committee heard presentations on two Senate-passed HCRs that would refer constitutional amendments to voters. HCR 2040 would bar school districts from using public money or resources to support labor organizations, including payroll deductions for dues, use of internal communication systems for recruiting or political materials, and distribution of labor-related communications using public resources; it also would prohibit the state and political subdivisions from entering exclusive representation or collective bargaining agreements with labor organizations. The sponsor indicated an intent to concur with the Senate amendment, and the measure was left open for questions. HCR 2048 would amend the Arizona Constitution to prevent the state from confiscating money from scholarship accounts belonging to children of military families, and would void any later law or voter-approved measure after November 1, 2026, that violates that protection. Members asked how the proposal would work if a student moved out of state or no longer met scholarship eligibility requirements, and staff explained that funds could still be reclaimed if the student no longer qualified under the program. Questions also focused on the measure’s language making any conflicting future bill or initiative null and void, with staff explaining that courts would still apply severability principles in litigation. The discussion became sharply political, with one member criticizing the measure as a pretext to protect ESA voucher funds and another questioning whether the military-family framing raised DEI concerns. Another member argued the majority was using military families to shield fraudulent ESA spending and said voters wanted action on the issue. No votes were taken in the excerpt, and the chair ultimately closed the discussion after questions and comments.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what happened is the charter schools, which were added several years ago, Right.
• So since the charter schools belong to the St.
• And so they added two additional members, which were charter school groups.
• Louis Public School Retirement System. Thank you all for your Registered lobbyist for the St.
• Louis Public School Retirement System. Thank you all for your questions. We will get answers.

Committee: House Pensions

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She's a junior at McClintock High School, Legislative District 8.
• HB 2380, school districts, for meeting expenditures. Education.
• HB 409, school safety, school procedures, criminal classification, education.
• HB 4440, CPR of school personnel. SB 4044, school safety priority fund.
• HB. 44-4-CPR of school personnel. S34044 school safety priority fund. H.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• People come in and say, my child was transitioned socially without my knowledge at a school or clinic
• People come in and say, my child was transitioned socially without my knowledge at a school or clinic
• You know, let me just give a quick example: as a high school teacher, kids come in in sweatpants and
• You know, I went by Moe in high school. Would that be difficult?
• But then we're going to open up schools to having to defend, and school districts having to defend, a

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the Miami Inspiration School.
• It sat vacant for 20-plus years, just like the Hill Street School.
• The Miami Inspiration School sat vacant for 20-plus years, just like the Hill Street School.
• But this is a picture from 100 years ago of the Inspiration School.
• the school district into production.

Bills: HB2388 , HB2804 , HB2926

Committee: House Rural Economic Development

Keywords: HB2388, Arizona Commerce Authority, ACA, small modular reactor, SMR, nuclear energy, advanced nuclear, data center, data centers, economic development, study, appropriation, general fund, jobs, wages, tax revenue, broadband, infrastructure, secondary businesses, tertiary businesses

Transcript Highlights:

• She complained to her school, but nothing was changed.
• Another, Cassie Carile in Maine, was forced to share a locker room with a male in middle school.
• </c> her middle school locker room. her middle school locker room.
• ,</c><00:15:42.240><c> but</c> She complained to her school, but She complained to her school, but nothing
• . school. school.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He was a junior in the Florida K-12 virtual school program.
• He was a junior in the Florida K-12 virtual school program.
• I have kids in school. But even so, this law ended up creating an unfair situation.
• This helps prevent school shootings. Is it the only thing to help prevent school shootings?
• I was the school board member. We were there. Like Christine was the mayor there.

Summary: The committee first took up HB 133, which would lower the minimum age to purchase a long gun from 21 to 18. The sponsor and supporters argued the bill restores the rights of adults 18 and older, emphasizing constitutional rights, military service, voting, jury duty, and parental responsibility. Opponents, including gun violence prevention advocates and several members, cited Parkland and the recent FSU shooting, argued that people under 21 are still developing and more impulsive, and said the current law helps protect public safety. After extensive debate and public testimony on both sides, the committee voted 11-5 to report HB 133 favorably. The committee then considered PCS for HB 35, which adds driving without a valid license to the offenses that can lead to habitual traffic offender designation and is named Isaiah’s Law in memory of a child killed by an unlicensed driver. Supporters said it addresses repeat dangerous conduct and should help prevent similar tragedies. One member questioned whether it was a knee-jerk response, while others said it was a reasonable accountability measure. The PCS passed unanimously, 16-0, and was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard HB 245, which updates Florida law to use more accurate terminology for child sexual abuse material rather than “child pornography,” and includes related technical corrections. The sponsor said the change better reflects the seriousness of the crime and asked whether the bill also covered AI-generated material; the sponsor said the statute already addresses such references. After a technical amendment was adopted, the bill passed unanimously, 16-0, and was reported favorably. The chair also reminded members to maintain respect toward public witnesses and each other before adjourning the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• YOU BRIEFLY MENTION SOMETHING ABOUT HARDENING SCHOOLS AND MITIGATING SCHOOLS.
• SO WE GET $3 MILLION A YEAR TO HELP SCHOOLS WHO HAVE A SHELTERED DEFICIT.
• IF YOU HAVE A SPECIAL NEEDS SHELTER IN THE SCHOOL IS DESIGNATED IN IT THAT IT TAKES LONGER TO GET IT
• POSSIBLE. 98 PERCENT I THINK, A PORTION OF OUR STATE SHELTERING IS SCHOOLS.
• IF WE ARE GOING TO GET KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL THEN WHAT WE DO WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED THE SHELTER.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• districts, charter schools, and county offices of education through the LCFF.
• It codifies the Farm to School Program at the Department of Food and Agriculture.
• Dan Moran on behalf of the California School Boards Association.
• My name is Kat Brackman with the California School Employees Association.
• I'm here on behalf of a consortium coalition of charter school leaders.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review heard the 2026-27 budget package, including AB 111 and AB 112 plus 16 trailer bills and two policy bills. Chair Laird described the budget as balanced over two fiscal years, with about $351.7 billion in total spending, $251.5 billion General Fund, and record reserves, while emphasizing investments in child care, homelessness, housing, Medi-Cal, education, courts, and other core programs. The Department of Finance presented each bill, outlining major items such as Medi-Cal adjustments tied to federal H.R. 1, child care and early learning funding, education and higher education investments, human services, developmental services, health, skilled nursing, resources, energy, transportation, housing, labor, state government, courts, taxation, and two policy bills on education governance and ballot measure placement. The LAO said it had no additional comments but was available for questions. The committee later achieved quorum and moved to member questions and comments, with no votes taken in the portion provided. Members largely focused on the budget’s fiscal structure and policy implications. Several senators praised staff and noted the compressed timeline, while Vice Chair Niello criticized the process as overly complex and burdensome. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas supported the budget but raised concerns about Medi-Cal changes for people with unsatisfactory immigration status, asking about access to care, the number affected, and county eligibility support; Finance said about two million people would transition to fee-for-service and that $39 million was included for care coordination, along with additional county eligibility funding. Senator Durazo said the agreement delayed, but did not resolve, cuts to immigrant health coverage, dental, and clinic payments, and argued that the budget did not create a true restoration mechanism. Senator Richardson highlighted hospital funding, public hospital definitions, DMV data protections, and court construction and maintenance needs, while Senator Grove questioned the sustainability of spending, the Medi-Cal savings assumptions, distressed hospital funding, Planned Parenthood transparency, developmental services changes, high-speed rail costs, and the property tax postponement program. Other members emphasized different priorities. Senator Blake Spear praised climate and parks investments, support for HAP homelessness funding with accountability, transit stabilization, and Care Court referral funding, while expressing concern about the lack of wildlife coexistence funding and long-term transit operating support. Senator Weber Pearson raised a technical concern in the health trailer bill regarding menopause language, arguing that the bill should refer to perimenopausal symptoms and should not narrow provider participation through contracting language. Throughout the hearing, Finance repeatedly explained that many of the budget’s savings came from reduced caseloads or delayed implementation of prior proposals, while some new spending was added to mitigate impacts and support administration of the changes. No final committee action or vote was shown in the excerpt.