Transcript Highlights:

• We're an IT committee, and we're not very skilled either, but that's good. All right.
• For the manual inefficient processes, many of their primary tasks are very labor-intensive and error-prone

Committee: Joint Information Technology Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're an IT committee, and we're not very skilled either, but that's good. All right.
• For manual, inefficient processes, many of their primary tasks are very labor-intensive and error-prone

Committee: Joint Information Technology Committee

Summary: The committee received a series of informational reports from NDIT and DPI on major IT projects, cybersecurity, and the K-12 student information system transition. Justin Data reviewed the quarterly major project portfolio, noting 111 projects totaling about $542.8 million, generally under budget and slightly behind schedule overall. He highlighted three schedule-red projects: Bed Management System and Vital Records, both now complete and being closed out, and the Roadway Capital Planning Project, which is delayed due to vendor bug fixes after user testing. He also summarized new project startups, including the Attorney General’s Victim Notification System, HHS Medicaid correctional facilities data exchange, Highway Patrol’s motor carrier e-permit system, and additional RIMS work, and answered questions about project timing, funding, and whether work had begun on legislatively funded IT projects. Chris Gurgan, NDIT’s chief information security officer, reported on mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting under HB 1314. He said 77 incidents have been reported since August 2021, with 47 meeting the statutory definition of a cybersecurity incident; phishing remains the most common type, followed by email quarantine alerts, XDR detections, and malware. He emphasized that most incidents are resolved, but that timely reporting is critical for any chance of recovering funds in business email compromise or ransomware cases. He also described several notable incidents since the last report, including the PowerSchool breach, a SimpleHelp intrusion at a school district, a court intrusion, a WSUS vulnerability, a business email compromise at a K-12 district, and a recent ransomware report involving a non-state critical infrastructure entity. Members asked about smishing, MFA, conditional access, security awareness training, and recovery of lost funds; Gurgan said state systems use phishing-resistant MFA and conditional access, training is provided to state employees and offered to political subdivisions on an opt-in basis, and broader cybersecurity maturity assessments are underway. Craig Falkley gave brief reports on coordination with political subdivisions and higher education, including shared networking, cybersecurity, radio/911, PeopleSoft, and co-location services. He also explained distributed ledger technology as a tool for decentralized, secure data sharing, but said the state has limited use for it and would likely frame future reporting more broadly around emerging technologies. The committee then heard from Tony Ambrose of DPI on the statewide Infinite Campus implementation. He said district implementations are underway, but the project had to terminate its original data migration vendor for poor performance and replace it with Aurora Educational Technology, which had experience with a similar North Carolina migration. He also said DPI is moving special education data from Tynet into Infinite Campus, is still working through how to preserve e-transcripts and Choice Ready-type functionality after the PowerSchool transition, and is developing identity, authentication, and data-sharing arrangements for the summer cutover. Members raised concerns about procurement timing, summer school disruption, and whether some functions would be ready by July 1.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're an IT committee, and we're not very skilled either, but that's good. All right.
• For the manual inefficient processes, many of their primary tasks are very labor-intensive and error-prone

Summary: The committee received several informational reports from NDIT and DPI. Justin Data reviewed the quarterly major IT project portfolio, noting the portfolio was slightly under budget and behind schedule overall, with three red schedule items: Bed Management System and Vital Records were essentially complete and being closed out, and the Roadway Capital Planning Project was delayed by vendor bug fixes after testing. He also summarized recent project startups and closeouts, including the Victim Notification System, Medicaid data exchange, Highway Patrol’s motor carrier permit system, and several completed HHS and RIMS projects. Members asked for follow-up on ADA compliance work, the public-facing RIO website, and the state’s mainframe retirement timeline, and staff agreed to provide updates later. Craig Falkley reported on coordination of services with political subdivisions and higher education, including StageNet, cybersecurity, radio/911 services, and PeopleSoft coordination. He also explained distributed ledger technology as a tool for transparency and fraud prevention, but said it is not widely used in state government and suggested the report be modernized to focus more broadly on emerging technologies such as AI and cybersecurity. The committee generally agreed that the topic should be updated. Chris Gurgan presented the mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting program created by HB 1314, explaining how agencies and political subdivisions report incidents through NDIT’s website or service desk. He said 77 incidents had been reported since 2021, 47 met the statutory definition, and most were phishing-related; most reported incidents were resolved, with one recent ransomware matter still open. He also reviewed notable incidents since the last report, including the PowerSchool compromise, a SimpleHelp intrusion at a school district, a court intrusion, a WSUS vulnerability, a business email compromise, and a recent ransomware incident involving a non-state critical infrastructure entity. Members asked about recovery of stolen funds, early warning signs, smishing, training, MFA, conditional access, and cybersecurity maturity assessments; Gurgan said the state uses MFA and conditional access, provides awareness training to state employees, and would return with more information on maturity assessments. Tony Ambrose then updated the committee on the K-12 student information system bridge project. He said district implementation of Infinite Campus had begun statewide, but the data migration vendor originally selected was terminated for poor performance and replaced by Aurora Educational Technology, which had experience with similar statewide migrations. He also said DPI is migrating special education data from Tynet into Infinite Campus, and that some SLDS-based tools such as e-transcripts and Choice Ready may not function exactly as they do now at July 1, requiring interim or alternative solutions. Members raised concerns about summer school disruptions, the timing of the cutover, and whether the new system would support existing reporting and transcript functions; DPI said it was working on identity, authentication, data-sharing agreements, and post-go-live integrations, and would continue to refine the plan beyond June 30.

Transcript Highlights:

• He studied the Florida Legislature in the emotional and social labor we do as members, how we carry home
• The program provides contestants with the platform to develop confidence, leadership skills, and community

Summary: The Florida Senate convened with a quorum, heard an opening prayer and pledge, and included a series of member introductions recognizing guests, interns, firefighters, a doctor of the day, and a resolution honoring Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza for winning the Heisman Trophy. The chamber then moved to special order business, with several bills temporarily postponed before taking up a series of measures on health care, public records, cybersecurity, court clerks, trademarks, septic permits, and elections. The first major bill, CS/HB 355 on health care patient protection, would require hospitals with emergency departments to adopt evidence-based pediatric emergency care policies, train staff, designate a pediatric emergency care coordinator, complete the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment, and have AHCA publish scores and adopt minimum standards. Senator Harrell said the bill was intended to ensure emergency rooms are prepared for children, and it passed 36-0. The Senate also passed CS/HB 1113 on public records, which protects victim identities and temporarily exempts the name of a law enforcement officer who is a victim from disclosure, after questions about access for victims of police misconduct; it passed 33-4. The chamber then approved CS/HB 1085 on local government cybersecurity, after adopting an amendment and an amendment to the amendment that kept the program within Florida Digital Service and extended the grant-award timeline; Harrell said it would help local governments defend against ransomware and hacking, and it passed 37-0. CS/HB 925 on clerks of court passed 38-0 after amendments that let clerks retain more excess revenue and adjusted related fee distributions, though Leader Berman warned it would shift revenue away from municipalities and law enforcement. CS/HB 679 on trademark registration and CS/HB 589 on septic system permits also passed unanimously after technical amendments, with the septic bill intended to reduce permit delays and clarify liability if construction begins before a permit is issued. The most extensive debate came on the elections bill, CS/HB 991, which incorporated citizenship verification using Real ID data, changed candidate-qualifying rules, altered acceptable voter IDs, and added other election-related provisions. Multiple amendments were offered and rejected, including proposals to preserve student and senior IDs for voting, exempt some seniors from citizenship-document requirements, rely on human review rather than automated systems, and delay implementation. Supporters argued the bill would improve election integrity and address non-citizen registration and voting, citing state reports and examples of prosecutions; opponents argued it would disenfranchise eligible voters, especially students and seniors, and create barriers based on access to documents. The amendment package was adopted, and debate on the underlying bill continued with questions about federal law, documentation, and whether voters could still participate if state verification failed.

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:04:17.759><c> that,</c><00:04:18.199><c> Craig</c><00:04:19.199><c> Labour</c><00:04:20.000><c> labor
• discharged to an appropriate setting quickly, whether that's back home with supports and services, to a skilled

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• represent their past and a collaborative future together in policies ranging from agriculture and labor

Summary: The Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee began without quorum and initially heard several bills as a subcommittee. AB 277 by Assemblymember Alanis would require background checks for unlicensed employees providing behavioral health treatment; the author and CalABA said it would protect children and people with disabilities, and the bill drew no opposition. AB 1382 by Assemblymember Castillo would prohibit the sale of genetically modified animals altered for cosmetic purposes, while exempting glowfish after amendments; supporters framed it as an animal welfare and pet overpopulation measure, and there was no opposition after the amendments. ACR 173 by Assemblymember Carrillo would formalize a sister-state relationship between California and Jalisco, Mexico; the author emphasized cultural and economic ties and binational cooperation, though one senator objected to language referencing recent mass deportations and said he would abstain rather than support it as written. After quorum was established, the committee took up consent items AB 2085, AB 1733, ACR 129, ACR 164, and ACR 166, which passed 6-0. AB 277 was then approved 6-0 and sent to the Senate Public Safety Committee. AB 1382 passed 6-0 and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. ACR 173 was adopted 4-0, and the committee granted reconsideration so the author could potentially address the concern raised about the immigration-related language.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I would say that the labor concerns were, for our side, much more salient than what we heard from

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: Legislative leaders from the Washington Senate and House reflected on the end of the 60-day session, saying they were relieved to adjourn on time despite last-minute negotiations and a fire alarm evacuation. They described the session’s main goals as protecting Washington from federal actions and improving affordability, and said they made progress on both fronts. Among the measures highlighted were bills related to masking for law enforcement, election data security, joining the West Coast Health Collaborative, using science in vaccine and health-care recommendations, protecting immigrant rights, prohibiting impersonation of law enforcement, setting uniform standards for law enforcement, and the Flock camera bill. They also emphasized affordability and budget actions, including the “millionaires tax,” which they said would help fund tax relief on items such as diapers, over-the-counter medicines, and hygiene products, along with free school lunches and an expanded senior and disabled property tax credit. Leaders said all three budgets were completed, and credited unusually strong collaboration among House, Senate, and governor’s staff for getting the operating, transportation, and capital budgets across the finish line. They also noted a bill expanding energy assistance for low-income residents. In response to questions, leaders said the data center tax break bill fell short because it lacked votes in Ways and Means, with labor concerns and the pace of regulation cited as major issues. They said the Mosquito Fleet bill did not advance because the House and Senate could not reconcile differences in time. Looking ahead, they said juvenile rehabilitation, jobs in response to federal tariffs, data center regulation, education funding, health-care access and hospital support, charity care, public defense funding, and AI regulation are likely to be priorities next session. They also said their relationship with the governor improved significantly this year because of more regular communication and alignment.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I would say that the labor concerns were, for our side, much more salient than what we heard from

Summary: Legislative leaders from the Senate and House gave a session wrap-up focused on the major priorities they said were accomplished in the 60-day session: protecting Washington from federal actions, improving affordability, and passing the state budgets on time. They highlighted bills on masking for law enforcement, election data security, joining the West Coast Health Collaborative, using science in vaccine and health-care decisions, protecting immigrant rights, prohibiting impersonation of law enforcement, setting uniform standards for law enforcement, and a Flock camera bill. On affordability, they pointed to the “millionaires tax” package, which they said will eliminate sales tax on certain hygiene products, over-the-counter medicines, and diapers, expand school meals, and help fund investments in state services. They also cited a larger senior and disabled property tax credit and energy assistance for low-income residents. The leaders said the House and Senate budget teams worked closely together, especially after the final revenue forecast, to complete the operating, capital, and transportation budgets despite concerns about the state’s fiscal outlook. They described the governor’s relationship with legislative leaders as stronger this year, with more regular communication and coordination. They also noted that some bills did not make it through, including the Mosquito Fleet bill, which stalled because the House and Senate could not agree on changes, and a data center tax break bill, which did not have enough votes in Ways and Means and drew significant concern from labor and construction trades about job impacts. Looking ahead, they said juvenile rehabilitation, public defense funding, data center regulation, education funding, health-care access, and a possible jobs package will likely be priorities next session. They also said the new AI bill provides a starting point for future regulation. No formal votes were taken in the exchange itself; the discussion was a press availability summarizing session outcomes and unfinished business.

Transcript Highlights:

• we've all heard, you know, all the things that happened in terms of delaying some of these projects, labor

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I just went to the CPI inflation calculator on the Bureau of Labor and Standards website.

Committee: House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

Summary: The Committee on Local Government met in executive session and voted on three bills. House Bill 1906, at the sponsor’s request, was first approved do pass and then approved do pass by consent, both by 16-0 votes. House Bill 3003 was described as a bill worked on with the building trades and was approved do pass by a 15-1 vote. House Bill 2898, referred to as the “Lamb Bank” bill and noted as having previously passed the House before being struck down on a procedural issue, was approved do pass by a 16-1 vote. The committee then held a public hearing on House Bill 2096, sponsored by Representative Farnan, which would increase state matching-fund caps for Missouri regional planning commissions and update the list of eligible commissions. Farnan said the bill would raise the larger commissions’ cap from $65,000 to $130,000 and the smaller commissions’ cap from $25,000 to $50,000, subject to appropriations, and that the funds are matching dollars tied to local contributions. Members asked about the source of local funds, the CPI indexing language, and whether the bill could be amended to protect against reductions if CPI is flat or negative. Testimony in support came from Jeremy Tans of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission and immediate past president of MAKOG, who said the cap has not changed for years and the commissions provide coordination for infrastructure, transportation, broadband, and economic development across jurisdictions. Laura Holloway of the Missouri Municipal League also supported the bill, saying municipalities work closely with the commissions. No opposition testimony was offered, and the hearing on House Bill 2096 was closed before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1347, referred to the Committee on Labor and Commerce. Senator Riccelli.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• hopefully we can keep sticking to them over the next five years and start seeing the fruits of our labor

Summary: The committee heard a final wrap-up presentation from Director So Lee on the Legislative Finance Committee’s budget framework for the upcoming session. He said the state remains in a strong fiscal position, though revenue estimates are lower than earlier projections and available nonrecurring funds have declined by more than $1 billion from the prior session. He emphasized that the recommendation still preserves reserves above 30 percent and supports targeted investments in the committee’s three priorities: increasing per capita earned income through education and workforce development, improving access to high-quality health care and behavioral health, and enhancing quality of life through infrastructure, water, parks, trails, and other community amenities. Director Lee highlighted several major funding areas, including a proposed expansion of the UNM medical education program, water projects, capital outlay for state agency assets, and use of a mix of severance tax bonds, general obligation bonds, and cash for capital needs. He also noted continued pressure from health insurance, liability, and compensation costs, and said the committee would keep using pilot programs for new initiatives. Members broadly praised the staff, interim travel, and budget analysis work. During member comments, Senator Woods focused on school funding stability, liability costs, and fraud or waste in state agencies, arguing the state should take more claims to court to establish precedent and better protect taxpayers. Other members thanked staff and leadership for their work and collaboration. The committee then adopted the catch-up cleanup items and the overall LFC budget framework, with Senator Woods recorded in opposition, and created a technical committee with members from both chambers to resolve any final technical issues before the January session.

Transcript Highlights:

• employees, um, and all of our facilities are Fairtrade certified, indicating our, you know, the highest in labor

Committee: House S/C on International Relations

Transcript Highlights:

• populations crash, as they are with neonic use, the alternative is hand pollination, which is extremely labor
• It preserves their soil health, protects the free labors that the pollinators provide.
• It preserves their soil health, protects the free labors that the pollinators provide.
• 04:07:45.040><c> protects</c><04:07:45.359><c> the</c><04:07:45.600><c> free</c><04:07:45.760><c> labors
• </c><04:07:46.239><c> that</c> health, protects the free labors that health, protects the free labors

Committee: House Environment and Agriculture

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Factors like cost of materials, labor, stringent building codes, and market competition make development
• Factors contributing to the large cost of construction include labor shortages in the market.
• Factors contributing to the large cost of construction to build include labor shortages in the market

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Revenue

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a public hearing on a series of bills focused largely on local-option real estate transfer fees and housing funding tools for communities facing severe affordability pressures. Testimony strongly favored bills for Somerville, Concord, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Chatham, and a statewide local-option transfer fee, with speakers arguing that high-end real estate transactions should help fund affordable housing, anti-displacement efforts, workforce housing, and related capital improvements. Elected officials and local housing leaders described rising rents and home prices, investor activity, shrinking year-round housing stock, and difficulty recruiting or retaining teachers, police, health care workers, and other essential employees. Several witnesses emphasized that the proposals would be optional for municipalities, could include exemptions for first-time homebuyers or seniors, and would direct revenue into local affordable housing trust funds or housing banks. Committee members asked questions about who would pay the fee and whether it could make housing less affordable, and supporters responded that the fees would be targeted at higher-value transactions and designed with local flexibility. For Somerville, the delegation and Mayor Katjana Ballantyne backed both a local home rule petition and statewide enabling legislation, saying the city has already used zoning reform, inclusionary zoning, and local housing funds but still needs a new revenue source to address displacement and investor-driven purchases. For Concord, Representative Carmine Gentile and Concord housing advocates supported a home rule petition and the statewide bill, arguing that a modest fee on sales above $1 million could generate predictable revenue for affordable housing production and preservation. One committee exchange focused on whether the fee would affect most Concord sales and whether it would be passed on to buyers; supporters said the policy was intended to shift costs toward higher-value properties and help leverage other funding sources. The committee also heard testimony on House 4105, which would redirect a casino-related revenue stream to the Healthy Incentives Program. Farmers, advocates, and residents said the current funding was originally intended to support horse racing but has not met that goal, and that the money would be better used to support Massachusetts farmers and food-insecure residents through HIP. In a separate bill, Senator Becca Rausch testified in support of Senate 268, which would create a state-level hostile learning environment complaint process for higher education institutions and potentially strip tax exemptions from colleges or universities found to have such environments; she cited anti-Semitic and transphobic incidents on campuses and argued that existing federal protections should be mirrored in state law. The hearing also included testimony on college tuition debt reduction legislation from Senator Michael Moore, who said the bill would allow a deduction for tuition and fees paid to Massachusetts public colleges and universities to ease student debt and support the state’s workforce. A major portion of the hearing focused on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket housing bank proposals. Hospital, school, housing, planning, and municipal officials from Martha’s Vineyard said the island’s year-round housing shortage is harming health care, schools, and the local workforce, and urged approval of a housing bank funded by a local-option transfer fee. Nantucket witnesses made similar arguments, pointing to a very high median home price, a large seasonal housing stock, and the need for a dedicated revenue stream to preserve and create year-round housing. Supporters repeatedly cited the long-running success of the islands’ land banks as evidence that transfer fees can work without harming real estate markets. Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Thomas Moakley Luddy also backed the Cape and Islands transfer-fee bills, saying the region needs bold action and a sustainable local funding source to address its housing crisis.

Transcript Highlights:

• Labor of love, Senator Alston, been here...
• Labor of love, Senator Alston, been here and heard your pleas and your desires and how you advocated
• Labor of love, Senator Alston, been here and heard your pleas and your desires and how you advocated

Bills: SB1014 , SB1094 , SB1146 , SB1177 , SB1192 , SB1194 , SB1214 , SB1372 , SB1390 , SB1398 , SB1399 , SB1494 , SB1557 , SB1561 , SB1564 , SB1602 , SB1603 , SB1621 , SB1628 , SB1629 , SB1713 , SB1752 , SB1776 , SB1813 , SB1814 , SB1821

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: gender transition, gender detransition, health insurance, medical procedures, insurance claims, official documents, Arizona law, gender reassignment, civil liability, minors, medical consent, detransition, dependent children, foster care, periodic review, court hearings, child welfare, public funds, prohibition, Arizona legislation

Transcript Highlights:

• Does the tax exemption apply solely to the construction phase, or does it expand to the materials and labor
• Does the tax exemption apply solely to the construction phase, or does it expand to the materials and labor
• Labor is separate.

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The PPI increase that's set out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is around 11%, and we're just asking

Committee: All CODE REVISION COMMISSION

Summary: The commission first approved the prior meeting minutes and then adopted the annual authorization for expense reimbursement for commissioners performing official duties under Arkansas Code 25-16-902. Members noted that legislative commissioners would not receive reimbursement for the meeting day if they were already in session and receiving legislative per diem. The commission then heard a LexisNexis proposal for pricing increases and replacement volumes for Arkansas Code publications. LexisNexis said the proposed increase was about 7 percent, citing higher costs and the producer price index, and recommended replacing three volumes in 2026 and four in 2027 based on supplement size and the age of the volumes. Members asked about public pricing, the basis for selecting replacement volumes, and whether a statewide contract for judicial legal research services might be possible; LexisNexis said it would connect the senator with its sales team. The commission approved the pricing and replacement volume proposal. Staff also provided an update on the codification project for state treasury funds. The project will move duplicative fund-creation language into Title 19 only, repeal duplicate provisions elsewhere in the code, and be presented later as a technical corrections bill. Members discussed whether any funds appeared obsolete and whether future legislation could eliminate unused funds, and staff said DFA maintains a list of obsolete funds that could be included in future cleanup work. The chair said the commission would likely meet again in the fall to consider technical corrections, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have many workers out there representing the voice of labor in Arizona, the Arizona AFL-CIO, and they

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Voss: I just went to the CPI inflation calculator on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: 959, house, all