Transcript Highlights:

• Now, under election infrastructure and cyber, as you remember, we had a cyberattack to the Secretary
• under federal law, and it is covered under HAVA because it's elections critical infrastructure.
• It was subject to computer fraud and abuse. That is 1030, 20701.
• That's why you started seizing computers and interviewing people and firing people.
• So if you look at the form on the computer screen, you see the demographic information, name, all the

Bills: SB1037, SB1040, SB1259, SB1281

Keywords: elections, voting systems, vote tabulation, election security, internet connectivity, offline voting, chain of custody, polling place equipment, counting center, central counting center, election management system, EMS gateway, tabulation equipment, secretary of state, certification, decertification, HAVA, Help America Vote Act, ballot images, audit logs

Summary: The Committee on Federal and Military Affairs and Elections heard a lengthy presentation on an investigative referral concerning alleged voter registration anomalies in Arizona from March 2023 onward. The chair described examples involving out-of-state residents, deceased registrants, military voters, duplicate or mismatched registrations, and registrations tied to Service Arizona, ACCESS, third-party vendors, and NGOs. Members also discussed alleged mismatches between county recorder data and Secretary of State reports, possible issues with automatic voter registration, and concerns about public records compliance. At the end of the presentation, members were asked whether they wanted to sign onto a criminal referral to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice; several declined, while others agreed, and the committee proceeded after correcting a signature-block issue. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1259, which would allow certain protected individuals to use an alternate mailing address and attest to their residential address on candidate and financial disclosure filings. After questions about residency verification and confidentiality, the bill received a do pass recommendation by a 6-1 vote. Senate Bill 1281, dealing with state land department procedures for covered federal designations and notification of land takings, was heard next; after opposition testimony from the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, it passed 4-3. Senate Bill 1037, concerning election equipment security and internet connectivity, drew substantial debate. A Marquez strike-everything amendment that would have shifted the bill toward voting centers, ERIC participation, early voting changes, and election funding failed on a 4-3 vote. The underlying bill then failed to receive a do pass recommendation on a 3-3-1 vote. Finally, Senate Bill 1040, which would make voter registration rolls publicly accessible online and downloadable, passed 4-3 after questions about what information would remain redacted and concerns about public access to voter data.

Transcript Highlights:

• . provide an example of the critical infrastructure that would have access to the cyber. command, in
• Just one quick follow up on the areas in which. that are considered critical infrastructure.
• , and especially Texas critical infrastructure.
• Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon accessing critical infrastructure. and non-critical infrastructure capabilities
• He was head of all of the... infrastructure for the army and manage the infrastructure for 10 different

Bills: HB150, HB869, HB876, HB 1043, HB1494, HB1522, HB150

Keywords: cybersecurity, state command, information resources, data protection, incident response, information technology, classification officer, job descriptions, state positions, competency-based, information sharing, government efficiency, public sector, private sector, distributed ledger, title registry, real estate, property liens, pilot program, healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• While they'll continue to grow, they will require new facilities, new infrastructure, and they too will
• While they'll to grow, they will require new facilities, new infrastructure, and they too will have to
• It goes without saying that progress and our state's prosperity will require more linear infrastructure
• Microsoft was not always going to be the monopolistic operating system for your computer, but Windows
• The concern with this is there are going to be a compute overbuilt.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I first order of business is House File 1040, Wind and Solar Infrastructure.
• House File 1040, Wind and Solar Infrastructure, is going to be the topic.
• There were no computers, folks. I was around.
• There were no computers, folks. I was around.
• There were no computers, folks. I was around.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll let you get the computer set up, and we'll go from there.
• For line number 34, $10 million for local public safety infrastructure.
• For line number 34, $10 million for local public safety infrastructure.
• This is infrastructure for tourism-related projects.
• But the infrastructure was in place.

Summary: The Department of Public Safety presented its FY27 budget request, emphasizing three priorities: improving community engagement through a redesigned website and outreach, expanding statewide data and intelligence integration through intelligence-led policing, and improving emergency response and officer safety through fleet replacement, a driving track, and a requested helicopter. DPS said much of its increase is driven by rising health care premiums, and it is also seeking special appropriations for fleet replacement, the website rebuild, and an Honor Guard program created after the 2022 helicopter crash that killed four public servants. Members asked about vacancies, fleet costs, cybersecurity compliance, the real-time crime center, EV fleet participation, and the Metro DPS facility. DPS said its vacancy rate is about 9%, its fleet replacement needs are driven by mileage and condition, it is compliant with federal CJIS standards even though DoIT has raised concerns, the real-time crime center would be built as a regional model to complement Albuquerque’s center, and the Metro facility is moving toward a January groundbreaking. Committee members also discussed several DPS-related capital and IT requests, including the intelligence-led policing data lake, recurring maintenance for critical systems, and a $5.6 million reauthorization for state crime lab DNA backlog work and a $900,000 reauthorization for fingerprinting equipment. DPS explained that the website request is high because the current site must be rebuilt from scratch to support missing-person alerts, memorial updates, ADA compliance, and better communication with law enforcement and the public. Members also raised concerns about speed enforcement, construction-zone cameras, and whether EVs are practical for patrol use; DPS said it is not pursuing speed cameras and is only partially participating in the state EV initiative because patrol needs make full electrification difficult. The committee then received an LFC quarterly update on non-recurring appropriations from the 2025 General Appropriation Act. LFC reported that of the $1.4 billion appropriated in Section 5, $164 million had been expended and $333 million encumbered, leaving $897.4 million unspent, which is a slower pace than the prior year. Staff highlighted a number of reauthorization requests and slow-moving projects across agencies, including AOC cybersecurity funding, DFA housing and public safety grants, DoIT cybersecurity and higher education funds, EDD economic development and energy programs, OSI mitigation and malpractice funds, EMNRD energy and geothermal grants, Health Care Authority behavioral health-related appropriations, DPS crime lab and fingerprinting funds, PED career technical education and special education initiatives, and higher education loan repayment and technology funds. Members questioned why some large appropriations had little or no spending, discussed the need to monitor reauthorizations more closely, and asked for follow-up on several specific line items and project balances.

Transcript Highlights:

• Demand for electricity associated with large computing facilities is growing rapidly across our country
• Fueled by the rise of cloud computing and artificial intelligence with a commensurate need for more and
• more computing power.
• As has been noted, the bill passed your House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee unanimously
• Members and guests are prohibited from using computers, phones, or any type of electronic device.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then securing our nation's critical infrastructure. We do a lot of work.
• and physical security for critical infrastructure.
• and physical security for critical infrastructure.
• This is our high-performance computing center. We call it the Collaborating Computing Center.
• This is our critical infrastructure test range: full-scale infrastructure for testing grids, transformers

Summary: The meeting was an extended briefing from Idaho National Laboratory officials on the lab’s mission, its role in nuclear energy research, and the federal push to accelerate advanced reactor deployment. Speakers described INL’s size and capabilities, including test reactors, fuel and materials facilities, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure work, and partnerships with DOE, the NRC, the Department of Defense, and private companies. They emphasized that the lab is supporting both commercial nuclear development and national security work, while also training a large intern workforce. A major theme was the current federal effort to streamline nuclear regulation and speed up licensing and demonstration. The speakers said recent executive orders and DOE/NRC coordination are reducing redundant requirements, shortening environmental review timelines, and aiming for three new nuclear systems to reach criticality by July 4, 2026. They argued that regulatory uncertainty has been a major driver of nuclear cost and that the administration’s actions, along with DOE’s pilot and demonstration programs, are intended to rebuild the domestic supply chain and industrial base. The discussion also focused on advanced reactor types, including small modular reactors, microreactors, molten salt concepts, and liquid-metal designs. Officials said these technologies are being developed for data centers, military bases, remote communities, industrial heat, hydrogen production, and other nontraditional uses. They highlighted several projects and companies, including Oklo, Aalo, Radiant, X-energy, TerraPower, Kairos, and DOE’s MARVEL and Project Pele efforts, and said some reactors are expected to reach criticality or operation in the next few years. Questions from attendees covered safety, public health impacts, materials and heat management, waste or used fuel handling, costs, and whether nuclear could remain competitive against other energy sources; the speakers responded that advanced reactors are designed with passive safety features, that used fuel should be viewed as a resource, and that cost remains highly design- and supply-chain-dependent.

Transcript Highlights:

• , computer database management systems administration.
• Um, maybe this might be a, a subnote possibly to, to be, but, um, you know, specific focus on computer
• Uh, one I didn't see, but I would like to is quantum computing got brought up a lot this last session
• Current technology infrastructure to build such a program as well as any of the other.
• So I think I want to find out what we're doing with broadband infrastructure, how we're supporting our

Transcript Highlights:

• and servers which tools and computers and servers which can<00:08:39.839> be<00:08:40.000>
• We issued these computers out during that event, and we maintain these here in the cyber coordination
• We issued these computers out during that event, and we maintain these here in the cyber coordination
• infrastructure infrastructure um<00:42:24.079> SLTs<00:42:24.960> you<00:42:25.040>
• infrastructure infrastructure um<00:48:30.800> and<00:48:31.119> get<00:48:31.440>

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity met remotely on January 8, 2026, approved the minutes from October 27, 2025 by voice vote, and confirmed a quorum was present. The main presentation came from the Minnesota National Guard’s cyber coordination cell, with Lieutenant Colonel Brian Morgan describing the unit’s mission to prepare Guard cyber forces for state or federal cyber support, including domestic emergencies like the St. Paul ransomware incident and broader federal activations. Morgan outlined three main lines of effort: optimizing cyber force training for likely threats, building relationships with state, federal, academic, and local partners, and equipping deployable incident-response tools. He said the coordination cell is not itself the incident response team, but serves as the planning and coordination office for military cyber response, maintaining equipment at Cedar Street Armory that can provide out-of-band connectivity and be deployed quickly. He also described partnerships with Minnesota IT Services, CISA, the FBI, Metro State University, and international/state partners such as Norway and Croatia, along with participation in major exercises and conferences. The presentation emphasized the St. Paul response as a model for coordination, noting the Guard’s role in mission coordination, operational support, public affairs support, and lessons learned. Morgan said the Guard has conducted more than 200 engagements with partner institutions in 2024-2025 and uses outreach to educate counties and other entities on how to request Guard cyber support, comparing the process to requesting assistance for a fire or flood. In response to a question from Representative Bonner, he highlighted the long-standing relationship with Metro State University and its practical role in training cyber personnel, including operational technology training and a credit-transfer pathway toward a master’s degree.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is everything for most state employees when they turn on their computer.
• And it sounds complicated, but what it really is is the process of maintaining this critical computer
• So this is the continual maintenance of the nerve system of our IT infrastructure of the state.
• And he said, at some point you reach a point where you can't just have the computer on the left side
• This project proposes a critical infrastructure upgrade for the Portsouth commercial fish pier and Ry

Keywords: 928, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This investment will support American artificial intelligence, American infrastructure, semiconductors
• American infrastructure it will support<00:06:56.960> semiconductors<00:06:57.960> made
• <02:26:56.160> thinking datadriven and computational thinking datadriven and computational
• Computer scientists, chemists, nurses, doctors, and much more.
• our country's most advanced Computing our country's most advanced Computing capacity<03:15:33.279

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, March 24, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is all computer, so they don't create jobs, even though they eat up our energy at huge discounted
• with green energy or a continued replacement of the fossil fuel infrastructure.
• a new green infrastructure.
• with green energy or a continued replacement of the fossil fuel infrastructure.
• a new green infrastructure.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and then took up a Rules Committee report advancing several bills directly to third reading, including Senate Print 9630, an appropriations extender for government operations, and Senate Print 9631, an extender related to Part U1 of Chapter 61 of the Laws of 2023. The chamber then moved to the controversial calendar and debated the first extender, with Senator O’Mara questioning what the bill covered, how much funding it extended, and the status of budget negotiations. Senator Krueger said the extender covered about $1 billion for payroll and certain payments for agencies including Health, Law, OPWDD, and Veterans Services through April 7, and described the budget talks as still unresolved, with no announced follow-up Joint Budget Conference Committee meetings or table targets. She also discussed utility affordability proposals, including a three-year moratorium on A.I. and crypto data/storage facilities and support for green energy and low-income ratepayer relief. O’Mara argued the lack of urgency and absence of written proposals on climate and utility costs was concerning. Both extender bills were then passed, with the first receiving 59 ayes and the second passing 46-13 after debate over its two-year duration. The Senate then adopted the resolution calendar, excluding two items initially, and took up two resolutions. Resolution 1821, sponsored by Senator Ramos, recognized Farmworkers Day and highlighted the essential role of farmworkers, the history of organizing for farmworker rights, and concerns about immigrant workers facing fear and retaliation; Senator May added support, noting the importance of farm labor to dairy production and food supply and the impact of deportation fears on farms in her district. The resolution was adopted. Resolution 1823, sponsored by Senator Zellner, proclaimed March 20, 2026 as Behavior Analysis Day in New York, recognizing applied behavior analysis and its benefits for individuals with developmental disabilities, autism, education, healthcare, and other fields; it was also adopted. The chamber also welcomed a group of students from Queens visiting Albany, with Senator Comrie speaking about the importance of civics education and government engagement. After the introductions and acknowledgments, there was no further business, and the Senate adjourned until Wednesday, April 1, at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some have to have big bumps depending on what's going on with their infrastructure and aging infrastructure
• Some have to have big bumps depending on what's going on with their infrastructure and aging infrastructure
• Some have to have big bumps depending on what's going on with their infrastructure and aging infrastructure
• <00:54:01.640> and<00:54:01.839> aging<00:54:02.280> infrastructure infrastructure
• and aging infrastructure infrastructure and aging infrastructure so<00:54:03.680> this<00:54:

Bills: HF2254, HF2302, HF2502, HF2315, HF2475, HF2086

Keywords: HF2254, Minnesota child credit, baby bonus, child tax credit, income tax, individual income tax, tax relief, newborn, birth credit, family tax credit, tax refund, advance payment, Department of Revenue, taxable year, parenting, families with children, child credit, state regulations, families, taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• We manage nearly 33 million square feet of space and infrastructure. buildings.
• The infrastructure, though, does not meet that same standard.
• Paul campus because the infrastructure isn't able to handle them.
• Paul campus because the infrastructure isn't able to handle them.
• <00:37:28.880> or resources for um like their computers or resources for um like their computers

Bills: HF4266

Keywords: higher education, state grants, financial aid, college affordability, Office of Higher Education, Minnesota State Grant, need analysis, expected family contribution, student aid, grant formula, living and miscellaneous expense allowance, dependent student, independent student, parental contribution, student contribution, surplus appropriation, biennium, summer 2026, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• . infrastructure. infrastructure.
• It's different infrastructure.
• It's different infrastructure. system. It's different infrastructure.
• computer terminal. computer terminal.
• . infrastructure. infrastructure.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• computing and that is to say computation computing and that is to say computation that's<00:26:56.640
• to store and some capacity for compute to store and some capacity for compute but<00:27:19.279><
• Compute will take more electricity.
• So, assuming an infrastructure of computing that looks a lot like what we've always had, you would assume
• :12:40.719> of assuming uh an infrastructure of assuming uh an infrastructure of computing<01:

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Intelligence Task Force met with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the August 14 meeting. The first presentation was from the National Retail Federation on artificial intelligence in the retail sector. NRF described AI use cases in three areas: consumer-facing tools such as chatbots, product descriptions, and marketing; employee-facing tools such as company-specific apps trained on employee manuals; and internal uses such as supply chain forecasting, inventory planning, fraud detection, cybersecurity, and coding support. The presenters said retail has been among the top deployers of AI and emphasized that the goal is to improve both customer and employee experience. NRF also outlined its principles for responsible AI use, organized around governance and risk management, customer engagement and trust, workforce applications, and business partner accountability. The group said retailers should maintain strong internal oversight, be transparent with customers, ensure compliance with existing laws, closely review workforce-related uses because they can be high-risk, and clearly define responsibilities between retailers and third-party developers. In policy discussion, NRF urged a tiered approach focused first on high-risk uses such as hiring, health care, financial, mortgage, and rental decisions, warned against fragmented rules that could favor only the largest firms, and encouraged voluntary standards and worker upskilling incentives. In response to a question about dynamic pricing, NRF said its members do not target consumers based on pricing and offered to follow up with more information. The committee then moved to a follow-up discussion on energy policy and data centers, hearing from Bartley Cleland of NetChoice. He explained that AI runs largely in data centers and that cloud computing shifts processing and storage away from individual devices, which he argued improves efficiency and can reduce costs. He said electricity demand has been rising over time and that AI will increase compute-related electricity use, but framed electricity as a normal input to economic growth. No votes or formal actions were taken after these presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh the infrastructure is just gone.
• Uh the infrastructure is just gone.
• Uh the infrastructure is just gone.
• Uh the infrastructure is just gone.
• Uh the infrastructure is just gone.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met with a quorum, approved the August 20, 2025 minutes, and then heard a discussion tied to Constitution Day and Kentucky’s constitutional duty to provide an efficient system of common schools. Chairman James Tipton reviewed the history of Kentucky’s model laboratory schools, postsecondary academy programs such as Gatton and Craft, magnet schools, virtual learning, and computer science opportunities, arguing that Kentucky has long expanded educational opportunity through different school models. He described model schools and academy programs as hybrid or innovative approaches that serve specialized student needs and noted that some of these programs receive state appropriations and, in some cases, tuition. Senator Steve West then gave a retrospective on school choice in Kentucky, beginning with the 2017 charter school law and explaining that Kentucky’s charter framework was designed as public-only to comply with the state constitution. He said charter schools have remained largely dormant in Kentucky and used that as context for Senate Bill 207, the School Innovation Act, which he said was modeled on a South Carolina approach. Under SB 207, a local school board can contract with a third-party entity to manage an existing school, receive SEEK funding, and seek waivers from certain state regulations in order to innovate, while retaining limits on items such as school safety and attendance rules. Members asked about how the new model differs from charter schools, whether schools could cherry-pick students, and whether teachers would remain district employees. West and Tipton said the bill is intended to keep the school within the public system, with the local district initiating the process and maintaining accountability through a time-limited contract that can be ended if the school fails to perform. They emphasized that the school would serve the existing student population rather than select students, and that teachers would remain district employees with their pensions and related contributions unchanged. Representative Brown raised concerns that exceptions and charters could leave lower-income children behind, while West responded that the bill is meant to expand choice for families who otherwise lack access and cited examples from other states where outside management and parental involvement helped turn around low-performing schools. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• governor talks about this, which is, how are we contributing to our workforce readiness, our infrastructure
• That doesn't necessarily mean that someone has to be a computer programmer or computer scientist, but
• We're talking about AI, but we have outdated computers. That's a problem we need to fix.
• We can have all the books in the world, all the computers in the world at school.
• science major is not necessarily knowing about computer science.

Transcript Highlights:

• While they'll continue to grow, they will require new facilities, new infrastructure, and they too will
• It goes without saying that progress and our state's prosperity will require more linear infrastructure
• It goes without saying that progress and our state's prosperity will require more linear infrastructure
• Microsoft was not always going to be the monopolistic operating system for your computer, but Windows
• The concern with this is there are going to be a compute overbuilt.

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of Minnkota Power Cooperative before hearing presentations on large energy consumers and related infrastructure issues. The first presentation, from the North Dakota Transmission Authority, focused on the need for better local decision-making tools for counties, townships, and planning and zoning boards facing major projects such as transmission lines, pipelines, data centers, wind, solar, and large-scale agriculture. The speaker urged more objective, data-driven analysis, noted that local officials often have limited time and resources, and said the state should support training and tools through groups like the League of Cities and the Association of Counties. Members asked about proactive outreach, data center ordinances, and how to avoid subsidizing large loads or causing reliability problems. The Division of Air Quality then discussed environmental oversight of data centers, emphasizing that North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the country and that the agency’s role is limited to air, water discharge, stormwater, and waste—not zoning or water use. The presentation explained that data centers generally have low direct emissions but may rely on diesel backup generators when the grid is unavailable, which creates air-quality concerns; the department said it is requiring air monitors at some projects to collect real-world data and guide future decisions. Members asked about generator emissions, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession, and the agency said permit applicants pay for the monitors while the state handles some QA work. The Department of Water Resources followed with an overview of North Dakota water law and data center water use. The director explained the state’s prior-appropriation system, the public-interest review for permits, and the large overall water supply available from groundwater and the Missouri River. He said most proposed data centers use closed-loop cooling systems and generally request relatively small amounts of water compared with other uses such as power plants, irrigation, and oilfield operations, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use only a tiny fraction of Missouri River flow. Questions focused on downstream impacts and comparisons to fracking water use, and the director said the state’s use is too small to materially affect downstream users. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd-Erickson testified online about data center zoning and permitting. He asked the committee to have Legislative Council gather information on how other states handle data center permitting and to keep the topic on the interim agenda. He argued that local zoning should remain local, but said counties lack the technical and legal resources to manage complex reclamation or bonding requirements and that state-level enabling legislation may be more appropriate. He also recommended eliminating tax incentives for data centers. The committee chair said staff would prepare a document on other states’ zoning and permitting approaches. After a lunch recess, the committee reconvened at the EERC, where CEO Charles Gorecki gave an overview of the center’s 75 years of work and its role in oil and gas, carbon management, and other energy technologies, highlighting enhanced oil recovery and carbon dioxide utilization as major opportunities for future production and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, five different projects for different things, but it's all computer related.
• We'll let you get the computer set up, and we'll go from there.
• This is infrastructure for tourism-related projects.
• Then in Line 69 for the outdoor infrastructure grants. I was surprised, Mr.
• Times in the document for infrastructure for new classrooms, new pre-K, whatever.

Keywords: 996, all