Transcript Highlights:

• >> Um, formerly it was housed at the executive director's house.
• <00:41:50.480> director came on and um as the executive director came on and um as the executive
• but there is an executive director. but there is an executive director.
• I'm the executive I'm Katherine Bell.
• I'm the executive director for the Veterans Home Purchase Board.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 409, 22 January, 2026; 1:30 P.M., 925, all

Summary: The committee first heard from the Mississippi Auctioneer Commission, which requested level funding. PJ Lindsay reported the agency granted 29 new auctioneer applications and 9 new firm applications, received 3 complaints, resolved 1, signed 1 consent order, and issued 1 suspension. Members questioned the commission about its cash balance, reserve levels, and a large variance between prior spending and the FY26 request; staff explained the difference was tied to technology and contractual costs, including planned computer system updates and out-of-state conference travel for board members. The commission also noted that auctioneering oversight is important because an estimated $4.5 billion will flow through Mississippi escrow accounts in 2025. The Board of Optometry then presented its budget and organizational changes. Board leaders said the board had transitioned away from a state employee model to a management company arrangement with JBAR/Cornerstone, which they said saved about $43,000 and improved service and efficiency. They described the creation of a licensing database and a new back-end system, and said the board was generally seeking level funding with a small increase for computer equipment tied to the new system. Committee members asked about the impact on PERS contributions, the former employee’s retirement, the board’s cash balance, lease arrangements, and whether licensees had complained; the board said the change required legislative approval, the former employee retired, the cash balance was about $399,900, and service complaints had decreased. The Mississippi Board of Licensure for Engineers and Surveyors reported a busy FY2025, including moving most licensure applications online, accepting supporting documents by email, expanding K-12 and college outreach, hosting student interns, visiting ABET-accredited schools, decoupling the surveyor exam registration process, and awarding about $400,000 in grants to engineering programs. The board said it licenses about 15,000 engineers and surveyors plus 8,500 interns, with most registrants from out of state, and that its fees are among the lowest nationally. For the budget, the board requested level funding overall but also sought a new investigator position, 5% salary progressions, increased travel funding for national meetings and STEM outreach, more contractual money for internships and IT modifications, additional supplies, and restoration of a $600,000 grant program that is funded every other year to support university and community college engineering and surveying programs. The board said its operations are supported by fees and that its cash balance is about $1.6 million.

Transcript Highlights:

• The chair calls Daryl Spinks, Executive Director of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, and
• Robert Romig, Deputy Executive Director.
• The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, Robert Romig, Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Behavioral
• I'm the Executive Director for the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council.
• Health Executive Council is growing at a pretty healthy clip.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Did we go into executive session?
• So do we want to go into executive session to talk about this?
• Motion to come out of the executive session. Second.
• We’re out of executive session.
• them motion to come out of the executive them motion to come out of the executive session<01:53:

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• executive session. executive session.
• And um opening the executive Perfect.
• The bipartisan Senate Executive here.
• 03:06:02.720> on<03:06:02.960> Senate open the executive session on Senate open the executive
• Thank you. >> And with that, I'll close the executive session on Senate Bill 642. >> Open the executive

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For the record, my name is Teresa McGoldrick, and I am the National Executive Vice President for the
• Executive Vice President for the National Association of Government Employees.
• The workforce is now in the low 40,000s in the executive branch of state government, in terms of the
• I'm the executive director of Williams Be Yourself Challenge and its latest initiative, The Greenhouse
• I'm the executive director of Williams Be Yourself Challenge and its latest initiative, The Greenhouse

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hybrid hearing on a large group of bills carried over from the previous session, with Chair Jake Oliveira and House Co-Chair Paul McMurtry outlining the process and limiting testimony to three minutes. The committee heard testimony on several labor and workplace proposals, including bills to harmonize employee definitions to address misclassification (SB 1338/HB 2141), expand bereavement leave (including H. 2189/S. 1354 and related bills), protect collective bargaining rights for certain administrative employees (HB 268/SB 1306), expand commuter transit benefits (HB 2153/SB 1345), regulate employer use of credit reports (S. 1286), and require apprenticeship participation or OSHA-related workplace safety measures on public projects. At the end of the hearing, the chairs read into the record additional bills that did not receive testimony that day. Supporters of the misclassification bill, including Greater Boston Legal Services and the AFL-CIO, said aligning the employee-status tests across wage, unemployment, and PFML laws would reduce confusion, improve enforcement, and help workers wrongly treated as independent contractors or managers recover benefits and bargaining rights. NAGE and its representative argued that public-sector employees have been improperly reclassified into management titles to weaken unions, and that the bill would force the Division of Labor Relations to review those titles. On bereavement leave, advocates including the Louis E. Brown Peace Institute, a state representative, the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, and individual survivors described the impact of sudden loss and homicide on families, saying guaranteed leave would help workers grieve, make arrangements, and avoid losing jobs or custody-related stability. The committee also heard support for commuter benefits as a low-cost way to reduce emissions and increase transit use, and for restricting employer credit checks because of inaccuracies and discriminatory effects. There was opposition to some construction-related bills. The Associated Builders and Contractors and the Building Trades Employers Association supported apprenticeship training in principle but said current apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios are outdated or misunderstood, and that the bills should be amended or clarified before advancing. The Massachusetts landscape and snow-removal industry strongly supported a snow-liability limitation bill, arguing that hold-harmless clauses and broad indemnification requirements force contractors to assume liability for conditions they cannot control, drive up insurance costs, and threaten business viability. The committee did not take any votes during the hearing, and the session ended with the chairs thanking members, staff, and the public before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• This administration, shortly after they came in, the president signed off on four executive orders.
• I don't have a slide on them, but four in four—I mean, first of all, four executive orders related to
• So this is by far the most comprehensive set of administrative executive branch policies for nuclear
• I mean, they sort of received these executive orders back in May of last year, so they've been moving
• So, the nuclear executive orders— So, the nuclear executive orders— the four orders that came out— Office

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The executive summary now with the key points: 94300 operating budget table.
• As the Executive Director position, those are pieces that will be moving forward.
• For all agency recurring budgets, including ours and the other executive agencies, the recommendation
• If you could make these short, we would appreciate it, because you're scheduled to go into executive
• We have determined there's a need to go into executive session. So, um, I'll read the...

Transcript Highlights:

• Executive director of Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops testifying for House Bill 1388.
• My name is Jennifer Ullman, and I'm the executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops
• Joe Puyman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, testifying for Senate Bill 1388.
• I'm executive director of Texas Alliance for Life.
• And so our executive director reached out to us, the board, and said, What do I do?

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have an appearance form: Blan Teagle, Executive Director of the Judicial Qualifications Commission
• Senate Bill 820 codifies the Office of Faith and Community within the Executive Office of the Governor
• It codifies this office into state law, making it a permanent division within the executive office.
• I have a program before us that's already in existence in the executive office of the governor.
• This amendment moves the program to Chapter 23, which is the miscellaneous executive function statute

Summary: The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability met with a quorum present and took up a full agenda of bills, many involving public records exemptions and government operations. Several measures were reported favorably, including SB 342 on an Agency for Health Care Administration public records exemption for employees facing threats; SB 7018 preserving a public records exemption tied to parental consent/judicial bypass records for minors seeking abortions; SB 626 lowering quorum requirements and allowing remote participation for the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys; SB 710 protecting personal information of Crime Stoppers employees, board members, volunteers, and their families; SB 300 extending clerk personal-information protections to appellate court clerks; and SB 302 creating a similar exemption for Judicial Qualifications Commission employees. The committee also approved SB 7010 and SB 7008, which preserve and narrow public records exemptions related to the Department of Financial Services as receiver for insolvent insurers and the financial technology sandbox, respectively. The committee also heard and advanced several policy bills. SB 820 codifies the Office of Faith and Community in the Executive Office of the Governor; Senator Polsky questioned whether the office was duplicative of existing services and raised concerns about religion in state governance, while supporters argued it complements existing networks and helps connect Floridians to services. SB 1144 codifies the Hope Florida program, with supporters describing it as a connector to community resources and critics again raising concerns about overlap, private donations, and accountability; both SB 820 and SB 1144 passed on largely party-line votes with Senator Polsky voting no. SB 804 would redesignate the SS American Victory as the state flagship, but Senator Rodriguez opposed giving up the current flagship designation for the Key West schooner, though the bill still passed favorably. SB 214 designates August 21 as Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day and passed without opposition. SB 1088 requires certain state customer-service phone lines to offer callback features, and SB 576 makes technical fixes to service-of-process law; both were reported favorably. Additional bills included SB 1524, a broad Department of State measure with a strike-all amendment that revises grant-review procedures, adds an America 250 funding focus, and changes commission-fee and oath requirements; Senator Arrington and Senator Polsky expressed concerns about reviewer qualifications, grant criteria, and the impact on arts and cultural programs, and both voted no while the bill still passed. SB 1640, on confidentiality of lethality assessment forms in domestic violence cases, was amended to allow disclosure to domestic violence centers while barring disclosure to state attorneys, and it passed favorably. SB 1160 expands health insurance premium benefits for certain officers catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty; supporters from the Fraternal Order of Police appeared in support, and the bill passed unanimously. The committee also confirmed eight appointments to the Florida Commission on Community Service, the Investment Advisory Council, the Public Employees Relations Commission, and the State Retirement Commission. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded on specific bills, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So with that, this is an opportunity where you have lottery executives, the brilliant, the brightest
• We know what event is going to be coming up next as it relates to all lottery executives, as well as
• And that's where all the executives from the lotteries, as well as other members, participate in being
• My executive leadership team knows that I treasure and I value those individuals that are out making
• My executive leadership team knows that I treasure and I value those individuals that are out making

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met for budget day, heard agency follow-up questions, and then presented its recommended budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. Chair Lopez opened with remarks about reducing spending, emphasizing vacancy reductions and recurring savings across agencies. The recommendation eliminated 452.5 vacant positions and produced recurring savings of $57.2 million overall, while still funding selected priorities. Notable funded items included $500,000 for a new DBPR website for condominium complaints and document filing, $481.3 million for the MICEF Florida Home Program in DFS, funding for Florida PALM implementation, $330,000 for a Tampa office in the Office of Insurance Regulation, $835,000 for warehouse space for confiscated gambling machines, $821,000 for the Lottery gaming system contract, and major DMS capital and facilities funding. Lopez also criticized DMS leadership and said the secretary’s salary would be held in reserve pending answers on fleet management, remote workers, SUNCOM billing, and other issues. The committee then questioned DBPR Secretary Griffin about condominium records, structural integrity reserve studies, and milestone-inspection compliance. Members focused on how the division tracks condominiums, whether it can identify buildings with three habitable stories, and whether the current filing system can be improved to better capture building height and story count. Griffin said the division relies heavily on self-reporting and complaint-driven checks, but has updated forms to capture whether a condominium has buildings three stories or higher and has received additional submissions. Members also asked about staffing and the Miami-area office; Griffin said DBPR now has two Fort Lauderdale offices and a Doral office, with about 82% of new positions filled. Secretary Davis of the Florida Lottery also testified, defending travel to Paris and other conferences as part of industry engagement, technology research, and best-practice sharing. He said the travel was reimbursed through lottery-related organizations, described the Lottery as an enterprise fund that receives no general tax revenue, and said the agency has remained a top revenue generator nationally. Members questioned Orlando travel reimbursements and dues to the Multi-State Lottery Association, and asked for more information on how increased revenue translates into more Bright Futures scholarships. Davis said he would provide additional details. The subcommittee then unanimously passed two conforming bills. PCB SAB 25-01 removed statutory references to the legacy FLAIR accounting system in preparation for Florida PALM and was reported favorably. PCB SAB 25-02 addressed Capitol Center space after the planned House lease cancellation, declaring the governor, cabinet, and legislature permanent tenants, protecting existing space and parking allocations, giving the legislature first right of refusal on vacant space, and giving legislative leaders control over utilities in their space; it also passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned after the bills were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, executive director and chief prosecutor for the Special prosecutions unit.
• I'm the executive director for the, uh, Special prosecution unit, and for Mr.
• Item one is the salary increase for all staff, including the executive director.
• My name is Amy Small, and I am the executive director of the state law library.
• I'm the former executive director of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.

Transcript Highlights:

• Serving as the second-in-command chief operating officer and co-chair of the VADOD Joint Executive Council
• As you know, the Deputy Secretary is the Department's second-highest official tasked with executing VA's
• As the Deputy Secretary, I will be the co-chair of the JAC, the Joint Executive Committee that was already
• joint executive council that oversees the TAP executive committee.
• I want to go back to the President's illegal and unconstitutional executive order to fire people across

Keywords: veterans affairs, VA modernization, employee layoffs, mental health, suicide prevention, transparency, senate committee, bipartisan support, oversight

Summary: The meeting involved detailed discussions on various veterans' issues, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amidst a backdrop of significant staffing changes. Members expressed deep concerns over the recent layoffs of over 1,000 VA employees, emphasizing the crucial nature of these positions in the context of mental health support for veterans, particularly amid rising suicide rates. Senators articulated the need for transparency and effective communication between the VA and Congress to avoid further breakdowns in services. The session also spotlighted the ongoing modernization of VA systems and the urgent need to streamline processes to benefit veterans effectively.

Transcript Highlights:

• So with that, if there's any objection, I move that we enter executive session.
• So with that, if there's any objection, I move that we enter executive session.
• Seeing no objection, we are in executive session.
• So we're going to go back into executive session now that we've called the roll.
• If there's no objection, seeing no objection, we're in executive session.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So with that, if there's any objection, I move that we enter executive session.
• So with that, if there's any objection, I move that we enter executive session.
• Seeing no objection, we are in executive session.
• So we're going to go back into executive session now that we've called the roll.
• If there's no objection, seeing no objection, we're in executive session.

Summary: The Missouri House Legislative Rules Committee met in executive session and moved quickly through its agenda. The chair announced the committee would vote on Senate Bill 890 and House Bills 2762, 2816, and 2402, all related to solar energy projects, and noted the committee might need to recess and return later if needed on the floor. After calling the roll, the committee first considered House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 890 and voted it do pass by an 8-0 vote. The committee then took up House Committee Substitute for House Bills 2762, 2816, and 2402, with members discussing the measure as an important solar energy bill that had come up late in the session. Representative Pollitt said the bill was needed and hoped it would be pursued again in the future, while the chair thanked members for their work on it and said the issue deserved further attention in the interim. The substitute bill was approved do pass by a 7-1 vote, with one member voting present. After completing the votes, the committee recessed. Later, the meeting was formally adjourned with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• and request the Louisiana State Law Institute to study the use of remote online notarization for executing
• authorized Louisiana commissioned notaries to be able to use audiovisual technology to be able to execute
• They are civil law jurisdictions, and they allow for authentic acts to be executed by Thank you.
• Jurisdictions, and they allow for authentic acts to be executed by Ron.
• Bonino. jurisdictions and they allow for authentic acts to be executed by Ron.

Bills: HB375, HB986, HB1098, SCR35, SB97, SB123, SB466

Keywords: liability, regional transit, streetcars, trolley cars, motor vehicles, HB986, vehicular homicide, child support, surviving child, minor child, parent killed in crash, criminal restitution, family law, Louisiana child support schedule, R.S. 9:315.48, R.S. 14:32.1, victim compensation, traffic fatality, wrongful death, sentencing enhancement

Summary: The House Civil Law Committee met on May 11, 2026, and reported several measures favorably. Senate Bill 466 by Sen. Seabaugh was approved without objection; it bars foreign adversaries from using expropriation authority in Louisiana and creates a narrow expropriation category for very large aerospace/LED-related projects on at least 20,000 contiguous acres with no residential structures. House Bill 986 by Rep. Kerner was also reported favorably; it requires child support payments in cases where a parent is convicted of vehicular homicide, with the stated purpose of helping children who lose a parent in such cases. The committee then considered two constitutional amendments by Sen. Morris. Senate Bill 123 would require the governor to certify a legislative removal of certain judges for cause; an amendment changed the ballot language to refer to removal for malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence, and the committee adopted the 6.8A report and reported the measure favorably after a roll-call vote of 8-1. Senate Bill 97 would require prosecutorial consent for a defendant to waive a jury trial, except in capital cases; after adopting an amendment clarifying that capital cases are excluded, the committee heard opposition from the Louisiana Citizens Advocacy Group, which argued that jury-trial waiver should remain a defendant’s right. The bill was reported favorably on a 5-1 vote. The committee also reported favorably Senate Concurrent Resolution 35, which asks the Louisiana State Law Institute to study remote online notarization for authentic acts, with support testimony from the Louisiana Bankers Association emphasizing rural access and modernization of notary services. Finally, House Bill 1098 by Chairman McFarland, a narrowly tailored limitation of liability for FAA-licensed aerospace entities, was reported favorably without objection. House Bill 375 by Rep. Freeman was voluntarily deferred, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• that would not be collected from the 15th floor once it becomes a legislative space rather than executive
• Once it becomes a legislative space rather than executive branch space.
• Or whatever, and the executive branch can't charge the legislative branch or vice versa? Mr.
• is drafted, the way the statute in law is right now, we only collect rent from office space, from executive
• That's just the way the law is written, that we are only assessed rent on executive branch office space

Bills: SB2014

Keywords: industrial commission, economic development, housing finance, oil and gas, rail infrastructure, financial assistance, emergency funding, 908, all

Summary: The Government Operations Division met to continue work on the remaining bill and related amendments. Joe Morse asked the committee to include a $219,000 general fund replacement for rent that would no longer be collected from Career and Technical Education after the 15th floor of the tower becomes legislative space under the Legislative Council’s jurisdiction. Members discussed that state law currently requires rent only from executive branch office space, not legislative or judicial space, and there was no objection to adding the request to the amendment package. The committee then revisited a set of amendments it had previously discussed, including whether to include funding for Prairie Public. Senator Dwyer argued against any Prairie Public funding, citing its reserves, endowment, and charitable gaming revenue, and said the state should prioritize other needs. Senator Irby supported a one-time infrastructure contribution as the state shares in related infrastructure costs. Senator Sickler said Prairie Public still provides unique local programming, but that a one-time infrastructure item would be a reasonable compromise rather than ongoing operating support. A motion was made and seconded to provide Prairie Public $850,000 from the Strategic Investment and Improvement Fund for infrastructure needs. The roll call vote failed 3-2, with Senators Sickler and Irby voting aye, Senators Dwyer and Burkhard voting no, and Chairman Wanzek voting yes. After that vote, the committee indicated the amendment package was otherwise complete, though leadership had asked that final action on the bill be held for a little longer. The meeting adjourned with the understanding that more amendments could still be brought forward before the next meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So with that, I'll entertain a motion for executive session for legal purposes.
• No actions were taken while in executive session. We are back for the record.
• No actions were taken while in executive session.
• We were joined by Representative Calhoun during executive session.
• Having had some legal advice and review of the opinion during the executive session, I'll now open the

Keywords: 977, all

Summary: The House Ethics Committee met on June 25 with Representatives Jordan, Collins, Guest, King, Robbins, and Rutherford present, and later Representative Calhoun joined during executive session. The committee had one agenda item requiring legal briefing, so it first moved into executive session for legal purposes. No actions were taken while in executive session. After returning to open session, the chair reported that the committee had received legal advice and reviewed a draft opinion. Representative King then moved that the committee find the fees at issue do not need to be reported on members’ SCI because the fees are not state or government funds, and to adopt the advisory opinion as drafted by counsel based on that finding. Representative Calhoun seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously among members present and voting. Staff was directed to finish drafting the advisory opinion, and the meeting was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Tim Davis, Executive Director of the Department of Environmental Quality. Good to see you all.
• Chair, Tim Davis, Executive Director of the Department of Environmental Quality.
• And I heard you say some of those are liable to get executed by the end of the...
• There's also different department heads in the executive...
• , the chairman of the Public Service Commission, and the executive director of GOIA.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I've worked with Deborah Hamach, the executive director of the KBMA; Dr.
• director of the kbma Dr the executive director of the kbma Dr Jay<00:05:04.919> Beckman<00:05
• Michelle Shane is here, the KBBE executive director, and uh, I didn't see her back here, but she also
• Michelle Shane, executive director for the Board of Veterinary Examiners.
• Michelle Shane, executive director for the Board of Veterinary Examiners, thank you.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:30 Introduction of New Members 00:53 SB 69 Discussion 01:24, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Agriculture met for its first session and took up Senate Bill 69, as amended by a committee substitute. The substitute was adopted by motion and vote, and the chair noted that a fiscal note had been requested but not yet received, so the bill would proceed and the fiscal note would be trailed. The bill concerns equine dental care and related chiropractic services, creating a licensing and regulatory framework for equine dental providers and allied animal health practitioners. Senator Robin Webb, the bill sponsor, said the substitute made technical corrections requested by the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association and the chiropractors association. She described the measure as a compromise intended to clarify scopes of practice, establish a credentialing/licensing board, and provide a legal pathway for people who have long provided equine dental services, especially in rural areas where veterinary access can be limited. Supporters said the bill would improve accountability, allow providers to obtain liability insurance, and preserve referrals to veterinarians for issues outside the defined scope. Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association and Board of Veterinary Examiners representatives said the bill was developed through a working group, modeled in part on Texas, and would include continuing education, grievance procedures, and due process protections. Justin Tallup, an equine dental provider, testified in favor, saying the bill would not change day-to-day practice but would legalize and formalize it. He said the scope would be limited to floating and balancing molars and incisors and removing caps and wolf teeth, with anything beyond that referred to veterinarians. He also said certification requires formal training, case submissions, testing, and annual continuing education. Senator Deneen asked about sedation, and witnesses said sedatives would still be prescribed and dispensed by a veterinarian under a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship, with the owner administering them. Michelle Shane of the Board of Veterinary Examiners said the board supported the bill’s disciplinary framework and would defer to federal law on controlled substances. Dr. William Rainbow, a veterinarian, testified against the bill, arguing that equine dentistry is veterinary medicine and that the proposal would allow undertrained practitioners to work without sufficient standards, including a grandfathering provision. He said practitioners should have training comparable to licensed veterinary technicians and warned that the bill could leave horses vulnerable to poor care. The committee did not take final action on the bill in the portion of the meeting provided, but the chair indicated time was running short and that a vote would be needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the case of the money that's being squirreled away by our executive branch departments, that money
• Senator Pittman reports from the Committee on Rules and Executive Nominations the following.
• Next order of business is executive nominations. The chair recognizes Senator Bartolotta. Mr.
• President, I move the executive session do now rise.
• It has been moved by Senator Bartolotta that the executive session do now rise.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, communications, committee reports, and leaves of absence. The journal was approved 50-0. The chamber then took up House Bill 1505, which drew extended debate over school funding and adequacy/tax equity. Senators Coleman and Keefer argued the bill continued to pour money into districts like Allentown without accountability or improved results, while Senators Costa, Miller, Haywood, and Anthony Williams defended the funding as a response to historic underfunding and the Commonwealth Court decision. A motion allowing Senator Coleman a third speaking turn was adopted 27-23, and the bill ultimately passed 45-5. The Senate then considered House Bill 2400, the General Appropriation Act. Supporters, including Senators Martin, Dush, Phillips-Hill, Costa, Ward, Street, Hughes, and Pittman, emphasized that the budget was balanced without using the rainy day fund or raising taxes, reduced the governor’s proposal, increased education and child care funding, supported nursing homes, rape crisis centers, infrastructure, and workforce programs, and shifted money from lapsed or unused accounts to current priorities. Opponents, including Senators Saval and Muth, said the budget failed to address structural deficits and omitted new revenue options, emergency services funding, and other major issues. The bill passed 44-6 with amendments and was returned to the House for concurrence. The Senate also passed a series of other bills, including House Bills 2412, 2413, 96, 858, 1042, 1286, 1646, 1851, 1862, 2017, 2024, 2401, and 2559, with varying margins, and sent them to the House, some with amendments. House Bill 1042 drew a negative recommendation from Senator Costa over a late amendment involving second-degree murder/felony language, but after reconsideration and vote changes it passed 30-20 with amendments. House Bill 1862, creating an Ignition Interlock Driver’s License, passed 45-5 after support from Senator Judy Ward. House Bill 1248 passed 43-7 and designates Pennsylvania rye whiskey as the official state spirit, with Senators Bartolotta and Robinson speaking in support. The chamber also adopted Senate Resolution 216, after defeating Senator Haywood’s amendment to narrow the scope of a proposed Legislative Budget and Finance Committee study of managed care organizations; the resolution passed 31-19. Several other bills were held over in their order, and the Senate later moved toward a condolence resolution.