Transcript Highlights:

• name is Nassarion Olimako, and I'm speaking on behalf of the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
• is Nassarion Olimako, and I'm speaking on behalf of the New Mexico, Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
• And after everything, vets were coming to me telling me, “I can now claim a discount at Home Depot.
• I can get a discount here. I can get a discount there.”

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We shouldn't discount it in its totality.
• , and that's for your supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or your SNAP program.
• Uh, teacher quality partnership programs, um, these are, uh, apprenticeship and other residency programs
• And and so how we manage the SNAP program.
• Go to our Medicaid program.

Transcript Highlights:

• GROW program fund, and so the money from the big fund spends into the program fund.
• A program called the ZIP Program, Zero Interest Home Builder Program.
• Is that program still in place?
• So we have programs available.
• We do have a home rehab program.

Transcript Highlights:

• A really large one is called the 340B drug discount program.
• There's Star, Star Plus, Star Kids, Star Health, and the CHIP program.
• Those of you familiar with these programs know there are challenges.
• you can buy certain drugs at a discount.
• And we had a couple of programs, 100% results.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Maryland public charter school program Maryland public charter school program school<00:09:41.600
• transit program to only provide grants to Montgomery County's BRT program.
• and it alters the bus rapid program and it alters the bus rapid transit<00:13:13.600> program
• <00:56:58.319> The program. So that's your CVS points. The program.
• Opportunities Grant Program and Fund. Opportunities Grant Program and Fund.

Keywords: House streaming session for Friday, March 20, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House met in Annapolis with 107 members present and proceeded through the journal and a series of Appropriations Committee reports. Several bills were advanced on favorable reports without amendment, including measures on constitutional officers’ salaries, correctional officer retirement systems for Dorchester and Allegany counties, Carroll and Calvert County public facilities bonds, higher education financial assistance for incarcerated individuals, and a bill on community college promise scholarship eligibility for Delmar High School graduates. Other bills received amendments before being ordered for third reading, including measures on community college trustee membership, Frederick Community College board meeting and training requirements, Howard County school funding disclosures, courts administrative judges’ stipends, correctional officers retirement membership clarifications, the Children’s Cabinet Fund, and a law enforcement pension bill limiting military service credit eligibility to helicopter pilots in state aviation units. The chamber also considered HB 1581 on horse racing facility ownership, development, licensing, and operations. Amendments expanded the bill to include additional economic development provisions for the Prince George’s County Blue Line corridor, Pimlico-related funding and community input requirements, a larger lottery-fund distribution for the racing community development financing fund, and changes to the bus rapid transit grant program. The bill’s favorable report as amended was adopted, and it was ordered for third reading. During debate on a separate amendment to HB 894, the Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act, members argued over project labor agreements: opponents said PLA requirements raise costs and limit competition, while supporters said the provision was optional, supported stability and predictability, and was part of a broader compromise. The amendment was rejected after discussion, and the bill remained amended. The House also took up HB 1430 on charter school facilities funding, adopting amendments that reduced the per-pupil amount and narrowed eligibility for certain districts, then advancing the bill as amended. In addition, HB 1248 was amended to convert a part-time state employment pilot program into a work group, and HB 680 was amended to adjust future appropriations for local management boards. Across the session, most actions were routine committee report adoptions and amendment votes, with no recorded roll-call counts in the excerpt except the initial quorum call.

Transcript Highlights:

• The benefits it brings, while making the program all while making programs for both employment and the
• The benefits it brings, while making the program all while making programs for both employment and the
• Yes, of course, Senator Drazkowski. existing programs are less competitive existing programs are less
• Their program increased from $136 million in 2022 to $750 million in 2023.
• data centers and convert the program data centers and convert the program from<01:14:50.440>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving on into the low-carbon fuels program. Thank you.
• Moving on into the low-carbon fuels program.
• The cost share program runs under me.
• , ag safety insurance discount?
• The other issue... the safety insurance discount, egg safety insurance discount.

Summary: The committee opened its third interim meeting with roll call, approved the November 13, 2025 minutes, and the chair reviewed prior committee work, including a denied request for a fertilizer-capacity study and a planned later discussion of the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger issue. Commissioner Doug Goring then presented Department of Agriculture updates on uncrewed aerial systems grants to detect noxious weeds, the state’s irrigation potential, the low-carbon fuels program for ethanol plants, the Environmental Impact Mitigation Fund, model zoning ordinances for animal feeding operations, and fertilizer production and supply in North Dakota. Members asked about funding sources, fertilizer storage and availability, natural gas and water needs for future fertilizer plants, and how the model zoning website would help counties and townships apply setback and odor tools. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the Department of Water Resources’ economic analysis tool for water conveyance and flood-related projects. Dr. Dwayne Poole explained that the department is proposing changes to better account for end-of-useful-life conditions and updated hydrologic data, while still limiting the model to direct, demonstrable costs and benefits. He said the goal is to make the analysis more realistic and consistent without changing statute, and he provided examples of how project benefits could change as drains age or as rainfall and flood data evolve. Committee members and water-user representatives generally supported continued work on the proposal, while raising concerns about downstream impacts, closed-basin projects, and whether the changes would meaningfully affect project approvals. The committee then heard from John Paskowski, state engineer, on Devil’s Lake, the West End and East End outlets, and the Tolna Coulee control structure. He reviewed lake history, outlet capacities, sulfate and downstream flow limits, and explained that the control structure is intended to prevent a catastrophic uncontrolled release by slowing erosion and head cutting. Members asked about water quality trends, the length of the downstream flow constraint, and whether the Tolna Coulee area had been studied for possible natural overflow or silt buildup. The discussion emphasized ongoing flooding concerns, mitigation for affected landowners, and the need to balance outlet operations with downstream water quality and infrastructure protection.

Transcript Highlights:

• This program helped us get discounts on car seats because all of our littles were growing so fast.
• > get<00:40:26.560> discounts<00:40:26.880> on program uh helped us get discounts
• on program uh helped us get discounts on car<00:40:27.359> seats<00:40:27.760> because
• There's programs like the Jeremiah There's programs like the Jeremiah program<00:42:17.040> that
• Cloud. grant program. We had to make hard grant program.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So here we had a Medicaid program paying ...a Medicaid program paying one rate, the fee for service,
• Because it's a federal program, I thought it was worth just a brief explanation: the 340B program is
• discounts.”
• “Those drug discounts allow us a form of supplemental revenue to support the critical programs that we
• This program was actually developed after meeting with advocates in Colorado who created a Take 5 program

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on a large docket of bills focused on MassHealth benefits and reimbursement, health equity, behavioral health, public health, dental access, 340B drug pricing, tobacco cessation, and coverage for children. The chairs emphasized rising health care costs, provider shortages, administrative burdens, and persistent inequities by income, race, geography, and immigration status. Much of the testimony centered on H.1416/S.901, an act to advance health equity, with legislators and members of the Health Equity Compact arguing for statewide benchmarks, stronger health equity leadership, reimbursement for interpreter services, community health workers and patient navigation, Medicaid graduate medical education support, and a health equity zone trust fund. Witnesses described disparities in life expectancy, maternal mortality, access to primary care, and the impact of federal Medicaid and social service cuts, and urged the committee to report the bill favorably. The committee also heard strong support for H.1368/S.847 on rapid whole genome sequencing for critically ill MassHealth children. Testifiers from industry, academia, hospitals, and families said early sequencing can end long diagnostic odysseys, improve treatment decisions, shorten hospital stays, and save money, while also providing emotional relief and information for families. The hearing then moved to H.1407 on MassHealth rate parity for inpatient behavioral health providers, where Rep. Scanlan and the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems said the bill would codify existing administrative parity so managed care plans cannot pay less than the MassHealth fee-for-service rate. On H.1392/S.853 to preserve and protect public health, witnesses supported higher vaccine administration fees to improve provider participation and immunization rates. The committee also heard testimony on H.770/845 to protect 340B providers in MassHealth, and on S.848 to require reporting and transparency around 340B revenues and outside administrative costs. Additional bills drew testimony on tobacco cessation coverage for MassHealth members, with advocates supporting broader access to counseling and medications through medical, behavioral health, and dental providers. On H.1409, a nursing home operator asked for more flexibility in a MassHealth staffing-related penalty tied to patient days per resident. On H.1401/S.888, supporters of the “Take 10” dental access proposal said adult MassHealth dental coverage is underused because too few dentists accept MassHealth, leading to long travel times and avoidable emergency room visits; they urged incentive payments for dentists serving new adult MassHealth patients. Finally, on H.1403/S.855, “Cover All Kids,” advocates and immigrant community members urged removal of immigration status as a barrier to full MassHealth coverage for children, while also backing a related bill to ensure 12 months of continuous coverage for children. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and asked questions on costs, reimbursement levels, and implementation details.

Transcript Highlights:

• PBMs routinely know when a consumer could pay less by using a discount or manufacturer coupon, by buying
• It is about restoring competition by ensuring transparency by requiring PBMs to disclose discounts, rebates
• PBMs routinely know when a consumer could pay less by using a discount or manufacturer coupon, by buying
• 00:14:55.279> PBMs<00:14:56.079> to<00:14:56.240> disclose<00:14:56.720> discounts
• , requiring PBMs to disclose discounts, requiring PBMs to disclose discounts, rebates,<00:14:58.320

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• state aerial photography program. state aerial photography program.
• program once, use many times. program once, use many times.
• company's safety program. company's safety program.
• would call a that deductible program. would call a that deductible program.
• We had three elements here, and there's some others that follow for discount programs, but the first

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the crisis and created similar programs the crisis and created similar programs to<00:40:07.440>
• > are programs directed payment programs are programs directed payment programs are not<01:09:
• it but these directed payment programs it but these directed payment programs are<01:14:16.760><
• c><01:15:35.800> for<01:15:36.000> discounts K discounts it it provides for discounts K
• <01:30:39.320> it's of our program it's of our program it's smaller<01:30:41.280> this<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, but we also have a high utilization of group discounts and share fares, and the average fare paid
• also have a high utilization<00:08:44.560> of<00:08:44.959> group<00:08:45.279> discounts
• <00:08:45.680> and<00:08:45.920> share utilization of group discounts and share utilization
• of group discounts and share fairs<00:08:47.040> and<00:08:47.279> the<00:08:47.440>

Keywords: Highways and Transportation - Room 216, January 14, 2026; 10:30 AM, 925, all

Summary: Amtrak officials Todd Stenis and Jeff Mann briefed the committee on Amtrak service in Mississippi, with a focus on the new Mardi Gras state-supported route on the Gulf Coast. They reviewed Amtrak’s national structure, including the distinction between long-distance and state-supported service under PRIIA section 209, and noted that Mississippi is served by the City of New Orleans, the Crescent, and the new Mardi Gras service. They said the Mardi Gras began service on August 18 and operates four trains a day between New Orleans and Mobile with Mississippi stops, supported by Mississippi, Louisiana, and Mobile. The officials reported strong early performance for Mardi Gras, saying ridership had already exceeded 60,000 by the end of December against a 71,000 first-year projection, with about 435 passengers per day and a 64% average load factor. They also cited 86% on-time performance, a 94% customer satisfaction index, and average fares of $27 in coach and $66 in business class. They said the service is benefiting from strong demand, good coordination with host railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern, and planned capital improvements totaling more than $200 million that they said should reduce trip times by 30 to 40 minutes. Committee members responded positively, with Senator Williams praising the train experience and another senator noting personal use of the Mardi Gras service. The presenters invited members to ride the train and described it as a state investment paying off across South Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. After the Amtrak presentation, the committee returned to business and took up one bill, 2019, which would delete the sunset on the provision directing the first $80 million of lottery proceeds to the state highway fund. Senator Blackmon asked for clarification, the chairman confirmed the bill would make the road funding provision permanent, and the committee approved the title and reported the bill out.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ball, relative to fuel points discount limits, to provide relative to fuel rewards programs, provide
• for a limit, and prohibit a limit on the value of fuel rewards points earned through a fuel program.
• House Bill 797 by Representative Crews, a youth goal program to create the program, duties of the Treasury
• It's a pilot program. Does it have a sunset? Yes, ma'am.
• We just kind of mirrored the language that was in the Lafourche Parish program.

Bills: HR188, HR189, HR190, HR191, HR179, HR180, HR181, HR182, HR183, HR185, HR186, HR187, HCR75, HCR76, HCR77, HCR78, HCR79, SCR24, SCR36, SCR39, SB64, SB107, SB152, SB185, SB217, SB232, SB278, SB290, SB294, SB320, SB321, SB419, SB424, SB436, SB440, SB468, SB470, SB476, SB482, SB489, HCR32, SCR11, HB12, HB42, HB205, HB222, HB267, HB324, HB325, HB350, HB478, HB610, HB617, HB679, HB745, HB749, HB797, HB807, HB821, HB896, HB979, HB992, HB1000, HB1024, HB1050, HB1166, HB1172, HB1173, HB1193, HB1207, HB1218, HB1223, SB256, SB180, HR1, HR17, HCR5, HCR4, HCR47, HB59, HB74, HB159, HB330, HB364, HB414, HB458, HB525, HB568, HB786, HB1008, HB1033, HB1034, HB1041, HB1062, HB1070, HB1079, HB1112, HB1118, HB1139, HB1151, HB1176, HB1182, HB1196, HB1214, HB1241, HB87, HB115, HB162, HB368, HB433, HB441, HB447, HB466, HB481, HB741, HB1242, HB362, HB893, HB990, HB1007, HB1153, HB1243, SB162, SB349, SB350, SB382, SB383, SB127, SB244, HB615, HB864, HB1103, HB1175, HB31, HB225, HB608, HB664, HB897, HB977, HB1003, HB1160, HB1180, HB911, HB306, HB366, HB1161, HB1230, HB181, HB901, HR20, HR74, HB284, HB393, HB459, HB577, HB582, HB605, HB614, HB682, HB733, HB772, HB773, HB996, HB1035, HB1058, HB1082, HB1113, HB1189, HB1234, HB1240

Keywords: hunting dogs, field trials, working dogs, dog training, greyhound protection, Farm Bill, federal overreach, sportsmen, sportswomen, wildlife management, conservation, rural communities, Louisiana hunting, hunting tradition, animal welfare, dog breeders, dog owners, outdoor recreation, Kathy Taylor, musical achievements

Transcript Highlights:

• , strike the new program.
• , strike the new program and apply the 10% requirement to Cal Fire's existing programs.
• AB 1679, Mark González, local pop-up small business program.
• AB 2508, Hoover, public purpose programs, holding committee.
• AB 2430, Mertucci, after-school programs, held in committee.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee held its May 14, 2026 suspense-file hearing and considered 637 Assembly bills, plus several committee bills and one Senate bill. The chair opened by explaining the committee’s budget constraints and the factors guiding decisions: fiscal impact, return on investment, avoiding added costs to constituents, and protecting the state’s social safety net. The agenda was organized alphabetically by author, and the committee noted that results would be posted later that day online. The committee then took action on a very large number of measures, with many bills receiving do pass or do pass as amended recommendations and many others held in committee. Topics covered a wide range of policy areas, including housing, health care, education, public safety, labor, environmental regulation, wildfire mitigation, water, transportation, cannabis, AI, and state governance. Several bills were amended to reduce costs, narrow scope, remove provisions, or make them contingent on appropriations or existing resources; some were advanced on A or B roll calls, while others were held. Among the notable actions, the committee advanced bills on Medi-Cal, CalFresh, child care, school and higher education programs, wildfire and fire safety, housing financing, and various criminal justice and public safety measures. It also moved forward a number of bills related to tribal issues, consumer protections, energy and utility policy, and environmental programs. At the end of the hearing, the chair stated that the committee had moved a large number of bills to the Assembly floor and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Who will provide that care if our programs are closing?
• <00:56:21.520> facing to afford care and programs facing to afford care and programs facing
• and to know we are losing good programs and to know we are losing good programs every<00:57:58.839
• are closing our care if our program are closing our programs<00:58:13.400> are<00:58:13.559><
• families and the child care programs families and the child care programs have<00:58:33.920>

Bills: HF1277, HF1006

Keywords: data centers, tax exemption, Minnesota statutes, economic development, employment growth, property tax, abatement, land bank, redevelopment, political subdivision, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a provider designing a program that has an end to it.
• One can design a program so that it continues to have a benefit, or design a program where it's literally
• So, for example, if there was a program that involved equipment...
• This will be a program all of its own. We won't even... Right.
• So if, for example, we had a grant program or you set up a grant program for rural districts to apply

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Appropriations Division met in a work session on the draft Rural Health Transformation appropriations bill, 25.1392.01000, with no public testimony taken. Legislative Council and the Department of Health and Human Services walked through the bill, which would appropriate about $397.8 million in federal grant funds over two federal fiscal years, provide transfer authority, allow certain federal funds to be used for salaries and wages without counting against existing transfer limits, and authorize OMB to adjust other agencies’ spending authority if they receive grant awards through HHS. The bill also includes several temporary statutory exemptions to help implement the program, plus recipient acknowledgement/reporting requirements, periodic reports to Legislative Management, and an immediate effective date upon filing. Committee discussion focused heavily on how the federal rural health transformation money can be used and administered. Department officials explained that CMS will review projects for allowability and sustainability, that the state has flexibility to move funds among categories, and that the grant is limited to 10% administrative costs. Members asked about whether the funding could support renovations, equipment, ambulances, bulk purchasing, food distribution, and other rural health ideas, and were told many details will depend on CMS approval and the eventual applications. Questions also addressed cash flow, timing of obligations and reimbursements, FTE funding, and whether grant recipients should be told the program will not continue beyond the federal period; officials said the language is meant to prevent expectations of automatic continuation, not to bar future legislative action. The committee also discussed the bill’s use of a two-year appropriation amount, with staff explaining that the state must appropriate enough authority to cover the federal grant cycle and that unused authority would lapse if the full amount is not received or spent. Members raised concerns about whether the bill’s language could limit creativity or future program design, but department officials and several members emphasized the need for flexibility because CMS may reject overly specific directives. After discussion, the committee voted to recommend the bill draft to the full committee; the motion carried on a roll call vote, and the chair said the full Joint Appropriations Committee would take up the bill at the special session next week.

Transcript Highlights:

• training program. training program.
• the KCTCS trains program. the KCTCS trains program.
• the KCTCS trains program. the KCTCS trains program.
• I just would like a very brief overview or explanation of the trains program and the BSSC program.
• the trains program and the BSSC program. the trains program and the BSSC program.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:04 Economic Development Projects Funding 00:01:25 Blue Oval SK 00:05:20, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum to hear a recap of the 2021 special session legislation, Senate Bill 5, and then receive testimony from the Secretary of Economic Development on the Blue Oval SK project and related economic development issues. Staff explained that Senate Bill 5 appropriated five amounts from the budget reserve trust fund for a project tied to a minimum $2 billion investment: $350 million for forgivable loans through the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, $10,639,600 to pay off a Hardin County loan tied to 47 tracts of property, $20 million for Bluegrass State Skills Corporation training grants, $5 million for KCTCS training grants, and $25 million for a KCTCS on-site training center. Staff also noted there were no job-related requirements in the bill itself. The secretary said the Blue Oval SK incentive was structured as a $250 million forgivable loan rather than the state’s usual pay-as-you-go incentives, with clawback provisions tied to jobs, wages, investment, and changes in ownership or operations. He said the project had already exceeded the $2 billion investment threshold, that corporate guarantees were required from SK On and Ford, and that the agreement’s compliance period begins in December 2026 with payments starting in March 2027 and running through 2038. He said the state’s goal after the joint venture dissolution was to protect taxpayers, support affected workers, and preserve future job creation, while also ensuring the money would be repaid if performance targets are not met. Members asked about the workforce impact, the training programs, and whether the jobs targets would be revised. The secretary said the project had about 1,850 workers at the site, with both production and salaried employees affected, and described state-led job fairs, a job portal, and other rapid-response efforts to help displaced workers find new jobs or training. He said Ford had agreed to continue discussions, invest an additional $2 billion in the site for energy storage solutions, and pursue roughly 2,100 new jobs, while the state sought to keep the company accountable for the full repayment obligation if jobs are not created. One senator raised broader concerns about mega-projects displacing small businesses and creating infrastructure burdens in surrounding communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill will update the Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program to ensure that the program is meeting
• We feel like this program should have accelerating targets.
• We feel like this program should have accelerating targets.
• For hearing SB 1191 by Senator Choa-Bo relating to communications universal service programs.
• I think it's a great program. Happy to move the bill. Second. Motion by Krell. Second by Rogers.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One group out of L.A. was getting discounted consistently for a period of approximately three years..
• One group out of L.A. was getting discounted consistently for a period of approximately three years.
• workers a living wage or ensure that those workers are graduates of state-approved apprenticeship programs
• workers a living wage or ensure that those workers are graduates of state-approved apprenticeship programs
• At its core, AB 2292 strengthens the integrity of California's SDI and PFL programs by ensuring workers

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee heard and advanced several bills covering workers’ compensation, public pensions, workplace training, public works wages, and disability/paid family leave benefits. AB 1048 would require greater transparency when medical provider payments in workers’ compensation are reduced through network or administrator arrangements; supporters said providers need the underlying contract to verify reductions, while opponents argued the problem is overstated and existing dispute remedies are available. AB 1601 would give Sonoma County flexibility to provide targeted cost-of-living adjustments to retirees; supporters emphasized retirees have gone without a COLA since 2008 and that the retirement system is well funded, with no opposition testimony heard. AB 1439 would request a UC Berkeley study on labor standards in real estate and infrastructure projects funded through CalPERS and CalSTRS portfolios; labor groups supported it, while local governments, housing, and industry groups opposed it as unnecessary and potentially burdensome. AB 1697 would delay implementation of last year’s AB 692 on stay-or-pay and related employment contract provisions to 2027, with some support from the NFL and a support-if-amended request from the financial services industry for a 2028 date. AB 1803 would add anti-hate speech content to existing workplace harassment training; supporters framed it as a response to rising antisemitism and workplace hate, while opponents raised First Amendment concerns and argued current law already addresses harassment. AB 2120 would extend Los Angeles Unified’s selective certification hiring authority and allow retention of such employees in layoffs, and AB 2292 would bar providers from charging administrative fees for completing disability insurance and paid family leave certification forms; both drew support and no opposition testimony in the hearing. AB 1198, the Fair Pay for Construction Workers Act, would tie prevailing wage to the time work is performed rather than bid advertisement, with supporters calling it a fairness fix and opponents warning of uncertainty and higher costs on public projects. The committee later reconvened and voted all of the heard bills out, with most passing on unanimous or near-unanimous votes; AB 1439 was the only measure with recorded dissent, passing 4-1 on the final committee vote. Several items were also placed on call before final passage.