Transcript Highlights:

• Third reading of a bill: An act establishing a sick leave bank for Paul Stavarski, an employee in the
• Eldridge: employee consent to disclose of personal data.
• With regards to Amendment No. 1, that was about including employee data as part of the protected data
• Why is it important to include employees? I want to be very clear.
• Employees themselves maybe not so much are considered consumers, but the small businesses that rely on

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, recognized several guests in the chamber, and adopted a resolution congratulating Coleman-Nee on election as National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans. It also took up several local and personnel matters, including a sick leave bank for Emily Cullick and later Paul Stavarski, and local bills affecting the town of Weston and a Dorchester housing/library procurement exemption; those measures were advanced to third reading or engrossment as appropriate. The chamber also suspended Joint Rule 12 to refer several House petitions to committees. The main business was Senate No. 2516, the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act, which came before the Senate on a Ways and Means substitute (Senate Document 2608). Senators Creem, Moore, Charles, Feingold, Keenan, and others spoke in support, describing the bill as a comprehensive consumer privacy measure with data minimization rules, limits on sensitive data, protections for minors, and strong Attorney General enforcement. Several amendments were debated, with many rejected or withdrawn, while some were adopted, including provisions on geolocation data protections, opting out of targeted advertising, affiliate and merger/acquisition protections, internal operations exemptions, parental access to child data, and a Ways and Means amendment. A number of other amendments on employee data, union data, loyalty programs, AI training, reporting, and related issues were either not adopted or held/withdrawn. After the amendment process, the Senate adopted the amended Ways and Means substitute and ordered the bill to a third reading. The bill was then passed to be engrossed on a roll call vote of 40-0. The Senate also adopted an order to adjourn to the following Monday at 11:00 a.m. and to dispense with printing a calendar. The session adjourned in memory of Darrow Logan Alexander of South Boston.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll address now and not when the MCO tax comes up, the MCO tax increased benefit payments for the employee
• Blue Shield plan or whatever plan you have, those are usually split 60-40 with the employer and the employee
• So not only will Californians... ...the employee and the employer.
• that there are protections in the case that there is sexual assault against a student by a school employee
• that there are protections in the case that there is sexual assault against a student by a school employee

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So what this does, it gives them the positions to have 17 positions and position the 55 employees as
• The department came up and said they had adequate funding, but they just couldn't find enough employees
• Just couldn't find enough employees. That's what the department said.
• And the testimony at PIR back in November was they had adequate funding for employees and help.
• And this, I don't know how many employees.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, quorum call, leave requests, and routine business, including reading gubernatorial approval letters for several recently enacted acts. Members also recognized guests in the chamber. The body then took up a motion to send House Bill 1034 back to the Joint Budget Committee, which passed, with Representative Jean explaining the bill would be revised to remove pay raises and address cybersecurity and bank fees later. On the red and budget calendars, the House passed House Bill 1103 to increase the homestead property tax credit by $75, with supporters noting it would be the fourth straight annual increase and total $300 per household over four years. The chamber also adopted amendments to House Bills 1007, 1022, 1036, and 1064, then passed Senate Bill 76, a $2 million appropriation for county extension office capital improvements. Several appropriation bills were then considered in batches and individually, with mixed results: House Bills 1005, 1051, 1089, 1090, 1093, and Senate Bills 8, 10, 16, 20, 23, 36, 43, 55, 58, 63, 67, and 30 passed; House Bills 1023, 1035, 1053, 1066, and Senate Bills 41 and 59 failed; Senate Bills 10 and 24 were initially passed over for later consideration. A major portion of the meeting focused on Amendment 1 to House Bill 1100, the RSA/one-time funding package. Representative Jean outlined increases for corrections, state police, LEARNS/freedom accounts, Medicaid, vehicle purchases, and other set-asides, plus a proposed $300 million economic development reserve for a confidential project with clawback provisions. The amendment drew extended debate: supporters argued it could bring major job creation and broader economic benefits, while opponents criticized the secrecy, size of the subsidy, and opportunity cost. The amendment ultimately passed 54-36-3. The House then adjourned until 1 p.m. the next day after announcements about upcoming budget and House Management meetings.

Transcript Highlights:

• explained that the amendment gives them the positions to have 17 positions and positions the 55 employees
• The department came up and said they had adequate funding, but they just couldn't find enough employees
• Just couldn't find enough employees.
• And the testimony at PEER back in November was they had adequate funding for employees and help.
• I don’t know how many employees—I read 4,000 and 2,000—but I know this: we all won’t, but I shouldn’t

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So what this does, it gives them the positions to have 17 positions and position the 55 employees as
• The department came up and said they had adequate funding, but they just couldn't find enough employees
• Just couldn't find enough employees.
• And the testimony at PEER back in November was that they had adequate funding for employees and help.
• And this, I don't know how many employees.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum, granted several leaves, and received gubernatorial approval notices for multiple fiscal-session measures. The chamber then referred House Bill 1034 back to the Joint Budget Committee so pay raises could be stripped out and cybersecurity/bank-fee funding handled later. House Bill 1103, increasing the homestead property tax credit by $75, passed 94-0. Members then considered several budget amendments and appropriations. Amendments to House Bills 1007, 1022, 1036, and 1064 were adopted, and Senate Bill 76, a $2 million appropriation for county extension office capital improvements, passed 87-7. A batch of appropriation bills passed, but several individual bills failed, including House Bills 1023, 1035, 1053, and 1066. House Bills 1089 and 1090, supplemental appropriations for pregnancy crisis centers and waste tire cleanup, both passed. House Bill 1093, a corrections reappropriation bill that excluded use of funds in Franklin County, also passed 94-0. The most extensive debate centered on House Bill 1100 Amendment 1, which set out the RSA and one-time funding package. Supporters described major allocations for corrections, state police, LEARNS Freedom Accounts, Medicaid, vehicle purchases, and a proposed $300 million economic-development site-preparation and road package tied to a confidential project. Opponents criticized the secrecy, size, and policy approach of the incentive, while supporters argued it could bring jobs and broader economic benefits. The amendment passed 54-36-3. The House also passed Senate Bills 8, 16, 30, 63, 67, and 73, while Senate Bills 41 and 59 failed, and Senate Bill 10 passed after being briefly set aside for clarification. The chamber adjourned to 1 p.m. the next day, with committee meetings announced for budget and house management.

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, Leah Griffin with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, proud
• This reduces service capacity and delays onboarding of employees.
• Our bill would create a limited one-time provisional period of up to 60 days where new employees can
• We have about 35 employees, and I've been in the industry for 33 years, and also been a part of our trade
• Interestingly enough, about 3,000 of those have less than five employees, hence the purpose of this bill

Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard a full agenda of bills covering travel consumer protections, cannabis commerce with tribes, medical record integrity, pest control licensing, pawn and gold-buying regulation, pharmacy discipline, land surveying, and expedited licensing for veterans separated under a federal transgender military policy. Members also later heard AB 1973, which would expand the ability of advanced practice clinicians to provide abortion care, with supporters arguing it would improve access and opponents warning about safety and scope-of-practice concerns. Several bills were presented before quorum was reached, and the chair repeatedly urged absent members to arrive so the committee could vote. Testimony on the bills was largely in support. Authors and witnesses said AB 1758 would raise the seller-of-travel assessment cap to keep the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund solvent; AB 2506 would allow state cannabis licensees to sell products from tribal licensees while respecting tribal sovereignty; AB 1637 would prevent non-physicians from altering physician-authored medical notes; AB 2477 would create a short provisional period for pest control workers awaiting licensure; AB 2633 would close a loophole involving remote gold-buying events and stolen property reporting; AB 2141 would let the Board of Pharmacy resolve some cases through stipulated settlements before formal accusations; and AB 1933 would make technical clarifications to land surveying law. AB 1775 drew emotional testimony from transgender service members and advocates describing the impact of federal separation policies and the need for California licensing and support. Once quorum was established, the committee voted out the consent calendar and each of the heard bills, generally on party-line or near-unanimous votes. AB 1637, AB 1758, AB 1775, AB 1933, AB 2141, AB 2477, AB 2506, and AB 2633 all passed out of committee, most to Appropriations or another policy committee as noted. AB 1973 also passed, despite a no vote from some members and an opposition witness from the California Family Council. The committee later took vote changes and additional roll calls for absent members before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2624 expands California's Safe at Home program to include immigrant service providers, their employees
• extending this program's protections to our immigrant support service providers as well as their employees
• here last year and expands the Safe at Home program for gender-affirming care providers, patients, employees
• But if an employee named Sarah, who worked for me and had a threat of violence, she could be shielded
• mentioned people go into a place of work, and on one occasion, a place of home and harassing an employee

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee heard several bills focused on consumer transparency, environmental protection, education accountability, and privacy protections. AB 2143 by Assemblymember Irwin would prohibit online marketplaces from accepting payment for noxious weeds shipped into California; supporters said the bill would close an e-commerce loophole that helps spread invasive species, while TechNet opposed it unless clearer standards and safeguards were added. AB 1744 by Assemblymember Addis, the Clear Labels, Clear Seas Act, would bar sunscreen products containing chemical UV filters from being marketed as “reef safe” or similar claims; supporters, including a Sacramento high school eco club and Surfrider Foundation, said the bill would prevent misleading greenwashing, while the Personal Care Products Council expressed concern about implications for the safety of those ingredients. The committee also heard AB 1861 by Assemblymember Lackey, which would require the California Department of Education to maintain a public, searchable database of special education complaint decisions with personal information redacted. Supporters said the bill would improve transparency and help identify patterns of noncompliance affecting students with disabilities, while county education officials argued state resources should instead go toward filling special education vacancies. AB 2624 by Assemblymember Bonta would expand the Safe at Home address confidentiality program to immigrant service providers, employees, and volunteers and restrict online posting of their personal information when intended to threaten or intimidate; supporters described rising harassment, doxing, and threats against immigrant-serving organizations, while Assemblymember DeMaio raised First Amendment and public transparency concerns and Assemblymember Patterson questioned the bill’s limits on protest and publication. Because the committee initially lacked a quorum, several bills were heard and later voted on once quorum was established. Members generally praised the bills and, in some cases, requested to be added as coauthors. When votes were taken, AB 1861, AB 1744, AB 2143, and AB 2624 all passed out of committee, with AB 2624 receiving 11 aye votes and 2 no votes; the others were reported out on unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, Leah Griffin with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, proud
• This reduces service capacity and delays onboarding of employees.
• Our bill would create a limited one-time provisional period of up to 60 days where new employees can
• We have about 35 employees, and I've been in the industry for 33 years, and also been a part of our trade
• Interestingly enough, about 3,000 of those have less than five employees, hence the purpose of this bill

Committee: House Business and Professions

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They believe in growth and opportunities for all of their employees.
• So there were surveys that were disseminated to employers, HR, neurodivergent employees, and neurotypical
• different images of him in our family over the years, from being very young up until more recently as an employee
• , part-time employee at Chick-fil-A.
• They're employees of a provider like SLS.

Committee: All TASK FORCE ON AUTISM

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have 122 employees. 100 of those are full-time employees.
• We have 12211 employees. 1001 of those are full-time employees.
• And hopefully that's what we're One of those are full-time employees, and hopefully that's what you were
• From 1961 to 1964, he was a business representative to the city employees union.

Committee: House Special Committee on Tourism

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've launched a digital policy acknowledgement portal that replaces paper signatures for over 2,000 employees
• So state employees can respond to open records requests, find things quicker, and be able to access data
• So state employees can respond to open records requests, find things quicker, and be able to access data
• So state employees can respond to open records requests, find things quicker, and be able to access data
• All in favor signify by I. >> I. >> We got to get those under the way while we snagged a couple employee

Keywords: 0:20 Rollcall 2:28 Definition of Legacy system and demands of modern workplaces 10:48 Discussion of funding and planned expenditures 22:26 Contingency funding 23:16 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance heard a presentation from the Commonwealth Office of Technology on legacy IT modernization funds and how they are used to address outdated, unsupported, or unsustainable systems. David Carter and Carrie Welch explained the state’s definition of a legacy system under KRS 7A.180, emphasizing not only vendor support issues but also changing business needs, regulatory compliance, and the loss of institutional knowledge for older systems. They described the office’s review process for determining whether a project qualifies, including assessing business risk, comparing options such as upgrades, replacements, shared solutions across agencies, or commercial products, and then matching the project to available funding. The presenters said COT reports twice a year to the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue on progress with legacy modernization projects. They reported 30 projects funded to date, with 18 completed, and said remaining projects are still moving forward while agencies continue to identify modernization needs. They highlighted examples of completed work, including modernized security cameras, replacement of unsupported systems, migration of documents to the Commonwealth Enterprise Content Management Platform, restoration of vendor support, a digital policy acknowledgement portal, replacement of the State Police dispatch system, and digitization of paper records for faster retrieval and better disaster resilience. Members asked for more detail on how the $10 million request would be allocated, including system-by-system spending, the split between software, hardware, vendor contracts, and staff time, and how the office determines when a system needs replacement. COT said it did not have a system-by-system or cost-category breakdown at the hearing but could provide one later, and explained that the funds are intended for development and first-time acquisition costs rather than ongoing maintenance. They also said the $5 million annual request was based on prior years’ experience and that agencies often contribute some funding themselves, so the program could still operate if appropriated less than the full amount. The committee then approved the minutes and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• One thing, if you look at the bottom right-hand corner, we... ...currently have 682 full-time employees
• What... how that works... currently have682 full time employees and seasonals at this current time as
• OK, another question is: you got a $2.5 million pay raise for employees.
• If the state would give all the state employees a pay raise, will that $2.5 million go away?
• So we just had to make alterations and not hire certain employees and do different things just to make

Committee: House A&B Natural Resources Subcommittee

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce on its FY26 priorities, recent performance, and budget requests. Commerce said it had helped announce about 8,000 direct jobs and nearly $14 billion in investment year-to-date, while noting challenges such as tariffs, workforce recruitment, staffing/FTE management, and the condition of its 100-year-old office building. The agency highlighted projects and initiatives including a new Taiwan trade office, Route 66 Centennial planning, the National Main Street conference in Tulsa, Olympic-related coordination, census outreach, and continued improvements to its grants and CRM systems. Requested funding included $8.3 million for building repairs or relocation planning, census support, $300,000 for EDGE, $135,000 for IT/cybersecurity upgrades, $250,000 for the Taiwan office, and additional support for Head Start, senior nutrition, and the Strategic Air and Space Commission. Members asked about the meaning of the investment totals, the building condition, delays in senior nutrition distributions, and staffing vacancies; Commerce said the investment figures reflected formal company capital announcements, the building had significant facade and roof damage, delays were due to multiple contracting layers, and several open positions were expected to be filled soon. The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department then presented its FY26 budget and goals. New director Amy Blackburn and special advisor Sterling Zearley said the department oversees 38 state parks, six lodges, seven golf courses, and nine travel information centers, and emphasized tourism’s economic importance. They reported savings from bringing marketing and tracking functions in-house and from shared services, but said the department faces more than $271 million in deferred maintenance needs, staffing shortages, and connectivity problems at parks. Their goals include increasing park visitation to 10.2 million, raising occupancy to 36%, and growing travel to Oklahoma, with major marketing tied to the Route 66 Centennial, America 250, the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics, and other events. The department also discussed a request to raise its purchasing exemption cap from $25,000 to $75,000, a possible TravelOK.com redesign, and efforts to improve restaurant operations at lodges through a new RFP structure. Members questioned the apportionment cap, the size and timing of deferred maintenance requests, park revenue, and the use of parking pass funds; tourism said annual park-related revenue is about $32 million to $34 million and parking pass revenue is about $2.5 million. Finally, the OSU Veterinary Medicine Authority presented its budget request and program updates. The authority said it supports the veterinary teaching hospital and related student training, and that its FY26 budget is entirely state-appropriated. It requested continued support for hospital operations, the large animal scholarship program, and a new $12.5 million annual payment tied to the $250 million Legacy Capital Fund authorization for the veterinary teaching hospital, along with additional funding to expand in-state enrollment. Officials said in-state enrollment had increased from 58 to 69 students after prior funding, with a goal of reaching 90 of 106 total seats, and that there were 195 in-state applicants this year. Members asked whether standards would be lowered; the authority said academic standards would not change and noted strong board-pass rates and retention outcomes. It also said accreditation concerns tied to faculty shortages and off-site teaching had been addressed by bringing students back to the main campus and improving staffing. The committee ended by thanking the presenters and announcing its next meeting date.

Transcript Highlights:

• has returned to base levels prior to the federal shutdown, the firing of necessary probationary employees
• has returned to base levels prior to the federal shutdown, the firing of necessary probationary employees
• So as we've seen a lot of firing and rehiring of federal employees, that's created a lot of uncertainty
• So as we've seen a lot of firing and rehiring of federal employees, that's created a lot of uncertainty
• And so earlier this year, when we saw impacts to probationary employees, that created major concern for

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Committee on Water Supply During Drought

Summary: The committee heard first from Deputy State Climatologist Karen Bumbacco, who reviewed the weather and snowpack conditions that contributed to Washington’s 2025 drought. She said the state had a very warm and dry water year, with April through September ranking among the warmest and driest periods on record, and that three straight years of below-normal snowpack and precipitation had compounded drought impacts, especially in the Yakima Basin. She also explained that a weak La Niña could bring a wetter-than-normal winter, though temperature forecasts were less certain, and noted that long-term climate projections point to continued snowpack decline and earlier runoff timing. Department of Ecology staff Rea Burns and Caroline Melor then described the state’s drought declaration process and response. They said Washington’s statutory drought threshold is less than 75% of normal water supply plus a hardship finding, and that Ecology extended the Yakima drought declaration in April and expanded it statewide in June. They discussed reliance on federal monitoring data and staffing at NRCS, USGS, Reclamation, and NOAA, and said federal staffing and funding instability has created concerns for snowpack and water data. They also reviewed drought response funding, noting that grants have supported projects in the Yakima and Dungeness basins and that the drought emergency account still has a balance available for current needs. Burns gave a detailed update on the Yakima Basin, saying it experienced unprecedented conditions this year, including nearly empty reservoirs, curtailment orders sent to about 1,500 water users, and the first time even the most senior 1855 surface water rights were turned off. She said widespread compliance occurred, though the process exposed areas for improvement, especially coordination with federal partners. Committee members asked about the long-term basis for climate projections, the 75% drought threshold, federal impacts, drought insurance, reservoir storage, and whether the state should consider more drought funding or new storage projects. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've never worked ever in my life at any job, and we own a company too, and our employees that show up
• We've never paid our employees for not showing up to work.
• I was also a regional manager managing 3,500 SEIU Local 26 employees and a mom.
• As a Center for Independent Living, 50% of our employees are people with disabilities.
• At our agency, with over 70 employees, 65% are people with disabilities.

Bills: HF2435

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Keywords: healthcare, dementia services, public health funding, opioid prevention, women's health, community health boards, mental health

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, the funding will help expected growth in employee compensation, insurance, IT services,
• One is expected growth in employee compensation and IT costs.
• We project that just the normal cost growth in employee compensation-related costs is a little over 2%
• We also, of course, include employee costs for those staff who have specialized IT skills and work on
• And so to your point, it's very disheartening to the employees.

Bills: HF2436 , HF470 , HF2643 , HF2456 , HF102 , HF1367

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras, early education, scholarships, funding, children, families, Minnesota education, child care licensing, family child care, child care center, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, correction order, conditional license, fix-it ticket, documented technical assistance, license suspension

Transcript Highlights:

• Some VA employees hesitate to refer veterans to community care, fearing it could negatively impact their
• years, the VA has continued to deny community care referrals, expand VA hospitals, and hire more employees
• access standards enacted in the Mission Act are Clear, and the VA is responsible for educating its employees
• However, as VA employees, or even Community Care Network employees are transitioning, it leaves the veteran
• The VA added 120,000 employees over the last decade, and I support giving the VA the resources it needs

Committee: Senate Senate Veterans' Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• The vacancies consist now of five classified employees and three GovEx positions.
• As a regulatory agency with only 52 employees, vacancies have a significant impact on our ability to
• This is general fund revenue to fund an expansion request that adds three full-time employees.
• An average state employee works 2,080 hours per year.
• So, Not only do we have GovEx employees, veterinarians working for us, but we also use contract vets.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• We manage our state employee health plan.
• We manage our state employee health plan.
• We manage our state employee health plan.
• We manage our state employee health plan.
• And so because we employee health plan.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:43:15.719><c> hired</c><01:43:16.320><c> before</c> clarifies that uh employees hired before
• clarifies that uh employees hired before that<01:43:16.880><c> date</c><01:43:17.159><c> will</c><01:
• </c><01:47:55.320><c> that</c> as as an inessential employee that as as an inessential employee that
• uh other states have already employees uh other states have already recognized<01:48:38.360><c> the<
• Currently, our company puts in an average of $800 per employee prior to full-time employment, and now

Bills: HF1082 , HF1042 , HF1295 , HF1686 , HF1998 , HF1775 , HF1163

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Keywords: public safety, law enforcement, mental health, domestic violence, appropriations, criminal justice, Minnesota corrections, victim services, task force, personal safety, Independent Use of Force Investigations Unit, criminal sexual conduct, sexual assault, peace officers, law enforcement oversight, Minnesota National Guard, U.S. armed forces, military installation, armory, air base

Transcript Highlights:

• for those employees that are employed by the Ark or Answers in Genesis?
• um and do you pay occupational employees um and do you pay occupational tax<00:39:55.280><c> for</c>
• are</c> tax for those employees that are tax for those employees that are employed<00:39:57.520><c>
• Well, as far as number of employees, I know it fluctuates seasonally.
• Um, I know we will at some times of the year balloon up to about 1,400 employees.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call: 01:04 Approval of June Minutes: 02:35 Ark Encounter Impact: 10 Years: 03:25, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its second Interim Joint Committee on Tourism, Small Business, and Information Technology meeting, approved the June minutes, and then heard a presentation from representatives of the Ark Encounter on its 10-year anniversary. Eddie Lutz and Anna Katherine Scalf described the Ark as a major tourism anchor in Kentucky, citing nearly 9.3 million total guests, about 1 million annual visitors, 16,871 bus groups, and a largely out-of-region audience. They emphasized that the Ark and the nearby Creation Museum together draw about 1.5 million visitors a year and have helped drive hotel development, restaurant activity, and other tourism spending in Northern Kentucky and surrounding areas. They also previewed future expansion, including a large first-century Jerusalem model in the welcome center and a 40-day Christian music festival with more than 120 concerts. Members asked about the project’s financing, location choice, and business structure. The witnesses said no taxpayer dollars were used to build the Ark, but the project did receive a Kentucky tax incentive/rebate program, which they said helped bring the attraction to the state. They said Kentucky was chosen in part because of the available land off I-75 and because the Ark and Creation Museum are close enough to encourage overnight stays. In response to questions, they explained that Answers in Genesis is the nonprofit parent organization, the Creation Museum is nonprofit, and the Ark Encounter operates as a for-profit entity owned by a nonprofit; revenue comes from ticket sales and events, while development was funded through private donations. They also said staffing can reach about 1,400 employees seasonally, though they did not know the occupational tax details. Several legislators offered supportive comments and personal observations about the Ark’s draw for out-of-state and international visitors, including license plates from many states and stories of travelers extending their stays to visit. The witnesses and members also discussed broader tourism collaboration in Kentucky, including partnerships with Louisville, Lexington, Northern Kentucky attractions, and nearby hotels and businesses that benefit from Ark-related traffic. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approval of the June minutes.