Transcript Highlights:

• 23:25.159> to there's a leak and you use that to to there's a leak and you use that to to mitigate
• yeah just so that we understand mitigate yeah just so that we understand that that that yep<00:23:32.039
• That also winds up impacting productivity and forcing us to prioritize our resources to our critical
• plowing and so forth um that also winds plowing and so forth um that also winds up<01:22:12.760>
• Because once it does, that could, you know, mitigate this decline. and dry Octobers at some point and

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Safety presented an overview of highway fund and unrestricted revenue collections, focusing on the Division of Administration, the Road Toll Bureau, and the Division of Motor Vehicles. Amy Newbery explained that the main unrestricted funding sources are highway funds and general funds, with highway fund revenue of about $263 million in FY 2024 and a FY 2025 projection of $261.2 million. She said revenue growth has been modest and has not kept pace with costs, creating structural deficits that required general fund transfers of $50 million in FY 2022-23 and another $10 million in FY 2024-25 to balance the fund. Jennifer Hall described Road Toll operations, including motor fuel tax collection at the distributor level, compliance enforcement, and licensing for fuel distributors, transporters, IFTA carriers, and oil discharge/pollution control. Members asked about IFTA, dyed-fuel enforcement, the possibility of using the state forensic lab for dyed-fuel testing, and whether audit positions had been filled; the department said it recently hired a part-time fuel enforcement officer, still uses IRS testing, could explore lab testing, and had no audit vacancies. Hall also discussed factors affecting fuel-tax revenue, including gas prices, crude oil forecasts, weather, tourism, GDP, and inflation, and said FY 2024 road toll revenue was $127.5 million, above plan, with FY 2025 projected at $127.71 million. The committee then turned to DMV-related revenues. Newbery said motor vehicle registration revenue was $93.1 million in FY 2024 and is projected at $90.4 million in FY 2025, with the state share going directly to the highway fund. Members asked about the state/town fee split, the five-year registration cycle dip, the distribution of registration revenue by vehicle weight category, and the impact of electric-vehicle surcharges; the department said the five-year dip is still occurring and will fade over time, and it would follow up on the weight-category breakdown. The presentation also noted that driver-license revenues have stabilized, inspection revenues remain steady, plea-by-mail revenue was added to the highway fund in FY 2024, and general fund revenues tied to the department are relatively small and have declined as some functions moved to OPLC. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd also like to begin by saying, as you might expect, we're winding down our current operating season
• We have converted a couple of them to burn oil, which is a little bit of a fire mitigation, but we plan
• million from the general fund to support rate increases for professional guardians, and $40,000 to mitigate

Transcript Highlights:

• The place that they would probably wind up being is ISS.
• Though to mitigate some of the maybe the mid-range...
• Training at the campus level will mitigate a lot of those high-end but mid-level kinds of issues.

Bills: SB27, SB226, SB326, SB570, SB605, SB870, SB991, SB1871, SB1872, SB1873, SB1874, SB1924, SB1925

Keywords: residency, public schools, child safety placement, enrollment, education code, antisemitism, student conduct, education, disciplinary actions, Texas Education Code, truancy, attendance policy, chronic absenteeism, school attendance, student absence notifications, parent notification, home visit, attendance officer, truancy court, school district

Transcript Highlights:

• It's such a key component of why people wind up in our criminal justice system.
• natural hazards work group for state agencies to strategize and prioritize coordinated efforts to mitigate
• It codifies the state's administration of the federal hazard mitigation assistance grant program.
• It requires the division to annually report to the Legislature on hazard mitigation grant program grants
• include ad valorem taxes, agriculture taxes, permit and license fees, land leasing, management, and mitigation

Summary: The Appropriations Committee heard presentations on the Senate’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, SPB 25-200, totaling $117.4 billion. Chair Hooper and committee chairs highlighted major spending priorities including a 4% raise for state employees, continued health insurance contributions, investments in water quality, transportation, education infrastructure, and workforce development, along with reductions tied to long-vacant positions. Education funding was a major focus, with increases for K-12 public schools and scholarships, higher education workforce programs, nursing initiatives, tutoring, and university performance funding. Health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/economic development, and agriculture/environment budgets were also outlined, including Medicaid, mental health, corrections staffing, affordable housing, beach restoration, citrus recovery, and water projects. Members then questioned several budget choices, especially K-12 funding. Senators Polsky and Smith raised concerns that the Senate’s AP and dual enrollment funding changes could disadvantage public schools, while Burgess argued the budget preserves the money in the FEFP and gives districts more flexibility rather than reducing support. Questions also addressed voucher availability, school stabilization funding, and the My Safe Florida Home program. The committee adopted 171 consent amendments and three late-file amendments, then approved SPB 2500 as a committee bill. It also favorably reported implementing and conforming bills for state employees, retirement, natural resources, judgeships, K-12 education, higher education, and health and human services, along with SB 7022 on Florida Retirement System contribution rates and elected-officer DROP options, CS/SB 1320 on the Resilient Florida Trust Fund, SB 7014 ending the Mediation and Arbitration Trust Fund, SB 7028 on cancer research, CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing home quality and oversight, CS/SB 168 on mental health diversion and behavioral health data, SB 114 creating an insurance and risk management research center at FSU, and SB 180 on emergency preparedness and post-storm recovery. Most bills were reported favorably with little or no opposition, though SB 180 drew discussion about local-government authority after storms and the need to balance recovery speed with local safety and planning concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• cyber breaches in real time, dealing with the demanding situations that mirror efforts required to mitigate
• development, specifically. ...in areas such as biotech, emergency management, and energy, including offshore wind
• providing more energy efficiency, and unlocking the potential of our higher ed campuses to help us mitigate
• Band-Aid fixes we've been using over the past three or four decades are like throwing money to the wind
• It's like throwing money to the wind.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education held its second public hearing of the 194th General Court on capital investments in higher education, focusing primarily on H.54, the Bright Act, along with H.1426/S.949 on green and healthy public colleges and universities and deferred maintenance, and H.1424 on capital investment in Gateway Cities. Chairs and administration officials framed the hearing as a response to aging campus infrastructure, climate goals, workforce needs, and federal pressures on higher education, and explained that testimony would be taken from pre-registered speakers in person and virtually. University of Massachusetts leaders strongly supported the Bright Act, describing large deferred maintenance backlogs, aging buildings, and the need to decarbonize campuses while modernizing research and teaching facilities. UMass officials said the bill would help keep tuition and fees lower by reducing the need for campuses to finance capital work themselves, and argued that the investments would improve competitiveness, support research, and create construction jobs. Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Secretary of Education Tuttweiler, and Secretary of Administration and Finance Gorzkowicz also backed the bill, saying it would leverage Fair Share surtax revenues for a proposed $2.5 billion in campus investments plus additional targeted grants, and that it would support affordability, economic growth, and climate resilience. Committee members asked about the balance between deferred maintenance and decarbonization, the role of grant programs versus direct spending, the impact on tuition and fees, and how the plan would help campuses respond to federal cuts such as NIH and NSF funding. Administration officials said the proposal was designed to be phased in quickly, with some projects ready to start immediately and others taking longer, and that the grant programs would be structured to include all campuses equitably. They also said the plan would build on an existing financing model similar to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and could help campuses avoid future tuition increases tied to capital costs. Additional testimony came from MassBay Community College, where President David Podell and recent nursing graduate Deanna Cavazos described the benefits of a new Framingham campus building and said community colleges need modern labs, better planning capacity, and deferred maintenance support to serve the enrollment growth from MassReconnect and MassEducate. State university leaders, including President Mary Grant, President Linda Thompson, and President John Keenan, said their campuses face outdated classrooms, insufficient electrical capacity, and aging facilities, and urged passage of the Bright Act as a long-overdue investment in student success and workforce preparation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Lauren Reamy, in support in person.
• Hello and nice to Chair Peruso, Lauren Reamy with the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission
• And when you're talking about things that are wind, solar, storage, there's always the production of
• And when you're talking about things that are wind, solar, storage, there's always the production of
• And when you're talking about things that are wind, solar, storage, there's always the production of

Bills: HB1986, HB1694, HB1695, HB2030, HB1673

Keywords: clean fuel standard, alternative fuels, carbon intensity, emission reduction, greenhouse gases, transportation, sustainable aviation fuel, tax credit, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, Hawaii, economic development, carbon footprint, aviation sector, renewable fuels, local production, energy resilience, agricultural innovation, job creation, clean vehicles

Summary: The committee on Energy and Environmental Protection heard testimony on three measures related to cleaner fuels. On HB 1986, which would require the Department of Transportation to adopt rules for a clean fuel standard by January 1, 2028 and include reporting and public informational sessions, testimony was largely supportive from state commissions, fuel companies, airlines, and other industry and advocacy groups. Supporters said the bill would create a long-term framework for reducing emissions and developing cleaner fuels in Hawaii. Opposition came from Energy Justice Network, which argued that so-called clean fuels are not carbon-free, would be costly, and could delay a needed transition to electrification. The department later said it was monitoring the bill and was concerned about costs. No vote or final action was taken in the hearing. The committee then heard HB 1694, a sustainable aviation fuel tax credit bill that would provide a per-gallon credit for SAF, cap annual credits at $20 million, require reporting, and sunset in 2035. The Department of Taxation testified on administration, while the Department of Transportation said it supported the measure as a short-term strategy to jump-start SAF until the clean fuel standard ramps up. Airlines, fuel companies, the Hawaii Food Industry Association, the Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition, and others supported the bill, saying it would send a market signal, help close the cost gap with conventional jet fuel, and encourage local production and investment. Opponents, including Energy Justice Network, Life of the Land, and Ted Metros, argued the bill would be expensive, could lock in a transitional fuel system, and would not produce enough fuel to meet demand. Committee members asked about the likely impact and the share of total fuel demand the credit could support; DOT said the supported gallons would be only a very small percentage of annual demand and that the credit was intended to work alongside the future clean fuel standard. Finally, the committee took up HB 1695 HD1 on renewable fuel, which expands the renewable fuels production tax credit. Testimony was again mixed but generally supportive from the Department of Transportation, Department of Taxation, Island Energy Services, airlines, the Tax Foundation, Pana Pacific, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau. Supporters said the measure would encourage local feedstock production, create agricultural opportunities, and help attract investment in renewable fuels. Pana Pacific requested an amendment to explicitly include camelina in the definition of renewable feedstocks. Opponents, including Energy Justice Network and Life of the Land, repeated concerns about cost, imported feedstocks, and the risk of undermining full electrification goals. The hearing transcript does not show any vote or final committee action on HB 1694 or HB 1695 HD1.

Transcript Highlights:

• That road winds all through that.
• But we, of course, are working on both ends: we're working on mitigation, that's climate solutions, as
• That we haven't talked about is just the higher winds and the amount of dust in the air that floats and
• That came out in early 2024 regarding a dam above Chimayo that was built in the early 60s to mitigate
• Winded for us, so that we don't get lost in your issue that you're trying to bring forward our comment

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, here we are on the long and winding road.
• And winding road, the long and winding road that began with a special session in January and ends today
• a local impact fee, mobility fee, or concurrency requirement as part of their growth management mitigation
• So there's got to be a way we can mitigate this, where those 2% or those 11% of student bodies that are

Summary: The House met on the final day of session, swore in Representatives Boyles and Hodgers, and observed a moment of silence for the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as for Representative Rosenwald’s father. The chamber then moved into final budget work, with leaders outlining the plan to take up H.J.R. 5019, HB 7031, HB 5017, HB 5015, and then the general appropriations act once the Senate transmitted it. H.J.R. 5019, a proposed constitutional amendment to expand the budget stabilization fund, was explained and amended to raise the rainy day fund cap, require annual deposits, and allow withdrawals for critical state needs by a two-thirds vote; it passed 100-1. The House then adopted the conference report on HB 7031, the tax package. The bill repeals the business rent tax and aviation fuel tax, delays the natural gas fuel tax, creates or expands several sales tax holidays and exemptions, including permanent exemptions for disaster-preparedness items, hunting/fishing/camping items, and ammunition and firearms-related purchases, and makes changes to property, corporate income, local tax, and economic development provisions. Members debated the removal of recurring housing trust fund and transit-related revenue streams, the new ammunition exemption, and the data center tax changes; supporters argued the package reduces taxes and preserves annual budget flexibility, while opponents raised concerns about housing, transportation, and gun violence. The conference report passed 93-7. HB 5017, creating a debt reduction program funded by a recurring transfer to retire state bonds early, passed unanimously. HB 5015, the state group insurance conforming bill, which directs DMS to develop a formulary management plan and codifies the administrative health insurance assessment, also passed. The House then began explanation and questions on the fiscal year 2025-26 general appropriations act, described as a $115.1 billion budget that is down $3.8 billion from the current year and includes more than $12 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs summarized major spending areas, including pre-K-12 funding increases, health care funding for Medicaid, KidCare, nursing homes, opioid treatment, and mental health, transportation and economic development funding, environmental and water projects, higher education, state administration, justice, and information technology. Questions focused on school vouchers, inflationary pressures on school districts, and the adequacy of funding for housing, transportation, and other priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, here we are on the long and winding road.
• And winding road, the long and winding road that began with a special session in January and ends today
• implement a local impact fee, mobility fee, concurrency requirement as part of their growth management mitigation
• So there's got to be a way we can mitigate this where those 2 percentage, or those 11% of student bodies

Summary: The House convened on the final day of session, observed a moment of silence for the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and for Representative Rosenwald’s father, then swore in and seated new members Boyles and Hodgers. The Speaker also outlined the chamber’s end-of-session priorities, including action on the budget and related conforming bills. The House then took up H.J.R. 5019, a constitutional amendment to expand Florida’s budget stabilization fund by raising the cap, requiring annual transfers, and allowing withdrawals for critical state needs. After sponsor explanations and questions about what would qualify as a critical need and how the fund might respond to possible federal funding cuts, the House adopted an amendment that added more flexibility for suspending transfers and withdrawals. The joint resolution then passed on final passage. Members next considered HB 7031, the tax package conference report. The bill repeals the business rent tax and aviation fuel tax, delays the natural gas fuel tax, creates or extends several sales tax exemptions and holidays, and makes changes affecting property taxes, local taxes, pari-mutuel taxes, and revenue distributions. Debate focused heavily on the new permanent exemption for ammunition and hunting-related items, the elimination of recurring housing trust fund and transit-related distributions, and the shift of some funding from recurring to nonrecurring status. Supporters argued the package provides tax relief and preserves annual budget flexibility, while opponents criticized the ammunition exemption and the reductions in recurring housing and transit support. The conference report was adopted and the bill passed. The House then passed HB 5017, which creates a debt reduction program funded by a recurring transfer from general revenue to retire state bonds early, and HB 5015, the state group insurance conforming bill, which directs DMS to develop a formulary management plan and codifies the administrative health insurance assessment. Finally, the chamber began explanation and questions on the General Appropriations Act conference report for fiscal year 2025-26, described as a $115.1 billion budget that is down from the current year and includes more than $12 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs summarized major budget areas, including K-12 education, health care, transportation and economic development, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and information technology, highlighting funding for school choice, Medicaid, housing, transportation infrastructure, Everglades restoration, workforce programs, cybersecurity, and technology modernization.

Transcript Highlights:

• In just a matter of hours, the Eaton fire, driven by hurricane-force winds reaching 90 miles an hour,
• <01:08:24.000> reaching driven by hurricane force winds reaching driven by hurricane force
• <02:39:41.600> Marco<02:39:42.000> Rubio help mitigate storm surges.
• Marco Rubio help mitigate storm surges.
• projects that were under wind projects that were under construction. construction. construction.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They will also be working on fire mitigation year-round.
• The more mitigation we have, the less fires potentially we could have.
• And with the winds that are out here and how dry it is, I believe we need two.
• And with the winds that are out here and how dry it is, I believe we need two.
• And then when you look at doing a mitigation plan, those plans, if you don't have somebody with some

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to wind up back in court, spending hard-earned money of our taxpayer dollars, losing again
• I rise to present Senate Bill 931, which reauthorizes the Essential Services Mitigation Fund, or ESMF
• Mitigation in some form for local services has existed since the plant came online in the mid-1980s.
• I rise to present Senate Bill 931, which reauthorizes the Essential Services Mitigation Fund, or ESMF
• Mitigation in some form for local services has existed since the plant came online in the mid-1980s.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with a roll call, a moment of silence for the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The body then handled routine matters and confirmations, including Julia Montgomery as General Counsel for the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, Dr. Cynthia Glover Woods, Dr. Brenda Lewis, and Gabriela Orozco Gonzalez to the State Board of Education, and George Cardona as Chief Trial Counsel for the State Bar. All of those appointments were confirmed, with some no votes from a few members on the education and legal confirmations. The chamber also adopted several resolutions, including SR 111 on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia; SCR 129 naming part of Highway 152 the Rusty Arraes Highway; SCR 169 proclaiming October 2026 as Women’s Small Business Month; and SCR 173 designating May 2026 as California Fairgrounds Appreciation Month. Senators spoke in support of fairgrounds as community, agricultural, and emergency-response assets. The Senate also welcomed Cal Lutheran University students, faculty, and staff to the gallery. A large number of policy bills were then taken up and mostly passed, covering procurement, elections, education, privacy, housing, transportation, labor, and health care. Among the measures approved were SB 1154 on best-value procurement for community college projects, SB 1369 on judicial recall safeguards, SB 1048 creating a climate literacy seal, SB 1106 shortening data broker deletion timelines, SB 1408 authorizing a Contra Costa transportation tax measure, SB 1172 on local tax-sharing transparency, SB 1383 protecting local labor standards in density bonus projects, SB 1223 on competitive bidding at fairs, SB 1344 extending anti-SLAPP protections to certain housing-related projects, SB 1371 limiting solid waste contract force majeure clauses during labor disputes, SB 908 on residential window replacement permits, SB 1272 on remedies for preexisting home code violations, SB 1406 targeting the “Montana tax loophole,” SB 1238 on HOA transparency, SB 868 on plug-in balcony solar, SB 903 restricting unlicensed AI psychotherapy advertising, SB 950 on early-onset Alzheimer’s coverage, SB 874 on Medi-Cal behavioral health oversight, SB 1049 on corrected health care claims, SB 1067 on early math screening, SB 1202 on Medi-Cal outreach, SB 944 on acupuncture coverage, SB 957 on notice for federal subpoenas to social media companies, SB 959 on wildfire-related school closures, SB 988 on auto glass insurance practices, and SB 1000 on AI content transparency. Most passed on largely party-line or near-unanimous votes, with a few dissenting votes from members who objected to procurement, labor, privacy, or tax-related provisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• what I was about to say is we have, you know, the Governor has talked about a housing bond, VMT mitigation
• Addressing maintenance needs also mitigates the possibility of having to do more expensive projects later
• positive notes: we strongly support the inclusion of the proposal to enable project developers to mitigate
• Housing does offer a really cost-effective way to mitigate VMT in a lot of cases.
• Housing does offer a really cost-effective way to mitigate VMT in a lot of cases.

Summary: The subcommittee first heard an informational presentation on the May Revision’s proposed reorganization of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency into separate housing-focused and consumer/business-focused entities. Administration officials said the split would improve oversight, streamline decision-making, and create a dedicated California Housing and Homelessness Agency with a new housing development and finance committee. The Department of Finance said funding was needed in 2025-26 to begin implementation, while the LAO recommended rejecting the proposal without prejudice because the Little Hoover Commission review was still pending and the plan would require ongoing General Fund costs. Members raised concerns about the timing, the lack of alignment with the budget process, and whether the reorganization would improve accountability for homelessness spending; several public witnesses supported the concept but stressed it could not substitute for new housing and homelessness dollars. The committee then took up the Department of Veterans Affairs. CalVet requested funding for phase three of its electronic health care record project and a trailer bill to preserve authority for federal background checks, but the May Revision withdrew requests for deferred maintenance and additional administrative support. The LAO noted deferred maintenance can prevent larger future costs, and the chair criticized the withdrawal of less than $1 million for veterans’ homes as short-sighted given existing repair needs. No vote was taken. Next, the Department of Housing and Community Development presented its budget. HCD said the May Revision provides no new affordable housing or homelessness funding, but does retain existing rounds of funding and proposes a $31.7 million reversion from undersubscribed housing programs. Members from both parties expressed concern about zeroing out ongoing housing and homelessness investments, especially for LIHTC, the Multifamily Housing Program, and HAP. HCD also defended its homelessness accountability and compliance work, saying the unit includes about 30 program staff and six attorneys, with three additional attorneys requested mainly to handle public records and litigation workload. Public commenters largely opposed the lack of new funding and urged continued support for housing and homelessness programs, while some supported the reorganization and accountability efforts. Finally, the committee heard Go-Biz proposals. The administration requested authority to increase funding for a federal trade program match if needed, plus reappropriations for administrative funds tied to the Containerized Ports Interoperability Grant Program, zero-emission vehicle operations, and the Women’s Business Center Enhancement Program. It also proposed withdrawing the Cal Competes grant request and reverting remaining funds from the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund. The LAO said Cal Competes is generally effective but could be cut as a budget solution, while warning that the performing arts fund was close to awards and should be considered carefully. Members objected to pulling back committed funds for performing arts organizations and questioned why the state would withdraw support after applications had already been submitted.

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of the PPAs that are out there for things like offshore wind have seen become uneconomical and
• A lot of the PPAs that are out there for things like offshore wind have seen become uneconomical and
• A lot of the PPAs that are out there for things like offshore wind have seen become uneconomical and
• A lot of the PPAs that are out there for things like offshore wind have seen become uneconomical and
• That sort of mitigates that concern.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in those instances that rarely is going to happen, we're going to provide mitigating.
• >> So, that's the other mitigating factor.
• >> So, that's the other mitigating factor.
• So, and the employees get mitigating.
• to mitigating factor that we're going to have. have. have.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• safer and work uh diligently to mitigate safer and work uh diligently to mitigate the<00:26:00.000
• with no voice in this forum and quote the late great John Denver by saying, "Let's do this for the wind
• do<00:27:08.679> this<00:27:09.000> for<00:27:09.160> the<00:27:09.280> wind
• <00:27:09.880> and saying, "Let's do this for the wind and saying, "Let's do this for the
• wind and the<00:27:10.080> water<00:27:10.760> and<00:27:10.880> the<00:27:10.960

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• not really question or think to question, this was a couple years ago, the length of the road and it winds
• the<00:27:02.960> road<00:27:03.440> and<00:27:03.840> it<00:27:04.159> winds
• <00:27:04.559> all the length of the road and it winds all the length of the road and it winds
• dedicated investment, authorities face limitations in real-time threat detection, analysis, and mitigation
• , and mitigation, and mitigation, especially<00:36:08.560> outside<00:36:08.960> of

Bills: HF3418, HF3739, HF3791, HF3356, HF3695, HF3430

Keywords: pedestrian safety, traffic safety, roadway improvements, nonmotorized transportation, crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, complete streets, Vision Zero, Toward Zero Deaths, MnDOT, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, local road authority, county roads, city streets, tribal transportation, capital improvements, safety design solutions, grant program

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from February 25, 2026, and the chair noted the absence of Representative Katie Jones due to the birth of her baby. The chair also acknowledged that the committee would be discussing difficult topics related to the June 14 killing of Mark and Melissa Hortman and Gilbert. The main business began with House File 3418, which Chair Tabke moved for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill, and the committee adopted the A1 author’s amendment. The bill was described as a pedestrian safety measure prompted by a fatal Moorhead crash involving a young boy; it would create an opt-in program for communities to use pre-made traffic safety templates, with the state covering 80% of project costs to speed implementation of measures like lane narrowing, rumble strips, and bollards. A Moorhead testifier said the city could have acted faster with such funding, and members generally supported the goal while raising concerns about overlap with existing Safe Routes to School and active transportation programs, the bill’s fiscal note, and how communities would be selected. MDOT testified that it already supports similar community demonstration projects and has funded about 30 such projects since 2019. HF 3418 was laid over. The committee then took up House File 3739, a memorial highway bill for Mark and Melissa Hortman. An A1 amendment to shift funding away from trunk highway funds and toward legislative budgets was moved but not adopted after members argued memorial signage should continue to be paid for with private funds, as in prior memorial highway designations. The bill author explained the memorial was intended to honor Melissa Hortman’s service and connection to Highway 610, and members discussed the length of the proposed memorial stretch and whether it should be narrowed to the area she represented. Several members supported the tribute but expressed concern about using public funds and about setting a precedent for future memorial highways. The committee indicated the bill would move on to Ways and Means with other issues still to be worked out.

Transcript Highlights:

• not a lot of money to um for even if it not a lot of money to um for even if it it<00:14:51.320> winds
• being<00:14:51.959> modest<00:14:52.360> benefits<00:14:52.800> it it winds
• up being modest benefits it it winds up being modest benefits it pays<00:14:53.199> for<00:14
• Therefore, we support these changes to address and mitigate these barriers, including a standard for
• and mitigate these barriers including<01:42:22.960> a<01:42:23.199> standard<01:42:23.560

Bills: HF1367, HF2732, HF1897, HF1424, HF1383, HF2728, HF2863, HF1685, HF2929

Keywords: child maltreatment, child abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, human trafficking, child protection, local welfare agency, county social services, Minnesota Department of Human Services, judicial review, district court appeal, venue, out-of-state abuse, cross-border investigation, Minnesota child welfare, family assessment, maltreatment determination

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2018 and 2019, we saw hurricane-force winds registered at 100 miles per hour coming off of Lake Superior
• In 2018 and 2019, we saw hurricane<00:20:30.960> force<00:20:31.360> winds<00:20:32.000
• > registered<00:20:32.480> at<00:20:32.640> 100 hurricane force winds registered
• at 100 hurricane force winds registered at 100 miles<00:20:33.200> per<00:20:33.440> hour<
• , demand increased planning, mitigation, demand increased planning, mitigation, and<00:21:15.280>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Then they mitigate for those impacts.
• <01:42:17.000> for<01:42:17.280> those impacts then they mitigate for those impacts
• then they mitigate for those impacts<01:42:18.280> and<01:42:18.400> so<01:42:18.599><
• Um, certainly I'm happy to work with the sponsor and agencies if the political winds are towards a pilot
• are towards a pilot program um winds are towards a pilot program um obviously<01:55:58.280> we

Keywords: 1191, senate, all