Transcript Highlights:

• county employee.
• ><c> not</c> and Tuscaloosa. those employees were not and Tuscaloosa. those employees were not allowed
• </c><00:09:29.360><c> become</c> Instead, it lets city employees become Instead, it lets city employees
• were</c> city or county employee and we were city or county employee and we were administering<00:09:
• </c> employee or a county employee. employee or a county employee.

Committee: House County and Municipal Government

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, the employee has to be employed by the same school district; now employees could stack benefits
• in eligible positions, and they can't pick and choose which employees are in and which employees are
• Enrolling our railroad employees in DRS would impose an additional employee retirement tax of 5.38% and
• , and former employees would also be required to pay.
• This bill would impose a new fee on businesses with more than 100 employees based on their employees'

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on January 20, 2026, hearing several bills related to retirement systems, school employee health coverage, port district pensions, environmental fee accounts, developmental disability services, legislative budget transparency, and a new Apple Health employer assessment. Early in the meeting, the committee heard SB 5834, which would make permanent a temporary expansion allowing certain retirement trust fund earnings to pay broader administrative expenses, and SB 5835, which would raise the lump-sum retirement allowance threshold for Plan 2 members from $50 to $250. Both bills were presented by Department of Retirement Systems staff and supported by the department, with questions focused on the scope of the administrative-expense language in SB 5834 and the technical nature of SB 5835. The committee then entered executive session and moved three bills without recommendation to the Rules Committee: Substitute SB 5249, allowing kit homes as emergency housing; Substitute SB 5053, allowing certain counties to include school district boundaries when forming a public facilities district; and Substitute SB 5203, directing state agencies to develop a wildlife habitat connectivity strategy and creating related accounts. After returning to public hearing, members heard SB 5883 on SEBB eligibility for school employees in their second school year of employment. Supporters, including labor representatives and individual school workers, said the bill would reduce coverage gaps and improve recruitment and retention, while school district officials and administrators argued it would create an unfunded mandate, increase costs, and add administrative burden. No action was taken on the bill. The committee also heard SB 5905, which would exclude certain port district employees from PERS if they are covered by the federal Railroad Retirement Plan or a collectively bargained defined benefit pension plan. Port representatives, labor stakeholders, and the Department of Retirement Systems described it as a narrow technical fix to avoid duplicate pension coverage and retroactive liabilities, and the bill drew support. SB 6151 would create dedicated accounts for Ecology fee revenue tied to laboratory accreditation and landfill methane work; Ecology and county representatives supported the measure as a way to reinvest fees in the programs that generate them. SB 6163 would require the Individual and Family Services waiver for developmental disability services to be budgeted at maintenance level; advocates said it would stabilize services and prevent waitlists, and no opposition was heard. The final two bills were SB 6177, which would require LEAP’s budget website to display additional budget detail such as carry-forward data, program and subprogram expenditures, and balance sheets for all public accounts, and SB 6173, which would create an Apple Health employer assessment on larger private employers with workers enrolled in Medicaid expansion coverage. SB 6177 was framed as a transparency measure, while SB 6173 drew extensive testimony both in support and opposition: supporters said it would help offset expected Medicaid losses after federal work requirements take effect and stabilize the health safety net, while opponents argued it would be an unfunded tax, create administrative and legal complications, and could discourage hiring or reduce hours. The committee heard no final votes on the public hearing bills, and staff reminded members that signature sheets would be held for 24 hours under Senate rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• employees.
• employees.
• employees.
• </c> employee. That's my interest. employee. That's my interest.
• </c> employees in New Hampshire. employees in New Hampshire.

Committee: House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• becomes a foster parent, or for an employee who has a serious health condition that makes the employee
• becomes a foster parent, or for an employee who has a serious health condition that makes the employee
• </c><00:04:26.720><c> 12</c><00:04:27.040><c> days</c> employees, new employees can get 12 days employees
• sick leave from other employees.
• Employees also have the ability to borrow sick leave from other employees.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes, and then took up several administrative regulations. The first was an Office of the Attorney General regulation creating an online submission process for an annual certification report to replace prior quarterly notarized certification forms; there were no amendments or questions. The main discussion centered on Personnel Cabinet regulations 101 KAR 2:034, 2:102, 3:015, and 3:045, which include staff-suggested technical amendments and address state employee compensation and leave. The compensation provisions clarify salary and rehiring/demotion rules, increase critical position premiums from one to three, and update weekend premium and ACE award practices. The leave provisions would provide up to six weeks of paid leave per 10-year interval for birth, adoption, foster placement, or a serious health condition, and allow one paid adverse-weather day per year with supervisor approval. Staff explained that annual and sick leave already accrue and roll over, and that the new six-week benefit was intended as an additional enhancement tied to the 10-year and 20-year sick-leave milestones.

Transcript Highlights:

• most important thing to state employees.
• It shows you the membership as far as the employees and whether they are state employees, legislators
• or employees of any political subdivision.
• Retirement programs of state employees or employees of any political subdivision, or health or retiree
• or employees of any political subdivision or health or retiree plans of state employees of any public

Committee: Joint Employee Benefits Programs Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> which employment agreement an employee which employment agreement an employee is<00:02:13.120><c
• </c><00:03:09.519><c> regular</c> [clears throat] the employees regular [clears throat] the employees
• earn these sums of money. employees earned more than $200,000 in employees earned more than $200,000
• </c> overtime to employees overtime to employees and<00:06:49.919><c> we</c><00:06:50.080><c> found</
• . employees. employees.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• with single coverage, $17,000 for every employee with family coverage, $27,000 for every employee who
• with single coverage, $17,000 for every employee with family coverage, $27,000 for every employee who
• with single coverage, $17,000 for every employee with family coverage, $27,000 for every employee who
• with single coverage, $17,000 for every employee with family coverage, $27,000 for every employee who
• with single coverage, $17,000 for every employee with family coverage, $27,000 for every employee who

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Our employees and our employees.
• And so healthy employees make good employees and less absenteeism.
• 25:25.200><c> employees</c> healthy employees make good employees healthy employees make good employees
• </c> for our uh, employees in this program. for our uh, employees in this program.
• </c> Employee Insurance. Employee Insurance.

Committee: Joint State Government

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The employee is afforded adequate notice, and the employee is advised in writing of the opportunity to
• Okay, garden leave agreements, where the employee continues to technically be the employee of the employer
• What about the employees that we want to attract?
• And also, are we not disincentivizing those employees who are very talented and who would be, Those employees
• clauses and employers that are requiring employees to do this, what happens if an employee works in

Committee: Senate Commerce and Tourism

Summary: The committee heard several bills on commerce, tourism, labor, technology, and public safety. SB 1666, by Senator Graal, would adopt Florida’s version of UCC Article 12 to address commercial transactions involving digital assets such as cryptocurrency, blockchain, smart contracts, and NFTs; after a technical amendment, it was reported favorably. CS/SB 480, by Senator DiCeglie, would create affordable health coverage options for farmers and ranchers through a nonprofit agricultural organization model similar to Tennessee’s; supporters said it would expand access in rural areas, while opponents and some senators raised concerns about ACA protections, preexisting conditions, and state fiscal impacts. The committee also approved CS/SB 1172, which expands business development incentives for veterans and military spouses, including procurement preferences, fee waivers, tax exemptions, and an entrepreneurship program, after an amendment expanding hiring preferences for military spouses was adopted. The committee then took up SB 1400, which creates a process for removing nonconsensual AI-generated sexual deepfakes from covered online platforms within 24 to 48 hours and subjects noncompliant platforms to penalties under Florida’s deceptive trade practices law; an amendment carved out internet service providers, and the bill was reported favorably. SM 1488, a memorial urging Congress to create a sovereign wealth fund, drew opposition from a public school teacher who questioned its necessity and constitutionality, but it still passed. CS/SB 922, dealing with employment agreements, would strengthen enforcement of certain non-compete and garden leave agreements for employees with access to sensitive information; critics argued it would restrict workers and innovation, while supporters said it protects trade secrets and high-paying jobs. After an amendment, it was reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1252, which would create a statewide system for sharing pawn and secondhand dealer data among law enforcement agencies, with an initial feasibility study cost estimated at $250,000 and questions raised about enforcement if agencies do not participate. Finally, CS/SB 1776, under the Whistleblower’s Act, would require advance notice and an opportunity to cure alleged violations, narrow retaliation and disclosure definitions, and limit claims when another statutory remedy exists; members questioned whether the changes could reduce employee protections or allow employers time to destroy evidence, but the bill was still under debate as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2144 deals with electronic monitoring of employees for employee evaluations.
• And the employees do not know it.
• Retaliation against an employee for raising concerns is prohibited, and similarly, the employee, a third
• Is it reported by an employee, and then the employee reports to the Attorney General's office or to L
• Employees would pay 40% and employers would pay 60% of the family share, and then employees would pay

Summary: The Labor and Workplace Standards Committee heard testimony on several bills. HB 2303 would prohibit employers from requesting, requiring, or coercing employees to receive subcutaneous microchip implants, with enforcement through L&I complaints, civil penalties, and private lawsuits; the sponsor said it was a preventive labor standard and noted there was no opposition. HB 2144 would require employers to give written notice before using electronic monitoring for employee performance evaluations, and testimony split between labor supporters, who said workers should know how they are monitored, and business, local government, trucking, retail, construction, and law enforcement representatives, who raised concerns about broad definitions, safety uses, and litigation exposure. HB 2190 would expand collective bargaining rights for language access providers so missed or canceled appointments could be bargained as compensation; interpreters and union representatives supported it, saying they lose income when clients no-show, while the sponsor said the bill would clarify bargaining rights without changing employment status. The committee also heard HB 2345, a technical change to the state paid family and medical leave premium split in response to IRS guidance. Staff explained the proposed substitute would shift the employer contribution from the medical share to the family share so benefits would not be treated as taxable wages, while keeping the overall premium burden roughly the same; supporters called it a common-sense fix, and some business and school district witnesses said they wanted to avoid additional taxes and preserve program stability. The most extensive debate was over HB 2191, which would make property owners and direct contractors liable for unpaid wages and benefits in construction projects, with exceptions for government and small residential properties. Workers, unions, the Attorney General’s office, and some contractors supported the bill as a way to combat wage theft and level the playing field, while industry groups and subcontractors argued it would impose broad liability on responsible contractors, raise costs, hurt small businesses and minority-owned firms, and should be narrowed with safe harbors or right-to-cure provisions. No votes were taken; the committee held hearings on the bills and adjourned after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got 55 employees, and I have currently got about 20 employees who are just terribly excited to
• reward the employees whose futures rely on them.
• People need to know more about employee ownership.
• employees whose futures rely on them.
• People need to know more about employee ownership.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies held its first public hearing of the session, chaired by Rep. Carole Fiola with Sen. Barry Finegold. After housekeeping on livestreaming, virtual testimony, and written testimony deadlines, the committee heard testimony on several bills, with the main focus on S. 303/H. 503/S. 305 and H. 491, all related to worker ownership and business succession. Testimony generally supported expanding employee ownership, right of first refusal for workers, and incentives for owners to sell to employee groups. Speakers from worker co-ops, technical assistance organizations, lenders, and business owners said these measures could preserve local businesses, protect jobs, build worker wealth, and help communities retain valued services and storefronts. On S. 303, Vincent Lawrence Dixon described a proposal to create tools such as a special community trustee, right of first refusal, and community institution landmarks to help communities preserve important local properties and uses when owners cease operations. On H. 491 and the employee-ownership bills, witnesses including Matthew Page Lieberman, Caleb from Circus Cooperative Cafe, Sarah Acefa of Dorchester Food Co-op, Halsey Platt, Kevin O'Brien, John Abrams, Virginia Berman, Stacey Cordero, Adrian Roman, Alex Popali, Adam Trott, and Ethan Tupelo emphasized that worker-owned businesses can be more resilient, support democratic participation, and help with business transitions as owners retire or close. Committee members asked questions about the tax incentive threshold, the timing and mechanics of the right of first refusal, and whether the bills would affect sale prices or business succession. Rep. Kristen Kassner also testified on H. 490, which would create a special commission to inventory the Commonwealth’s built environment, infrastructure, permitting, and land-use barriers to help Massachusetts adapt vacant or underused spaces for the next economy. She said the commission would help identify opportunities for housing, climate and energy tech, advanced manufacturing, and other uses, and members discussed commission composition and data sources. At the end of the hearing, the chair read a series of additional bills into the record, noted an upcoming Economic Development Expo, and the committee adjourned after a motion and second.

Transcript Highlights:

• Among our many duties, we oversee employee insurance for 131,000 state employees, their family members
• to improve employee the emplo employee<00:03:49.959><c> experience</c><00:03:50.680><c> and</c><00:03
• </c><00:04:15.480><c> insurance</c><00:04:16.000><c> for</c> oversee employee insurance for oversee employee
• base knowing that uh turnover employee base knowing that uh turnover employees<00:30:45.159><c> and<
• </c> doing some pulse surveys for employees doing some pulse surveys for employees and<00:32:11.039><

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2144 deals with electronic monitoring of employees for employee evaluations.
• And the employees do not know it.
• And the employees do not know it.
• Retaliation against an employee for raising concerns is prohibited, and similarly, the employee, a third
• Employees would pay 40% and employers would pay 60% of the family share, and then employees would pay

Bills: HB2144 , HB2190 , HB2191 , HB2303 , HB2345

Committee: House Labor & Workplace Standards

Keywords: employee monitoring, workplace privacy, performance evaluations, notification, transparency, language access, collective bargaining, providers, healthcare, interpreters, social services, construction, wage theft, misclassification, independent contractor, employee classification, fringe benefits, prevailing wages, subcontractor liability, joint and several liability

Transcript Highlights:

• The state employees' unions are important to know is not permitted to do that communication with employees
• And so other unions that represent other state employees, like school district employees, for example
• But most of the employees that are, my understanding is that most of the employees that are represented
• And these are not bad employees; these are good employees they have to let go.
• and these are not bad employees these are good employees they have to let go it's incredibly costly

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2091, a collective bargaining measure that would require state agencies and other employers covered by the Personnel System Reform Act to provide unions with employee contact and job information similar to what other public employers already must share. The sponsor and union witnesses said the bill would close a gap left by prior legislation and improve communication with represented employees; no one testified in opposition during the hearing portion shown. Action on the bill was deferred. The committee then moved to House Bill 2264, which would allow workers who voluntarily participate in an employer-initiated layoff or reduction-in-force plan to qualify for unemployment insurance if the separation results from that plan. The sponsor and a member described it as a narrow fix to clarify eligibility and reduce disputes. After brief supportive testimony, the committee voted 9-0 to report the bill out with a due pass recommendation. A lengthy hearing followed on House Bill 2218, a workers’ compensation bill that would expand provider choice, require notice to injured workers of their right to choose a provider, limit employer steering, speed utilization review, allow more flexibility from treatment guidelines, and change rules for reopening or continuing treatment on certain claims. Supporters, including injured workers, unions, attorneys, firefighters, and a psychiatrist, argued the current system delays care and over-relies on rigid guidelines; opponents from business groups and the Department of Labor and Industries said the bill would weaken evidence-based standards, raise costs, and create uncertainty. No final action was taken in the portion shown. The committee also heard House Bill 2105, as a proposed substitute, which would require employers to notify workers after an ICE Form I-9 inspection notice or results, limit voluntary access to certain records without a subpoena or warrant, require workplace postings, and create enforcement by the Attorney General and private lawsuits. Supporters said the bill would provide due process, transparency, and protection for immigrant workers; opponents, especially small business and agricultural groups, warned of conflicts with federal law, burdensome notice requirements, and severe penalties. The hearing continued with additional testimony, and no vote was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> protected employees. protected employees.
• </c> authority, and simply adds HR employees authority, and simply adds HR employees to<00:01:23.759>
• HR employees supports Protecting HR employees supports workforce<00:01:43.600><c> stability,</c><00:
• </c><00:07:58.160><c> In</c> employees to get what she needed. In employees to get what she needed.
• We treat employees and residents.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• . benefits provided by the employee, well, the contract employer, to the contract employee other than
• If a bad actor is, you know, in the business of, you know, misclassifying employees or employees as an
• Is there a process in place for misclassifying employees or employees as independent contractors, the
• employers, or employers, contract employers, employees, contract employees.
• , a regular employee, not a contract employee.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Human Resources

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will call this meeting of the Employee Benefits Committee to order.
• most important thing to state employees.
• It shows you the membership as far as the employees and whether they are state employees, legislators
• or employees of any political subdivision.
• Thank you. ...retirement programs of state employees or employees of any political subdivision, or health

Committee: Joint Employee Benefits Programs Committee

Summary: The Employee Benefits Committee met to hear presentations on state employee health insurance, compensation, leave policies, labor market conditions, and prevailing wage issues, then later took up committee rules and bill-draft jurisdiction. PERS reviewed the history and structure of the state health plan, noting the state has paid the full family premium since 1979, described cost-control and benefit-enhancement changes over time, and explained current plan options, wellness incentives, employer wellness discounts, and the upcoming bid process for the 2027-29 contract. HRMS then presented compensation comparisons showing state classified pay generally trails private and regional markets, with larger gaps at higher-level jobs, and reviewed benefits and leave policies, including the new enhanced annual leave and new-hire leave, the state’s unpaid family leave structure, and varying tuition reimbursement practices. Job Service reported on labor force trends, low unemployment, high labor force participation, job openings, and wage growth, and OMB said there are no state prevailing-wage requirements beyond federal Davis-Bacon rules for federally funded projects. The committee then considered a proposed amendment to Joint Rule 211 to better align the health insurance mandate review process with recent statutory changes. Members discussed how the rule should reference both the committee’s required actuarial reports and the Legislative Council cost-benefit analysis, and the amendment was adopted on a roll call vote. The committee also discussed how its jurisdiction decisions affect whether a bill draft receives actuarial analysis, with staff explaining that a decision not to take jurisdiction means the bill is not treated as impacting the relevant retirement or health plans for purposes of that analysis. After that, the committee began reviewing bill drafts for jurisdiction. The first draft, bill draft 33, would automatically renew pre-tax elections for dental and vision coverage during open enrollment instead of requiring annual re-election. Members debated whether it had any actuarial impact, noting the state does not pay those premiums directly, and the discussion was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will call this meeting of the Employee Benefits Committee to order.
• We will call this meeting of the Employee Benefits Committee to order.
• most important thing to state employees.
• or employees of any political subdivision.
• Retirement programs of state employees or employees of any political subdivision, or health or retiree

Summary: The Employee Benefits Committee met to approve prior minutes, hear presentations on state employee health insurance, compensation, leave, and related policy issues, and then recess for lunch. PERS reviewed the history and structure of the state health plan, noting the long-standing state-paid family coverage, cost-control measures, wellness incentives, the current grandfathered PPO and high-deductible options, and the effects of recent benefit mandates such as insulin caps, prosthetic coverage, medication management, prescription copay changes, and ambulance balance-billing limits. Committee members questioned the fiscal impact of adding benefits and the possible cost of moving to a non-grandfathered plan, while PERS and HRMS emphasized that health insurance remains the top-ranked employee benefit and that any major plan changes should be considered carefully. HRMS also presented compensation comparisons showing state pay generally below private-market benchmarks, discussed targeted market equity adjustments, identified ongoing recruitment and retention concerns in fields like nursing, IT, engineering, and attorneys, and reviewed leave policies, tuition reimbursement, and family leave comparisons with neighboring states. Job Service provided labor market data showing low unemployment, high labor force participation, and wage growth that still trails some neighboring markets, and OMB explained that prevailing wage requirements apply to federally funded projects under Davis-Bacon, not to ordinary state contracts. After lunch, the committee took up the required process for health insurance mandate bills and adopted an amendment to Joint Rule 211. The amendment clarified that the deadline for submitting mandate measures is intended to allow time for all required reports, including both the cost-benefit analysis and any Employee Benefits Committee actuarial report, while leaving the existing deadline unchanged. The amendment was adopted on a roll call vote, with several members voting yes and a few no votes recorded. The committee then moved into its jurisdiction review of bill drafts, beginning with a bill that would automatically renew pre-tax dental and vision elections; members debated whether it had any actuarial or administrative impact on PERS or the state, and the chair explained that the committee’s role was only to decide whether further analysis was needed before later testimony and recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> any employee correct any state employee any employee correct any state employee yes<03:11:09.560
• So his amendment would cover both CBA employees and executive employees.
• , follow-up interviews with that particular employee and other employees.
• other employees all particular employee other employees all those<04:21:07.880><c> interviews</c><04
• It's just another employee.

Committee: House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The employee should be the bill ensures employees are protected by mandating that the agreement must
• be in writing the employees 40 adequate notice and the employees advise and writing of the opportunity
• What is covered employee?
• It will limit the ability of employees to increase their earnings.
• We had employer when we should have had employee.

Keywords: 999, senate, all