Transcript Highlights:

• So there is a legislative report that goes into a lot more detail on those first three bullets.
• </c><01:14:20.719><c> contribution</c> basis uh Stronger pension contribution basis uh Stronger pension
• pensions liabilities pensions right<01:14:50.840><c> here's</c><01:14:51.040><c> the</c><01:14:51.159
• And so you have pension liabilities, OPEB liabilities, debt liabilities, lease liabilities.
• Kowalski, is it pensions in Illinois? That's my guess. I guess, yeah.

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Persons disrupting legislative proceedings are subject to removal, arrest, or other appropriate legal
• For legislative business: Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez.
• I would like to thank my colleague from Merced for joining as a co-author on this legislation.
• We will benefit from this legislation when California needs it the most.
• Click under pensions and then... Thank you. California.org.

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, offered a prayer and Pledge of Allegiance, and then spent much of the session on guest introductions recognizing visitors, community college delegations, students, caregivers, a retired Assembly staff member, and a championship high school football team. Members also observed an adjournment in memory for Alex Preddy, a VA nurse killed in Minnesota, and later for Kathy Wooten and Rowena Ramos. The chamber then moved through the daily file and third reading file, with several items passed, retained, or continued. Among the bills taken up, AB 34 on renewable portfolio standard exemptions for publicly owned utilities passed 55-0; AB 35 to accelerate implementation of Proposition 4 climate resilience funds passed 62-0; AB 52 on food and agriculture equity passed 50-6; AB 72 creating an EV economic opportunity zone passed 58-0; AB 96 removing a diploma requirement for Medi-Cal peer support specialists passed 55-0; AB 230 extending Pierce’s disease control programs passed 64-0; AB 277 requiring background checks for behavioral health employees passed 59-0; AB 647 clarifying a county RV disposal pilot passed 54-0; AB 664 authorizing limited bachelor’s programs at Southwestern Community College passed 60-1; AB 673 creating a support grant for unaccompanied homeless youth passed 55-1; AB 710 on dynamic electricity pricing passed 54-0; AB 748 streamlining pre-approved housing plans passed 65-0; AB 767 expanding protections around sexually violent predator placements near schools and daycares passed 65-0; AB 883 protecting officials’ personal information from data brokers passed 66-0; AB 946 expanding 30x30 conservation efforts to urban areas passed 65-0; AB 1054 creating a deferred retirement option program for CHP and Cal Fire passed 61-1; AB 1070 on missing middle housing code simplification passed 66-0; AB 1159 strengthening student data privacy passed 54-4; AB 1204 revising the Local Control Funding Formula passed 54-1; AB 1265 extending the historic building tax credit passed 64-0; AB 1349 banning speculative ticketing passed 61-0; AB 1359 allowing seniors 80+ to opt out of jury service without a doctor’s note passed 67-1; AB 643 on organic waste procurement credits passed 48-4; AB 685 creating a small business resiliency fund passed 63-0; AB 714 tightening oversight of commercial driving programs passed 65-1; and AB 805 establishing a youth apprenticeship bridge program passed 66-0. Several other items were passed and retained or continued without debate. Debate on AB 1054 drew the sharpest disagreement, with opponents warning about pension costs and supporters arguing it would help retain experienced CHP officers and firefighters. AB 767 also prompted strong comments about public safety and placement of sexually violent predators in rural communities. On AB 1349, supporters from both parties backed the anti-speculative ticketing bill as consumer protection, while AB 664 drew support from members emphasizing access to higher education in underserved regions. The Assembly then adjourned until January 29, 2026, after announcing upcoming session dates and recording a few vote changes from the dais.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please submit support and opposition letters through the legislative position letter portal.
• Currently, taxing this overtime pay and retirement pensions is a penalty.
• AB 2336 fixes this by exempting the first $25,000 of overtime and pension income.
• AB 2186 honors that record by ensuring the legislative infrastructure catches up.
• Jim Lindberg, Friends Committee on Legislation of California, in support. Thank you.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> used and wanted to rethink legislatively used and wanted to rethink legislatively appointed<00:04
• </c><00:20:10.880><c> and</c> one that we take here as legislators and one that we take here as legislators
• And I've hit barrier after pensions.
• And I think we've worked to pensions.
• We would address pensions.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm just curious because we have seen in the past that we've had Legislators and legislatures that
• frequently have done things to the pensions that ended up putting them below the funding.
• It's part of the strategy to Not actually retire, but they retire, they start drawing a pension, and
• We had legislation here.
• Florida homeowners have faced governance abuses leading to recall legislation.

Bills: SB1778 , SB1570 , SB134 , SB1966 , SB1636 , SB1725 , SB1726 , SB259 , SB504 , SB592 , SB2030 , SB1572 , SB843 , SB1242 , SB1255 , SB1262 , SB1264 , SB1286 , SB1581 , SB1290 , SB1316 , SB1319 , SB1369 , SB1379 , SB1381 , SB1400 , SB1427 , SB1436 , SB1461 , SB1496 , SB1509 , SB1534 , SB1553 , SB904 , SB1592 , SB1645 , SB1684 , SB1767 , SB1772 , SB1813 , SB1894 , SB1928 , SB1946 , SB1980 , SB2040 , SB2060 , SB2061

Keywords: reading instruction, literacy, educational equity, intervention services, third grade retention, Strong Readers Act, child welfare, child safety, administrative transition, Department of Child Safety and Well-being, Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, juvenile justice, foster care, retirement, public employees, reemployment, benefit adjustment, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, memorial highways, bridge designations

Transcript Highlights:

• For the record, Representative Dolio of the 22nd Legislative District.
• Hi, I'm Noah Purcell, a concerned resident in legislative district.
• We think it's vitally important for Washington legislators to pass this legislation to protect consumers
• And for context, that is the overall pension fund.
• I don't understand how we're taking money from an overfunded pension, which was meant for pensioners,

Summary: The committee began with a public hearing on Substitute House Bill 1592, which would change how state public defense funds are distributed and, in the substitute version, keep current law on state funding responsibility while revising the allocation formula. Staff explained the bill would shift county and city distributions to a pro rata, caseload-based model, allow very low-density counties to request OPD to provide some or all public defense services, require additional data collection and reporting, and direct OPD to study caseload reductions and retention. Representative Peterson said the bill is meant to create a better structure for future state support of indigent defense without the very large cost of the original proposal. Testimony from counties, cities, OPD, defenders, and local officials was strongly supportive, emphasizing a statewide public defense crisis, rising local costs, staffing shortages, and the need for a fairer funding model. The committee then heard Substitute House Bill 1742 on environmentally sustainable urban design and Substitute House Bill 1906 on water system regulation and water rates. HB 1742 would create a center in Ecology to promote sustainable urban design, fund design competitions and grants, and establish an advisory council; the sponsor said the bill reflects a desire to support a pilot project through alternative funding, and there was no public testimony. HB 1906 would require more planning and notice for Group A water systems, add customer notice and right-of-first-refusal provisions for some ownership changes, and direct the UTC to consider external funding sources, capital planning, and rate smoothing when setting water rates. Water utility and PUD witnesses supported the goal of improving transparency and consolidation of failing small systems, while noting the substitute reduced some fiscal concerns. The committee also heard HB 2248 on Secretary of State corporate and charity filings, HB 2438 creating the SEED scholarship for early childhood education students, and HB 2515 addressing emerging large energy use facilities such as data centers. HB 2248 would redirect part of annual filing fees to the Secretary of State revolving fund, require initial reports from nonprofits and LLPs, and change trademark certificate procedures; the fiscal note showed modest revenue losses, and the division supported restoring the fee split for operational funding. HB 2438 would transfer $10 million annually from the GET account to fund scholarships and wraparound services for early childhood education degree seekers, with testimony from early learning advocates and a student describing workforce shortages and personal financial barriers. HB 2515 drew extensive testimony both for and against: supporters said it would protect ratepayers, water resources, and grid reliability by requiring tariffs, reporting, clean-energy requirements, and a fee on large energy users; opponents argued it singled out data centers, could hurt investment and jobs, and included unrelated labor and procurement provisions. After public testimony, the committee moved into executive-session briefing on several bills and amendments, including HB 1903 on statewide low-income energy assistance, HB 1909 on a court unification task force, HB 1982 on vacating certain convictions tied to treaty Indian rights, HB 2034 on LEOFF Plan 1 retirement changes, HB 2105 on employer notice of federal I-9 audits, HB 2210 on ranked-choice voting, HB 2215 on Climate Commitment Act fuel supplier obligations, and HB 2271 on post-consumer recycled content requirements. Staff summarized proposed substitutes and amendments, with several changes aimed at reducing or shifting fiscal impacts, narrowing agency duties, or striking provisions entirely.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Jenny O'Higgins, and I'm the legislative liaison for Behavioral Health at DHHS.
• </c><01:15:41.320><c> is</c> retirees unless enabling legislation is retirees unless enabling legislation
• So after 20 years, a $30,000 pension in the New Hampshire retirement system for police and fire would
• This legislation would be a second tier for 20 years to be paid off.
• So the COLA then becomes part of the base pension as well? Correct.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Father, I don't know the best way to pray for this, but I do ask for humility for me and each of the legislators
• This is referred to the Committee on Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services.
• debt incurred by certain individuals as a result of identity theft, referred to the Committee on Pensions
• the removal of certain eviction case information from credit reports, referred to the Committee on Pensions
• right to own, hold, and use mutually agreed-upon mediums of exchange, referred to the Committee on Pensions

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Hi, I'm Noah Purcell, a concerned resident in Legislative District 46.
• Hi, I'm Noah Purcell, a concerned resident in legislative district.
• Hi, I'm Noah Purcell, a concerned resident in legislative district 46.
• We think it's vitally important for Washington legislators to pass this legislation to protect consumers
• I don't understand how we're taking money from an overfunded pension, which was meant for pensioners,

Bills: HB2104 , HB1903 , HB1909 , HB1982 , HB2034 , HB2105 , HB2210 , HB2215 , HB2271 , HB2345 , HB2355 , HB2384 , HB2389 , HB2397 , HB2418 , HB2429 , HB2442 , HB2479 , HB2481 , HB2681 , HB2688 , HB2714

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: aviation, wildland fires, funding, disaster relief, emergency response, energy assistance, low-income, utility costs, state program, energy affordability, court unification, task force, Washington courts, judicial administration, court reform, access to justice, local court rules, uniformity, centralization, rural courts

Transcript Highlights:

• THE VA ISSUED A DECISION GRANTING A CLAIM FOR A PENSION TO A VETERAN.
• Cisco, in introducing this bipartisan legislation for too many veterans.
• Cisco, in introducing this bipartisan legislation for too many veterans.
• Once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation.
• ONCE AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE ALL MEMBERS TO SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, February 2, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• public pensions.
• These are pension funds, right? Madam Chair, Senator, currently in the trust it's pension funds.
• These are pension funds, right? to. These are pension funds, right?
• </c><00:37:07.800><c> Those</c><00:37:08.000><c> pension</c> not be pension money.
• Those pension not be pension money.

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Alvarez, you are recognized to explain HB 4045, City Pension Fund.
• City pension fund for firefighters and police officers in the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County.
• In the past 55 years, this pension has come before our body 19 different times to get amended.
• We just need you to pass it so that they can get their pension updated and go into the future.
• I couldn't collect my pension because I had to retire early.

Summary: The Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee heard and voted on several local and statewide bills. HB 69, by Rep. Andrade, preempted local zoning and land-use authority to the state for presidential libraries; after an amendment clarifying the scope of preemption, it passed 13-2. HB 63, by Reps. Gerwig and Cassel, created a public-records exemption for city and county administrators and their deputies, citing threats and harassment against local administrators; it included a 10-year sunset and passed 15-0. HB 4045, by Rep. Alvarez, updated the City of Tampa firefighters’ and police officers’ pension plan, including extending the DROP period by three years; it passed 14-0 with a committee substitute. HB 4023, by Rep. Hunschofsky, tightened conflict-of-interest rules for officers and employees of the North Springs Improvement District after prior audit concerns; it passed 16-0. HB 4017, by Rep. Oliver, codified the Bermont Drainage District’s charter and corrected a statutory cross-reference via amendment; it passed 16-0 with committee substitute. HB 4009, by Rep. Kendall, renamed the St. Johns County regional airport to the St. Augustine Airport and passed 16-0. The committee also considered PCB IAS 25-01, by Vice Chair Griffiths, which would standardize county constitutional officers’ budget procedures and create an appeal process for clerks of court and supervisors of elections similar to that used by sheriffs; after testimony from the clerks and supervisors’ associations, it passed 16-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• certainly wouldn't want to let that get in the way of this because I think that there is other legislation
• It increases the maximum pension that can be earned from 85% to 100%.
• The important headline of all of this that makes it different from any other pension bill you will hear
• Also, most of the magistrate judges. are drawing a pension from other sources of state service.
• in, become magistrate judges when they retire, and so they're drawing from their law enforcement. pension

Committee: House House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• And we have done a pension offset for the Minnesota National Guard members when they're called to active
• This is for Representative Olsen's bill to add a pension offset for when the guard is called to state
• offset for when the guard is pension offset for when the guard is called<00:04:48.400><c> to</c><00:
• </c><00:08:57.440><c> offset</c> 2338 which provides a pension offset 2338 which provides a pension offset
• Um, so I see this as an and issue, but I reached out in my work on the legislative task force on aging

Bills: HF2446 , HF2563 , HF2444

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant

Transcript Highlights:

• This legislation does not require the employer to offer sick leave.
• Simply put, this legislation replaces 'irrigation district' with 'irrigation or drainage entity.'
• I think the public safety people do just a fantastic job of protecting the pension plan.
• And I also wish that every piece of legislation we had to vote on were as good as this one. Mr.
• And I also wish that every piece of legislation we had to vote on where is good as this one. Mr.

Committee: House Commerce and Human Resources

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> 94th session, 2025, 20th Legislative 94th session, 2025, 20th Legislative Day,<00:19:33.600><c>
• ><c> Head</c><00:24:54.799><c> Start,</c> legislation that funded Head Start, legislation that funded
• </c> for things like education or pensions. for things like education or pensions.
• and how I've legislated here.
• legislator you've ever served with? And legislator you've ever served with?

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And certainly we all know how important pensions are to us, but the applications for pensions by the
• And certainly we all know how important pensions are to us, but the applications for pensions by the
• And certainly we all know how important pensions are to us, but the applications for pensions by the
• And certainly we all know how important pensions are to us, but the applications for pensions by the
• </c><00:18:49.919><c> And</c> the applications for pensions. And the applications for pensions.

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition to carrying out the research report, staff fulfill short legislative requests and, as time
• </c> legislative requests. legislative requests.
• It's... it forces legislators to see it and um there's just a... this answers a lot of questions about
• pension calc pension monies figure in uh pension calc pension monies into<00:47:23.680><c> their</c><
• some of their pension stuff inside the<00:47:32.000><c> salary</c><00:47:32.960><c> calculations?

Keywords: Meeting start 00:00:09 Roll call 00:00:24 Election of Co-Chairs 00:01:11 Office of Education Accountability Annual Report 00:04:41 Office of Education Accountability District Data Profiles, School Year 2024 00:23:50 Update from the Education Professional Standards Board 00:58:19 Adjournment 01:08:00, 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened its first meeting with roll call and procedural business, including elections of co-chairs. The House elected Representative Truett as House co-chair, and the Senate elected Senator Denine as Senate co-chair. After the organizational votes, the committee heard the Office of Educational Accountability’s annual report, beginning with Brian Jones and Deborah Nelson describing OEA’s investigations and research divisions and recent staffing turnover. On the investigations side, OEA said it handled complaints only when submitted in writing and generally opened cases only when it had enough facts to evaluate. Jones reported complaint volume declined from 805 in 2023 to 738 in 2024, with 325 in the first half of the current year. He outlined the kinds of matters OEA investigates, including school-based council issues, open meetings, board eligibility, nepotism, conflicts of interest, certification, activity funds, and surplus property, while noting that routine personnel matters, bullying, child interviews, and cases tied to litigation are generally handled locally or referred elsewhere. He also said OEA refers special education, assessment/testing, discrimination, and serious misconduct matters to the appropriate agencies, and that he did not see a need for statutory changes to improve OEA’s work, though he said cases should move more quickly. The research division presentation focused on OEA’s district data profiles and annual research agenda. Nelson explained that OEA reviews KDE-reported data and underlying datasets to verify accuracy, analyze trends, and produce reports for the General Assembly. She highlighted 2024 publications on district governance models and student achievement, and said this year’s agenda includes district data profiles, student discipline analysis, and a review of early childhood regional training centers. She also noted OEA received an NCSL notable document award for its 2023 staffing shortages report, its 10th such award. Sabrina Smith then walked through the district data profiles, which compile demographic, staffing, finance, and performance data for all 171 districts, plus statewide and comparative data. She noted changes in the report format, the continued availability of an online interactive version, and several trends: adjusted average daily attendance declined statewide from 2015 to 2024; the counselor-to-student ratio has improved but has not yet reached the statutory goal of one counselor per 250 students; the share of teachers moving from rank three to rank two has declined; special education identification has risen from 13% to 16%; and starting teacher salaries vary widely by district, with Kentucky’s average starting salary around $40,000 ranking near the bottom compared with surrounding states and the nation. Members asked about the history of the research division and whether the paper copies of the district profiles would continue, and staff said the printed versions would continue unless legislators asked otherwise.

Transcript Highlights:

• And just last June, we heard the national incident where two Minnesota legislators were murdered and
• Uh, it's a cleanup from a bill that we actually passed last year dealing with pension spiking.
• Uh, if you recall, we ran a piece of legislation due to a court ruling on what pension spiking was in
• And the courts ruled that those weren't considered pension spiking.
• So again, it didn't fit the criteria for pension spiking because it was for all those members.

Committee: Senate State & Local Government

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:05 Attendance Roll Call: 00:09 HB 456 Discussion: 02:05 HB 456 Vote: 07:00 HB 136 Discussion: 07:54 HB 136 Vote: 09:36 HB 448 Discussion: 10:28 HB 448 Vote: 13:26 HB 220 Discussion: 14:12 HB 220 Vote: 17:14 HB 213 Discussion: 18:17 HB 213 Vote: 19:19 HB 518 Discussion: 20:23 HB 518 Vote: 23:03 HB 600 Discussion: 24:05 HB 600 Vote: 25:17 Adjournment: 26:32, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• liability and our pension liability.
• And so I'm hoping that my good friend can address the cost of addressing our pension liability that's
• And know the fact. ...to make forward payments to pay down our unfunded pension liability.
• It's a little bit old, but unfunded pension liability stood at 40.5.
• But unfunded pension liability stood at $40.5 billion.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, adopted two commendatory resolutions honoring the Plimpton Historical Society’s Deborah Sampson Day recognition and Megan’s Light’s Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month observance, and suspended Joint Rule 12 to refer several House petitions to committee. The chamber also briefly recognized Diane Talk of the South Shore Regional Emergency Communication Center on her retirement after 30 years of dispatch service. Later, the Senate passed two local bills to enactment: House No. 4006, authorizing Dartmouth to grant an additional all-alcoholic beverages license, and House No. 473, relating to the charter of Westwood. The main business was the Senate Ways and Means presentation of the fiscal year 2027 budget, totaling about $63.3 billion. The chair described the budget as balanced, with no new taxes or tax cuts, based on a consensus revenue estimate of $986 million in growth over FY26 (2.4%), and including about $15.8 billion in federal financial participation and roughly $2.7 billion from the Fair Share surtax. The budget emphasized record local aid, including $1.376 billion in unrestricted general government aid, $7.66 billion for Chapter 70 education aid, increased minimum school aid, higher regional school transportation reimbursement, rural aid, and the revival of the Foundation Budget Review Commission. It also highlighted major investments in MassEducate free community college, food security, housing, and support for vulnerable residents. Members then engaged in extended colloquy on the budget’s major cost drivers and policy choices. Questions focused on debt service, pension and OPEB liabilities, MassHealth caseload and rising per-enrollee costs, child care funding, and program integrity in DTA and other benefit programs. The chair said debt service would be about $2.67 billion, pension payments would be $5.1 billion, OPEB would receive a $150 million payment, and MassHealth enrollment was projected at about 2 million with costs driven by acuity and medical inflation. He also said the budget includes no collective bargaining agreements and no state tax changes. Senators supporting the budget praised its investments in education, local aid, homelessness prevention, public health, libraries, and housing, while minority leaders and others stressed the need for fiscal discipline, transparency, and further work on affordability and municipal support. The Senate also received a House message on House No. 5316, which the House had nonconcurred in, and a conference committee was appointed on the disagreement.