Transcript Highlights:

• So while our fees are going down from Medicare, uncapped fees hurt.
• Down from Medicare, uncapped fees hurt all of us cost-wise.
• The Capitol was shut down and you were caring for patients.
• They started sort of easy with film and television production, wind and solar.
• So it all comes down to specifying, monitoring, evaluating, and acting.

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its fourth meeting, held October 27-28 in Santa Fe, with Representative Duncan moving approval and no opposition. The chair then introduced a panel on the cost of providing medical care in New Mexico, focusing on physician shortages, rising practice costs, and access problems, especially in southern New Mexico and Las Cruces. Panelists included family physicians, a pediatrician, a cardiologist/electrophysiologist, and a community health center medical director, who described their backgrounds and practices before turning to the policy discussion. The doctors argued that New Mexico is losing physicians because of three main pressures: medical malpractice exposure, gross receipts tax on medical services, and low Medicaid reimbursement. They said malpractice premiums are much higher than in neighboring states, punitive damages and venue shopping increase risk, and the patient compensation fund and attorney fee structure create additional costs. They also described administrative burdens from insurance billing and referrals, the high debt and long training period for physicians, and the effect of corporate medicine and private equity on practice decisions. One panelist emphasized the economic impact of each physician on jobs and local spending, while another noted that shortages force patients into emergency rooms and delay specialty care. The panel presented a list of proposed solutions: reform punitive damages, limit venue shopping and stacking, restore lifetime medical payments from the patient compensation fund, enact apology protections, cap attorney fees, continue Medicaid funding improvements, and eliminate gross receipts tax on medical and dental services. Committee members generally agreed the presentation was thorough and useful, but several noted that some proposals fall outside this committee’s jurisdiction and would likely need to move through other committees, especially judiciary and tax. Some members supported drafting legislation or working on separate bills, while others urged caution, requested more input from hospitals and economists, and raised concerns about local government revenue impacts from GRT changes. The chair concluded by encouraging members to continue discussions offline and noted that the tax-related issue would be taken up further in the next day’s work.

Transcript Highlights:

• I sat down with Each of our lending partners.
• The other component, then, really comes down to people.
• We have sun, wind, and all four seasons.
• To say, all the way down to the crane operators.
• Representative Roybal, come on down.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would impact revenue that we take in, or lower it one way down or raise it the other way up.
• It would impact revenue that we take in, or lower it one way down or raise it the other way up.
• <00:18:18.320> or take in or lower it one way down or take in or lower it one way down or
• elections pretty well took place in May in the Democratic primary, but you could start to see the winds
• elections pretty well took place in May in the Democratic primary, but you could start to see the winds

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation and pledge, established a quorum, excused absent senators, and approved the journal. The clerk reported House-passed bills and Senate bills received from the House, and several Senate bills were read a second time and sent to the Rules Committee. Committee reports recommended passage of multiple measures, including bills from Appropriations and Revenue, Health Services, Natural Resources and Energy, State and Local Government, and Transportation. The chamber then moved to orders of the day and took up Senate Bill 50 and Senate Bill 191, while Senate Bill 137 and Senate Joint Resolution 54 were passed over and retained in the orders of the day. Senate Bill 50, relating to the disposition of property, was explained as a broad update to trust, probate, and intestacy law. Supporters said it would streamline probate when there are no disputes, add privacy protections for decedents’ estate information, give courts more flexibility, set retention and filing-fee rules for wills, recognize electronic wills and other uniform-law concepts, and allow transfer-on-death designation for motor vehicles. A floor amendment removed inheritance-tax provisions and corrected technical issues; it was adopted, and the bill passed 35-1 after debate in favor from several senators and no substantive opposition. Senate Bill 191, creating the Kentucky Kindergarten Readiness Performance-based Child Care Incentive Pilot Program, was also amended and passed. The bill would establish a three-year pilot administered by the University of Kentucky College of Education, providing a one-time $2,000 per child incentive payment or refundable tax credit to child care providers and low-income families when children are assessed as kindergarten ready. A floor amendment clarified that the study and recommendations must comply with federal child care regulations; it was adopted, and the bill passed 35-1 after a senator changed a vote from no to yes. The Senate then recessed for Rules and Committee on Committees meetings, after which the rules committee posted additional bills to future orders and the committee on committees referred several bills and resolutions to standing committees. Several members also made announcements about upcoming committee meetings, a legislative breakfast, a fish fry, and condolences for a community member.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just go down there and they have a taste testing.
• Senator Block has his amendment down on that.
• The costs certainly have come down tremendously.
• There's wind. And after the project... We did a project. There's wind.
• That's the vote that we're going to take up or down.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He works down in Silver City with... He works down in Silver City with Southwest Bone and Joint.
• You could probably come down on that if you needed to, Mr. Chairman.
• And then you have the totals down at the bottom, Mr.
• We're down to cost of nothing and we've used the federal money.
• And then we wind up paying two and three times as much for it.

Bills: SB152, SB145, SB190, HB247

Keywords: telecommunications, low-income assistance, lifeline, broadband, rural broadband, universal service fund, public regulation commission, PRC, 911 surcharge, telecommunications relay service, VoIP, mobile service, internet affordability, digital equity, digital inclusion, rural internet, broadband infrastructure, eligible telecommunications carrier, ETC, tribal consent

Transcript Highlights:

• the rest of our budgetary duties down the rest of our budgetary duties down here<00:05:40.720>
• The wind changed. Aurora is in the green, ready to evacuate.
• The wind changed. Aurora is in the green, ready to evacuate.
• The wind changed. Aurora is in the green, ready to evacuate.
• bipartisan way when you get down there?" bipartisan way when you get down there?"

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We actually went down. From 50% to 40% proficient in reading for our third graders.
• Go down this path. Let us look at it. Let us figure out if it works.
• down in his profession, he had a little bit more free time.
• And he wanted to talk policy with me, or perhaps, as he was winding down in his profession, he had a
• Costs go down. Deaths go down. Communities get healthier, and they prosper.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate considered a series of amendments to a primary care health care bill and also took up a separate literacy bill. Several amendments were withdrawn, including one on artificial intelligence in health care and others related to cost controls, direct primary care, and provider studies. The Senate adopted amendments on preserving access to treatment for serious mental illness, modernizing the definition of primary care, clarifying payment rates for community health centers, excluding pharmaceutical spending from primary care expenditure calculations, and strengthening health equity reporting. Other amendments on rate bands, alternative payment systems, private equity reporting, scope of practice, and ownership disclosure were rejected. The Senate then approved the Ways and Means amendment and ordered the primary care bill to a third reading. The chamber also took up final passage of An Act Relative to Teachers Preparation and Student Literacy, with senators describing it as a long-awaited compromise focused on improving early reading outcomes. Supporters said the bill requires evidence-based K-3 literacy curricula, regular student screening and family notification, dyslexia screening protocols, professional development for teachers, and a free state-developed curriculum option. Senators emphasized the need to address declining third-grade reading proficiency and equity gaps. The bill passed to be enacted by a unanimous roll call and was sent to the Governor. After the literacy bill, the Senate returned to the primary care bill, where senators again debated cost containment, innovation, and access. The final version included the adopted amendments and was passed to be engrossed by a roll call vote of 35-4. The Senate then adopted an adjournment order and recessed, adjourning in memory of Henry Thomas III, former Representative Ben Swan, and Mr. Dennis Frane.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll give everybody another couple of minutes to get their coffee and sit down, so we can get going.
• My great-great-grandfather then moved down to San Agustin, which is east of Romeroville.
• I live down in Galisteo. It's great to be here.
• That slows down the recovery. And that's not good for anybody.
• In a lot of FEMA disasters, when we are doing work, whether it's knocking down a building, cutting down

Transcript Highlights:

• And we have that market data, and it's broken down by forest carbon projects, you know, wind projects
• And we have that market data, and it's broken down by forest carbon projects, you know, wind projects
• renewable you know wind projects other renewable you know wind projects other renewable energy
• value products, whatever it may be down value products, whatever it may be down the<01:25:58.280
• <01:48:05.320> in and they've already got it down in and they've already got it down in writing

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting opened with a quorum present and approval of the April 17 minutes. The commission then heard a presentation from attorney Jacob Rhodes of Cleveland, Waters and Bass on the history and legal basis of New Hampshire’s timber tax, explaining that timber was historically treated as part of real property, that a 1913 case confirmed that view, and that a 1949 constitutional amendment created a separate timber yield tax to discourage clear-cutting and support forest conservation. He described the tax as a tax on the yield when timber is severed, not an income tax, and noted that towns are reimbursed through a system based on Department of Revenue Administration market data and local reports of cut. Members and guests asked how “yield” is defined, how the timber tax interacts with current use, and whether carbon sequestration could be treated similarly. Testimony explained that current use generally is not affected by harvesting timber, that towns can tax standing timber under RSA 79:5 but rarely do because it is labor-intensive, and that carbon credits might be valued using a similar market-data approach. Several speakers discussed a prior bill drafted with DRA input that would have treated carbon more like timber, but noted it never fully advanced in the General Court and that the version ultimately discussed by the House differed from the earlier DRA-comfortable draft. The discussion also covered whether carbon sequestration agreements are effectively long-term leases or transfers of timber rights, with Rhodes suggesting that 99-year arrangements could be taxable transfers of real property under DRA rules, though he had not reviewed specific agreements. DRA staff said they do not currently have a timber-like survey mechanism for carbon and would likely need access to proprietary market data or a subscription service to build one. No formal vote was taken beyond approving the minutes; the commission appeared to agree to revisit the carbon/timber valuation issue and the draft bill at a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• That drops down thousands of dollars. Why is there such a difference?
• And then the other option is an interest rate buy-down.
• Like for paying down payments or what exactly is that? Mr.
• To look at here with a 3 percent mortgage or an interest rate buy down.
• An interest rate buy down.

Bills: SB48, SB64, SB100

Keywords: State Fairgrounds District, fairgrounds bonds, public financing, bond authorization, gross receipts tax, gaming tax, tax-backed bonds, infrastructure funding, Albuquerque fairgrounds, State Fair Tid, economic development, municipal bonds, revenue pledge, capital projects, New Mexico finance, special education, office of special education, deputy secretary, public education department, IEP

Transcript Highlights:

• Lowering the threshold down to $200,000, which would be an increased expense.
• Now, 10 years down the road, where could we be as a state in terms of revenue?
• It should be noted that since 2023, escapes have been drastically down.
• Jump down to our last item here to get this one done, Representative Campkey, I believe.
• I've been down there a couple of times and thoroughly enjoyed it at Canterbury.

Transcript Highlights:

• middle schools will go first in this school year, high schools will go next year, and then it will go down
• like you said, Secretary, you're going to go further in rules and define it further and really get it down
• Day, and I'm here, and I think we should be leading instead of kind of sticking our finger in the wind
• and where the wind blew.
• I probably will never live that down.

Bills: SB23, SB221, SB261, SB264

Keywords: student use, wireless devices, public schools, policy implementation, education technology funding, misappropriation, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, racketeering, criminal penalties, New Mexico, public safety, health regulations, community welfare, peace promotion, legislative reforms, election integrity, voter coercion, emergency procedures, polling place security

Transcript Highlights:

• Then it can go down the next year.
• ,<00:35:20.320> specifically to fluctuate up and down, specifically to fluctuate up and down
• <00:56:30.319> the the actual commodity going down the the actual commodity going down the
• So some of those could be possibly wind, but solar is the vast majority.
• So some of those could be possibly wind, but solar is the vast majority.

Bills: HF3830, HF3688

Keywords: utilities, rate cases, cost recovery, reporting requirements, gas infrastructure, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• what we see a lot of times is youth who really should have some intensive mental health interventions wind
• > interventions intensive mental health interventions intensive mental health interventions wind
• <00:01:45.439> And<00:01:45.840> when wind up incarcerated instead.
• And when wind up incarcerated instead.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• uh water or wind runoff and and<00:31:39.360> again<00:31:40.240> uh<00:31:40.600>
• This significantly cuts down the energy usage, and it's just a better deal for the farmer.
• <00:33:35.840> the use this significantly cuts down the use this significantly cuts down the
• It all comes down to how many tons per day do they want to blend and mix and receive.
• If you would please come on down to the table.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• knocked down over 200 very mature trees. knocked down over 200 very mature trees.
• <01:05:21.920> down<01:05:22.079> at<01:05:22.240> the is now I believe uh winding
• down at the is now I believe uh winding down at the University<01:05:22.720> Medical<01:05:23.039
• <01:05:52.000> down,<01:05:52.319> what since it's kind of winding down, what since
• it's kind of winding down, what was<01:05:52.720> the<01:05:53.200> the<01:05:53.520><

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The conference committee received a nonpartisan walkthrough of the House and Senate side-by-side for higher education-related legislation, with staff identifying Senate-only, House-only, identical, and technical-difference provisions. Topics included paid blood donation leave for Minnesota State employees, a revised higher education attainment goal, athletic fee restrictions, developmental course disclosures, American Indian Scholars Program eligibility, protections and definitions for pregnant and parenting students, online program management contracts, student aid reporting, work-study and dual training grants, private and out-of-state postsecondary education regulation, private career school licensing and data privacy, college savings plan changes, and several University of Minnesota-related provisions. House-only items also included an unemployment insurance aid adjustment, a $1.5 million ongoing appropriation for an identity verification system to combat enrollment fraud, and $5,000 for Bemidji State University reforestation; Senate-only items included Board of Regents appointment language, limits on for-profit control of medical school curriculum, and reporting on for-profit funding in medical education. After the walkthrough, the committee moved to adopt the same and similar provisions and direct staff to make technical corrections. A senator asked about proposed adjustments to the pregnant and parenting student language, and the chair said amendments would be considered after adopting the same and similar provisions. The motion to adopt prevailed. During public testimony, Sydney Spre of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees supported the Senate’s paid blood donation leave language, saying it would create parity for Minnesota State employees and encourage blood and plasma donation. Commissioner Dennis Olsen of the Office of Higher Education thanked the committee for adopting most of the agency’s proposed language and said he was available to help clarify remaining differences. In response to questions, he explained the Senate’s higher education attainment goal proposal, saying it would extend and broaden the existing goal, raise the target from 70% to 75%, expand the age range, and use additional metrics and partner agencies; he also said the overall attainment rate had been 63.5 under the prior goal. The transcript ends as the commissioner was being asked whether the proposal would require additional appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• He told me he wanted to come down and see what happens on June 30th.
• For the reason I was missing, folks, I was down working on an amendment.
• When he's not down here working with us and serving in law enforcement, he's literally down here working
• Wind did last year where the court ruled the same way?
• Wind last year? This court decision was focused on the U.S. Wind decision. The U.S. Wind decision.

Summary: The House met on June 30, 2026, with opening ceremonies, guest introductions, a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a moment of silence for two deceased community members. Members also adopted Consent Calendar 29, which included House Concurrent Resolutions 153, 154, and 156, and passed House Concurrent Resolution 157 directing the State Lottery to report on iLottery options to support traditional lottery retailers, as amended to set a February 15, 2027 reporting deadline. The chamber then considered several bills on agriculture, telecommunications, health, fire service standards, corrections, elections, and education. Among the measures passed were Senate Bill 53 on the Delaware Farm to Community Program, Senate Bill 307 on PSC authority for Lifeline telecom carriers, Senate Bill 339 clarifying advance health care directives, Senate Bill 235 extending manufactured home rent increase rules, Senate Bill 325 updating firefighter/EMS background check and membership standards, Senate Bill 309 discharging incarceration-related balances, Senate Bill 324 on constable-related handgun purchase exemptions, Senate Bill 94 on respiratory care practitioners and ECMO medication access, and Senate Bill 293 creating a licensure pathway for summer camp providers in the Purchase of Care program. The House also passed Senate Substitute 2 for Senate Bill 100, proposing a constitutional amendment to protect the right to marry regardless of race or gender while explicitly preserving religious freedom. The bill drew extended debate, with supporters framing it as a safeguard against future rollbacks of marriage equality and opponents raising concerns about constitutionalizing an issue already in statute; several members explained changed votes and personal reflections before the final roll call, which passed 28-12. House Bill 188, which would allow unaffiliated voters to choose a party primary, also passed after amendment, despite some opposition over party-system effects. Two measures were tabled or amended after debate: Senate Bill 233 on removing snow and ice from vehicles was initially tabled to consider a truck-driver exemption amendment, then the amendment failed and the bill later passed as amended; and Senate Joint Resolution 19 on studying health care costs was tabled briefly pending legal clarification. House Substitute 1 for House Bill 404, creating a three-year pilot program for AI and extended reality in schools, passed after testimony from the Department of Education emphasizing guardrails, data privacy, and teacher oversight. The transcript ends as House Bill 478 is being read in, but no final action on that bill appears in the provided text.

Transcript Highlights:

• all those ones that kind of went down all those ones that kind of went down this<00:13:10.720>
• 10 years down the road and say, 'Oh man, we should have done this.'
• You know, if you hit me down two or three times, I may not get back up.
• Some of that does weigh down administrative burden.
• Some of that does does weigh down right?

Keywords: Technology - Room 409, 5 March, 2026; 8:00 A.M., 925, all

Summary: ATS and Gartner presented preliminary findings from the feasibility study required by Senate Bill 2267, which directed ATS to establish a CIO Council, study statewide data exchange feasibility, develop a phased implementation plan, and report progress to the legislature. ATS said the CIO Council has already met several times and has heard from other states, including Tennessee and Ohio, with Georgia expected to follow. Gartner explained that it interviewed about 17 agencies and was also gathering input from other states and market research to identify Mississippi’s current data-sharing landscape and possible paths forward. Gartner’s main findings were that Mississippi agencies strongly prioritize data security and compliance, but that this focus has also contributed to silos, point-to-point integrations, and inconsistent data definitions across agencies. The presenters said the state lacks a central legal framework and common standards, so agencies rely on individual memoranda of understanding. They emphasized that other states have generally not built “everything at once,” but instead started with specific outcomes such as citizen services, fraud detection, or reporting, then created statewide legal frameworks, common standards, and governance structures, often led by a chief data officer or similar office. The discussion also highlighted examples from other states, including Utah’s single portal for services and Maryland’s 360-degree citizen view for caseworkers. Gartner said Mississippi should first decide what outcome it wants from a data exchange and suggested that the effort should be framed as information sharing rather than moving all data into one central repository. Members and presenters discussed the need for foundational standards, a chief data office, and change management, including agency “change champions,” to build trust and participation over time. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, and the presenters said the remaining CIO Council work would help prioritize use cases for the final feasibility report.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think that's very attractive if the cost can be kept down.
• We did it with offshore wind with the DDB-bar backed; we did it in other areas.
• Scattergood, down to Harbor, Haines, and the Port of Long Beach and Port of L.A.
• We can walk down and see the site.
• It would be really tough to do this with wind and solar.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy held an informational hearing on California’s hydrogen leadership, with Chair Bob Archuleta framing hydrogen as a complementary clean-energy pathway for hard-to-electrify sectors and emphasizing the need for balanced policy, community benefits, and strategic use of public funds. The first panel of private-sector witnesses from the California Hydrogen Business Council, Bosch, Hyundai, and Sierra Northern Railway described existing deployments in buses, trucks, rail, ports, and industrial uses, and argued that the technology is commercially ready but needs stable policy, faster permitting, stronger demand signals, and more infrastructure. They highlighted projects such as Hyundai’s NorCal Zero freight trucks, Bosch’s hydrogen components and refueling technology, and Sierra’s hydrogen switcher locomotive, while also noting major cost barriers, especially for fuel and equipment, and the need for continued state incentives and coordinated infrastructure planning. Committee members focused on labor standards, community engagement, and the current scale of hydrogen vehicles and fueling infrastructure. Witnesses said they work with labor groups, building trades, and safety organizations, and that early community involvement and first-responder training are important. In response to questions, panelists estimated roughly 15,000 to 16,000 light-duty fuel cell vehicles in California, around 100 hydrogen trucks, and growing bus deployment, with South Korea cited as having much larger fleets. They also discussed hydrogen fuel costs, with one rail operator saying delivered fuel had fallen from more than $60 per kilogram to about $35 per kilogram but would need to drop below $10 per kilogram for broad commercial viability. CARB’s incentive and regulatory programs, including heavy-duty vehicle subsidies and low-carbon fuel standards, were described as important supports, though federal tax credit changes and uncertainty were said to be slowing progress. The second panel addressed hydrogen’s public-health, air-quality, and climate role. CAPCOA, the Coalition for Clean Air, the building trades, and a UC Berkeley researcher argued that hydrogen should be used selectively in the most polluted, diesel-heavy settings such as ports, freight corridors, rail yards, transit depots, and backup power for data centers. They stressed that fuel cell applications provide zero tailpipe emissions, but cautioned that hydrogen produced from fossil fuels or used in combustion rather than fuel cells reduces the environmental benefit. The UC Berkeley witness presented modeling suggesting large reductions in NOx and particulate exposure, with significant avoided premature deaths and health savings if hydrogen displaces diesel in heavy-duty sectors. Panelists also urged that hydrogen not delay direct electrification, that environmental justice be central to deployment, and that infrastructure and safety planning include community engagement and measurable local benefits. The final panel featured public-sector updates from SamTrans, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Port of Long Beach, and the First Public Hydrogen Authority. SamTrans described its transition of more than 300 buses to battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses, including a large order of 108 hydrogen buses, but said the loss of expected ARCHES funding created a major gap for fueling infrastructure and that state support is needed for grants, tax exemptions, and axle-weight rule changes. GoBiz said the federal cancellation of ARCHES funding disrupted the market, but that private capital remains available if demand and cost-reduction signals are strong; it pointed to permitting streamlining and targeted state action as key next steps. The Port of Long Beach reported 106 hydrogen fuel cell trucks in port drayage, a $10 million hydrogen truck grant program, and a request for proposals for a public fueling station, while warning that high costs, fuel shortages, and the Colton incident have slowed momentum. First Public Hydrogen Authority described efforts to aggregate municipal demand, support green hydrogen production projects, and create long-term market certainty for suppliers and off-takers. Committee members repeatedly pressed witnesses on where state funding should go next, with several suggesting that near-term support for transit fleets, fueling infrastructure, and targeted high-impact corridors would be the most effective way to keep hydrogen deployment moving.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I haven’t run down.
• And I haven't run down. ...of the state, no, that didn't happen.
• You know, the Medicaid thing, I think that's been kind of beaten down here.
• When we began doing SNAP, food stamp checks, eligibility went down, enrollment went down 47%.
• Down south in Tucson, they just bought a piece of land.

Keywords: 1182, all