Transcript Highlights:

• Again, if you're making the member pay more out of pocket on the back end for using the service, that
• taking on that risk, of course, a high deductible plan, you pay more out of pocket on the back end, which
• If plan design does not change on the back end, if we don't touch deductibles or co-pays, that is the
• If plan design does not change on the back end, if we don't touch deductibles or co-pays, that is the
• And as you can see in this, back in 2022, when we did it, the top concern was more competitive pay.

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:

• We're paying twice as much as we used to pay for IT. And that's all I've got.
• And we've since moved that over to DPS to cut back on how much we're spending monthly on paying rent
• We've never, in the history of the highway patrol, run three academies back to back.
• brought back in.
• We did provide a pay raise independent of asking for Any money back in 2022, which helped increase our

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Back question.
• Their co-pays are waived.
• Some pay income tax, some get the credits.
• I will go back to the sponsor. Thank you.
• Back to Senator Ezzell. Back to Senator Ezzell. Senator Soules? Yes.

Bills: SB204, SB241, HB34

Keywords: higher education, research funding, federal funding, New Mexico, appropriation, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, child care, child care assistance, child care subsidy, early childhood education, early childhood care, daycare, preschool, pre-K, Head Start, Early Head Start, Children's Code, early childhood education and care department

Transcript Highlights:

• if not miss harut welcome welcome back if not miss harut welcome welcome back nice<00:04:30.960>
• <00:26:27.279> in new service and this was uh back in new service and this was uh back in
• ...take them back, like to Menards or where we take them back to MMB and get our money back.
• Welcome back.
• Do I got to pay for it? And then she said, yeah, you got to pay for it.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That didn't pay my label, that didn't pay my bottle, much less my time for my family.
• When I dispense that medication, they pay me $970 so I paid $1000 got $970 back, so I've lost $30.
• If we can get Blake off the back deck back here, we'll call Blake Hudson.
• I pay a monthly premium.
• It doesn't pay for much at all.

Transcript Highlights:

• So again, really proud to be able to say that this is something that is paying back.
• <00:22:46.520> back<00:22:47.000> but is something that is is paying back but is something
• that is is paying back but you<00:22:47.240> know<00:22:47.360> what's<00:22:47.600>
• to pay it.
• to pay it.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We are back on the regular agenda.
• Exempting them from paying for the roads they drive on undermines the user pays principle for transportation
• The out-of-state, if I'm understanding right, only pays at the pump, while in-state would pay both.
• Out-of-state drivers would pay at the pump.
• truck would pay more.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you paying taxes now on this?
• Are you paying taxes now on this?
• This bill puts money back into people's pockets.
• I'm just suggesting we shouldn't be taking... ...back away from the government and gets it back into
• And also we can go back three years...

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation held its first regular hearing of the 2025-26 session, adopted its proposed committee rules on a 5-0 vote, and reinstated a suspense file for bills with fiscal impacts over the committee threshold. The chair explained that only AB 418 would be eligible for an immediate vote, while several other measures would be held for suspense consideration because of budget constraints. AB 330 was pulled by the author. AB 418 by Wilson, which would create a clearer process and administrative remedy for county Chapter 8 tax sales, received support from county tax collectors and housing and taxpayer groups. Supporters said the bill would add transparency, due process, and a noticed public hearing for negotiated sales of tax-defaulted properties, while helping counties dispose of low-value or problematic properties more efficiently. The committee voted 6-0 to send AB 418 to Appropriations. Several other bills were heard and then referred to suspense: AB 27 by Chau, which would exclude Chiquita Canyon landfill relief payments from gross income and protect recipients’ eligibility for public benefits, drew strong support from affected residents and environmental advocates; AB 258 by Conley would increase funding for California fairs, with supporters emphasizing fairs’ emergency-response role; AB 397 by Gonzalez would expand the California Young Child Tax Credit into a broader child tax credit for older children; and AB 398 by Aaron would set a $300 minimum refundable Cal EITC benefit. The committee also heard AB 231 by Tye, which would offer a tax credit to microbusinesses that hire formerly incarcerated people, and it too was referred to suspense after supportive testimony from reentry and small-business advocates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so it goes back to L.B.B. It goes back the remaining funds.
• Copeland's pay grade.
• Whether or not it would qualify them for the loan and show the lender that they could pay the loan back
• Strings don't pay the insurance, they don't pay the diesel, and they don't pay light bills.
• One targeted way is to direct any surplus funds generated by recapture back to districts that pay the

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• back that overpayment in installments if it would damage the provider by paying it all back at once.
• <00:27:13.520> back<00:27:13.840> that allow that provider to pay back that allow that
• provider to pay back that overpayment<00:27:15.039> in<00:27:15.279> installments<00:27
• provider by paying it all back at once. provider by paying it all back at once.
• I have a provider that has been overcharged and they're paying fees back that no one is um willing to

Keywords: MS House Floor - 4 February, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the pledge, established a quorum, dispensed with reading the journal and bill introductions, and then moved through announcements recognizing visitors in the galleries, including cancer advocacy groups, Mississippi Math and Science School students, a gospel choir, Leadership Greater Jackson, and other guests. Members also made several commendations, including recognition of Elena Johnson’s softball accomplishments and a student’s appointment to West Point. On the general calendar, the House passed House Bill 1076, the SAVE Act of 2026, by a vote of 122-0. The bill is described as a consumer protection measure for veterans that prohibits pay-to-refer arrangements, tightens standards for paid claims assistance, requires written agreements and limits upfront or nonrefundable fees, and adds privacy and disclosure safeguards. The House also passed House Bill 223, designating a segment of Highway 537 as the Sergeant John Howard Tanner Memorial Highway, by 122-0. The chamber then passed House Bill 1112, which revises state aid road division laws to expand purchasing authority, increase authorized vehicles, and allow unused county road funds to be reallocated after a period of time, by 120-1. House Bill 737, with an adopted amendment, allows Medicaid providers to repay certain non-fraud overpayments in installments when immediate repayment would cause hardship and aligns the repayment timeline with federal law; it passed 116-0. The House also passed House Bill 479 on marriage and family therapy and psychology licensure changes, adopting an amendment that extends the time to verify credentials for out-of-state applicants and provides a temporary license, by 121-0. Additional bills passed included House Bill 991 on third-party registration systems for used motor vehicle parts dealers and scrap metal processors (118-0), House Bill 1072 creating voluntary portable benefits accounts for independent contractors (119-0), House Bill 1137 revising CPA licensure education and experience requirements (118-1), House Bill 571 extending the foreign-national contribution ban to ballot measures (111-1), House Bill 630 allowing certain county electors to serve as municipal poll managers in small municipalities (113-4), House Bill 858 requiring election equipment internet connectivity to be disabled on election day (116-1), House Bill 788 changing how affidavit ballots can update voter registration information, with an amendment adopted, (115-3), and House Bill 908 tying Mississippi’s mail-ballot counting rule to the outcome of pending federal litigation so state and local races would be treated the same if the current federal-race rule is struck down (the bill was under discussion at the end of the excerpt).

Transcript Highlights:

• We pay. Okay, yeah, we get that.
• And then we came back and sold them. And then we leased them both back. No, you got your fault.
• They're paying for our EMTs. They're paying for our police officers.
• When did they come back and reopen the facility? They came back in about almost two years.
• She's back there looking at... In Vienna, craft that. She's back there looking at us.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• After that, we will need to come back, or someone will need to come back and ask for—if the state decides
• Sorry to come back and belabor this.
• They don't get the benefit of pay increases.
• So... back to the local high schools.
• I need to go back and look. All right, page 7. What was that? I need to go back and look.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The concern with that is that NFIP is a FEMA-backed program.
• Therefore, we have to pay INS and we have to increase tax rates.
• So they don't, they don't pay anyway, and there were triggers.
• Uh, not the city is paying for that infrastructure.
• But paying for, we use a public financing to do that.

Bills: HB24

Keywords: groundwater, conservation, water permits, sustainability, resource management

Transcript Highlights:

• It's backed by energy, and it's backed by mathematics.
• backed backed by um<01:19:11.440> so<01:19:11.800> it's<01:19:11.960> backed<01
• <01:19:21.400> by backed by energy and it's backed by backed by energy and it's backed by
• <04:14:24.920> more pay more they're having to pay more pay more they're having to pay more
• payers would be required to pay from what they're paying today.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Commerce Committee opened a public hearing on House Bill 310, sponsored by Representative Keith Ammon, which would create a study commission to develop a legal framework for stable tokens and tokenized real-world assets. Ammon described stable tokens as blockchain-based digital tokens backed by U.S. dollars or treasuries, and tokenized real-world assets as representations of ownership in items such as gold, real estate, or artwork. He said the bill is intended to help New Hampshire get ahead of emerging financial markets while waiting to see how federal legislation develops. Committee members asked about the purpose of the bill, the difference between this proposal and Bitcoin, whether state regulation could be preempted by federal law, and whether the commission could be balanced and avoid becoming a vehicle for fraud or money laundering. Ammon said the proposal is blockchain-agnostic, could apply to multiple networks, and is meant to regulate asset-backed tokens rather than create a state-issued coin. He emphasized that the state would not be guaranteeing the underlying assets, but would set rules requiring audits, proof of reserves, and honest representation of backing, with the Secretary of State’s securities office involved in oversight. Several members raised concerns about the risks of stablecoins, including money laundering, tax evasion, and possible harm to the dollar or confusion about whether the state was endorsing a new currency. Ammon responded that the bill would not undermine the dollar and argued that tokenization could actually expand demand for U.S. currency by making it easier to use globally. He also said the state would not be in the business of weighing assets or directly valuing them, only ensuring a valid audit trail and one-to-one backing. The discussion ended with general agreement that the subject is complex and that a commission could help develop future legislation, but no vote or final action was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• pay franchise fees.
• Let's go back to tab one.
• It is like a tenant paying a landlord or the lessee paying the lessor.
• To subscribe, you can decide not to pay the subscription; you can decide not to pay any of the other
• , they pay rent.

Bills: HB2838, HB2964, HB3213, SB924

Keywords: broadband, internet access, digital equity, tax reduction, government funding, rural counties, fiber-optic, state funding, infrastructure, digital divide, economic development, fiber-optic cable, excavation, utilities, civil penalties, municipal regulations, video services, regulation, public right-of-way, franchise authority

Transcript Highlights:

• But now we're saying, well, but you have to pay.
• They pay into it. C is your residential.
• So it's not that we're asking an entity to pay something that everybody else is paying.
• Their projects are funded 90% primarily by tax-paying dollars, and they don't want to contribute back
• But if the business is going to pay for it, why does the business then have to pay this as well?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Constitutional officers can pay the maximum if they choose to do so.
• But when you collapse everybody's existing pay grades... ...to 15%.
• But when you collapse everybody's existing pay grades...
• We reference that back to the 37 you see in our requested letter.
• grades associated with the state pay plan.

Summary: The committee met to consider several budget and staffing requests tied to constitutional offices and the Supreme Court, with opening remarks noting that fringe benefits are now calculated at 40% to 45% and that constitutional officers may pay the maximum if they choose. Item B, a Supreme Court request for one new Supreme Court police chief position with no appropriation increase, was approved. Item C, from the Secretary of State, sought five additional Capitol Police corporal positions, title realignments, and salary maximum adjustments, along with a $498,000 appropriation increase; members questioned how the office could absorb pay changes without new funding, and the office explained it was cleaning up a large and outdated classification structure while also preparing to provide security for an additional building. The item was approved. Item D, from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, proposed moving from line-item maximum salaries to state pay-plan grades, with no change in total positions but about a $349,000 increase in salaries and matching funds. Office representatives said the office had not had raises in nearly a decade and needed the change to stay competitive and retain staff, but members raised concerns about comparing the office’s pay to other agencies and about office staffing and accessibility. Senator Hill asked to hold the item for offline discussion, and the committee agreed to hold it until the next day. Item E, from the Auditor’s Office, requested salary realignments, increases to line-item maximums, and two new positions tied to UCP claims and compliance work, with a total increase of $579,468. The auditor said the office had already pulled a government relations position from the request after an updated packet was issued, and defended the remaining increases as market-based and revenue-neutral, with some work funded by interest earnings. Members questioned the need for a legislative affairs position and whether the salary increases were aligned with the market, but after discussion the committee approved the item. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's back up for its five-year cycle.
• And you're going to see private pay for the most part.
• Private pay does exist; it's very expensive.
• We've now reached back out—we've now reached pre-pandemic levels.
• They pay 28 days, correct?

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and heard a presentation from Marty Wright, CEO of the West Virginia Healthcare Association, on the state’s long-term care system. He described the continuum from home care to assisted living to skilled nursing facilities, emphasizing that these settings increasingly serve short-term rehab-to-home patients as well as older adults needing round-the-clock care. He also outlined the number of facilities in West Virginia, the predominance of Medicaid as the payer for long-term nursing home care, the private-pay nature of assisted living, and the role of OFAC/CMS in regulation. A major focus of the presentation was workforce shortages and turnover, especially for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs, along with declining interest in nursing careers and the impact of regulatory burden and burnout. Wright said the system is also struggling to serve younger patients with substance use disorder, mental illness, or other behavioral needs, who are often not well suited for traditional nursing home placement but have limited alternatives. Senators raised concerns about where such patients are being housed, the long-term effects of opioid and behavioral health issues, and the gap between school-age special needs populations and adult care needs. Wright said Medicaid can cover long-term nursing home care for those who meet financial and medical eligibility requirements, but affordability and spend-down requirements remain major barriers. He also warned that Medicare Advantage can create confusion and shorter covered stays for rehab patients, and he urged early planning around long-term care insurance and estate planning. No votes were taken on the presentation, and the committee adjourned after questions and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we definitely need... ...funds back.
• , some of these providers are coming back to the state and asking for us to pay that bill again, and
• You're back. Thank you for that comment.
• Some is reverted back, but there's other money that is not reverted back, and that's the question that
• Their average pay, for instance, on health practitioners, their pay gap is 17.5%, which is a great place

Summary: The Health Care Budget Subcommittee met to review agency budgets, vacant positions, and possible efficiencies across several health and human services agencies. Members were asked to identify savings and potential areas for increased funding, and the discussion repeatedly focused on whether long-vacant FTEs, reversion of funds, and staffing shortages reflect true operational needs or broader budgeting and recruitment problems. The chair and members emphasized that the exercise was intended to help the committee make more informed budget decisions and to identify structural issues that may require legislative action. For the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, members highlighted a large waiting list, including individuals in crisis and children, and discussed whether vacant positions and unspent funds could be redirected to services. Several members raised concerns about delays in crisis applications, the use of paper applications, and whether the issue is staffing, process, or both. For the Department of Children and Families, the presenters discussed vacant positions, the use of staff augmentation in state hospitals, support for expanding behavioral qualified residential treatment program beds, and concerns raised by audits of the managing entities, which showed procurement and financial management problems. They recommended continued oversight, reporting requirements on Medicaid enrollees receiving mental health services through managing entities, and support for the governor’s proposed funding items. Other agencies reviewed included Elder Affairs, where members questioned the need for multiple divisions, CARES assessments, and supervisory overhead; the Department of Health, where vacancies, turnover, pay gaps, and units of rate were discussed as barriers to recruitment and retention; and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, where the presenters said vacancies were tied to new nursing homes and recommended shifting a major priority into general revenue rather than trust funds. Throughout the meeting, members generally agreed that the vacancy review was eye-opening and suggested deeper, possibly separate, reviews of agency staffing, pay parity, and fund reversion practices. No formal votes were taken during the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we house it, we pay for our own instructors, they're our staff, and so we're paying for all of that
• Now we pay ABC a discounted rate; they give us a discounted rate because we're paying for our own instructors
• So we're, we house it, we pay for our own instructors, they're our staff, and so we're paying for all
• And the college is not paying back anything at all to help us with that. Thank you.
• Let me back up a little bit.

Summary: The Careers and Workforce Subcommittee met to discuss apprenticeship education and workforce development, with panelists from Santa Fe College, the Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association, ABC East Coast/ABC Institute, and Piper Fire Protection. Members heard that apprenticeships are growing in Florida, with panelists emphasizing that these programs offer paid, tuition-free training, progressive wage increases, and strong job placement in high-demand fields such as HVAC, electrical, fire protection, and construction. Panelists also described efforts to expand into new areas like accounting, cybersecurity, network infrastructure, and surgical technology, while stressing the importance of aligning programs with employer demand. A major topic was funding and reimbursement. Panelists said the current model is complicated and often leaves providers with only a portion of the funds appropriated for apprentices, with one provider saying reimbursement can be as low as 44% and others describing caps, contract delays, and inconsistent CareerSource support. They argued that more of the money should reach training providers, that small businesses need more support to participate, and that transparency and contract reform could help expand enrollment and improve program quality. Several also raised barriers such as instructor approval rules, paperwork, and facility costs. Members asked about admission criteria, program costs, employer incentives, outreach to high school students, and whether apprenticeships should have greater access to other funding sources. Panelists said the main requirements are being employed and willing to work and learn, and that outreach through schools, career fairs, community partnerships, and public awareness campaigns is essential. They also discussed articulation agreements that can provide college credit for apprenticeship training and suggested statewide credit recognition and possible direct funding to providers as policy improvements. No votes were taken, and the meeting ended with the subcommittee adjourning.