Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, this is just a critical conversation for this budget year.
• Also thankful for the Governor's budget, which places a placeholder in the budget at $5 million, but
• a placeholder in the budget at 5 places a placeholder in the budget at 5 million<00:03:38.640> but
• We also know that budgets are a moral document of what one values.
• These types of grants, but 2% can make a big difference in budgets.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, Jessica Moore, DFA budget.
• She's leading up the budget team at DFA.
• You mean they're spending $14 million and it's not in the budget? It would be in their budget, yes.
• Bluff are different budgets.
• that you... ...budget request.

Summary: The committee first adopted revised JBC rules, which staff said were updated to reflect legislation passed in the 2025 session. It then heard a presentation from DFA Secretary Jim Hudson on the governor’s proposed balanced budget for FY27, with no action taken. Hudson said the budget reflects three priorities: limiting state-government growth, continuing investments in education, and advancing income-tax cuts. He highlighted increases for education funding through EFAs, pay-plan costs for Corrections, DPS, and the Attorney General, higher education productivity funding, drug task forces, a Corrections medical contract, the governor’s 1033 initiative, SNAP error-rate reduction efforts, and an additional $100 million set aside for Medicaid sustainability. Committee members questioned the size of the tax cuts, the balance requirement, public education funding, Medicaid trust-fund levels, EFA funding, and the expected impact of new SNAP cost-sharing rules. The Division of Higher Education then presented its productivity-based funding recommendations. Officials said institutions were 2.61% more productive overall, with funding changes driven by a statutory formula that rewards degree production, underserved populations, and high-demand fields. Members asked about declines at UA Little Rock, the formula’s multipliers, the role of the Arkansas Access Act and a new return-on-investment metric, and how two-year colleges are adjusted for size. The committee also reviewed special items and approved two letters: one authorizing 17 net personnel changes across nine institutions, and another adding special language for North Arkansas College’s entry into the University of Arkansas system. The committee then adopted the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s recommendations for all institutions. A lengthy portion of the meeting focused on the University of Arkansas system, especially Fayetteville’s athletics funding and the broader impact of the House/NIL settlement. Chancellor Charles Robinson and system officials explained that the board had waived a longstanding campus transfer and directed the university to provide an additional $6 million to athletics, with some costs likely to be passed through to students but partially offset by existing budget growth. Members debated whether the university should prioritize academics or athletics, how the transfer originated, and whether the athletic changes would affect affordability. The committee also discussed the 1890 extension program at UAPB and the Division of Agriculture’s land-grant funding. UAPB officials said the state match is intended to be one-to-one, that the current recommendation aligns appropriation with actual spending, and that a $2 million set-aside remains available if needed. The Division of Agriculture later clarified that its Smith-Lever extension and Hatch research funds are part of the UA system’s separate budget and that the state matched about $6.2 million in federal extension funding last year. The committee then moved to the Department of Corrections. It approved G1, transferring 51 positions to the secretary’s office to activate a recidivism program, with an estimated cost of about $4 million. Staff then began walking through the department’s FY27 budget, noting an increase of about $8 million for administration and shared services, including a $170,000 sex-offender assessment appropriation moved under Act 723 of 2025 and roughly $6 million more for medical contracts. Questions on the Corrections budget had just begun when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, many agencies lack the budget flexibility to meaningfully reward this level.
• Your budget somewhere, you may want to consider that.
• It's a much more conservative allocation to bonds and fixed income.
• That is a 1.7% allocation of the ESL toward the Future Fund.
• a Future Fund, and how much money should we allocate toward that.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is a $925 million allocation for us to serve 47 counties.
• , which is a $925 million allocation for us to serve 47 counties.
• Some of those houses may come in under budget.
• There is a maximum budget on each and every household.
• Maximum budget on each and every household.

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum and heard two bills, a confirmation, and two agency presentations. SB 48 by Senator Gates would require local governments to allow voluntary accessory dwelling units, preserve homestead exemption for the owner-occupied portion, limit parking restrictions, require 30-day minimum leases, extend density bonuses for military-family housing, and allow reusable tenant screening reports. The bill drew strong support from the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and several others, and it was reported favorably on a unanimous roll call. SB 34 by Senator Sharief would expand the Historic Cemetery Program, particularly to help historic African-American cemeteries preserve and maintain themselves by allowing sale of excess vacant land only if proceeds are used for long-term upkeep; it also passed unanimously and was reported favorably. The committee also recommended confirmation of Fox Henderson to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors by unanimous vote. In addition, the Department of Commerce presented on the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program and Rebuild Florida, describing more than $4.3 billion in HUD disaster recovery funds since 2017, housing repair and replacement efforts that have completed more than 5,200 homes, and infrastructure and mitigation projects across the state. Members asked about average project costs, contractor oversight, corrective actions for deficient work, and clawbacks from a prior vendor; Commerce said it had ended the earlier vendor relationship, imposed about $3.6 million in financial consequences, and now uses stronger oversight and competitive procurement for contractors. The Division of Emergency Management then presented on Elevate Florida, a federal mitigation program that allows homeowners to apply directly for elevation, reconstruction, acquisition, or wind-mitigation projects, with a 75/25 federal-homeowner cost share and no state funds used. Director Kevin Guthrie said the program is intended to reduce repetitive flood losses, keep homeowners in their communities, and serve as a national model; he reported more than 12,000 applications, about 1,500 prioritized for review, 500 on a wait list, and 305 submitted to FEMA for final approval. Members asked about assistance for seniors who cannot meet the 25% match, the wait-list process, contractor selection, and the mix of project types, and Guthrie said contractors were selected through competitive procurement and that most projects are elevations, though some may become reconstructions or acquisitions depending on inspection results. The committee adjourned after the presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, this budget does the opposite.
• I think this is one of the areas of the budget where tough decisions, one of many areas of the budget
• They were in HCD's budget. What do you mean by where?
• In this item, we have three budget change proposals.
• state budget?

Summary: The Assembly Subcommittee on State Administration held a budget hearing focused heavily on housing, homelessness, and related administrative proposals. HCD reported that California housing production has increased, with 2023 completions up 13% from 2022 and entitlement and construction timelines improving, while members and advocates criticized the Governor’s January budget for zeroing out or sharply reducing several housing programs. Public testimony urged funding for affordable housing production, preservation, youth housing, CalHome, LIHTC, HAP, and related programs, and several speakers argued the state should not pull back after recent progress. A major policy item was trailer bill language to allow HCD to access “excess equity” in existing affordable housing projects and recycle those funds into new or preserved housing. HCD and the LAO said the proposal could unlock tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, but members wanted guardrails and clearer statutory direction to ensure the funds stay within the intended housing purposes. The committee also discussed encampment resolution funding; HCD said the proposal would shift expenditure deadlines to the date of award rather than appropriation, while the LAO raised concerns about limited outcome data and urged the Legislature to use upcoming reporting before deciding on future funding. The hearing also covered HCD trailer bills to consolidate default reserve funds into a centralized continuously appropriated account and to clarify reporting requirements for early rounds of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program. HCD requested funding to implement chaptered legislation, including a new tribal housing program and reporting-related bills, and also sought extensions for certain reappropriations, including Homekey and REAP 2 deadlines. Public commenters and regional agencies supported flexibility for REAP 2 timing and other housing-related adjustments. Finally, the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency presented the Governor’s reorganization proposal to split the current agency into a Housing and Homelessness Agency and a Consumer Protection Agency. The administration said the change would improve focus, efficiency, and coordination, but the LAO and several members questioned whether it would truly save money or improve accountability, especially given the need for new leadership, possible staffing changes, and the fact that the plan had not yet been formally submitted for review. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition to ongoing budget cuts and just their proposed budget for this year, at the top line is about
• Not in the budget as it stands.
• I think at our peak, because of a budget that was a multi-year budget a few years ago, there was a total
• A follow-up on this subject is: the Governor's budget proposal allocates $5 million for this land access
• I don't want to leave budget...

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When taken together with surtax appropriations in the fiscal year 2026 budget, our House 1 budget, we
• I see that there's no funding for the rural aid in the H-1 budget or in the supplemental budget.
• versus the operating budget.
• revenue spend in the budget.
• Operating budget, which includes a fair share consensus revenue spend in the budget of 1.95.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 55, the governor’s FY25 supplemental budget proposal to spend about $1.3 billion in surplus Fair Share revenue. House and Senate chairs framed the bill as a one-time opportunity to invest fairly in education and transportation, while also noting the need to protect the state’s long-term fiscal balance. Administration officials said the proposal should be considered alongside the FY26 budget and related bills, since the governor’s broader Fair Share plan aims for roughly an even split between education and transportation over time. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler outlined the administration’s priorities. Transportation funding would go mainly to the MBTA and related reserves, including money for the Federal Transit Administration reserve, MBTA stabilization reserve, low-income fares, winter resilience, RTA workforce support, MassDOT workforce and project delivery, and micro-transit grants. Education funding would support universal preschool expansion, early education and care capacity, early literacy tutoring, adult basic education and ESOL, early college and career technical education, MyCAP expansion, and special education circuit breaker funding. The administration emphasized that many of these investments are one-time or multi-year measures designed to address current needs without creating unsustainable recurring costs. Committee members raised concerns about regional equity, especially the large share of transportation money going to the MBTA versus regional transit authorities and rural areas. Several members asked for more detail on how the proposal would benefit Western Massachusetts and other non-MBTA regions, and whether micro-transit and Chapter 90-related investments would be sufficient. Education questions focused on special education reimbursement shortfalls, federal funding cuts to school districts, and how CTE and vocational investments would align students with workforce needs. The administration said it would provide additional data on MBTA versus RTA investment and explained that the special education circuit breaker and transportation reimbursement changes were intended to improve predictability and relief for districts. After the administration panel, Jessica Tang of AFT Massachusetts testified in support of using Fair Share funds to protect public education amid federal uncertainty and cuts. She argued that schools are facing a fiscal cliff, that vulnerable students would be hit hardest by funding losses, and that the Fair Share revenue should be used to preserve services and support students’ needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services issues.
• What is your budget ask for to make up for this discrepancy?
• It has a $2 million accompanying budget request.
• I just want to support the line item on the 2025 budget to allocate cash payments for seniors who were
• In addition, in 2024, there was an item on the California budget to allocate cash payments for seniors

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services held an informational hearing on child welfare, foster care, child support, and related prevention efforts. The chair opened by emphasizing mandated reporting reform, foster care system improvements, and community-based prevention, and noted that no votes would be taken. Public testimony focused first on mandated reporting, where a lived-experience advocate and several organizations argued that the current system overreports families, especially Black, Native, and Latino families, causes trauma, and should be reformed through standardized training, clearer thresholds, and stronger community supports rather than more hotline referrals. Casey Family Programs cited data showing nearly 90% of reports are unsubstantiated, while CDSS said it is already forming a Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee, updating training, and exploring community pathways and possible changes to the list of mandated reporters. CWDA and SEIU supported training and alternative response concepts but stressed child safety, county capacity, funding, and the need for careful implementation and accountability. The committee then discussed a proposal to create a foster care multi-agency office within the California Health and Human Services Agency, led by a chief foster youth advocate with authority to coordinate across departments. Advocates said foster youth often need services from education, health, housing, and behavioral health systems that do not coordinate well, and argued that a central office with real authority could improve placement stability and access to services. CDSS responded that existing structures already provide coordination, including AB 2083 interagency teams, the Child Welfare Council, complex care steering committees, and the foster care ombudsperson, but said it was open to technical assistance. Members raised concerns about whether the new office would have enough authority and funding to avoid becoming another layer of bureaucracy, and the chair emphasized the need for real “teeth” and better interagency action. The final major topic was the continuation and expansion of Promise Neighborhoods. A community leader described strong early results from the state-funded neighborhoods, including improved kindergarten readiness, reduced chronic absenteeism, higher graduation rates, food access, housing supports, and mental health services, but warned that current funding sunsets in June 2025 and that a fiscal cliff could jeopardize staff and services. CDSS said the four funded neighborhoods have reported positive outcomes and valuable flexibility, but also noted challenges with one-time funding, student mental health, and long-term planning. Assemblymember Mia Bonta urged continued investment, saying the place-based model is difficult to rebuild once lost, and the chair asked LAO to help identify the minimum funding needed to preserve the existing infrastructure while evaluation results are still pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a 50 tell a 50 billion dollars to be allocated over 5 fiscal years.
• And then in total, in a straight of casa subject to 10% of the total funding for the next budget period
• Second trying to get the trans one is is allocated evenly across all states.
• As you can see here, this is provides a bit of a timeline for when the budget year.
• There is a 20 page budget narrative that was submitted along with supporting budget documents and budget

Transcript Highlights:

• In total, this division has around 70 employees of the 171 million budgeted to the Capital Assets Division
• Because they also individually manage their budgets, if they are paying rent to OMES, they should be
• And so we do consider that we have a smaller allocation of space if an if the employee will not be in
• Our space standards aren't designed to allocate based on that alone or to determine the space needs.
• The USE IT Act established for the first time a standard square foot allocation of 150 square feet.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Everybody who loves Budget Sub 5, your favorite budget committee.
• All right, welcome to the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration hearing today.
• So we respectfully ask that the funding for this program be retained in the final budget.
• We're asking for an allocation of $150,000 so that they can get that system up and running.
• We just ask for consideration of that $150,000 allocation. Thank you.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This focuses on program allocations, particularly given limited resources in this year's budget.
• right amounts for allocation.
• The Uncompensated Care Program was established with an initial budget allocation of $40 million to ensure
• HCAI's proposed budget for the budget year is $581 million, of which $702 million is.
• Budget.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, going to slide six, I'm going to jump into our budget request.
• Again, we don't have a specific budget for outreach and communication.
• Also in the audience is Lori Narvaez, our Budget Director.
• Fiscal Year 2027 budget with that of 2026.
• This is the budget request for the Office of Cybersecurity.

Transcript Highlights:

• those allocating agency who allocates those allocating agency who allocates those low-income<00:
• uh tax credit sub-allocator um agencies. uh tax credit sub-allocator um agencies.
• And because after Minnesota Management and Budget allocated, uh, took their first round of applications
• And because after Minnesota Management and Budget allocated, uh, took their first round of applications
• move forward with future budgets. move forward with future budgets.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Education budget.
• And we are budget committee that Cross General Appropriations Act.
• in policy and current year budget amounts.
• These performance funds are not part of the base allocation.
• You know what we're allocating and where.

Transcript Highlights:

• The total operating budget for the system is about $20 billion. It includes five budget entities.
• And we have an auxiliary budget entity at almost $3 billion.
• That's a broad overview of the entire system operating budget.
• And we have an auxiliary budget entity at almost $3 billion.
• That's a broad overview of the entire system operating budget.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education received a presentation from Tim Jones, Senior Vice Chancellor and CFO for the State University System of Florida, on the system’s funding methodology, budget structure, tuition, and performance-based funding. He outlined the system’s scale, including 12 universities, more than 430,000 students taking classes, about 78,000 employees, and a roughly $20 billion operating budget. He also reviewed tuition levels, noting Florida’s low resident undergraduate tuition, the lack of tuition increases since 2013, and the distinction between state-set resident tuition and Board of Governors authority over other tuition categories. Jones described several funding components, including performance funding, preeminence funding, faculty recruitment and retention programs, universities of distinction, nursing pipeline and matching programs, and operational enhancements. He explained that performance funding is based on a 100-point model tied to retention, graduation, employment, and other metrics, with student success plans required if scores decline or fall below 70 points. He said the current performance funding allocation is $350 million and the legislative budget request seeks $400 million. He also said the new SUS 30 strategic plan will lead to updates in the performance metrics and benchmarks, with some changes possibly phased in over time. Senators asked questions about how the new strategic plan will affect future scoring, how long universities have to improve after declining scores, and how out-of-state enrollment and tuition are handled. Jones said universities will be evaluated on the current metrics for the upcoming budget cycle, while the new plan’s changes will be developed later and may include glide paths. He also said there is no statutory cap on nonresident students, though the Board of Governors has a 10% systemwide guideline under discussion, and that graduate out-of-state tuition varies by program and requires institutional and Board of Governors approval. No votes were taken, no public testimony was offered, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:24:33.520> revenue<00:24:34.000> that budget recognizes uh some revenue that budget
• Sections 25 and 26 allow allocations and additional allocations to be used on certain types of recreation
• Section five bond allocation act.
• And that recent budgets would be gone.
• <02:02:28.080> deficit the state is facing um a budget deficit the state is facing um a budget

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The budget change proposal reflected in the Governor's budget provided additional resources for the CWDB
• So since we're in a budget committee, looking at numbers and is Since we're in a budget committee looking
• However, at the Governor's Budget, we were looking in the budget window that the projected fund balance
• So you're budgeting for extra time, so you don't have to come back to this budget. Correct.
• the 2023 Budget Act.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5 on State Administration held a May Revise hearing focused on state administration proposals, with the chair noting no actions would be taken and all items would remain open. The committee heard presentations on a range of budget proposals, including technical adjustments for the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement and the California Workforce Development Board, security and election-related funding for the Secretary of State, modernization and loan-backfill requests for the Department of Consumer Affairs, and multiple Employment Development Department updates covering EDD Next, UI and DI/PFL benefit estimates, workforce funding, and an EMT training reappropriation. Several items drew discussion from the LAO and committee members. The LAO generally supported technical or modernization items such as PERB’s implementation requests, GoServe’s College Corps adjustment, the Secretary of State’s security and HAVA grant items, and the Board of Pharmacy modernization proposal, but raised concerns about the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education’s proposed $10 million General Fund backfill and interest-free loan language. For EDD, the LAO flagged the size of the DI/PFL benefit adjustment and the unusual structure of the document management system proposal within EDD Next, while EDD said the changes reflected higher participation and benefit levels after SB 951 and ongoing modernization needs. The Department of Industrial Relations drew the most extensive questioning. It proposed funding for legal unit reclassifications, EAMS and Cal/OSHA data modernization, a new Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, a COYA reappropriation, and trailer bill changes requiring electronic payment of employer assessments and adjusting the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board timeline. Members pressed DIR on high vacancy rates, long wage theft and workers’ compensation backlogs, low collection rates for fines, and the need for clearer workload and outcome measures. DIR said the requests were intended to improve efficiency, support audits and corrective action plans, and better address emerging workplace risks, while the LAO said the workload drivers behind delays remain unclear. The hearing also included support for CalHR’s employee assistance program consolidation and CDT’s proposal to expand “Poppy,” a statewide generative AI assistant for state employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it concerns me that this budget proposal disregards the will of the voters to allocate the managed
• The prior deficit budgets largely focused on one-time allocations that were statewide, but those are
• And next year, you're going to increase the funds allocated in the budget.
• In your budget assumptions?
• In this budget year plus one, because in 2027 there's going to be stricter allocation.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is allocated to pensions.
• Our office also estimates the portion of the general fund budget that's allocated to pensions.
• allocated to pensions.
• biennial budget that we're currently in.
• We're itemizing the estimated impact of the general fund state budget, as well as local government budgets

Summary: The Pension Funding Council met on October 8 with introductions from council members and staff, then received a detailed presentation from the Office of the State Actuary on long-term economic assumptions and the state pension systems’ financial condition. OSA reported that the combined pension systems are currently 100% funded on a smoothed basis, with open plans above 95% funded, and that legacy Plan 1 systems remain on a path toward full funding under current policy. The actuaries recommended updating assumptions to 3% inflation, 3.5% general salary growth, and a 7.25% investment return, while keeping Plan 1 membership growth at 1%. They also explained asset smoothing, the role of recent strong investment returns, and the expected budget impacts of the recommended changes. Representatives from the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council and the State Investment Board offered supporting perspectives, generally describing the assumptions as reasonable and consistent with their own outlooks. The council also heard an overview of the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program (WACares) from DSHS and OSA. Program staff described the program’s social insurance structure, premium collection, benefit eligibility, and upcoming implementation milestones. OSA reported that the program’s first actuarial valuation showed a positive actuarial balance under the base scenario and recommended no change to the current 0.58% premium rate during the program’s early learning phase, noting that future changes would depend on experience and the program’s risk-management framework. OSA also said the recommendation would remain the same regardless of the outcome of the pending ballot measure affecting investment options. During public comment, a representative of the Washington State School Retirees Association urged continued work on Plan 1 funding and related legislation, while the Association of Washington Cities cautioned against increasing pension assumptions in a way that could raise future employer costs and reduce flexibility for current local government services. In action, the council adopted a motion to maintain the current long-term economic assumptions by a 4-2 vote, adopted the recommendation to keep the WACares premium rate at 0.58% by a 6-0 vote, and then elected Katie Chapman as council chair by unanimous vote. The meeting then adjourned.