Transcript Highlights:

• Please note the testimony will be limited to three minutes per individual.
• He had limited English proficiency and was shy, I'm sure, of himself.
• He had limited English proficiency shy, I'm sure of himself.
• We do have to limit testimony to two minutes at this point in time.
• And I’m afraid we have to limit your testimony a little bit.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries held a public hearing on 19 legislative proposals, with testimony limited to three minutes per speaker and seven minutes per panel. The hearing opened with testimony on bills promoting urban agriculture and vacant-lot conversion, including H.121/S.61, which Green Roots staff and community members supported as a way to turn vacant lots in environmental justice communities into urban farms and gardens that improve food access, health, community cohesion, and climate resilience. Rep. James Arena-DeRosa also spoke in support of H.109/S.56, the PFAS bill, describing it as a measure to protect soil and farms from contamination and to create relief for affected farmers. A major portion of the hearing focused on H.109/S.56, which would ban land application of sewage sludge/biosolids, provide liability protection and relief funds for farmers, and address PFAS contamination in soil, water, crops, and animals. Testimony came from environmental groups, farm organizations, and individual farmers, including the Mass Food System Collaborative, Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Water Action, CEMAP, NOFA, Sierra Club, and several farmers who described contamination in Maine and Massachusetts and urged the committee to act. Witnesses emphasized that PFAS poses serious health risks, that farmers should not bear responsibility for legacy contamination, and that the bill should be paired with funding for testing, remediation, and assistance. Committee members asked questions about farm liability, the scope of the bill, contamination in different ownership situations, and the costs and timelines of remediation, with Senator Comerford and others clarifying that the bill is intended to protect farms and farmers rather than non-agricultural landholders. The committee also heard strong support for H.416, a farm-to-institution pilot program, from Rep. Lee Davis, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, and Berkshire Bounty. They said the pilot would connect Massachusetts farms to schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other institutions, creating new markets, strengthening local supply chains, and supporting food-is-medicine efforts. Members discussed whether the model could be statewide and referenced existing programs such as Island Grown Initiative and local hospital and insurance partnerships. Another agricultural bill, H.1058, was supported by Rep. Mark Sylvia and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association as a way to allow unused cranberry water rights to be transferred within the same watershed for municipal mitigation while helping growers retire or consolidate bogs. The hearing also included testimony on the broader farm omnibus bill H.112/S.55 and related measures, with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau and others praising the committee’s work on agricultural resilience, food security, agritourism, workforce development, and farmland access, while suggesting additional transportation-related fixes for farmers. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the limitations in the bill are pretty narrow.
• And I think... ...bill to try and limit the use of data.
• I believe it's incomes of $45,000 combined household income or less, and that it's adjusted based on
• Is this bill strictly for rural, low-income households?
• of... ...and the income of the parent.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill now includes SCR limits and excludes tax figures who received qualified foster chair commitments
• The $1,500 tax credit phases out at a rate of 6% of income above $75,000 for single filers or $150,000
• In the making or refurbishing of low-income housing.
• The property will be converted to a limited-equity housing co-op and sold to two low-income artist households
• The first is SB 1096, Senator Dodd, on income tax for senior tax credit.

Summary: The Committee on Revenue and Taxation met with a quorum and heard five bills, most of them tax exemptions or credits aimed at housing, veterans, and seniors. SB 1096, as amended, would provide a $1,500 tax credit for certain grandparents and other caregivers for tax years 2026 through 2030, with income-based phaseouts, a seven-year carryforward, and exclusions for dependents receiving foster care payments. Members praised the author’s amendments and the bill passed unanimously to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 672, extending a property tax welfare exemption for community land trust projects that create or rehabilitate low-income housing, and AB 1668, extending for five years the welfare property tax exemption for nonprofit land trusts that protect open space and recreational lands. Supporters for both bills emphasized permanent affordability, stewardship of natural lands, and relatively small public costs compared with the housing and conservation benefits. AB 672 and AB 1668 each passed unanimously to Appropriations, though AB 1668 drew one respectful opposition from the California Teachers Association. AB 2022 would expand the property tax exemption for disabled veteran homeowners, increasing the exemption for low-income veterans to 100% and to 50% of assessed value for others, while preserving current benefits through a loophole-closing amendment. The author and veteran advocates argued the bill would help keep disabled veterans and their families in their homes and make California more competitive with other states. The bill passed 5-0 to the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs. AB 2641 was placed on the consent calendar and adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill now includes SCR limits and excludes tax figures who received qualified foster care commitments
• The $1,500 tax credit phases out at a rate of 6% of income above $75,000 for single filers or $150,000
• In the making or refurbishing of low-income housing.
• The property will be converted to a limited-equity housing co-op and sold to two low-income artist households
• The first is SB 1096, Senator Dodd, personal income tax for senior tax credit.

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1294 would limit application requirements to a defined list.
• I know it's a three-year limit.
• I believe that with a three-year limitation...
• has undermined planning for lower-income housing.
• It also limits the use of ADUs toward lower-income RHNA unless deed-restricted for long-term affordability

Committee: House Local Government

Summary: The Assembly Local Government Committee heard a long slate of bills, with the chair opening by outlining hearing rules, noting in-person testimony only, and identifying several bills for the consent calendar. The committee repeatedly operated without a quorum for much of the hearing, so several authors closed with requests for aye votes before formal action could be taken. AB 407 (Jackson) was heard first and would broaden eligibility in state loan and financing programs to help small businesses fund environmental, seismic, and ADA upgrades; it drew support from the Treasurer’s office and no opposition. AB 93 (Papan) would require state and local agencies to develop best practices and reporting around data center water use; supporters emphasized water scarcity and transparency, while the Data Center Coalition opposed it as overly restrictive and potentially burdensome. The League of California Cities and water agencies were generally supportive or neutral with amendments. The committee also heard several housing-related bills. AB 650 (Papan) would give cities earlier RHNA information and require HCD to provide clearer, more actionable housing element feedback; it received broad support from cities, planning groups, and housing advocates, with no opposition. AB 507 (Haney) would streamline adaptive reuse of office buildings into housing, especially in downtowns, and AB 1294 (Haney) would create a more standardized housing application process; both drew strong support from housing and business groups, while local government groups raised concerns about one-size-fits-all mandates and local discretion. AB 610 (Alvarez) would strengthen housing element transparency and limit new local housing constraints and fees after certification; supporters said it would improve certainty, while legal aid and city groups opposed it as too rigid and potentially harmful to inclusionary housing and local fee authority. AB 610 ultimately received a 7-0 do-pass recommendation to Appropriations. Other measures included AB 1044 (Macedo), which would create a new groundwater sustainability agency structure for Tulare County to help the region comply with SGMA; it was backed by county and agricultural water representatives and had no opposition. AB 523 (Irwin) would allow proxy voting for single-representative member agencies on the Metropolitan Water District board, with support from several water districts and no opposition. AB 1112 (Wallace) would repeal an outdated property tax carve-out affecting Rancho Mirage; the city supported it as restoring equity, and the committee called the roll after reaching quorum, then moved the bill do pass as amended to Appropriations by a 6-0 vote with the roll left open. Finally, AB 698 (Wicks) would require analysis of the housing, market-rate, and property tax impacts before a local transfer tax is adopted; supporters said it would inform local decision-making, while opponents, including a coalition tied to Los Angeles’ Measure ULA, argued it could undermine local revenue tools and housing funding. The committee discussed that the bill was forward-looking and not retroactive, and then moved it forward as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• "With that, Senate Draft 1, I vote yes." limiting it only to dot only for a limiting it only to dot only
• In addition, with the income tax cuts or the income tax adjustments that were passed last year, it's
• "In addition, with the income tax cuts or the income tax adjustments that were passed last year, it's
• We know that Hawaiʻi, our state, local taxes burden low-income families much more than higher-income
• We know that Hawaiʻi, our state, local taxes burden low-income families much more than higher-income

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Summary: The committee took up House Bill 422, relating to school impact fees. The Education Committee recommended passage with amendments, and Ways and Means concurred. The amendments would repeal the construction fee component of the school impact fee while retaining the land impact fee and in-lieu fee requirements, remove related statutory language, exempt certain developments from school impact fees, raise the unit threshold for satisfying the land component to 100 units, require the School Facilities Authority to adopt rules and policies, and require a report to the Legislature on the effect of repealing the construction portion of the fee. The measure was also given a sunset date of June 30, 2029, with the committee report to note that the changes are intended to test the efficiency and efficacy of the fee structure and could be made permanent if the report supports that outcome. The committees adopted the recommendation, with one senator initially voting no and then changing to yes after the amendments were explained. The meeting also included a separate hearing on House Bill 1155, concerning procurement for Department of Transportation projects and construction manager/general contractor procurement. DOT testified that it supported the concept but wanted to narrow the bill, saying the current language was too broad and that the goal was to allow more innovative procurement while preserving selection safeguards. The State Procurement Office said it supported the bill’s language but was willing to work with DOT on alternative wording. Several construction-related organizations, including subcontractors, iron workers, elevator constructors, and building trades representatives, opposed the bill, arguing that exemptions from the procurement code would weaken protections such as retainage, equality, and prompt payment and could invite favoritism or corruption. In response to those concerns, the chair proposed amendments limiting the exemption to DOT, narrowing the qualifying contracts, adding a two-year sunset, requiring a report after the first year, and clarifying that project management could not be procured under the section. The amended recommendation passed, though several members voted with reservations. A separate item, House Bill 476, was briefly called up at the end of the agenda, with a recommendation to pass with amendments to increase a rate from 7.25% to 8%, but discussion was not completed in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• to an exemption in the form of a remittance that is limited to one application per quarter.
• to an exemption in the form of a remittance that is limited to one application per quarter.
• And so this is going to hit lower income individuals the most.
• As we know from the bill, the limited equity co-ops go ahead and sell to folks who are in a certain income
• And I worry about the downstream effects from the continual erosion of our limits.

Bills: HB2713 , HB2730 , HB2297 , HB2487 , HB2382 , HB2089 , HB2431 , HB2451 , HB2590 , HB2325 , HB2278 , HB2224 , HB2322

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: private detention facilities, business tax, occupation tax, financial impact, state revenue, aerospace, tax preferences, effectiveness, economic impact, grocery stores, underserved communities, food access, incentives, economic development, insurance tax, state regulation, insurers, taxation, budget impact, excise tax

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:46.000><c> for</c> economic or median household income for economic or median household income
• income and area median income to be vastly different, particularly where state average income can be
• We're talking about area median income, not average income. >> Okay. >> Oh, I was...
• median income, not average income.<00:47:50.560><c> Okay.
• </c> income. Okay. income. Okay.

Summary: The Kentucky Housing Task Force met and heard first from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which presented findings from a housing study done with the Home Builders Association. The chamber said housing is now a major economic-development issue, citing survey results that 90% of community leaders said their region could not absorb a major job announcement and 66% said housing is holding back Kentucky’s economy. The chamber described Kentucky’s housing shortage, rising home prices, declining permits since 2008, and the need for more production to support growth. It urged policy changes including zoning and land-use reform, tax incentives, regional approaches, and especially a residential infrastructure fund modeled on Indiana’s low-interest loan program to help communities finance roads and other infrastructure needed for new housing. Members asked about the severity of the problem, workforce shortages in permitting and construction, the loan interest rate, repayment, and whether Kentucky could replicate Indiana’s results; the witness said the issue is a crisis and that the program would be a revolving public-private partnership, likely around 3% interest, with implementation details still to be worked out. The Kentucky Bankers Association then testified that the housing gap is especially acute for households at 80% of area median income and below, which it said represents about 70% of Kentucky’s housing need. It emphasized that the shortage affects both urban and rural counties and pointed to examples such as Rowan County, where workers at major employers must commute long distances because local housing is unavailable or unaffordable. The bankers said high interest rates remain a major barrier and proposed a $20 million bank commitment for a revolving fund tied to tax credits to finance new housing, not refinances. They cited Hope of the Midwest as an example of a successful tax-credit housing model with a long track record and no defaults, and said the proposal would leverage public-private partnerships to create new units. Committee members questioned how the proposed fund would compare with industrial revenue bonds and whether it could be structured like Kentucky’s tobacco settlement fund, with seed money, a review board, scoring criteria, and possible population thresholds to ensure smaller communities benefit. The bankers said the proposal would be another tool for cities and counties, specifically tied to residential infrastructure, and that larger cities should not be able to capture all of the resources. No formal votes or actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The federal government mainly moves that 35% of eligible expenses to 50% and then ups the income limits
• </c> limit that. limit that.
• at our lower income levels.
• at our lower income levels.
• at our lower income levels.

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• The state appropriations limit. The state appropriations limit.”
• limit.
• limit.
• limit.
• Now, the thing that’s ironic about personal income as a limitation on the ability to spend the revenue

Summary: The Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review held an informational hearing on ACA 20, the Save for California’s Future Act, and took no votes. The chair described the measure as a way to strengthen the state’s Rainy Day Fund by increasing reserves during strong revenue years and helping pay down long-term obligations. The vice chair said he preferred a broader spending rule tied to a rolling average of revenues, rather than the proposal’s reserve-focused approach. The Legislative Analyst’s Office explained how Proposition 2 currently requires deposits into the Budget Stabilization Account and debt payments when revenues are strong, and how ACA 20 would change those rules by increasing required reserve deposits, raising the BSA target from 10% to 20% of General Fund revenues, creating a “super excess capital gains” deposit requirement, extending debt-payment requirements through 2040, and expanding eligible debt uses to include Proposition 98 settle-up, budgetary borrowing, and federal unemployment insurance debt. The Department of Finance said the administration supports the measure and believes it improves Proposition 2. Members asked about the Gann limit, whether the measure would allow more spending or simply change how deposits are counted, the impact on infrastructure and other programs, the size of the UI debt, and how the proposal would affect future budget flexibility. Several senators supported the goal of saving more in good years and using reserves to avoid painful cuts in downturns, while others questioned whether the proposal was sufficiently simple or whether a larger structural spending rule would be better. Public comment largely supported the measure, with one former legislative staffer arguing it follows earlier reserve reforms and helps address the state’s UI debt. The chair closed by noting the committee would not act that day and that the measure would be considered on the Senate floor the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Limit testimony to two witnesses in support and two witnesses in opposition.
• with a reliable source of income to meet their most pressing needs.
• AB 1357 fixes this by ensuring that guaranteed income is not counted as income for any state public assistance
• And we can do that by ensuring that guaranteed income payments aren't counted as income when determining
• that is too infrequent to be reasonably anticipated, in-kind income, and income that is unavailable to

Summary: The committee heard a series of child care, social services, immigrant support, disability services, and language access bills, with many measures drawing strong support and no opposition. Early in the hearing, AB 450 proposed a Department of Aging task force to study and recommend policies for undocumented adults age 55 and older; AB 593 would let CDSS identify data-sharing opportunities to improve CalFresh administration and participation; and AB 904 would clarify child care subsidy eligibility so families do not lose care during pregnancy leave, family leave, caregiving, or job search periods. All three were presented as ways to reduce barriers and improve access to essential services, and AB 904 was moved out on a 1-0 call after support testimony from child care advocates and a member of the public. AB 617, which would expand and standardize respite care access for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by requiring licensing and registry participation, drew both support and significant opposition from respite providers and disability service organizations concerned about added regulation, cost, and possible delays; the author said she would continue working with opponents, and the bill was moved out on a 2-0 call. The committee also heard AB 1220, which would require regional centers to document denials, notices of action, and appeals in individual program plans and include that data in annual reports to improve transparency and equity in developmental services. The bill drew extensive public support from parents, advocates, and disability organizations, with no opposition, and passed 5-0. AB 752 would make child care centers by right in certain residential zones when co-located with multifamily housing or institutional uses, and supporters argued it would reduce zoning barriers and help expand child care capacity; it also passed 5-0. AB 1242 would create a CalHHS language access director, require human review of machine translation, and improve language coverage determinations for state and local agencies; supporters emphasized health equity and the need for better access for limited-English communities, and the bill was moved out on a 4-0 call. Later, AB 548 would continue and expand the Asylee and Vulnerable Non-Citizen Program, which provides case management and integration services for asylees and certain visa holders; supporters said the program had been effective but had run out of funding, and the bill passed 4-0. AB 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act, would strengthen family safety planning for immigrant families, standardize acceptance of caregiver authorization affidavits, and create a joint guardianship process for temporary separations; testimony focused on fear of family separation and the need for clear school and medical procedures, and the bill passed 4-0. AB 1357 would exclude guaranteed income payments from being counted as income for state public assistance eligibility, with supporters arguing it would prevent recipients from falling off the “benefits cliff”; it passed 4-1. Finally, AB 1201, the Reunity Act, was introduced to require individualized court assessments before denying reunification services to parents with certain violent felony convictions after a five-year period, with the author and a witness describing the bill as a trauma-informed approach to family reunification.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will have an additional 10,000 seats for our children and for the most-needing low-income families
• Currently, that means they have a household income at or below 36% of the state median income.
• that is at or below the maximum household income for Working Connections Child Care eligibility.
• Deployment and hidden financial strain are not captured by traditional income measures.
• These families that are going to require, they're needier, they're more low income.

Summary: The Early Learning & Human Services Committee held public hearings on several child care and disability-related bills. House Bill 2317 would exempt certain ECAP and Head Start programs from DCYF licensing when they operate part-day or school-day in public school buildings or on public school property. Staff and the prime sponsor said the bill would remove duplicative licensing barriers and help expand preschool seats, especially as Washington prepares to add more ECAP slots. Testifiers from Head Start, school-linked providers, and the Washington Federation of Independent Schools supported the bill, describing licensing delays, added costs, and lost classroom time; no one testified in opposition. The committee also heard House Bill 2099, which would expand ECAP access for military families with incomes up to Working Connections Child Care limits and adjust prioritization for families with deployed or single custodial military parents. The prime sponsor and multiple supporters, including retired military leaders, Head Start/ECAP advocates, ESD staff, and a military-community partnership, said military families face frequent moves, deployment-related strain, and child care shortages that affect readiness and family stability. Testifiers said the bill would help families access care without changing the program’s low-income focus or adding state cost. House Bill 2350 would require DSHS to notify residents, guardians, and family members when a residential habilitation center is found out of compliance with federal CMS requirements, and to provide follow-up notices on correction and enforcement actions. The sponsor said the bill responds to limited communication around recent noncompliance issues at Rainier School and would improve transparency; DSHS had requested a narrow amendment about how notice is provided to residents. Disability rights advocates strongly supported the bill, saying families need timely information to protect loved ones and make informed decisions. Finally, House Bill 2318 would let ECAP and Head Start children count toward the 5% subsidy participation threshold needed for Early Achievers quality improvement awards. Supporters said the current rule can discourage providers from enrolling ECAP children because it risks losing an award, even though ECAP already requires Early Achievers participation. The sponsor and testifiers described the bill as a small fix to reduce a funding disincentive for providers serving high-need children. The committee took no votes and adjourned after closing the hearings on all four bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are excluded from the Gann limit, or the state appropriations limit.
• appropriations limit.
• The state appropriations limit inherently allows for spending above the limit, if that makes sense.
• levels of income tax or differing levels of sales tax, Or differing levels of income tax or differing
• Now, the thing that's ironic about personal income as a limitation on the ability to spend the revenue

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Transcript Highlights:

• liability companies, limited liability partnerships, and limited partnerships in their first year of
• One is related to the temporary extension of the existing limit, where the credits are limited to $5
• So are you saying that gross income or net income? So net income. So net income. So a lot of...
• Gross income or net income? So net income.
• So net income. Yeah, so net income.

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Transcript Highlights:

• subject to Delaware personal income tax.
• For the lowest-income tip workers, those with federal adjusted income gross income under $40,000 single
• For the lowest-income tip workers, those with federal adjusted gross income under $40,000 single or $80,000
• For the lowest-income tip workers, those with federal adjusted income gross income under $40,000 single
• For the lowest-income tip workers, those with federally adjusted gross incomes under $40,000 single or

Summary: The House Revenue and Finance Committee met to consider two tax-related measures sponsored by Representative Holofsky. The first was House Substitute 1 for House Bill 386, the Tipped Worker Tax Relief Act of 2026, which would allow a temporary Delaware income tax deduction of up to $15,000 for qualified tips for tax years 2027 through 2029, with phaseouts at higher incomes and a refundable credit for lower-income workers. Committee discussion focused on whether the bill applied to residents and non-residents, whether credit-card tips were included, the need for an updated substitute, and the expected fiscal impact. The Office of the Comptroller General said the bill would likely reduce general revenue and that the fiscal note had not yet been fully reviewed, while Deputy Secretary Goldsmith said the Department of Finance could administer it and that implementation costs would be modest. After public comment, the committee voted on a motion to release the bill, but it did not receive enough votes, so the chair said she would walk it for additional signatures. The committee then heard Senate Bill 219, which would phase in an increase in the military pension income exemption from $12,500 to $25,000 by tax year 2029. Representative Holofsky argued the measure would help attract and retain military retirees, support the economy, and provide a strong return on investment through spending, taxes, and community participation. Members raised concerns about whether the benefit should be income-based, with one member arguing that higher-income retirees may not need the tax break, while supporters emphasized the multiplier effect and the value of veterans to the state. Public testimony from Veterans of Foreign Wars representatives strongly supported the bill and described how the exemption could influence retirement decisions and local economic activity. A motion to release the bill also failed to get enough votes, and the chair said she would walk it for signatures before adjourning the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a limit on the income we can make on that, but those bonds that we're selling, say, for instance
• The low-income housing tax credit projects can serve up to 30% AMI, which is the extremely low-income
• We are projecting that household income growth is going to be in the extremely low and the very low income
• Household income growth is going to be in the extremely low and the very low income categories primarily
• There's tools to limit your losses or gains, but, There's tools to limit your losses or gains, but it's

Summary: The committee met as the Regulatory Division of the budget section and received updates on several Industrial Commission-related agencies and programs. Legislative Council first reviewed base budget materials, then the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency reported on its current appropriation and staffing, noting that its new FTEs were being filled gradually and that it remained largely funded through special and federal funds. Agency leaders described homeownership lending, loan servicing, and housing incentive fund activity, including below-market mortgage rates, down payment assistance, and a growing servicing portfolio that has increased workload but not yet required additional FTEs. Housing Finance also detailed use of the Housing Incentive Fund and homeless grant dollars. Officials said the multifamily HIF round drew more than $73 million in requests and awarded $25 million, while the single-family program supported rural development and community land trusts. Homeless grant funding was split between emergency shelter, prevention, and rapid rehousing, with performance-based scoring used to renew or reallocate awards. Members discussed housing affordability, aging households, rental assistance, and the need to coordinate housing and site-preparation messaging with Commerce. The agency asked that HIF, single-family, and homeless funding be maintained or increased in the next session. The Department of Mineral Resources then presented its budget and operations update. Staff said the agency was on track financially, had filled most of its new reclamation FTEs, and was not expecting major litigation costs beyond normal late-biennium invoices. The director reviewed agency initiatives including Project North Star IT modernization, organizational restructuring, succession planning, rulemaking, and implementation of the development incentive well tax program and critical minerals rules. He also discussed oil and gas activity, explaining that longer laterals, especially three- and four-mile wells and the first five-mile spacing case, are helping keep production relatively flat even as rig counts ease. Members asked about gas capture, hedging, break-even prices, and the effects of Iran and Venezuela on oil markets. The committee also heard about enhanced oil recovery grants and the Pipeline Authority. The EOR program’s $25 million appropriation was fully allocated to six projects, with total awards reaching about $45.1 million when other fund balances were included, subject to a possible 5% reduction if federal DOE money does not materialize. Officials said the projects are public, reimbursement-based, and will produce results over the next several years. Finally, the Pipeline Authority outlined natural gas transmission projects, including the imminent Bakken Express line and the proposed Bakken East project, which WBI was selected to advance after an Industrial Commission RFI process. The project is moving through open season, survey permission, and regulatory work, with in-service dates projected for 2029 and 2030.

Transcript Highlights:

• , moderate-income, or tribal households.
• CAP agency partners is self-attestation of low income.
• We're able to get more people involved in the low-income programs.
• I know Maggie and Josie had mentioned low-income support.
• The portable solar generation, or balcony solar, limit in the bill is 1,200 watts.

Bills: SB5982 , SB6008 , SB6050 , SB6056

Committee: Senate Environment, Energy & Technology

Keywords: consumer-owned utilities, clean energy, port districts, market customers, energy transformation, energy storage, residential battery, grid connection, renewable energy, incentives, distributed energy, renewable resources, energy policy, sustainable energy, state regulations, utility vehicles, emission standards, environment, regulation, exemptions

Transcript Highlights:

• We show outcomes that it helps family income.
• These are our lowest income families.
• limit.
• And so can you just talk about reaching that from lower middle income to higher income, the impact it
• It is, correct me if I'm wrong, but limited—there's still a limited number of child care slots on or

Bills: SB2

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• limits applying to that down payment assistance program, replacing a household income limit with a homebuyer
• income limit.
• At 100% of statewide median income.
• Over 70% of the residents in our communities earn 50% of area median income, and a full one-third of
• It's also important to note that MHCR funding is not limited to resident or cooperative purchases.

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• And our customers represent a wide range of income levels.
• Over 20% of our customers are at a household income level of $100,000 or less.
• Chair, Madam, but the tax credit doesn't have an income test.
• There is no test for income.
• There is no test for income.

Summary: The committee began with roll call, noting several members present and others absent, and then announced that HB 338 had been rolled. The first bill taken up was HB 332, a committee substitute authorizing or reauthorizing 376 previously approved capital projects, with changes that could extend reversion dates, alter purposes, or change administering agencies. After no public comment, members asked about the reauthorization period, project listings, and how HB 332 would interact with HB 247, which had been passed earlier in the session. The committee clarified that HB 332’s projects would be grandfathered in and that the standard extension is two years. The committee then voted 12-0 to do pass the committee substitute and do not pass the original HB 332. The committee next heard SB 55, which would increase a state solar tax credit from 10% to 30% while keeping the existing $30 million cap and sunset date. Legislative Finance Committee staff explained that the credit had been scored at about $9 million in recent years, so the bill would create an estimated $21 million general fund impact. The sponsor and supporters argued the bill would help New Mexico’s solar industry after the federal credit changed, preserve jobs, support small businesses, farmers, tribal communities, and lower-income households, and promote clean energy. Public testimony was strongly in favor, including from industry representatives, tribal advocates, and individual homeowners, while no opposition testified. Committee members raised concerns about fiscal impact, whether the credit should be part of the tax package, and whether an income test should be added. Some members also described consumer-protection concerns involving solar contracts, liens, and misunderstandings about credits and installation costs. The sponsor said the bill was intended to stand alone but acknowledged the fiscal issue and said it could be considered in the tax package. The committee ultimately voted 11-1 to table SB 55, with members noting it could be revisited later in the session.