Transcript Highlights:

• commission is an excellent way to continue to ensure compliance with both the PRA and the OPMA while mitigating
• House Bill 1974 creates a property tax exemption for public or nonprofit land bank authorities.
• House Bill 1974 creates a property tax exemption for public or nonprofit land bank authorities.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences met on May 6, 2026, with quorum present and unanimously approved the October 21, 2025 minutes. The Attorney General’s Office then provided its annual refresher on Washington’s Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act, emphasizing broad disclosure requirements, records retention, prompt routing of records requests to staff, and OPMA rules for meetings, conference calls, emails, special meetings, and executive sessions. JLARC staff next reviewed 2026 tax preference legislation, noting 20 bills affecting tax preferences. Examples included repeal of the coal sales tax exemption, changes to data center exemptions, new property tax exemptions for renewable energy facilities and land bank authorities, and a broad tax package in Senate Bill 6346 that created credits and deductions, expanded the working families tax credit, and exempted items such as diapers and hygiene products. Staff also presented the 2026 expedited review report covering 64 tax preferences and explained that it is based on prior JLARC reviews and Department of Revenue studies rather than full new reviews. The commission approved unchanged 2026 public testimony questions and then adopted the draft 2027–2036 tax preference review schedule, along with a new rolling 10-year schedule format that will be updated each May. During discussion, Representative Pollitt questioned how preferences are prioritized for full review versus expedited or no review, especially for large preferences without performance statements, and staff explained that legislative mandates, expiration timing, and staff capacity drive the schedule. The commission agreed staff would meet with members to discuss possible future adjustments. The meeting concluded with public and staff recognition of Commissioner Grant Forsyth, who is leaving the commission after 13 years of service. Speakers praised his leadership, consensus-building, and long tenure as both commissioner and chair. The next commission meeting was announced for August 4, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• commission is an excellent way to continue to ensure compliance with both the PRA and the OPMA while mitigating
• And House Bill 1974 creates a property tax exemption for public or nonprofit land bank authorities.
• And House Bill 1974 creates a property tax exemption for public or nonprofit land bank authorities.

Summary: The Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences met on May 6, 2026, with quorum present and unanimously approved the October 21, 2025 minutes. The Attorney General’s Office then provided its annual open government refresher, covering key points of the Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act, including broad disclosure requirements, records retention, response timelines for public records requests, and rules for meetings, special meetings, emergency meetings, and executive sessions. JLARC staff gave a 2026 legislative session update on tax preference bills. They highlighted 20 bills affecting tax preferences, including repeal of the coal-related sales and use tax exemption, changes to data center exemptions, new property tax exemptions for renewable energy facilities and land bank authorities, and a broad tax package in engrossed substitute Senate Bill 6346 that created multiple credits, deductions, and exemptions. Staff also presented the 2026 expedited tax preference review report covering 64 preferences, noting it is based on prior JLARC reviews and Department of Revenue studies and is now available in an interactive searchable format. The commission approved the 2026 public testimony questions without changes and then adopted the 2027–2036 tax preference review schedule, along with a new rolling 10-year schedule that will be updated each May. During discussion, commissioners raised concerns about how preferences are prioritized for full review versus expedited review, especially for older or high-revenue preferences without performance statements, and staff explained that legislative mandates, expiration dates, and workload constraints drive the schedule. The meeting also included a public and staff recognition of Commissioner Grant Forsyth’s 13 years of service and leadership, with remarks praising his collaborative approach and long tenure; the next meeting was set for August 4, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:37:56.400> impacts<00:37:56.960> to much as we can and mitigate impacts to much
• So um yes mitigate um impacts to people.
• session helps to mitigate that for counties. counties. counties.
• Um, some counties choose to do things differently and do, like, a case banking model.
• Some counties choose to do things differently and do, like, a case banking model.

Bills: HR1

Keywords: January 6 insurrection, pardon, law enforcement, violent crimes, public safety, justice system, political accountability, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Haynes Schrader: ...the technological things that you use every day, whether it's accessing your bank
• you access, when you pull up your phone and you go onto a social media website, or you access your bank
• If we do a lease with JPMorgan Chase, for example, directly as a bank, and they haven't signed it, as
• SB6 provided the framework that Texas needs to create investment incentives while mitigating the impact
• Part of that mitigation is what was mentioned earlier by Chairman Gleason on the reallocation, the relook

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:59:20.320> Uh order to mitigate floods down slope.
• Uh order to mitigate floods down slope.
• of familiar with those creeks down there, and I see them flood every spring and take out half the bank
• of familiar with those creeks down there, and I see them flood every spring and take out half the bank
• So, those those are my bank, you know.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And how we can mitigate flooding through reducing impervious surface, or...?
• And how we can mitigate flooding through reducing impervious surface, or?
• Our mission is to serve as the voice of these communities in trying to mitigate the impacts created by
• . participate in a state-led working group to mitigate the impacts of air quality from Logan Airport.
• Like other towns, Fairhaven has developed mitigation plans to protect our community.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee hearing focused on a broad set of climate, energy, and environmental justice proposals. Early testimony strongly supported the Climate Change Superfund or “Polluter Pays” bill (H.1014/S.58), which would assess the largest fossil fuel emitters for a one-time fee based on historic emissions to fund climate adaptation. Sponsors argued the bill is modeled on Superfund cleanup principles, would target only the largest multinational polluters, would not be passed on to consumers, and would direct a significant share of funds to environmental justice communities. Committee members asked about the number of companies covered, consumer impacts, and whether the bill would address other forms of environmental destruction; sponsors said it was limited to major fossil fuel companies with a Massachusetts footprint and did not cover other pollution sources. The committee also heard testimony on a fusion energy compact proposal (S.673) that would direct the administration to develop a framework for a New England regional compact to accelerate fusion research, workforce development, and supply-chain growth. Supporters from MIT and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities said fusion could become a major clean-energy and economic opportunity, but acknowledged the technology is not yet commercially viable and still has unresolved technical, cost, and waste-management questions. Members pressed on environmental impacts, siting, waste, costs, and whether the bill would create a compact or only a framework; sponsors said it would only create the framework and that the administration would need to negotiate with other states. Another major topic was a pilot program for nature-based climate solutions (H.971/S.??), backed by legislators, Boston Harbor Now, and UMass Boston’s Stone Living Lab. Witnesses said the bill would help speed permits for research and demonstration projects such as living shorelines, marsh restoration, and hybrid “green-to-gray” flood protections, while maintaining safeguards and protecting Indigenous and historic resources. Committee members asked how the proposal would interact with other permitting reforms and whether it could conflict with housing or wetland-related streamlining; supporters said it was complementary and aimed at making projects faster, more affordable, and more data-driven. The hearing also covered climate-safe buildings and climate adaptation funding bills. Supporters of H.1004/S.583 said current building codes do not adequately account for future flooding, heat, and wind, and the bill would add climate expertise to the building board, allow stretch resilience codes, expand floodplain standards, and create a retrofit program. Related testimony backed H.938/S.572, which would create a dedicated climate and community resilience fund financed by a small fee on property insurance premiums; advocates said it would provide stable long-term revenue for adaptation, especially in environmental justice communities, and help replace unreliable federal funding. One witness from CLF supported the climate-safe buildings and funding bills but opposed S.560/H.939 as too broad. The committee also heard testimony on airport air-quality legislation (H.997) calling for more monitoring and mitigation of ultra-fine particulate pollution around Logan Airport and Massport communities. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• A special deposit is a bank deposit that is intended for a person or a purpose.
• And we would suggest an exclusive revenue of a civil fine as one possible way to mitigate this liability

Bills: HF2300

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll give a similar update as well when the Arizona Water Banking Authority, which I also chair, meets
• The water bank has some water under the ground to perhaps firm up or mitigate some of the cuts that are
• They say that they want to help the community mitigate the effects of their transfer of water.
• No plans to help the 840 people in the valley who depend on private wells, no plans to help mitigate
• First of all, SRM could temporarily cool the earth in an effort to mitigate the risks of climate change

Bills: HB2042, HB2052, HB2055, HB2056, HB2094, HB2098, HB2185, HB2328, HB2758, HB2798

Keywords: solar radiation management, environment, prohibition, Arizona Revised Statutes, public health, complaint process, Attorney General, groundwater management, water conservation, irrigation, water supply, brackish groundwater, water supply development, desalination, water infrastructure, financial assistance, environmental reviews, brackish water, groundwater, water resources

Transcript Highlights:

• I went to the bank to cash a check the other day, and the bank manager mentioned to me that her child
• Lines 85 and 86 are literally just putting money in the bank.
• So that doesn't, you know, that doesn't mitigate the need to do a lot of other stuff in the state that

Bills: SB152, SB145, SB190, HB247

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

Transcript Highlights:

• clear that the Medical Board shall provide for continuous query of the National Practitioner Data Bank
• or is there an additional surcharge to pay for continuous checks to the National Practitioner Data Bank
• requires the Medical Board to do what's called continuous query of the National Practitioner Data Bank
• and someone who has spent much of her adult life focused on emergency preparedness and disaster mitigation

Bills: SB1117, SB1373, SB672, SB1986, SB1098, SB626, SB1784, SB2480, SB2487, SB437, SB660

Keywords: dentistry, botulinum toxin, aesthetic treatments, dental regulation, training, medical staff privileges, hospital administration, healthcare regulation, Texas Health and Safety Code, consistency in privileges, SB 672, Texas hospital emergency operations plan, hospital diversion, emergency department, cyberattack, cyber security, power outage, electrical outage, patient diversion, hospital preparedness

Transcript Highlights:

• So what are you going to tell a bank? I don't know.
• So what are you going to tell a bank?
• A bank has to move into second lien priority behind a foreclosure on a lien.
• So how do we try to mitigate those unintended consequences, which is why I'm glad to see Vince here from

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes held its first meeting with opening remarks from the co-chairs and ranking member framing the committee’s task as developing property tax legislation for next session. Staff then gave a high-level overview of Florida property taxes, explaining how ad valorem taxes work, the roles of property appraisers, tax collectors, taxing authorities, value adjustment boards, and the Department of Revenue, and reviewing key concepts such as just value, assessed value, exemptions, taxable value, millage rates, homestead exemptions, Save Our Homes, and portability. The presentation also emphasized that property tax law is largely rooted in the Florida Constitution and that local governments choose millage rates, which affects collections. No public comment was taken. The committee then discussed five Speaker-proposed concepts. Proposal 1 would require cities, counties, and special districts to hold a referendum on eliminating property taxes on homestead properties; members raised concerns about local funding, public safety, special districts, renters, and the need for extensive voter education, with some suggesting countywide elections or town halls instead. Proposal 2 would create a new $500,000 homestead exemption for non-school taxes and a $1 million exemption for seniors 65+ or long-term homesteaders; members split between seeing it as meaningful relief for seniors and warning it could devastate local tax bases, especially in lower-value or rural counties, while also potentially trapping older homeowners in place. Proposal 3 would authorize the Legislature to raise homestead exemptions by general law; some liked the flexibility, but others worried about statewide one-size-fits-all impacts, political difficulty in reversing changes, and the need for local revenue replacement. Proposal 4 would change assessment caps for homestead and non-homestead property; several members said it would not provide enough relief and could shift burdens to rental properties and non-homestead owners. Proposal 5, eliminating foreclosure on homestead property for tax liens, drew the strongest opposition, with members saying it would undermine lien priority, mortgage and title systems, and incentives to pay taxes. Throughout the meeting, members repeatedly stressed the need to understand local fiscal impacts, including police, fire, infrastructure, and other services funded by property taxes, and to consider alternative revenue sources or offsets if taxes are reduced. The co-chairs said the committee is still in the information-gathering stage, that all ideas remain on the table, and that members should do “homework” by meeting with local taxing authorities and learning how property taxes are set and spent in their districts. The meeting ended with no votes on the proposals and adjournment after a motion to rise.

Transcript Highlights:

• To those questions they presently get no answers, just what I call the fog bank of evasion, uncertainty
• Everyone involved takes on risks that are mitigated by trust that the federal government is a committed
• the Trump administration to end in certain areas and to come into compliance is what I call the fog bank
• Instead, they retreat into the fog bank and you either get emails not answered, phones not answered,

Keywords: Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, IIJA, bipartisan infrastructure, funding flexibility, NEPA, environmental reviews, bureaucratic delays, federal funding, infrastructure investment

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, discussing the ongoing implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Chairman Capito highlighted the bipartisan nature of the legislation and the necessity of refining existing provisions to ensure effective delivery of transportation projects. Notable emphasis was placed on the need for flexibility in funding to address inflation impacts and delays caused by bureaucratic hurdles, especially relating to environmental reviews under NEPA. Witnesses from state transportation agencies provided valuable insights into real-world challenges faced in project execution, ultimately underscoring the importance of continuous federal support for infrastructure development. The discussion also touched on the broader implications of federal funding freezes by the previous administration, which have reportedly hindered several ongoing and planned projects. This issue raised significant concern among committee members, who urged the need for reliable funding and the removal of unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles that could cause delays in project implementation. The meeting concluded with a commitment from the members to work collaboratively to overcome these challenges and ensure a smooth path forward for critical infrastructure investments.

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Dwayne Parker, and I'm representing the Blood Bank of Hawaii.
• Kawai Food Bank is not present. Kawai Economic Opportunity Food Bank is present.
• Hawaii Food Bank? Oh, Hawaii Food Bank. Oh, did you say Hawaii or Kawai? I'm sorry. Kawai? Not yet.
• Food Bank oh Hawaii food Hawaii Food Food Bank oh Hawaii food Hawaii Food Bank<04:33:28.000> oh
• proceed food bank food bank please proceed food bank food bank please proceed uh<06:20:05.558>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• they are a source that uh private Banks they are a source that uh typically<00:52:44.119> is<
• The practice of requiring developers of new residential units to dedicate land to mitigate impacts on
• <02:45:57.479> planning wildfire research mitigation planning wildfire research mitigation
• They've had to litigate, they've had to mitigate, they've had to do that.
• <02:53:37.080> they've litigate they've had to mitigate they've litigate they've had to mitigate

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard three House bills related to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. HB 606 would extend the Act 279 special fund to June 30, 2028, continue deposits and appropriations to help eliminate the DHHL waitlist, and require a strategic plan and annual reporting. DHHL strongly supported the measure, saying most of the initial $600 million had been used and that the need remains large, with more than 29,000 people on the waitlist. Public testimony also supported the bill, emphasizing its importance to Native Hawaiian families and concerns about Hawaiians leaving the islands because of housing costs. A member noted the bill is a priority and that the committee will keep working on how to fund another $600 million. HB 1086 would exempt DHHL homestead lot and housing development from general excise and use taxes. DHHL supported the bill, saying any tax savings would reduce the eventual cost of housing for low-income beneficiaries. The Department of Taxation said it could administer the measure and noted it is already being implemented under the governor’s emergency proclamation, with a proposed effective date of January 1, 2026. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered technical comments and urged the committee to weigh existing benefits already received by DHHL beneficiaries. HB 1307 would appropriate funds for DHHL water well development and geothermal exploration on Hawaiian homelands. DHHL said the bill is a follow-up to prior study funding and would support slim-hole drilling, site evaluation, and consultant work to identify viable geothermal resources, especially on Hawaiʻi Island. Several testifiers opposed the bill, arguing there had been inadequate beneficiary consultation, raising environmental, cultural, and safety concerns, and objecting to using $20 million for geothermal rather than housing. In response to committee questions, DHHL staff explained that the goal is to gather information for a future public-private partnership to develop geothermal electricity, and that a Chapter 343 environmental review would be required later in the process. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• This cost could be mitigated by having a patient-facing portal from the All Claims, All Payers data that
• What’s pending now is a hearing on aggravating and mitigating factors.
• something that would be on their profile, disciplinary orders, or report to the National Practitioner Data Bank
• unscrupulous, unlicensed group home operators who see the residents in their home as nothing more than bank
• However, we have investigated cases of theft, of bank cards, all the way to homicide.

Bills: SB331, SB883, SB926, SB1137, SB1138, SB1144, SB1151, SB1236, SB1270, SB1522, SB1869, SB2207, SB2422

Keywords: healthcare, cost disclosure, transparency, administrative penalties, health facility compliance, COVID-19, off-label use, prescription drugs, patient access, medical standards, insurance, physician ranking, incentives, fiduciary duty, health plan issuers, SB 1137, group home, assisted living, residential care, board and care

Transcript Highlights:

• And what this bill before the body is attempting to do is to mitigate the damage that is coming in the
• is attempting to do is to mitigate is attempting to do is to mitigate the<00:44:11.119> damage
• Bank Stadium project. I trust them just fine. That is not the I trust them just fine.
• Bank Stadium project.
• Bank Stadium, larger than the bonding bill that we will pass later today. Think about that.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• None of the insurance agencies, banks, they're paying for this stuff, and now we're going to put over
• None of the insurance agencies, banks, they're paying for this stuff, and now we're going to put over
• <00:30:16.000> they're none the insurance agency Banks they're none the insurance agency Banks
• Banking and insurance is such an important part of this state's economy.
• <00:46:55.839> any oversees investigations to mitigate any oversees investigations to mitigate

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• explanation of what your usurious interest is, identifying and avoiding financial scams, opening and using bank
• Opening and using bank accounts and creating a balanced budget, I can go on and on.
• Arlington, and I went to the bank to open my first bank account, and the bank advisor said you have to
• And so I get my bank statement back and it had more money in it than I thought that I had.
• Reconciliation, it's a hard thing to understand in those bank accounts.

Bills: HB 107, HB742, HB1639, HB1700, HB2071, HB2187, HB2402, HB2516, HB3211, HB4529, HB5342, HB694, HB923, HB4655

Keywords: sickle cell disease, registry, health data, confidentiality, healthcare access, human trafficking, first responders, health care, training, reporting, protection, cancer, female firefighters, health study, state health services, fire protection, telemedicine, teledentistry, telehealth, health records

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a series of health and human services bills and left each one pending after public testimony. HB 4655 would expand financial literacy instruction for youth aging out of foster care to include credit scores, predatory lending, scams, banking, budgeting, and related consumer topics; the sponsor and Buckner International described the need to protect foster youth from financial pitfalls. HB 923 would add three public members and one physician to the Texas Medical Disclosure Panel; supporters said it would improve informed consent and patient voice, while a witness raised concerns about a House amendment requiring a physician majority for decisions and senators questioned scope-of-practice limits. HHSC said the panel is an independent body and the bill expressly bars it from changing scope of practice.

Transcript Highlights:

• co-sponsor and with support from the following organizations: AELP, Alameda County Community Food Bank
• has more effective tools to collect child support, such as wage garnishments, tax refund offsets, bank
• AB 2023 requires operators of companion AIs to perform annual risk assessments and mitigate identified
• Sold life insurance on enslaved individuals to mitigate the risk of their slave owners.
• Banks received a lot of document requests for divorces, things like this, concern that everyone may not

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I think that we just got to be really careful in how we go about trying to mitigate this problem.
• The mitigation efforts can help with managing these species.
• This measure requires banks and lenders with a lien upon an illegal short-term rental to foreclose if
• <01:57:04.719> Um mitigated? Um mitigated?
• This measure requires banks and rentals.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 1552, which would make the attorney general the interim chief election officer if that office becomes vacant until the Elections Commission appoints a replacement. The Department of the Attorney General opposed the bill, saying it could create a conflict of interest if the attorney general were both the state’s lawyer and the chief elections officer in any related litigation. The League of Women Voters supported having some interim backup for the office, but said it was not necessarily advocating that the attorney general fill the role. Several other testifiers, including the Hawaiian Islands Republican Women, opposed the bill, arguing the current law already provides for a prompt commission appointment and warning about partisan bias and concentration of power. Supporters, including Indivisible Hawaii, said an interim mechanism is needed to ensure election certification in a crisis. The chair also asked whether any statutory acting capacity already exists, and the attorney general said none was known. The committee then took up House Bill 2125, which would bar corporations operating under state law from engaging in election activity. The attorney general opposed the bill, citing Citizens United and arguing that corporations have First Amendment-protected political speech rights and that the bill would likely be unconstitutional. Indivisible Hawaii supported the measure, saying it would keep elections focused on the will of the people rather than corporate influence. Libertarian Party testimony was mixed: one witness supported the goal of reducing corruption but warned the bill could suppress organized dissent and sweep too broadly by treating many associations as corporations. The bill’s introducer asked whether the legislature could still enact it as a policy matter, but the attorney general maintained federal constitutional law would control. No vote was taken on either bill during the portion of the hearing provided. The committee also heard House Bill 2493 on wrongful imprisonment, which would set procedures and compensation for people whose convictions are reversed or vacated on grounds consistent with innocence and whose charges are dismissed. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation supported the bill’s intent but objected to language assigning it responsibility for helping released individuals secure housing, identification, health coverage, and other reentry needs, saying it no longer has jurisdiction after release and suggesting the courts or a community-based contractor handle that role. The Office of the Public Defender strongly supported the bill, emphasizing the harm of wrongful conviction and the need for compensation, case management, and medical coverage after release. No action or vote was reported on this measure in the excerpt.