Transcript Highlights:

• Honorable Members of the Committee, I appreciate and regret the opportunity to testify before you remotely
• looking at this issue, so Professor, let me come to you on this, and we thank you for joining us remotely
• They usually put a clause in there that they bring their own workers in from China.
• And these workers are housed in camps outside. These camps will have guards on them.
• So these are actually sometimes thousands of workers that are brought in, for example, for the bridge

Transcript Highlights:

• Refund checks are also deposited by TD Bank remote capture.
• Are we equipping, are we as a state equipping you and your co-workers to be able to manage that work
• Equipping you and your co-workers to be able to manage that workflow to the best of your abilities so
• Our insurance has included vehicle and building insurance, tort liability, and workers' compensation.
• You know, if I have a lot of people that are production workers, I'm going to start looking at Marwin

Keywords: 977, all

Summary: The committee met to receive a detailed financial operations presentation from the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency, with staff walking members through funding sources, budgeting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and grants management. Sabrina Walker explained VR’s blended funding structure, including federal grants, state appropriations, program income, and interagency contracts, and emphasized that state funds are essential to meeting the federal match and maintenance-of-effort requirements. Members asked repeatedly about transparency, audit controls, and the risk that state cuts could reduce federal drawdowns; staff responded that all reports reconcile back to the SCEIS accounting system, are subject to state audits and internal reviews, and that even modest state reductions could significantly reduce total available funding. The committee also discussed pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities, with staff confirming services are offered through school districts, charters, and private schools, and that contracts are monitored for performance and compliance. The presentation then shifted to budgeting and internal controls. Walker described a zero-based departmental budgeting process, monthly monitoring reports, contingency reserves for unexpected expenses, and a formal annual cycle that culminates in board approval. Members asked about facilities tracking, culture, and how the agency maintains accountability; staff said facilities staff inspect buildings and equipment, supervisors justify line-item requests, and the process has become smoother over time as departments learned the system. Cynthia Johnson followed with an accounts receivable overview, describing invoicing, receipting, aging, customer verification, year-end reporting, and the use of cross-training, shared email inboxes, and spreadsheets as checks and balances. She also explained work training center billing, interdepartmental transfers, and the revolving fund used to issue consumer checks more quickly than standard vendor payments. Olivia Perez presented accounts payable operations, including invoice processing through SCEIS and OnBase, the three-way match, travel reimbursements, revolving fund checks, State Treasury Office interactions, and handling of reversals, rejections, and levy notices. She reported that AP processed 67,723 SCEIS payments, 13,670 case management system invoices, 3,379 travel reimbursements, and 15,693 revolving fund checks in fiscal year 2025, with only 70 payment rejections. The final portion of the meeting covered Grants and Funds Management, where Walker explained federal reporting, drawdowns, payroll allocation, asset tracking, lease and IT contract reviews, cost allocation, and closing packages. She noted upcoming system changes such as S/4HANA, Workiva, and SC Pro, but said the agency is receiving training and feedback opportunities. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken during the presentation portion beyond approval of the prior minutes and a brief recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• FTEs, two cybersecurity officers, and three elections workers.
• So you may know us as the workers' compensation entity, at least the one that pays the workers' compensation
• So I'll speak to that second part: workers' compensation.
• Workers' compensation is retained by the state.
• So in workers' compensation, we have what's a fee guideline, right?

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee began with Article I budget items for the Secretary of State. LBB staff outlined recommendations that would reduce the agency’s appropriation by about $40.3 million, including changes to HAVA funding, removal of one-time business system replacement money, and a rider directing the agency to use Fund 5095 first. Secretary Jane Nelson and staff then defended several exceptional items, especially additional staffing for elections and business filings, a new website, digitization of records, cybersecurity tools, and renovation of the James Earl Rudder Building. Members focused heavily on election administration, cross-checking voter rolls, Harris County complaints, call-center response times, and whether online voter registration should be expanded. No votes were taken; the discussion was informational and budget-focused. The committee then heard the Office of the Governor and trustee programs. LBB presented a recommended $2.4 million decrease for the governor’s office proper and a much larger decrease in trustee programs driven by one-time funding and unexpended balances, while still preserving major border security funding and victim assistance funding. Governor’s staff emphasized Texas’ economic growth, the importance of border security, and efforts to seek federal reimbursement for the roughly $11 billion Texas has spent on border operations. Members discussed whether shifting National Guard deployment to federal control could reduce state costs, and they also reviewed the music incubator program, the Governor’s University Research Initiative, and the semiconductor innovation consortium. Staff highlighted a $5 million late-added request for grants to protect nonprofits from violence and terrorism. Again, the exchange was largely explanatory, with no formal action. Finally, the committee took up the Texas Facilities Commission and lease payments for revenue bonds. LBB recommended major reductions overall, including removal of border wall construction funding and capital complex bond funding, but added money for higher utility costs, renovation of the Rudder Building, and additional facilities staff. George Purcell also noted stable maintenance-and-renewal funding and new riders related to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission building, tenant communications, and space utilization. For lease payments, LBB recommended a smaller appropriation tied to revenue-bond costs allocated across agencies. The discussion was informational, with members asking about the Rudder Building renovation, border wall progress, and capital complex construction timelines; no votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Along with the blue sheet, I'd like to recognize the remote sign-in, if that's possible, for this bill
• recognize the remote recognize the remote signin<00:29:16.279> that's<00:29:16.600> possible
• one against, and on the remote sign-in there are two in favor and one against.
• The blue sheet today, we have three members or three signatures in support, zero opposed, and remote
• Uh, Madam Chair, there uh, the remote...

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are focused on, as I say, the young workers, but we're also working with transitional workers.
• Those workers in Kentucky who are finding themselves out of work, wanting to change, we help them find
• We are focused on, as I say, the young workers, but we're also working with transitional workers.
• pilot certification prep classes remote pilot certification prep classes to<01:04:06.079> prepare
• for us to a passionate dedicated workers for us to a board<01:05:15.839> that<01:05:16.160>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The task force meeting began with approval of the July 14 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Kentucky Aviation Association. Association leaders described general aviation airports as important to rural access, commerce, emergency response, tourism, agriculture, and workforce development, and cited statewide economic impacts they said exceed $1.6 billion and support more than 9,400 jobs. They thanked the legislature for prior airport funding and said it had helped airports with basic operations and repairs. The association asked lawmakers for four things: continued appropriations for general aviation airports; relief or a more workable process for required financial audits, which they said can cost $10,000 to $20,000 or more and sometimes exceed a small airport’s annual budget; a regularized statewide appropriations process for airport infrastructure needs, which they said total about $100 million and are currently addressed unevenly; and funding for the Aerospace Education Reinvestment Opportunity Act to support scholarships and aviation workforce training. Members of the task force asked follow-up questions about the audit burden, the difference between financial and safety audits, and the difficulty of finding audit firms. The presenters said they would bring specific ideas back on audit reform. Eastern Kentucky University then presented on its aviation program. EKU leaders thanked the committee for prior support, including a $25 million appropriation for a new flight school building at Central Kentucky Regional Airport, and said the project is expected to break ground in 2026. They reported strong enrollment growth, with 502 aviation majors, most of them Kentuckians, and said the program has expanded flight hours and job placement. EKU also outlined plans to add an air traffic control program in response to Senate Bill 87 and the national shortage of controllers, saying it could train students to FAA standards if the university receives the needed investment in simulators, equipment, space, and faculty. They also discussed the need to replace an aging fleet of training aircraft, saying the current planes are decades old and costly to maintain, and that newer aircraft would improve training quality and reduce student costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• So you either have two witnesses who are remote or present.
• So you either have two witnesses who are remote or present.
• This is under subdivision 9, notice to workers.
• This is under subdivision 9, notice to workers.
• This is under subdivision 9, notice to workers.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For many workers, especially those in rural areas, the loss of license effectively means loss of job.
• As of now, courts are not required to provide a remote access option, which means that members of the
• My name is Edgar Guerra, here on behalf of SEIU California, representing over 750,000 workers across
• California, representing over 750,000 workers across the state, here to speak in support of AB 1896.
• SEIU California represents workers from every background and every corner of our economy.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That may be because they're in a remote location.
• That may be because they're in a remote location, there's housing challenges, there's other recruitment
• They're in remote locations. You have labor market issues.
• And then finally, there are a lot of federal workers out there.
• There are a lot of federal workers out there that were laid off.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These reforms are equally, if not more, important for tribes within limited resources and in remote areas
• And when you look at law enforcement in the 40s and the 50s, those were the social workers.
• But they were also the social workers. They were the dog catchers. They were everything.
• And we would like to grow the idea of remote advocacy across the state with kind of our know-how.
• And we would like to grow the idea of remote advocacy across the state with kind of our know-how.

Summary: The Select Committee on Native American Affairs opened its 2025 hearing with a traditional song and remarks about the importance of Native visibility and land acknowledgment. The hearing focused on missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), exploitation and trafficking in a Public Law 280 (PL 280) state, and California’s response. Members and tribal leaders emphasized that MMIP is tied to historical trauma, forced removal, undercounting, and ongoing inequities in law enforcement response, media attention, and access to resources. Several panelists urged stronger tribal consultation, better data collection, more funding, and culturally informed education and victim services. In the first panel, tribal chairpersons described personal and community impacts. Chairperson Antonet Del Rio spoke about the need to include federally and non-federally recognized tribes and to educate schools and communities, while naming long-unsolved cases from her tribe. Chairperson Cheyenne Stone connected MMIP to the history of violence in Owens Valley and to the disturbance of Indigenous remains during infrastructure projects, calling for forensic resources, mandatory consultation, and accountability. Chairperson Charles Martin described the death of Morongo citizen Amy Porter and said the Feather Alert failed her family because law enforcement did not act quickly enough; he called for reforms and better coordination, especially in PL 280 jurisdictions. Chairwoman Nelson and committee members echoed the need for equity, urgency, and government-to-government respect. The second panel examined how PL 280 complicates MMIP and trafficking cases. Professor Carol Goldberg explained that PL 280 created an unfunded mandate, reduced federal jurisdiction and funding, and contributed to under-resourced policing and mistrust; she recommended mandatory training, community-oriented policing, formal tribal-county collaboration, and possible retrocession in some cases. Yurok Chairman Joe James tied MMIP to boarding schools, trafficking, and the need to advance bills such as AB 31, SB 4, ACR 39, AB 285, and AB 1378, along with increased budget funding. Morning Star Gali argued that PL 280 enables traffickers and violent offenders to exploit jurisdictional gaps and called for tribally led public safety, housing, victim services, and stronger consultation. Dustin Contreras, a human trafficking investigator, described the overlap between trafficking and MMIP, stressed partnerships and task forces, and supported more education for law enforcement, schools, and families. In the final panel, state and county officials described current efforts and acknowledged remaining gaps. The Attorney General’s Office said it is working on MICIC outreach, tribal response planning, PL 280 training through an advisory council, and improved data systems, while supporting bills and the Feather Alert. Humboldt County Sheriff Hansel described the case of a missing woman, Emily, as an example of how people with mental illness or justice involvement can become invisible, and said counties need more consistent training and clearer jurisdictional protocols. He and other officials supported the Feather Alert, tribal police authority, and a pilot program for POST status for tribal police, which they said had been vetoed previously. Across the hearing, speakers repeatedly called for better coordination, more funding, stronger tribal authority, and sustained action rather than symbolic recognition.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can't even get the workers to fill those slots.
• Have been a case manager, social worker.
• And then a bill that says, we want a social worker at every school.
• And, you know, like, we're not graduating social workers at that rate.
• And then we find out CYFD is, you know, with that requirement for a social worker and has 4% case workers

Keywords: 996, all

Summary: The committee first heard an Aging and Long-Term Services Department budget presentation comparing the LFC and executive recommendations. The main differences were in the Aging Network, Adult Protective Services, Program Support, and Long-Term Care Division, especially the executive’s proposed $10 million infusion into the Kiki Savadra Senior Dignity Fund and $6.2 million for expanding New Mexico Care. LFC staff explained that the committee recommendation was lower in general fund and fund-balance use, while the executive emphasized rising senior population needs, meal and transportation costs, and the cost savings of keeping older adults at home. The secretary also reviewed the department’s special requests, including the conference on aging, outreach, emergency preparedness, and the Kiki fund, and described New Mexico Care’s growth, its evaluation results, and the department’s plan to separate Kiki into its own accounting fund. Members largely focused on senior services, rural meal delivery, transportation, caregiver support, and the Kiki fund. Several members urged stronger support for non-metro aging providers and for New Mexico Care, citing its role in keeping seniors out of nursing homes and the program’s reported savings and outcomes. Questions also covered eligibility, background checks for caregivers, respite care, dementia and Alzheimer’s screening, and whether Kiki funds can support home modifications such as ramps. The committee then voted to adopt the LFC recommendation with one executive language change: adding the executive’s page 14 language allowing an additional 12.5% distribution for initial payments to aging network providers at the start of FY27. Representative Dow opposed the motion. The committee then moved to the Attorney General’s budget. LFC staff explained that the office’s budget relies heavily on the Consumer Settlement Fund, with both recommendations reducing general fund revenue while increasing settlement-fund use, and that performance measures were in consensus. The Attorney General said the office was not seeking more general fund, but wanted greater ability to use funds it recovers. He highlighted major consumer and public safety work, including litigation against major social media and AI platforms, a case involving Snapchat and child exploitation/extortion, the statewide crime gun intelligence center, efforts to address oilfield theft, work on missing and murdered Indigenous persons, and efforts to protect federal funds coming into New Mexico.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we have a school social worker, we have a school counselor, we have a homeschool liaison, we have
• I'm a licensed independent clinical social worker.
• They are your neighbors, your friends, and your co-workers.
• Their citizens might be your co-workers.
• Next up we have Dave Cohen, who is remote. Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• still seeking resources for five additional FTEs, two cybersecurity officers, and three elections workers
• **Senator**: Most of the time when I travel to the Capitol, I see very few workers out there.
• What is now **DWC** had the workers' health and safety. So we now have both of those components.
• You may know us as the workers' compensation entity that pays the workers' compensation claims, but our
• Workers' compensation is retained by the state.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > across<00:26:31.600> the union construction workers across the union construction workers
• workers to Minnesota for short-term projects.
• workers to Minnesota for short-term projects.
• I think when town like mobile workers.
• <01:10:38.480> Thank and the kinds of workers. Thanks. Thank and the kinds of workers.

Bills: HF2048, HF2360, HF2006, HF950, HF912, HF3140, HF2931

Keywords: individual income tax, retirement contributions, tax corrections, annuity contracts, tax year attribution, tax credit, economic development, community investment, data disclosure, Minnesota regulations, tax increment financing, municipal authority, job creation, transferred increment, public hearing, nonresident employees, income tax exemption, Minnesota taxation, employment duties, tax withholding

Transcript Highlights:

• is present. ...limit in highway construction or maintenance work zones when any worker is present.
• What this does is ensure that these higher fines are applicable when workers are present.
• Thank you. ...which is to protect workers in these zones. Thank you.
• is prepared ...or maintenance work zones, but only for those instances where a worker is present.
• Again, the intent of the bill is to help improve the safety of our construction workers.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am curious about what percentage of our state workers work from home?
• Now I get what you're thinking is why are there social workers here today?
• Now, I get what you're thinking, is why are there social workers here today?
• Now, I get what you're thinking is, why are there social workers here today?
• But social workers are trained to mold the needs of a community.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• um is something and reskilling workers um is something to<00:20:23.919> consider<00:20:24.400
• And is it true that it would be just a very few people, and operators can work remotely? Right.
• So, yeah, I've heard this operator remotely thing a couple times.
• students that pass through social worker students that pass through his<01:24:15.920> college
• can have more impact on the workers can have more impact on the ground<01:24:27.440> talking<

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Intelligence Task Force met with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the August 14 meeting. The first presentation was from the National Retail Federation on artificial intelligence in the retail sector. NRF described AI use cases in three areas: consumer-facing tools such as chatbots, product descriptions, and marketing; employee-facing tools such as company-specific apps trained on employee manuals; and internal uses such as supply chain forecasting, inventory planning, fraud detection, cybersecurity, and coding support. The presenters said retail has been among the top deployers of AI and emphasized that the goal is to improve both customer and employee experience. NRF also outlined its principles for responsible AI use, organized around governance and risk management, customer engagement and trust, workforce applications, and business partner accountability. The group said retailers should maintain strong internal oversight, be transparent with customers, ensure compliance with existing laws, closely review workforce-related uses because they can be high-risk, and clearly define responsibilities between retailers and third-party developers. In policy discussion, NRF urged a tiered approach focused first on high-risk uses such as hiring, health care, financial, mortgage, and rental decisions, warned against fragmented rules that could favor only the largest firms, and encouraged voluntary standards and worker upskilling incentives. In response to a question about dynamic pricing, NRF said its members do not target consumers based on pricing and offered to follow up with more information. The committee then moved to a follow-up discussion on energy policy and data centers, hearing from Bartley Cleland of NetChoice. He explained that AI runs largely in data centers and that cloud computing shifts processing and storage away from individual devices, which he argued improves efficiency and can reduce costs. He said electricity demand has been rising over time and that AI will increase compute-related electricity use, but framed electricity as a normal input to economic growth. No votes or formal actions were taken after these presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Secondly, we're talking about our workers.
• Going to move ahead to number two is our workers in, you know, the 580 workers that staff Stillwater
• , the folks who staff that workers, the folks who staff that facility<00:21:21.520> and<00:21:
• [Music] The clerk will call the name of the member voting remotely. Kazlowski, go ahead.
• The clerk will call the name of the member voting remotely. Klowskiowski votes no.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And our workers are incredible.
• And our workers are incredible.
• And our workers are incredible.
• And our workers are incredible.
• And our workers are incredible.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A marketing campaign for hard-to-reach rural workers, $500,000.
• A new forest worker training institute facility, $2 million.
• 53:25.359> path<00:53:25.920> for<00:53:26.160> specialized<00:53:26.640> remote
• care path for specialized remote care path for specialized remote simulations<00:53:27.520> for
• The public employee insurance workers' comp board had $15.6 million we funded last year.

Bills: HB235, HB236, HB565, HB237, HB238, HB239, HB240, HB241, HB242, HB235, HB236, HB565, HB237, HB238, HB239, HB240, HB241, HB242

Keywords: social media, age verification, minors, under 16, children online safety, online privacy, platform regulation, deceptive trade practice, Attorney General, civil penalties, punitive damages, consumer protection, account creation, algorithmic feeds, internet safety, youth social media, HB236, Baldwin County, Board of Equalization, per diem

Transcript Highlights:

• Vindu Mukhamla, on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, in strong
• Hello, Bindu Mukamla, on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, and
• The National Association of Social Workers, California chapter, in strong support.
• I'm a social worker and an Army vet myself.
• Bindon McComla with the National Association of Social Workers, California chapter, in strong support

Keywords: 988, house, all