Transcript Highlights:

• They audit us and go through and make sure all our processes and everything look right.
• Secretary of Education Hamlin and I discussed an audit he's doing.
• He's doing a quality audit.
• You know, something you could argue NCTQ is already doing, but he's doing an independent audit and really

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Joint audit and evaluation committee. Honorable Jared Solomon, House Chair, Honorable Steven J.
• committee following joint statutory committee appointments.<00:03:17.120> Joint<00:03:17.360> audit
• Joint audit and evaluation appointments.
• Joint audit and evaluation committee.<00:03:19.040> Honorable<00:03:19.680> Jared<00:03

Keywords: House streaming session for Thursday, January 22, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House met in session with 127 members initially present, opened with prayer and the journal reading, and then took up introductory business. House Bills 394 through 444 were read the first time and referred to the appropriate committees, and Introductory House Bond Initiatives Number Two was referred to Appropriations. The Speaker also announced and the House adopted appointments to the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics and the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee. Most of the meeting consisted of committee and delegation announcements. Appropriations, Environment and Transportation, Health, Judiciary, and Ways and Means all announced briefings later that day, while several other committees said they would not meet. Delegations from Frederick, Anne Arundel, the Eastern Shore, Prince George’s, Montgomery, Charles, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Southern Maryland announced upcoming meetings, many by Zoom. A Montgomery County delegate also announced a Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee briefing on the Department of Social and Economic Mobility. The floor included multiple guest and caucus recognitions. The Women’s Caucus promoted a service drive for hygiene, baby, and women’s products for the YMCA Druid Hill pantry, and the Legislative Black Caucus announced new leadership, with Chair N. Scott Phillips and Senate Vice Chair Shaneka Henson. The House welcomed visitors for Maryland Bankers Association Day, Transportation Association of Maryland advocacy day, the Maryland chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies, CPA Day, and sportsmen and sportswomen day, along with student visitors and a guest of a Prince George’s County delegate. No substantive debate or recorded votes occurred beyond the adoption of committee appointments, and the House adjourned until Friday, January 23 at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• which requires the Office of Legislative Auditor to report to the legislature annually on whether an audited
• /c><00:01:27.040> an legislature annually on whether an legislature annually on whether an audited
• > has<00:01:28.400> imple<00:01:28.880> implemented<00:01:29.439> its audited
• entity has imple implemented its audited entity has imple implemented its recommendations.<00:01:30.479

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We believe the monitoring and this auditing is extremely important if we're ever going to undo where
• I am not in any way objecting to the idea of collecting data and monitoring or auditing how we're using
• how we're using monitoring or auditing how we're using our<00:39:58.880> special<00:39:59.280
• You would need to make it so that, if you're going to audit it, there should be auditing in these things
• You would need to make it so that, if you're going to audit it, there should be auditing in these things

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Undertake any kind of an audit or investigation as a result of what he uncovered.
• Was that audit ever completed? No, sir. What is the status of that audit? It's... It's still open.
• Because it's an open audit and any information associated with that audit is considered working papers
• this audit that myself and many members of the legislature have requested of you.
• Again, because it's an open audit, I'm not allowed to comment publicly.

Keywords: budget, House Bill 1, public education, healthcare, border security, federal funding, spending limits

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on reviewing the proposed budget for the upcoming biennium, with substantial discussions around House Bill 1 and its implications for public education, healthcare, and border security. The Comptroller presented a revenue overview indicating a total of $194.6 billion available for general purpose spending, which reflects a slight decrease compared to previous years due to fluctuating economic conditions. Members raised questions regarding spending limits and the impact of federal funding on state programs, highlighting concerns about the sustainability of funding in light of potential changes at the federal level.

Transcript Highlights:

• on different size more small and audits on different size more small and mediumsiz<01:27:28.560>
• going to be uh relief of of audit going to be uh relief of of audit expense<01:27:50.480> uh<
• Um, we've heard that those audited financial statements are around $25,000 down to $7,500.
• <01:29:42.080> financial that move from an audited financial that move from an audited financial
• 29:45.280> financial heard that those audited financial heard that those audited financial statements

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• by the University's Office of Internal Audit.
• by the University's periodic audits by the University's office<00:51:32.880> of<00:51:33.040>
• internal<00:51:33.480> audit<00:51:34.280> and<00:51:34.400> I'll office
• of internal audit and I'll office of internal audit and I'll address<00:51:35.000> the<00:51:
• Finally, at a deeper level, we have an office of internal audit that reports to our Board of Regents.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• also enforce compliance through our we also enforce compliance through our field<00:15:59.199> audit
• within the field audit division within the bureau<00:16:03.480> the<00:16:03.600> rooto
• One more follow-up: were you able to fill all your audit positions before the hiring freeze?
• Um, all the ones that were posted have... we have no vacancies that we're looking for in the audit time
• free the audit free the audit positions<00:27:23.200> um<00:27:23.640> all<00:27:23.799

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Safety presented an overview of highway fund and unrestricted revenue collections, focusing on the Division of Administration, the Road Toll Bureau, and the Division of Motor Vehicles. Amy Newbery explained that the main unrestricted funding sources are highway funds and general funds, with highway fund revenue of about $263 million in FY 2024 and a FY 2025 projection of $261.2 million. She said revenue growth has been modest and has not kept pace with costs, creating structural deficits that required general fund transfers of $50 million in FY 2022-23 and another $10 million in FY 2024-25 to balance the fund. Jennifer Hall described Road Toll operations, including motor fuel tax collection at the distributor level, compliance enforcement, and licensing for fuel distributors, transporters, IFTA carriers, and oil discharge/pollution control. Members asked about IFTA, dyed-fuel enforcement, the possibility of using the state forensic lab for dyed-fuel testing, and whether audit positions had been filled; the department said it recently hired a part-time fuel enforcement officer, still uses IRS testing, could explore lab testing, and had no audit vacancies. Hall also discussed factors affecting fuel-tax revenue, including gas prices, crude oil forecasts, weather, tourism, GDP, and inflation, and said FY 2024 road toll revenue was $127.5 million, above plan, with FY 2025 projected at $127.71 million. The committee then turned to DMV-related revenues. Newbery said motor vehicle registration revenue was $93.1 million in FY 2024 and is projected at $90.4 million in FY 2025, with the state share going directly to the highway fund. Members asked about the state/town fee split, the five-year registration cycle dip, the distribution of registration revenue by vehicle weight category, and the impact of electric-vehicle surcharges; the department said the five-year dip is still occurring and will fade over time, and it would follow up on the weight-category breakdown. The presentation also noted that driver-license revenues have stabilized, inspection revenues remain steady, plea-by-mail revenue was added to the highway fund in FY 2024, and general fund revenues tied to the department are relatively small and have declined as some functions moved to OPLC. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Despite that, we're extremely optimistic because we need to create both the federal audit processes,
• Despite that, we're extremely optimistic because we need to create both the federal audit processes,
• More specifically, the proposal overall aims to create parity in auditing processes and requirements
• Also, it identifies new and improved audit... I don't know. County offices.
• , there was no audit penalty associated with that.

Summary: The committee heard an overview of the May Revision’s Proposition 98 changes for K-12 and community colleges. The Department of Finance said the minimum guarantee rises by $6.4 billion over the Governor’s Budget across the three-year window, with higher guarantees in each year, full payment of the prior settle-up, and larger deposits into the school rainy-day fund. The LAO said the revenue and LCFF updates were reasonable, but urged caution about the settle-up approach and recommended using more of the available funding to protect ongoing programs and build budget resilience. Members focused heavily on the size of the proposed $3.9 billion settle-up, the $10.3 billion reserve deposit, declining K-12 enrollment, and how much of the new funding should be ongoing versus one-time. The committee then reviewed the community colleges portion of the budget. Finance described the May Revision’s higher SCFF COLA, additional funding for enrollment growth, a student support block grant, apprenticeship adjustments, and continued funding for deferred maintenance, Calbright, Common Cloud, and credit for prior learning. The Chancellor’s Office supported the core investments but asked for more funding for enrollment growth, changes to the growth formula, and a COLA for Student Equity and Achievement. The LAO recommended prioritizing the statutory COLA increase, noted that more than half of districts are already above current-year growth targets, and said the new adult learner demonstration project should be rejected because districts already have tools to support similar services. Members also discussed a $52 million current-year apportionment shortfall, which Finance said was discovered too late for the May Revision and would need to be addressed later. Finally, the committee took up the proposed implementation of the federal Workforce Pell program. Finance proposed one-time funding for the California Student Aid Commission and Cradle to Career to build eligibility and data systems, along with trailer bill changes to set up state approval processes. CSAC said the program is promising but highly complex, that California lacks the needed infrastructure, and that the state will need emergency regulations, data linkages, and ongoing funding beyond the one-time proposal. The LAO agreed that some initial funding is needed but warned that the amounts and ongoing costs remain uncertain and that the Legislature should carefully draft the trailer bill language. Members asked about timing, other states’ actions, and how the state would ensure the program is ready for students and institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• machines at any single lottery location, and the State Auditor must conduct an annual comprehensive audit
• Each audit must specifically identify any lottery operations or activities that differ from previous
• audits.

Bills: HB668, HB677, HB766, HB3133, SB3070

Keywords: HB 668, Texas, handgun license, license to carry, LTC, concealed carry, open carry, firearm permit, gun license renewal, public safety, Department of Public Safety, DPS, Government Code Section 411.185, renewal fee, handgun permit, Second Amendment, carry permit, firearms regulation, HB 677, Texas Election Code

Transcript Highlights:

• Audit and Review Thresholds<02:19:32.240> favorable.
• or review with a certain audit or review with a registration<02:19:50.240> statement.
• increases the threshold for an audit increases the threshold for an audit from<02:19:54.240>
• >> Response: So, we're not saying they don't have to fill out an audit or a review.
• are this is a certain type of audit. are this is a certain type of audit. Correct. Correct.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation by Rabbi Ari Goldstein, whose remarks were journalized at the request of the senator from District 33. The chamber then recognized the doctor of the day, Dr. Maryann Lamont, for her 50 years in medicine and her work in neurology and stroke care, and also thanked a legislative aide, Samantha Briggs, who is leaving for law school. The presiding officer noted a quorum was present and moved into the day’s floor work. The Senate handled several messages and committee reports, including a conference committee appointment on Senate Bill 18, which concerns provisional social work licensure. In Finance, the chamber advanced Senate Bill 246 on Health Services Cost Review Commission member terms, Senate Bill 370 on acupuncture board revisions, Senate Bill 564 creating a Division of Data Protection in the Attorney General’s office and a related work group, Senate Bill 782 on telecommunications infrastructure protections, Senate Bill 808 on health insurance provider panel requirements, Senate Bill 849 on agricultural equipment warranties, Senate Bill 867 on the Maryland Aerospace and Technology Commission, and Senate Bill 982 on mutual insurance holding companies converting back to mutual insurers. Most of these bills were reported favorably with technical or conforming amendments, which were adopted without objection, and each was ordered printed for third reading. The committee also considered several House bills with Senate cross-files or identical measures. These included House Bill 118 on money transmitter licensing, House Bills 339 and 512 on Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners compensation, House Bill 1100 on telecommunications infrastructure protections, House Bill 1395 on agricultural equipment warranties, House Bill 1473 creating Maryland’s Future Board, House Bill 226 on Department of Disabilities housing programs, House Bill 278 codifying the Longevity Ready Maryland plan, and House Bill 746 on collaborative care model coverage and cost-sharing limits. In each case, the committee reports were adopted, amendments were approved where offered, and the bills were advanced to third reading or passed for third reading, with no recorded opposition on the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• that that's their job is to audit that that's their job is to audit tobacco<00:47:46.400> so<
• <03:31:33.880> that's sorry so that's the annual audit that's sorry so that's the annual audit
• They're not going to resolve any of their audits by the end of this fiscal year.
• They're not going to resolve any of their audits by the end of this fiscal year.
• They're not going to resolve any of their audits by the end of this fiscal year.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee received a Department of Revenue Administration update from Commissioner Lindsay Stepp focused on revenue estimates for fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027. She explained the department’s forecasting method, which uses five scenarios based on the first seven months of actual collections and different assumptions for the remaining months, then selects a reasonable high and low range for FY 25 and applies projected growth rates for FY 26 and FY 27. Members asked several clarifying questions about how the scenarios are chosen and how the estimates relate to economic growth and taxpayer behavior. For business taxes, Stepp reported FY 25 year-to-date collections of $110.3 million, 18.2% below plan and 17.2% below prior year. She said the shortfall reflects both economic conditions and a resetting of estimated payments after unusually strong pandemic-era profits, and noted that the department cannot fully separate changes in taxpayer liability from changes in estimated payment behavior. She said approximately just under $72 million was refunded in FY 24 due to the CCO cap, and that FY 25 year-to-date refunds are at 41.7%. For business taxes, the department’s FY 25 range was based on either continued underperformance versus plan or a return to prior-year levels, with FY 26 and FY 27 growth projected at 3% to 8%. The committee also reviewed meals and rooms tax, tobacco tax, and related trends. Meals and rooms revenue was $6.9 million, or 3.3%, ahead of plan and prior year; the FY 25 gross estimate was $475.894 million, with a net range of about $331.82 million to $335.259 million after municipal transfers and school building aid. Stepp said recent monthly results suggest some fluctuation tied to disposable income, weather, and travel patterns, but no clear sustained decline. Tobacco tax was $18.1 million, 14% below plan and 4.8% below prior year; she said cigarette stamp sales are declining while e-cigarettes and other tobacco products are growing, with FY 25 tobacco revenue projected at $182.5 million to $185.3 million and FY 26-FY 27 growth ranging from -5% to flat. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Franklin, my guess is you're already auditing the grapes.
• You're auditing where they're coming from and that they're using the type of grape they say they're using
• So you're already doing this. ...audit it. We do audits, but we're not looking at that.
• I just want to address the audit and traceability.
• talking about pallets of paperwork. ...that would be required to go through, and that is a level of audit

Bills: HB223

Keywords: municipal budget, county budget, local government finance, spending cap, expenditure limit, inflation plus population growth, taxpayer impact statement, budget transparency, property tax, fees, Legislative Budget Board, voter approval, disaster spending, fiscal restraint, Texas Local Government Code, city budget, county expenditures, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• program will apply and the same auditing program will apply and the same auditing requirements<00
• <02:34:24.880> audits.
• audits.
• There is there do detailed audit audits.
• the audit side.

Keywords: MS House Floor - 15 January, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, a quorum present, and approval to dispense with the reading of the journal. Members introduced guests from Humphreys County and South Haven, then moved to the calendar and took up House Bill 2, a broad education-related measure. The bill was called up, the rules were suspended, and a committee substitute was adopted. An initial amendment correcting drafting errors in the charter school section and subsection numbering was then adopted without objection. Members then gave extended explanations of HB 2, describing it as a comprehensive school choice and education reform package. Supporters said the bill would create Magnolia student accounts/education savings accounts funded from existing per-pupil dollars, prioritize lower-income families, require testing and financial audits, expand special needs ESAs, and allow public-to-public transfers without a sending district veto. The bill also would expand charter schools into districts with D or F schools, create an accountability dashboard for public and private school reporting, expand the Tim Tebow Act for homeschool extracurricular participation, extend literacy and math requirements through eighth grade, adjust teacher and assistant teacher pay and retirement-related provisions, create a specialized school option program, and require a federal testing waiver. Supporters framed the measure as empowering parents while preserving public schools. During questions, members raised concerns about charter schools, the cost of the program, accountability, and whether the bill would help or harm public education. One member asked whether failing charter schools were addressed; the response was that the bill was aimed at reconstituting the system rather than directly fixing those schools. Another questioned why a child accepted for transfer could still be denied by a receiving district; the bill sponsor said districts would set and publish acceptance policies and could deny students for lack of room. The discussion remained focused on the bill’s scope and policy rationale, and the transcript does not show a final vote on passage of HB 2 in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill requires an audit from the State Auditor so that the Legislature can get a clear answer for
• I think this audit is incredibly important.
• I would be remiss if I did not mention that we currently have an audit proposal sitting in the J-LAC
• to be pushback against that audit being brought forward.
• Because the Governor does not want to see this audit actually take place, because this happened under

Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum, and opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance before moving through the daily file. Several measures were taken up and passed, including bills on county jail accountability (AB 2257), claims against public agencies (AB 2529), affordable housing management metrics (AB 2689), digital wellness instruction in schools (AB 2071), pedestrian and bicycle safety project streamlining (AB 1976), manufactured home transport permits (AB 2012), a Surplus Land Act amendment tied to an Inland Empire soccer project (AB 2139), a Monterey Bay stewardship authority (AB 1548), online electrician licensing (AB 1707), a Caltrans study of navigation apps’ traffic impacts (AB 2105), coastal resiliency permitting reforms (AB 2051), downtown housing streamlining and financing (AB 2074), Cal Fire compensation (AB 2129), emergency care authority for Del Puerto Health Care District (AB 2282), charter school facilities hardship relief (AB 2316), theft by a peace officer under color of authority as serious misconduct (AB 2337), an Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-serving institution designation (AB 2374), energy and cannabis support bills (AB 2464, AB 2537), and a suicide prevention plan requirement for treatment facilities (AB 2562). Most of these measures passed with broad bipartisan margins, and several were described as support bills with no opposition. The floor also debated a major criminal justice measure, AB 2727, which would raise the threshold for elderly parole eligibility for people serving sentences for violent sex offenses and add screening safeguards. Supporters from both parties emphasized child protection, survivor trauma, and specific local cases involving offenders who had become eligible for release; the bill passed 66-0. Another significant debate centered on AB 1958, which would clarify procedures under the California Racial Justice Act by refining how disparity claims are established and rebutted; the author said he would take Senate amendments to address concerns from district attorneys. The Assembly also considered AB 2313, a gas-to-electric transition bill allowing customers with planned service line replacements to opt out of gas service and use funds to electrify their homes. Members raised concerns about cost shifts and equity, and the author responded that the bill includes no-cost-shift language, larger credits for disadvantaged communities, and would not proceed if the math does not work; it passed 41-21. The final major item was AB 1709, a high-profile social media safety bill creating a minimum age of 16 for accounts on platforms using addictive features and establishing an e-safety commission. The author and many supporters from both parties framed the bill as a response to youth mental health harms, addictive design, and the need for age-based safeguards, while some members raised concerns about impacts on LGBTQ youth and other isolated young people who rely on online spaces. Supporters said the bill targets addictive design rather than speech and is intended to preserve safe online connection while limiting harmful features. The measure drew extensive bipartisan support and was still under debate at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• this, focusing on pregnant girls and having TJJD develop rules that'll be practical to, you know, audit
• Audits on Cindy Wheelus: use of force are a good idea.
• Turned off Cindy Wheelus: body cams should be audited and prescribed. That's a no go.
• The audit that you're talking about was a facility audit. 65% of the staff that were audited did...
• That was what was in the facility audit as mentioned in the DOJ report.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:29:10.159> the with a third-party auditor to audit the with a third-party auditor to audit
• They work primarily on producing the audited annual comprehensive financial report.
• They work primarily on producing the audited annual comprehensive financial report.
• Their audit wasn't finished or something, right? So liquor's audit is so...
• Association and an Actuarial audit Association and an Actuarial audit involves<02:16:09.040>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented an overview of its budget and operations, emphasizing that it is the lowest-spending agency in state government and that its general fund allocation has declined since 2019. Commissioner Arling House explained that DAS also handles back-office functions for several administratively attached boards, which has affected staffing and spending comparisons. He said the department’s current general fund spending is roughly split between retiree health and other operations, and that the presentation was based on adjusted authorized spending rather than the original budget figures. A major portion of the meeting focused on retiree health benefits and the long-term effort to control costs. Deputy Commissioner Cassie Keane described how the state moved from a projected deficit in retiree health to savings through a series of changes, including higher premium contributions, co-pay adjustments, and shifting Medicare retirees into Medicare Advantage arrangements to capture federal reimbursement. She said the state has about 12,500 retirees and spouses on the plan, with roughly 10,906 Medicare retirees and 1,580 non-Medicare retirees, and that the savings have depended heavily on federal funding and procurement decisions. She also noted that Medicare retirees pay Part B premiums and that the state has grandfathered older retirees from some premium contributions. Members asked about what the expenditures cover, why the state offers retiree health instead of simply giving retirees a payment to buy coverage themselves, and whether out-of-pocket costs changed under Medicare Advantage. Keane said the plan covers actual health claims or insurance premiums, that co-pays and maximum out-of-pocket limits remain in place, and that the state has no authority to change benefit details without legislative action. She explained that retiree health is a long-standing employee benefit that wraps around Medicare and is not collectively bargained in the usual sense, though its eligibility rules and cost-sharing have been tightened over time to better target the benefit to long-term state service. The discussion also covered vendor performance problems. Keane said Anthem recently won the contract back from Aetna, but its pharmacy subsidiary, Caroline, caused serious service disruptions. DAS responded by withholding payments, assessing more than $2 million in performance guarantees, and hiring a third-party auditor to review the pharmacy processes. The current contract runs through the end of calendar year 2026, and officials said they are watching federal Medicare Advantage reimbursement changes closely because future savings are uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• I need to keep her on for an additional six months for those audits and closeouts that need to happen
• What are your audit processes for making sure that the grants that you award are used appropriately.
• And would you be willing to make those audits available to this committee?

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> I DO NOT KNOW UNTIL WE SEE THE AUDIT. >> Rep. McClure: ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
• WE HAVE ACQUIRED IN PROVISO LANGUAGE ASTA STATION'S FROM EACH PROVIDER AND WE HAVE WORKED WITH THE AUDIT
• FIRM AND THEY HAVE CONDUCTED THESE AUDITS TO TRY TO BETTER ESTIMATE EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE UNCOMPENSATED

Keywords: 999, senate, all