Transcript Highlights:

• So, that's why you pay the suppliers that risk premium.
• So, that's why you pay the suppliers that risk premium.
• So, again, we concept of a risk premium.
• ,<01:54:22.280> over talking about risk premiums, over talking about risk premiums, over collections
• There's also the risk premium within utility default service, right?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• if we can be doing things in a way to better protect our homes and also then reduce our insurance premiums
• That would then also get a premium reduction for those homes, as well.
• ,<00:02:37.720> I<00:02:37.800> think reduce our insurance premiums, I think reduce
• our insurance premiums, I think that<00:02:38.240> that's<00:02:38.480> a<00:02:38.560
• reduction for about for those um premium reduction for about for those um homes,<00:03:45.400> as

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 4223 was presented as an appropriation to implement and jump-start the Strengthening Our Homes program enacted in 2023. Rep. Elkins said the goal is to help homeowners strengthen roofs using standards promoted by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, citing other states such as Alabama as examples where hardened homes performed better in major storms. He emphasized rising homeowners insurance costs, especially for affordable apartments, older condo buildings, and seniors on fixed or limited incomes, and said the grants would help people who may not have the upfront cash to make improvements. Committee members generally supported the concept, describing it as a way to reduce storm damage and lower insurance premiums. One member highlighted that the income threshold for grant eligibility could reach a large share of Minnesota homeowners and potentially harden nearly a million homes, while another noted the program’s focus on lower-income households. A Commerce Committee discussion was referenced in which an alternative approach was raised: tax incentives, including possible sales tax relief, for materials and labor used to harden homes against hail and other weather risks. Rep. Elkins responded that labor is an important part of the cost and that many potential beneficiaries are seniors with little taxable income, making a grant program more practical than a tax-based incentive. Another member agreed the upfront cost is a major barrier and said the grant design appears thoughtful. No vote was taken; the bill was laid over for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you pay for private health insurance, your premiums are going up.
• And then on top of the premium increases, you add a $400 per family... ...health care premium tax, higher
• We can take $2.5 billion in our budget and create a state premium subsidy.
• They're seeing a tax applied to premiums, all the more reason for us to provide a premium subsidy. $2.5
• There are working families that are going to get sucker punched by these premiums.

Summary: The Assembly convened, initially lacked a quorum, and then completed the roll call, prayer, and pledge. Members observed a moment of silence for the fatal B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base in Assemblymember Lackey’s district. The body then handled a series of procedural motions, including re-referrals of numerous Senate bills to different committees, suspending rules for committee notices, and taking up the budget bill, AB 109, without reference to file for concurrence in Senate amendments. Debate on AB 109, the 2026 budget act, centered on competing views of the state’s fiscal condition and policy priorities. Supporters said the budget balances the current and next year’s budget, reduces the structural deficit, builds reserves, protects health care, schools, housing, food assistance, and other safety-net programs, and responds to federal cuts under H.R. 1. Opponents argued the budget increases taxes and costs, shortchanges schools, underfunds Proposition 36, relies on gimmicks, and does not adequately address public safety, cost of living, or long-term sustainability. Several members also highlighted specific provisions such as hospital support, Medi-Cal and IHSS protections, child care, immigrant legal services, prison closure, and funding for courts and victim services. A motion by Assemblymember DeMaio to return AB 109 to the Senate failed on a roll call vote, 13 ayes to 45 noes. The Assembly then voted on concurrence in the Senate amendments to AB 109; the measure passed, and the Senate amendments were concurred in without objection, with immediate transmittal to the Governor. Afterward, the Assembly moved to the daily file and took up SCR 89, a resolution affirming diversity, equity, and inclusion. Supporters from several caucuses framed DEI as a core California value and a response to federal attacks, while opponents criticized DEI as divisive. The transcript ends during debate on SCR 89, before any final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, um, how did you calculate the potential premium amounts collected?
• And so, um, that's why we went the premium route.
• <01:10:10.800> are uh and follow up when the premiums are uh and follow up when the premiums
• <01:10:38.000> as the reason why we pick premiums as the reason why we pick premiums as opposed
• And so um that's why we use went the<01:10:49.280> premium<01:10:49.600> route.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• included in Paid Family Leave premium included in Paid Family Leave premium collection<00:20:57.559
• Fifth and lastly is regarding the 50-50 premium split within the Minnesota paid leave program.
• of bargaining, or if public employers retain the premium split as an inherent managerial right.
• Fifth and lastly is regarding the 50-50 premium split within the Minnesota paid leave program.
• The 2026 premium amount estimated in the study was 106.8 million, and in 2027 it was 110.16...

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee’s first official meeting was framed as an informational session, with the chair saying no legislation would be acted on and that testimony would focus on what is working and not working for businesses and workers in Minnesota. The stated topics included earned sick and safe time, paid family and medical leave, labor shortages, and broader business climate concerns. The chair also noted the absence of DFL members and invited questions to be held until the end so testifiers could present fully. Lauren Shodor of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce argued that Minnesota’s business climate has worsened because of high taxes, rising costs, regulation, and new workplace mandates. She cited chamber survey and research findings saying more businesses are considering leaving the state, that Minnesota companies are investing more in other states than vice versa, and that the state lags national growth rates. She said employers are especially concerned about earned sick and safe time and the upcoming paid family and medical leave program, which the chamber believes add compliance burdens and costs, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. Matt Hilgart of the Association of Minnesota Counties said the new leave laws affect county budgets and operations because labor is the main county cost and services are often state-mandated. He said the programs were imposed outside the collective bargaining process and can duplicate existing county benefits, increase costs, and create staffing and service challenges. He asked for changes including clearer premium-sharing language, exclusion of elected officials and short-term election workers from paid leave requirements, better exemption and private-plan rules, coordination requirements for intermittent leave, and more clarity for essential employees during weather emergencies. Owen Worth of the League of Minnesota Cities said cities are facing similar implementation problems, with overlapping leave policies and concerns about stacking state and federal leave rules, and he indicated the league would support changes to reduce administrative and budget pressures on cities.

Transcript Highlights:

• that we are lucky because our premiums that we are lucky because our premiums are<01:34:38.240><
• premiums of striking workers. premiums of striking workers.
• Last year they premium increases.
• <01:56:14.200> And increases or premium increases. And increases or premium increases.
• . premiums. premiums.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, I just wanted to be more of an advocate on the premium cigar aspect of the business.
• A lot of times people don't really see the premium cigar business separated from smoking in general.
• The premium cigar business [is] separated from smoking in general.
• We'll now hear from Glenn Loop from the Premium Cigar Association. Thank you very much.
• We'll now hear from Glenn Loop from the Premium Cigar Association. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a long hybrid hearing on a wide range of tax bills, with testimony covering cigarette and tobacco taxes, nicotine pouches, contractor rental equipment exemptions, aircraft sales tax exemptions, rolling stock, advanced sales tax payments, a gun and ammunition excise tax, a digital services tax, and a psilocybin cultivation/tax proposal. Committee chairs outlined the hearing process and noted that 39 House-filed sales and excise tax bills were being heard for required reporting by November 28. No votes were taken during the hearing. On tobacco-related bills, supporters including Senator Keenan, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and Tobacco Free Mass backed higher cigarette taxes and closing the synthetic nicotine loophole, arguing the measures would reduce youth initiation, encourage cessation, and offset health care costs. Retailers, wholesalers, and convenience-store groups opposed the increases, warning of smuggling, out-of-state purchasing, and harm to small businesses; premium cigar representatives argued cigars should be treated separately from cigarettes. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3067 and related bills concerning nicotine pouches, with public health advocates supporting taxation and industry witnesses urging a lower, more competitive rate. Several other bills drew sharply divided testimony. United Rentals supported H. 3065 to simplify contractor rental equipment exemption paperwork, while airport and aviation groups opposed bills to repeal the aircraft sales tax exemption, saying it would hurt airport competitiveness and jobs. The Transportation Association of Massachusetts backed rolling stock tax exemptions, saying the current tax discourages fleet investment and interstate commerce. Restaurant industry representatives supported repealing advanced sales tax payments and changing penalty rules, saying businesses were hit with retroactive penalties after unclear pandemic-era changes. On H. 3082, an excise tax on guns and ammunition, gun violence prevention advocates, Roca, and Giffords supported the bill as a dedicated funding source for prevention and survivor services, while sportsmen’s groups opposed it as unfair to lawful gun owners and harmful to conservation funding. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3208, a digital advertising services tax, with Representative Paulino supporting it as a way to capture revenue from online advertising and fund public needs, while the Chamber of Progress opposed it as costly and burdensome for small businesses and campaigns. Finally, multiple witnesses testified on H. 4050 regarding psilocybin cultivation and taxation: advocates from Mass Healing, Roca, the Reason Foundation, and individuals describing personal medical benefits urged a regulated, permit-based system, while the hearing ended after all signed-up speakers were heard and the chair adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the course of several months, I have listened to detailed and thoughtful presentations on classification
• We also provide for our reentry, casework, and classification teams.
• We also provide for our reentry, casework, and classification teams.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The special commission on consolidation and cooperation among public safety agencies held a hearing focused on union and correctional staff testimony. Chair Dan Hunt and Senator Brownsberger opened by noting the commission’s extensive site visits and prior testimony, and they recognized Correctional Officers Week. Union representatives from KOUF, NCEU, AFSCME, and local county correctional unions described the daily realities of correctional work, emphasizing staff safety, staffing shortages, retention problems, mental health impacts, and the need to preserve local sheriff’s offices and collective bargaining agreements. Testimony centered on several recurring concerns: violence inside facilities, the spread of synthetic drugs such as K2, inmate suicides and suicide attempts, and the strain these issues place on officers, EMS, and local resources. Speakers also raised concerns about gender-identity housing policies, arguing they can create safety and workplace issues for staff, and urged more support for officer wellness, debriefing, and programs like OnSide Academy. Several witnesses argued that county facilities should remain locally controlled and that consolidation with the Department of Correction would weaken programming, staffing, and community-based reentry work. One witness described the Norwegian correctional model as a possible source of ideas for more rehabilitative approaches. Commission members responded with support for correctional staff and asked questions about K2 detection, paperless systems, EMS transports, and possible metrics to quantify incidents and facility needs. Members also discussed the importance of individualized assessments of each facility rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The commission voted to seek an extension of its reporting deadline from September 30 to November 30, and agreed to continue site visits, including the upcoming Barnstable visit and a June 15 hearing. The meeting adjourned after the motion passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill before you today carves out various professions from the ABC test to determine classification
• recognize that producers are exempt under the unemployment compensation law and that the worker classification
• And so applying the ABC worker classification framework to our industry may create unnecessary uncertainty

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 291, Aircode property classification inspection. SB 292, PSPRS investments.
• SB 291, Aircode property classification inspection. SB 292, PSPRS investments.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and an electronic roll call showing 30 members present. The body approved the previous journal and then paused for several memorial and guest recognitions, including a moment of silence for former Representative Noel Campbell, who died in a motorcycle accident. The chamber also welcomed visiting school district leaders, Grand Canyon University Government and History Club students, and Food Bank Day at the Capitol participants. Members then adopted a proclamation recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with remarks emphasizing the history of the Holocaust, the rise in antisemitism, and the importance of education and remembrance. A guest shared a personal family story about escaping Germany in 1938. Senator Bolick also read a proclamation for National School Choice Week, highlighting Arizona’s public, charter, private, homeschool, and microschool options and urging members to engage with schools in their districts. The Senate received numerous governor communications and introduced a long list of first- and second-reading bills covering topics such as education, water, energy, public safety, elections, health care, taxes, housing, and border issues. The chamber also received House Concurrent Resolution 2045 honoring the late Congressman Raul Grijalva; it was adopted unanimously, and the Senate observed a moment of silence. The session ended with committee announcements for the next day and adjournment until Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 1:15 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education HB 1065 at Derazio relating to the classification of employees by a company license holder
• Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs, HB 1069 by Turner relating to the classification

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 1065 by DeRozio relating to the classification of employees by a company license holder under the
• HB 1069 by Turner Relating to the classification of certain construction workers in the eligibility of

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• down these higher insurance premiums are down these higher insurance premiums are the<01:13:55.679><
• as premiums go up premiums<01:21:35.719> go<01:21:35.920> up<01:21:36.080> you<
• insurance premiums.
• insurance premiums.
• insurance premiums.

Bills: HF1865, HF2014, HF2028

Keywords: mortgage, qualified mortgage, QM, points and fees, conventional loan, consumer lending, home loan, residential real estate, lender fees, service charge, finance charge, closing costs, Minnesota Statutes 47.20, housing finance, borrower protections, cooperative apartment loan, contract for deed, real estate lending, foreclosure, notice requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• And that has premium uh increases.
• These premiums just continue to rise for them.
• premiums just continue to rise for them. premiums just continue to rise for them.
• It's the the premium costs are going up.
• <01:03:17.039> since to me about driving the premiums since to me about driving the premiums

Bills: HF1546, HF2403, HF2389, HF2398

Keywords: fire safety, public safety, statewide fire code, code cleanup, repeal, obsolete statutes, matches, strike-anywhere matches, safety matches, match packaging, match storage, tent safety, flame resistant tents, public assembly tents, flammable materials, fire code modernization, Minnesota Statutes chapter 325F, commerce policy, financial institutions, insurance regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're not saying that our premium is...
• , same concept as premiums, right?
• We as a community, we as taxpayers, we as premium payers...
• It could in the short term lower premiums. It could in the short term lower premiums.
• at the end of the day. ...affects premiums at the end of the day.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I get a per rat based on their insurance premiums at a gross scheme of things.
• It sounds like a PR rata premiums.
• Uh, will this cause premiums presently.
• Please send your premium for your home to this new address.
• Please send your premium<00:28:21.520> for<00:28:21.679> your<00:28:21.840> home

Keywords: Insurance - Room 216, 3 February, 2026; 9:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The committee took up several insurance and health-related bills. Earlier discussion focused on metastatic cancer step therapy and biomarker testing, with the sponsor explaining that the bills would prevent insurers from requiring patients to try less effective treatments first and would require coverage for biomarker testing to better target treatment. The biomarker bill was described as a product of a summer study committee and was reported favorably. The committee also advanced a bill setting standards tied to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and a private residence elevator bill requiring licensing, inspection, and permitting for elevator installers, with an amendment exempting those elevators from annual inspections after the initial inspection. Members then considered a mitigation program for retrofitting homes, with the sponsor saying the Department of Insurance and industry were close to a workable statewide program. The bill would be funded by increasing a fee paid by insurance companies, not policyholders, and would allow use of a third-party administrator capped at 5% of program funds. The committee also reported bills extending the state health plan repealer, extending the LOSAP volunteer firefighter program repealer, and creating a fraud detection trust fund at the Insurance Department to address AI- and cyber-related fraud. The fraud fund bill drew questions about whether it would raise premiums and how it would help investigators; supporters said the fund would support staffing and equipment and that the existing fund had been dormant. Additional bills included a transparency measure for dental insurance spending, which would require reporting on the share of premiums spent on dental services beginning in 2027, and a bill expanding access to self-funded group health plans for members of legitimate professional and trade associations. The committee also heard a Mississippi Patient Protection Act aimed at strengthening willing-provider protections and limiting insurer discrimination against qualified providers; an amendment was proposed to clarify that vision benefit managers would not be treated as pharmacy benefit managers. Most measures were moved by title sufficient due pass and reported without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, we have different classifications.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, they've been trying to fill it and been unable to at the current classification.
• So this proposal would be to change the classification for this position and provide the funding to do
• <01:02:22.240> So<01:02:22.480> this current uh classification.
• So this current uh classification.
• for this position and classification for this position and provide<01:02:27.200> the<01:02:27.440

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a new classification for faculty beyond the faculty classification.
• <00:14:26.120> for<00:14:26.600> faculty<00:14:27.600> beyond new classification
• for faculty beyond new classification for faculty beyond the<00:14:28.759> the<00:14:29.120><
• c> faculty<00:14:29.480> classification<00:14:30.279> we<00:14:30.440> have
• the the faculty classification we have the the faculty classification we have also<00:14:31.079> faculty

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The hearing covered Senate Bill 426, which would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive from the City and County of Honolulu, the Department of Human Services, the Executive Office on Early Learning, the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education, the Attorney General’s office, the Early Childhood Action Strategy, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, the University of Hawaiʻi’s early childhood educator project, and a Zoom testifier who described the importance of investing in high-quality early childhood education. Committee discussion focused on the program’s estimated cost, with figures of about $14.5 million in 2025-26 and $15 million in 2026-27, and on whether the program would require ongoing base-budget funding. The committee recommended technical, non-substantive amendments, including a statewide-concern amendment and a deferred effective date, and both committees adopted the recommendation by vote. The committees then heard Senate Bill 1622, which would appropriate funds to establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute within the University of Hawaiʻi to support statewide artificial intelligence initiatives. University representatives described the proposal as the product of campus-wide input and outlined five pillars: governance and policy, outreach and engagement, research and development, workforce development, and AI tools for key sectors such as health care, creative industries, manufacturing, data science, astronomy, and climate change. Members questioned staffing distribution, tuition, enrollment timing, housing, campus placement, and whether positions would be permanent or temporary; the university said it planned about 10 positions across campuses, would start with internal resources, and would house the effort under the Vice President for Research and Innovation initially. The committees recommended an SD1 with the appropriation amounts blanked out, a July 31, 2050 effective date, and committee-report language on housing and West Oʻahu, and the higher education and labor/technology committees adopted the amended recommendation. Finally, the Higher Education Committee took up Senate Bill 1488, a housekeeping measure to consolidate existing University of Hawaiʻi conference center statutes into a single revolving fund structure, and Senate Bill 636, which would fund retention and internship coordinator positions and broader enrollment management efforts at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. SB 1488 drew university support and no opposition. SB 636 prompted substantial questioning about Hilo’s declining enrollment, current retention rate of 72.8 percent, and the scope of the request, which includes not only two named positions but also about $432,000 for enrollment management initiatives such as data analysis, IT support, and other student services. Hilo said it is targeting 3 to 5 percent annual enrollment growth and that the positions would support recruitment, retention, internships, and data-driven enrollment strategy. The committee pressed for a clearer broader plan, but the discussion in the transcript ended before a final vote on SB 636 was shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is about lowering premiums.
• It will affect the premiums.
• That if we do that premiums will go down because the premiums started going up a couple of years ago,
• That's not why premiums went up. If that was true, then I'll also note, Mr.
• I keep on hearing premiums are going to go down. That's the reason to do this.

Keywords: 996, all