Transcript Highlights:

• means that the shelters that take in the abused and the seized and the abandoned horses they lack capacity
• A recurring funding of 35,000 that we've talked about, which is really sets the capacity, which goes
• And we also have the capacity to create more of a recurring, but where we're at now is we're looking
• , the financial capacity to do that.
• Do Prop 7, eking Copyólé reservoir system, where we had the capacity, the capacities, the capacity, and

Bills: HM26 , HB243 , HB109

Committee: House House Agriculture, Acequias And Water Resources

Keywords: insects, ecosystem, education, public awareness, wildlife conservation, state agency involvement, New Mexico, equine welfare, animal rescue, shelter funding, trust fund, veterinary care, water project fund, water project finance act, New Mexico Finance Authority, water infrastructure, water grants, water loans, regional water planning, water rights adjudication

Transcript Highlights:

• know, House Bill 56. from last session directed ERCOT to, one, look at how to increase transmission capacity
• The other option that they've given us is to look at upgrading enhancing, going to a higher capacity
• To add one more thing to this, ERCOT recently published in It's CDR, the Capacity Demand and Reserves
• And you're right, we have been working hard over the last several years and our organizational capacity
• has increased tremendously over that time, excuse me for one minute, and Um, not only is our capacity

Bills: SB 6 , SB6 , SB504 , SB765 , SB815 , SB929

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• And those provide clean firm capacity.
• </c> capacity per year by 2028. capacity per year by 2028.
• Um, does that capacity like it degrades.
• We have more capacity uh site.
• </c> any capacity? Miss Gwan? any capacity? Miss Gwan?

Bills: HF4059 , HF76

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Keywords: climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, financing, sustainability, environmental policy, renewable energy, Minnesota Climate Innovation Financing Authority, earned incentive release credit, release credits, supervised release, corrections, Minnesota Department of Corrections, sentence reduction, good time, prison time, incarceration, violent offenses, murder, criminal sexual conduct, sex offenses

Transcript Highlights:

• Districts need stability to implement well, and constant revisions make it harder to build capacity,
• Constant revisions make it harder to build capacity, engage communities meaningfully, and stay focused
• This will build sustainable district capacity, and as a result, outcomes for students will improve.
• It's about coherence and capacity building.
• capacity to do engagement well.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on coherence in California’s education planning and reporting systems, especially the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and related grant plans. Committee chairs and members described widespread frustration with duplicative, lengthy, and sometimes conflicting reporting requirements, while emphasizing that the goal was not to reduce accountability but to make planning more useful, stable, and student-centered. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond also previewed the Governor’s education budget priorities, including expanded learning, community schools, universal transitional kindergarten, literacy supports, and concerns about the proposed Prop. 98 deferral. Panelists from the State Board of Education, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the LCAP was intended to balance local flexibility with statewide transparency, but has become overloaded by repeated revisions and additional requirements. They argued for fewer core reporting elements, more stability over time, better alignment of planning cycles, and integrated systems that reduce duplication. Fresno County staff described a multi-year calendar and support tools that help districts manage timelines, but said these tools only ease the burden rather than solve the underlying problem. The LAO noted that some newer plans, such as expanded learning and transportation plans, are narrative-heavy and often less informative than separate reporting requirements. Local district leaders and county officials described the practical effects of the current system: staff time diverted from instruction, multiple portals and forms, audit risk aversion, and planning documents that can exceed 100 pages. Several superintendents said coherent systems work best when districts have clear priorities, stable governance, and aligned budgets, and when state requirements are predictable and tied to outcomes like literacy, attendance, and student achievement. The California Federation of Teachers added that coherence also depends on meaningful collaboration with educators, classified staff, parents, and communities. Committee members repeatedly asked whether the state should streamline reporting, create a uniform portal, or develop a more unified grant-reporting structure, and Thurmond said the department was piloting a simplified common form and was willing to work with the Legislature and districts on broader solutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• It must have a capacity less than megawatts, and under this change all hydroelectric powers are considered
• to be eligible for the energy technology regardless of the capacity and the date of operation.
• </c><00:04:55.479><c> must</c><00:04:55.759><c> have</c><00:04:55.880><c> a</c><00:04:56.000><c> capacity
• </c> hydroelectric power must have a capacity hydroelectric power must have a capacity less<00:04:56.680
• </c> technology regardless of the capacity technology regardless of the capacity and<00:05:07.680><c>

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I think we want to be clear that our role really was in a supportive capacity, in a capacity expansion
• We were in a supportive capacity, in a capacity expansion and building infrastructure, and we didn't
• It had been indicated that there were specific capacity gaps.
• I was appointed to the board by former Senate Pro Tem Tony Atkins in a volunteer capacity.
• And in fact, I would love, in a less adversarial capacity, given all of our commitment and our many,

Summary: The follow-up informational hearing focused on the State Library’s oversight of the statewide Imagination Library and the Strong Reader Partnership (SRP), including how the original $68.2 million state investment was spent, why funds were not redirected sooner to the Dollywood Foundation, and whether spending complied with AB 157 and later SB 105. Committee members repeatedly raised concerns that SRP and the State Library had been slow to provide documents, that quarterly reporting and other contract requirements were not met on time, and that the State Library did not escalate issues earlier. State Librarian Greg Lucas said the library sent one demand letter, relied on counsel’s view that SRP could continue spending its $4.8 million so long as it furthered the program, and later redirected about $55 million to the Dollywood Foundation after paperwork was submitted. He also acknowledged the library should have shared SRP’s final report with the committee sooner and said the materials eventually received appeared satisfactory, though the chair and Senator Grove remained concerned that there was still no clear accounting of books delivered by SRP. A major portion of the hearing examined SRP’s expenditures and vendor contracts, including Shipyard for marketing and web services, SAGE Strategies for management consulting, Lotus Financial Solutions and other financial vendors, and United Way California Capital Region for a small marketing grant. Committee members questioned whether some spending, especially Changecraft’s work during the AB 157 period, amounted to lobbying or attempts to influence legislation, which the grant agreement prohibited. SRP representatives said the work was communications and stakeholder outreach, not lobbying, and that invoices reflected the board’s oversight and the nonprofit’s startup and closeout phases. They also said some work continued during the rescission and closeout period to unwind contracts and return funds, and that any reporting delays were due to transition, lack of a reporting mechanism from the State Library, and the need to collect records after vendors were canceled. Members of SRP said the nonprofit was created to build the infrastructure for a self-sustaining statewide program, expand local partnerships, and support multilingual outreach in underserved counties. They described a working board that met regularly, selected vendors collectively, and used multiple financial and administrative contractors to maintain checks and balances. However, committee members pressed them on the lack of detailed invoices, the absence of clear metrics showing how many books SRP actually delivered, and the limited apparent return on spending such as the $581,708 Shipyard contract, the $125,000 website work, and the $5,000 United Way grant. No formal vote or legislative action was taken during the hearing; it was an oversight session aimed at obtaining explanations and additional documentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• It can be part of that mission of, one, ensuring capacity.
• We're going to need a lot of capacity for the... ...one, ensuring capacity.
• Today to present AB 2513, which will modernize California's regional forest and fire capacity program
• The task force and DOC, which administer the RFFCP, have the capacity to track performance metrics and
• For example, Cal – have the capacity to track performance metrics and ensure accountability.

Summary: The committee heard several bills and one resolution focused on recycling, housing affordability, air quality, coastal protection, wildfire resilience, and nuclear policy. AB 2559, by Assembly Member Ward, would require local governments to return refundable construction and demolition permit deposits if compliance documentation is submitted within three years of final inspection; supporters said it would prevent homeowners and developers from losing deposits due to mismatched local deadlines, and it passed unanimously as amended to Appropriations. AB 1704, by Assembly Member Gonzalez, would require CARB to assess the cost of lower-embodied-carbon building materials and pause the embodied-carbon program if cost parity is not reached; supporters framed it as a housing affordability safeguard, while environmental groups argued it would delay implementation of a key climate law. The bill passed on a party-line vote to Appropriations. AB 2349, by Assembly Member Solache, would create regional air quality incident response centers for emergency monitoring and coordination; it drew strong support from air district and local government representatives and passed unanimously to Appropriations. ACR 149, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act and Coastal Conservancy, highlighted coastal access, habitat protection, and climate adaptation; it passed the committee, though some members voted no. AB 1960, by Assembly Member Bennett, would let Cal Fire fund community-level wildfire hardening projects through the Wildfire Prevention Grants Fund; members raised questions about funding and implementation, but it passed to Appropriations. AB 2254, the Coastal Monarchs Protection Act, would require coastal local governments to add monarch overwintering protections when updating local coastal plans; supporters cited steep monarch declines and economic benefits, while local government groups opposed the mandate as duplicative and burdensome, and it passed to Water, Parks and Wildlife. AB 2253 would restrict deceptive recycled-content claims and mass-balance accounting practices; supporters said it would protect consumers and real recyclers, while business groups argued it would conflict with recognized accounting systems and EPR programs. The transcript also included AB 1757, which would create a limited carve-out from California’s nuclear moratorium for microreactors; supporters said it could provide clean, local power and support data centers, while opponents warned of cost, waste, and safety risks. The committee ultimately rejected AB 1757 on a divided vote, then granted reconsideration, and the discussion continued without a final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• It can be part of that mission of, one, ensuring capacity.
• We're going to need a lot of capacity for the... ...one, ensuring capacity.
• We're going to need a lot of capacity for the electrical demands when it comes to the goal for EVs, when
• Thank you. ...goes up, they're going to suck the existing power that we already don't have capacity for
• The task force and DOC, which administer the RFFCP, have the capacity to track performance metrics and

Committee: House Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• So this will work in a similar capacity that will be just appropriating the money to the districts.
• Capacity is no longer sufficient to meet that need.
• Valdez maybe can confirm this: our elementary schools are reaching capacity again.
• We were seeing 135 to 140% capacity at two middle schools. So we're hitting that capacity again.
• Heiser is at 97% capacity, with 120% utilization across all three of them. Does that answer?

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:19:54.800><c> as</c><01:19:55.199><c> prior</c> capacities as prior capacities as prior testimony
• </c> some of your theuh septic um capacity some of your theuh septic um capacity requirements,<01:31:
• </c><01:38:50.159><c> that</c> smaller towns with less capacity that smaller towns with less capacity
• They keep talking capacity.
• They keep talking capacity. back there. They keep talking capacity.

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• Just as a quick overview, right now in HB 2, $574 million in bond capacity and $269 million in surplus
• The new cash line of credit capacity this year, as you mentioned, is $574 million.
• Non-state, by law, can only be 25% of the P1 funding in any bill in the capacity this year.
• And if you reduce... ...an individual project, you're creating capacity for some other project.
• You reduce by doing that, you free up that capacity that can go to something else.

Committee: House Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:

• Minnesota went from 1 megawatt to over 3,200 megawatts of installed capacity.
• </c> 3,200 megawatts of installed capacity. 3,200 megawatts of installed capacity.
• Until recently, Minnesota led all other states in installed community solar capacity.
• Until recently, Minnesota led all other states in installed community solar capacity.
• Until recently, Minnesota led all other states in installed community solar capacity.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know I've worked with many members on this committee before in my capacity as legislative liaison at
• I just want to further, you know, thank you for your willingness to serve in this capacity.
• ..capacity for these.
• And so it's similar to the capacity of the existing boat that's there now.
• We come up at the department against our bonding capacity.

Summary: The Senate Joint Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee received updates from the Department of Transportation and Development on its transformation efforts, including a new project delivery dashboard, key performance indicators, and litter abatement work. DOTD said the dashboard is now live and tied to daily field updates, and reported progress on its T4LA initiatives, including improved project transparency, customer service, and a new highway sponsorship litter program. Members praised the department’s work and asked about litter funding, with DOTD saying last year’s $14.7 million litter pickup effort included the legislature’s supplemental appropriation. The committee also heard detailed progress reports on LTIF 1.0 and 2.0, the Office of Highway Construction’s bridge bundling and roadway projects, the Calcasieu River Bridge project, and the Cameron Ferry. DOTD reported that LTIF 1.0 is about 80% complete and that LTIF 2.0 has encumbered nearly $150 million, with several projects ahead of schedule and some under budget. The Office of Highway Construction said 62 bridge projects are in the bundle, 11 are under construction, and emergency procurement has helped accelerate delivery. DOTD said the Calcasieu River Bridge remains on track for a mid-to-late April groundbreaking, with all federal permits in hand and right-of-way acquisition underway; it also reported that new Cameron Ferry boats are under construction and that a privatization proposal from Labmar Ferry Services will go to the Louisiana Transportation Authority. Members then reviewed the draft 2026-2027 highway priority program, which DOTD said includes $913 million for construction across 302 projects and about $1.2 billion total investment. The committee also received public comment on the statewide flood control program, which recommended six projects expected to reduce flood damage by more than $289 million, and on the airport construction and development priority program, which includes 31 air carrier projects and 99 general aviation projects. DOTD also noted no current projects for the rail infrastructure program but said it expects to request $13 million and has 19 projects in the queue, and it presented three port projects that are not yet funded but will be considered by the Louisiana Transportation Authority. The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and LSU’s Center for Analytics and Research presented data on impaired driving, saying impaired driving remains a major factor in fatalities and injuries, with alcohol and drugs together contributing to a large share of crashes and about $700 million in annual economic costs. Members discussed youth driving, marijuana, ignition interlock, DWI courts, and enforcement challenges on waterways; the presenters emphasized education, enforcement, and treatment as part of a broader safety strategy. No formal votes were taken during the meeting, and the committee adjourned after receiving the presentations and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have no financing capacity to pay for it because we're at our debt capacity right now that's established
• That's why we're at our debt capacity. And that is our problem.
• That's why we're at our debt capacity. That's why everything feels like it's starting to crumble.
• That matters because it expands capacity without crowding out other priorities. This bill does...
• So we're, you know, diminishing its capacity there.

Summary: The committee first received a JLARC work session on the 2025 tax preference performance reviews, covering nine tax preferences and recommending legislative action on eight. JLARC reviewed natural gas transportation fuel preferences, travel agent and tour operator B&O rates, a property tax exemption for nonprofit low-income housing developers, and several shorter reviews including senior center property tax relief, a disabled veteran adapted housing remittance, trade convention nexus treatment, wholesale sales of fertilizer/pesticides/seed, a hazardous substance tax exemption for pesticides stored for out-of-state shipment, and three energy-related preferences for a silicon smelter. JLARC generally recommended continuing preferences that met stated or inferred objectives, modifying some to improve reporting or performance metrics, and allowing the unused silicon smelter preferences to expire. The Citizen Commission endorsed JLARC’s recommendations, and committee members asked a few clarifying questions, including about trends in travel agent/tour operator beneficiaries and the housing exemption’s performance metric and data issues. The committee then heard a work session and public hearing on Senate Bill 5754, which would create a Washington State public bank. A presentation from California public banking advocates and the Bank of North Dakota described public banks as government-owned financial institutions intended to keep public funds working locally, support lending for housing, infrastructure, and community development, and partner with community banks and credit unions. Committee questions focused on leverage, liquidity, constitutional issues, and how the model would interact with existing state investment and debt structures. Staff summarized the bill’s structure, including activation conditions, governance, powers, and fiscal impacts, noting the fiscal note was largely indeterminate and startup costs could be significant. Public testimony on SB 5754 was divided. Supporters included statewide elected officials, county and city officials, labor, educators, community advocates, and residents, who argued the bank could lower borrowing costs, improve access to capital, keep public money in Washington, and help finance infrastructure, housing, and disaster resilience. Opponents included community bankers and county treasurers, who warned about risks to safety and liquidity of public funds, questioned the need for a new institution given existing programs, and argued the proposal lacked a proven track record in Washington. The hearing concluded with no vote taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of the 40-plus dog and cat shelters in New Mexico are chronically at or over capacity.
• Our city shelters, just like Like every shelter across our state, is at capacity and over capacity right
• There's no capacity. These providers are completely overstretched.
• It's at a cost for capacity for care and what we can do for these animals.
• They were told their grant was excellent but no capacity.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Be Connected successfully leveraged AmeriCorps and VISTA members and expanded capacity.
• Our capacity has reached every single one of those 20 years.
• So all you have to do is sell enough of your excess capacity.
• The point is that if you have excess capacity, you can't go ask the voters to fund more capacity.
• If you have excess capacity, you can't go ask the voters to fund more capacity with the property tax.

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:18:10.239><c> that's</c> operational and design capacity that's operational and design capacity
• So I want to make it clear the design capacity is 628.
• The design capacity is 29, and the headcount at Maui is 194, so it's just below capacity, which was impressive
• of 628 the yeah o c is design capacity of 628 the current<01:20:29.800><c> capacity</c><01:20:30.800
• is 628 the operational design capacity is 628 the operational capacity<01:20:39.280><c> is</c><01:20

Committee: House Public Safety

Summary: The Public Safety Committee held a hearing on House Bill 433, which would appropriate $4 million for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation re-entry services to connect offenders with community-based services. Director Tommy Johnson said the department supports the bill’s intent but noted the governor’s executive budget already includes $4 million for the same purpose and asked that the measure defer to that budget. Supporters, including the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, Community Alliance on Prisons, and the ACLU, backed the funding but urged that it be tied to a clear re-entry plan, performance measures, transparency, and regular reporting to the legislature. They emphasized that re-entry should begin at intake and involve community partnerships, housing, treatment, employment, and family reunification services. Committee members questioned the department about current re-entry services, pre-trial detainees, and how the new funds would be used. Johnson said the department’s current statewide re-entry budget is about $1.5 million to $1.7 million, separate from the larger Corrections Program Services Division budget for in-facility programs. He described the proposed $4 million as supporting a mix of services, including a pilot apprenticeship program, substance abuse treatment, navigator or warm-handoff services, and short-term transitional housing. He also said the department already tracks performance outcomes in its annual report and can provide a matrix showing the intake-to-discharge process, program contracts, and volunteer organizations. The discussion also covered pre-trial detainees, electronic monitoring, and mental health services. Johnson said the department has limited jurisdiction over pre-trial detainees but works with courts to seek supervised release when possible; he noted that many requests are denied, though electronic monitoring has improved release rates somewhat. On mental health, he said the jail is not an ideal therapeutic setting for people found unfit to proceed and suggested a secure community-based step-down facility run by the Department of Health for those needing care above what the jail can provide but below forensic-level treatment. No vote or final action on the bill was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Everything else that is on the list, I think, is a person in an official capacity.
• So it will need to yield greater capacity.
• So it is going to make sure that it is yielding greater capacity.
• And actually, the utilities are held to the same generation capacity requirements.
• And actually, the utilities are held to the same generation capacity requirements.

Committee: House General Laws

Summary: The committee first met in executive session, laying over H.J.R. 153 and H.J.R. 119, then unanimously advanced HB 2904 after adopting a committee amendment and substitute. HB 2904 passed 13-0. The committee also adopted a substitute for HB 2933 and sent that bill do pass by a vote of 11-3. The committee then moved into regular session and heard HB 2266, which would add the attorney general and staff, or as members suggested possibly assistant attorney generals, to the list of officials authorized to concealed carry while performing duties. The sponsor and an assistant attorney general testified that the bill was intended to protect AG staff who travel and work in courthouses and hotels; some members raised concerns about the breadth of the term “staff,” and one witness urged clearer limits and identification safeguards. No vote was taken on HB 2266 in the portion provided. The committee then heard HB 2207 and HB 2233 together, both aimed at restructuring Missouri’s electric industry to allow competitive generation while keeping transmission and distribution regulated. The sponsors argued that competition would lower costs, improve reliability, spur innovation, and let customers choose suppliers, while preserving PSC oversight of the grid and default service. Supporters, including a market think tank and retail energy advocates, said competitive states have seen more generation investment and that private generators bear their own risk rather than ratepayers. Opponents, including Evergy, argued deregulation has not delivered promised savings, can increase fraud and consumer confusion, and would force divestment of utility generation assets without clear guardrails. Members pressed witnesses on comparisons to Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, legacy costs, divestment mechanics, and whether the PSC would still set generation-related rates; witnesses disagreed sharply on the likely effect on residential prices and on whether the bill’s structure was sufficiently specific.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in my mind, I would love to serve in a capacity, oh my God, my computer's about to go low, as maybe
• One is to have a Senate member and a House member serve in the capacity of co-chairs.
• But have folks thought about this and either want to serve in the capacity as a co-chair or have some
• And an appointee serve in the capacity so that maybe, to the community, there could be a learning curve
• But also, before we go, to enrich our visit, being able to share this sort of new leadership capacity

Summary: The meeting was the first organizational discussion of the newly created commission to study the feasibility of establishing a Massachusetts Cape Verdean Cultural Center in Boston. Senator Liz Miranda opened with background on the seven-year effort to create the commission, the seed funding included in the state budget, and the commission’s one-year mandate to produce a report on location, funding, and next steps. Members introduced themselves and described their Cape Verdean ties, with discussion emphasizing the historical importance of Cape Verdean communities in Boston, New Bedford, Falmouth/Cape Cod, Brockton, and other parts of the Commonwealth. A major topic was how to structure the commission’s leadership. Members discussed whether the co-chairs should be legislators, outside appointees, or a mix, and several noted the need to follow open meeting law and other public meeting requirements. Representative Cabral suggested Senator Miranda and Representative Diggs as co-chairs, with possible vice chairs drawn from other appointees. The group also discussed the need to keep the commission representative of the broader state, not just Boston, and to consider an advisory group of Cape Verdean association presidents and other community leaders outside the formal membership. The commission then reviewed a long list of potential additional members, focusing on people with experience in arts, culture, education, history, community building, philanthropy, construction, health, and related fields. Members were asked to review the list, suggest additions or gaps, and send feedback to staff. No final appointments were made at this meeting. The commission voted to reconvene in two weeks to organize itself, potentially elect co-chairs and vice chairs, and move forward with additional appointments; the motion passed, and the meeting was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, there's a limited amount of dollars that are available with the debt capacity that we have as reported
• by MMB. $700 million is the debt capacity.
• dollars that are available with the of dollars that are available with the debt<00:02:44.640><c> capacity
• ><c> we</c><00:02:45.680><c> have</c><00:02:46.239><c> as</c><00:02:46.480><c> reported</c> debt capacity
• </c> capacity. So, everything's on the table. capacity. So, everything's on the table.