Transcript Highlights:

• The Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud and Banks Act passed 41 to 0 out of the Ways and Means Committee
• Without objection, I rise in support of H.R. 8873, the Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud and Banks Act
• . the Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud and Banks Act.
• These benefits were meant to With banks.
• I rise today in support of H.R. 8873, the Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud and Banks Act, which I was

Bills: HCR108 , HB3300 , HB7128 , HB7757 , HB7305 , HB7266 , HB7258 , HB7257 , HB3350 , HB4662 , HB5347 , HB8873

Keywords: HCR108, H. Con. Res. 108, War Powers Resolution, Lebanon, Lebanese Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, hostilities, military withdrawal, troop removal, concurrent resolution, Congressional war powers, executive war powers, foreign policy, Middle East, diplomatic facilities, security cooperation, cease hostilities, military engagement, war authorization, non-authorization of force

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> [snorts] >> Um, the first slide I have here is how banks were taxed in the past.
• The first slide I have here is how banks were taxed in the past.
• Um, the bank franchise tax was repealed effective January 1, 2021, at which time banks were now taxed
• But then they repealed the bank franchise tax and placed them under the corporation income tax.
• </c><00:46:37.320><c> versus</c><00:46:37.840><c> the</c> of the treatment with a bank versus the of

Committee: Joint Appropriations & Revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• We visited a food bank in Rochester to hear how $6 a day on SNAP already isn't enough and how regional
• We visited a food bank<00:03:25.519><c> in</c><00:03:25.680><c> Rochester</c><00:03:26.400><c> to</c>
• ><00:03:26.840><c> how</c><00:03:27.000><c> $6</c><00:03:27.920><c> a</c><00:03:27.959><c> day</c> bank
• in Rochester to hear how $6 a day bank in Rochester to hear how $6 a day on<00:03:28.640><c> SNAP</c
• I have a bill food banks, food shelves.

Summary: Senate DFL senators discussed the Health and Human Services supplemental budget on the floor, framing it as a response to federal HR 1 and related Trump administration policies that they said shift costs to states, counties, hospitals, and families. Senators Liz Bolden, Lindsey Port, Erin Murphy, Alice Mann, and Rob Kupec argued the bill is needed to backfill cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, stabilize hospitals, and prevent property tax increases and service disruptions. They said the package totals about $700 million, with more than $250 million aimed at hospital support and roughly $300 million to help counties absorb food-support cost shifts. Members described the federal changes as adding red tape and work-reporting requirements that would cause eligible people to lose coverage, with estimates cited of more than 150,000 Minnesotans losing Medicaid and about 62,000 losing individual-market coverage due to higher premiums. They also said counties would face new administrative burdens and hiring needs, and that rural hospitals, safety-net providers, and EMS systems would see more uncompensated care. One senator noted Dakota County could face an additional $11 million next year and property tax increases, while another said Minnesota hospitals could see charity care rise by more than $269 million next year. The discussion also covered specific funding in the bill, including $300 million for hospital stabilization, with $150 million for HCMC, nearly $115 million for other hospital stabilization grants, almost $18 million for community safety-net providers, and $15 million for rural EMS uncompensated care. Senators said these funds are short-term measures, not long-term fixes, and that if the state did nothing, the health care system and SNAP administration could collapse. They said they do not expect Republican support in the Senate and suggested longer-term options could include federal changes after the next election or state-level tax changes on the ultra-wealthy. No vote outcome was stated in the excerpt, but the senators indicated the bill would move forward with DFL support.

Transcript Highlights:

• , but I came back to it, and it kind of feels like finishing that story for me, Called I-Bank, but I
• The banks won't take their money, the big banks.
• The banks won't take their money, the big banks.
• You have to have Wells Fargo Bank or they don't get it, and that's a violation.
• You have to have Wells Fargo Bank or they don't get it, and that's a violation.

Summary: The Senate Rules Committee met to consider several gubernatorial appointments and procedural items. It unanimously approved three appointments not required to appear: Frank Damrow Jr. to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board, Michelle Edger to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, and David Galavis to the State Park and Recreation Commission. The committee also approved bill referrals, a rule waiver to allow SB 1447 (Health) to be heard past the policy deadline, and floor acknowledgments, all by 4-0 votes. The committee then heard testimony from Clint Kellam, nominee to lead the Department of Cannabis Control. Senators focused on illicit cannabis activity, consumer education, youth protection, labeling, and packaging that may be attractive to children. Kellam said the department’s goal is to shift consumption from illicit to legal sources, not increase use, and described efforts including the Real California Cannabis campaign, the SB 540 pamphlet, inspections, a package-review team, and an AI image analyzer for licensees. He also discussed enforcement against illicit cultivation, coordination with local, state, and federal agencies, and the department’s role in helping bring legal market compliance and access into balance. The committee voted 4-0 to advance his appointment to the full Senate. The committee next heard from Jennifer Osborne, nominee to direct the Department of Industrial Relations. Questions centered on Cal/OSHA audit findings, workplace safety, PAGA-related litigation, case backlogs, staffing shortages, and how her administrative background would help manage the department. Osborne said she would focus on fixing systemic issues, improving staffing and classification rules, modernizing IT systems, adding intake and investigative capacity, and addressing the Cal/OSHA audit recommendations. She also said DIR would continue working on worker safety, compensation, and apprenticeship programs, and would follow up on some questions about natural-disaster-related enforcement and backlog metrics. Public commenters from employer groups and labor organizations spoke in support, and the committee approved her appointment 4-0 for consideration by the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• countries in this task, international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
• countries in this task, international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
• countries in this task, international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
• countries in this task, international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
• countries in this task, international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank

Transcript Highlights:

• biblical, and legal legitimacy of the regions of Judea and Samaria and formally reject the term West Bank
• biblical, and legal legitimacy of the regions of Judea and Samaria and formally reject the term West Bank
• And then part of the problem with AWAs is that they have access to people's, to borrowers' bank accounts
• Ranking Member Agamak: Members, some of the testimony we heard was that gun organizations can't bank
• But banks are private businesses. They get a say over who they want to partner with or not.

Summary: The committee worked through a very long minority caucus calendar covering a wide range of bills, with many items being described and then either left on consent, pulled from consent, or noted for votes. Topics included bullion and state depository proposals, a produce incentive appropriation, a biennial budget change, veterans services funding, driver licensing and traffic enforcement measures, procurement and public records changes, school board and school facilities rules, SNAP work requirements and verification, child welfare and juvenile justice provisions, housing and homelessness measures, energy and fuel policy, election administration, and several tax, commerce, and licensing bills. Members repeatedly raised concerns about constitutionality, federal preemption, duplication of existing law, and whether some measures were policy priorities that had been vetoed in prior sessions and were returning unchanged. Several bills drew extended debate. Members objected to English-proficiency requirements for commercial drivers and motor carriers, arguing federal law and the supremacy clause would bar them. Earned wage access regulation prompted strong opposition over consumer harm, overdraft cycles, and high effective APRs. School-related bills were criticized for overregulating public schools while not imposing similar requirements on ESA/private-school programs, especially on fingerprint clearance and reporting. SNAP-related bills were also opposed as setting unrealistic mandates and repeating vetoed proposals. Other contested measures included a drag-show criminalization bill, a bill restricting photo enforcement, a bill limiting local regulation of unmanned aircraft, and a bill conforming Arizona tax law to federal changes, which members said would benefit wealthy taxpayers and corporations without a clear funding source. The committee also heard a number of supportive or less controversial measures, including bills on veterans awareness, dementia care telemonitoring, Braille transcription funding, CPA licensure pathways, cash acceptance by retailers, and some child safety and court administration changes. Several bills were pulled from consent for further discussion, while others were noted as having unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The meeting ended with caucus announcements, including an affordability award presentation, an upcoming Latino Caucus discussion on community land trusts, and an invitation to African American Legislative Day activities, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Second, unless a person who is appointed under that provision is a trust company, national bank, or a
• This prohibition does not apply if the petitioning person is a trust, a bank, or a professional service
• debtor's funds or property that are in the possession of a third party, such as funds in a debtor's bank
• So they're kind of, as the process goes, and this is work that we've done with the land banking bill.
• financing, it needs... ...that condominium association, in order to get bank financing, needs to have

Bills: HB2453 , HB2590 , HB2445 , HB2386 , HB2585

Committee: House Civil Rights & Judiciary

Keywords: psychiatric pharmacists, mental health, pharmacy regulations, healthcare, pharmacological treatments, limited equity cooperatives, common interest ownership, housing, exemption, community ownership, probate, estate administration, inheritance, heir finder, heir locator, beneficiary interest, transfer of inheritance rights, probate for profit, personal representative, executor

Transcript Highlights:

• c> water</c><00:03:27.640><c> quality</c> Lines 1.8 to 1.10 require that the repayment of the land bank
• That comes from my bill on land banks.
• </c> the uh repayment of the land bank the uh repayment of the land bank abatement<00:04:08.959><c> um
• 04:24.080><c> lines</c><00:04:25.080><c> 1.11</c><00:04:26.080><c> to</c><00:04:26.400><c> 1.5</c> banks
• . uh lines 1.11 to 1.5 banks. uh lines 1.11 to 1.5 uh<00:04:28.479><c> increases</c><00:04:29.120><c>

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1143 is about the Great Plains Food Bank, and we have one amendment, if you want to follow
• Madam President, Senator Burckhard: Madam President, again, this bill is about the Great Plains Food Bank
• It's the only food bank we have in the state, and it's in an old building.
• The Great Plains Food Bank is the state's only food bank, by the way, and it has served the state for
• The Food Bank has already purchased a new plot of land for this facility, centrally located near the

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum call showing 46 members present. It then took up multiple House messages and amendments, appointing conference committees on several measures, including SB 2007, SCR 4007, SB 2374, SB 233, and House bills 1029, 1218, and 1022. The chamber also considered a series of House bills on the sixth and 14th orders, often adopting committee amendments before final passage or, in some cases, rejecting the bill outright. Among the major policy items, the Senate passed HB 1524 on regional planning council grants, HB 1143 increasing a food bank appropriation to $10 million, HB 1126 modernizing cosmetology licensing and inspections, HB 1542 making student applications for admission exempt records, HB 1613 regulating law enforcement use of robots, HB 1582 directing a study on false reports and accusations, HB 1214 revising school transportation funding, HB 1448 creating a study on advanced technologies, HB 1280 on drainage project voting rules, HB 1499 protecting records related to federal judges, and several Senate bills returned from the House, including SB 2221, SB 2117, SB 2198, SB 2120, and SB 2214. The Senate also adopted amendments to HB 1541 on septic systems before rejecting it on final passage. Several high-profile bills failed after debate. HB 1566, dealing with kratom regulation, saw an amendment to convert it to a study fail on a 21-25 vote, after which the chamber laid the bill over for one legislative day rather than take final action. HB 1283, which would have eliminated cost-sharing for diagnostic and supplemental breast exams in the state employee plan, was defeated 22-24 after extensive debate over cost, precedent, and insurance impacts. HB 1527, requiring Holocaust education in statute, also failed 22-24, with supporters emphasizing the importance of the subject and opponents arguing curriculum belongs in standards rather than statute. The Senate adjourned after announcements, scheduling its next meeting for Monday, April 14, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><04:30:36.800><c> and</c> which at its core allows banks and which at its core allows banks and credit
• <c> and</c><04:32:20.880><c> credit</c> Instead, it allows banks and credit Instead, it allows banks
• President. unions and banks in Minnesota engage in unions and banks in Minnesota engage in this<04:36
• </c> bank or credit union for this service. bank or credit union for this service.
• Senator uh Seabberger banking industry?

Transcript Highlights:

• Before the bank building that was DOJ was there in 1958, there was a school, which is why it's called
• And then a kind of Victorian-looking bank, we stabilized.
• Uh, ah, geez—we at the bank really wish we could help you. We actually think we should help you.
• The way CAP works is every bank in the state participates, and some of the credit unions.
• account at that bank.

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:

• Mortenson, Sanford, and Essentia, CHS, and Ag Country, and also financial institutions like Dakota Bank
• , Bell Bank, First Western Bank, Gate City Bank, just to name a few.
• Mortensen, Sanford, and Essentia, CHS, and Ag County, and also financial institutions like Dakota Bank
• , Belmont, and Ag County, and also financial institutions like Dakota Bank, Bell Bank, First Western
• Bank, Gate City Bank, just to name a few.

Summary: The committee met at NDSU and approved the April 9 minutes. The main purpose of the meeting was an informational presentation from NDSU President David Stewart and university leaders on the university’s priorities, including enrollment, student success, research, commercialization, and use of New Horizons funding. Stewart emphasized a “One NDSU” approach, thanked legislators for past support, and said the university will focus on recruitment and retention, a new strategic plan, and growing research and tech transfer while serving North Dakota’s workforce needs. University leaders said NDSU is using tuition waivers more strategically and will work to reduce them over time through scholarship optimization. Provost Sherry Vale described academic portfolio reviews, program closures or consolidations, strategic hiring, and workload policies aimed at aligning resources with demand. They also highlighted student outcomes, including high completion rates, strong employment placement, and NDSU’s role in producing a large share of the state’s engineers, nurses, and agriculture graduates. Several students testified about how NDSU’s mentoring, internships, research, and support services helped them succeed. The committee also heard from partners on New Horizons-related collaborations: Gateway to Science described K-12 STEM outreach in rural and tribal areas, and Sanford Research discussed joint research efforts, including COBRE-related work, obesity and GLP-1 studies, and a joint biostatistics hire. Later speakers highlighted Governor’s School and NDSU’s research and commercialization efforts, including growth in research expenditures and invention disclosures. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, House Bill 2903 prohibits the state from requiring a bank or financial institution to use a social
• This is just a preventative measure to make sure that the banks aren't told that they should do it.
• Chair, what bank was that? Chase, in Goodyear, Arizona. Thank you. Chase Bank in Goodyear, Arizona.
• to use a social credit score when the bank or financial institution evaluates whether to lend money
• are supposed to follow, and banks are scratching their heads.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee approved the March 9, 2026 minutes and held HB 29 and HB 2939 at the sponsor’s request. It then took up HB 2016, which would bar late-filing penalties when a taxpayer’s income tax liability is zero; after an amendment narrowed the bill to income tax filers, the Department of Revenue was neutral on the bill but supported the amendment, and members debated whether removing the penalty would reduce incentives to file. The committee adopted the amendment and returned HB 2016 with a do-pass recommendation on a 4-3 vote. The committee also heard HB 2289, which updates the property-value examples used in bond/override election pamphlets and truth-in-taxation notices from older low values to a $300,000 home example. The sponsor and Arizona Tax Research Association said the update would better reflect current home values and improve voter understanding, while some members argued the bill could confuse voters or that the second example should be closer to the current median home price. The committee passed HB 2289 on a 4-3 vote. Several bills related to school district bonding and agricultural property classification were then considered. HB 4103 would prohibit school districts from calling bond elections if enrollment is below 50% of capacity; supporters said districts should use or monetize excess space before seeking more debt, while school administrators and several senators argued it would block needed maintenance and local voter choice. HB 2104 and HB 2105 would give agricultural property owners a temporary reprieve from repeated reclassification and inspections after winning an appeal, with farm groups supporting the measures and county assessors opposing them as limiting oversight; both bills passed 4-3 after amendments. The committee also passed HB 2256 on a 7-0 vote, which creates a process for salvage auction dealers to obtain abandoned titles when insurers do not complete salvage title transfers, and HB 2979 and HB 2996 unanimously, addressing credit union regulatory timelines and clarifying that certificates of insurance do not alter policy coverage. Finally, the committee heard HB 2174 on insurance modeling organizations and HB 2477 on AZ 529 plan updates, with HB 2174 discussed at length over regulatory treatment of models and HB 2477 described as a conformity bill expanding K-12 and credentialing uses and rollover options.

Transcript Highlights:

• somewhere, take time out, but they can't gamble from the carpool lane, or standing in line at the bank
• Yeah, it's basically the phone because it's on 24/7 and connected to your bank account.
• Like, it knows what's coming in and out of your bank account.
• </c> and connected to your bank account. and connected to your bank account.
• When are you out of your bank account.

Transcript Highlights:

• He explained that the issue related back to the land bank provision that had been added, and that they
• needed to go back and tweak one line referencing how the appointees are actually put on that land bank
• Louis in the front row inquired whether the land bank was the only issue.
• The gentleman from Clay County said the land bank was the only issue and that it was a very small one

Transcript Highlights:

• File item 52 is a confirmation of Indira Cameron Banks for appointment to the Civil Rights Council.
• She's a founding partner of Cameron Banks Law and previously served as director of the Preventing and
• Through roles with UNESCO, the World Bank, UNICEF, and the United Nations Development Programme, Rosemary
• Through roles with UNESCO, the World Bank, UNICEF, and the United Nations Development Program, Rosemary

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved through several privileges of the floor. Guests and student groups were welcomed, including students from Flore High School’s Law Academy and a fourth-grade class from Holy Spirit School. Senator Blakespear also introduced Brigadier General Nick Brown, commanding general of Marine Corps Installation West and Camp Pendleton, highlighting his military service and leadership. On the floor, the Senate took up Governor’s appointments. Andrew Rakestra’s appointment to the Board of Environmental Safety was confirmed on a 28-0 vote, and Indira Cameron Banks’s appointment to the Civil Rights Council was also confirmed, 28-8. Senators then announced upcoming budget subcommittee meetings on resources, health and human services, judicial branch funding, and state administration. The chamber also heard adjourn-in-memory tributes. Senator Archuleta honored Yoshi Nakamura, a World War II veteran, educator, artist, and community activist whose life included service in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and decades of teaching in Whittier and at Rio Hondo College. Senator Blakespear honored Dr. Rosemary George Strayley, a Peace Corps pioneer and global advocate for education, women, and girls who worked with international organizations and co-founded Run Women Run. The Senate expressed condolences and recognition for both Californians. The session concluded with the desk cleared and the Senate announcing its next meeting date, then recessing until later in the day for an adjournment motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• File item 52 is a confirmation of Indira Cameron Banks for appointment to the Civil Rights Council.
• She's a founding partner of Cameron Banks Law and previously served as director of the Preventing and
• Through roles with UNESCO, the World Bank, UNICEF, and the United Nations Development Programme, Rosemary
• Through roles with UNESCO, the World Bank, UNICEF, and the United Nations Development Program, Rosemary

Transcript Highlights:

• The first bank account I ever opened was at the Lancaster National Bank up in Kas County.
• And I went in Bank up in Kas County.
• The whole the name of the bank is gone.
• We're talking liquid in the bank.
• So money in the bank and if you items.

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• It's just that bank of money.
• It doesn't do us a lot of good to have it in the bank and the savings account if we can't come up with
• So the credit union fees are very similar to the bank fees, where we have assessments, applications,
• Application fees are very similar to situations with the bank, or if they wanted to open a branch, do
• Like, for example, the bank fees—look at those application fees—because that doesn't cover the amount

Summary: The committee began with roll call, introductions of a new fiscal analyst and a new member, and approval of the March 19 minutes. The first major presentation was from the Office of Management and Budget on the state’s general fund and special fund status through May. OMB reported general fund revenues were running below the legislative forecast by about $76 million, driven largely by weaker individual income tax and sales tax collections, though the projected ending balance remained positive and above the budgeted level. The budget stabilization fund was above its cap and would transfer excess earnings to the general fund, and the legacy fund balance continued to grow. Members also asked about federal funding uncertainty and mineral leasing revenue variability. The committee then reviewed compliance reports and trust fund analyses, followed by discussion of a bill draft for the fixed-route city transportation network study. The draft would create a $15 million general fund grant program with a formula-based distribution to eligible fixed-route transit cities, intended to support operating and capital needs and help match federal transit funds. Transit officials from Minot and Fargo testified in support, explaining local fare and match structures and the difficulty of replacing aging buses and securing federal matching dollars. Several members questioned whether the program should be limited to the current four cities or broadened to future eligible urban areas, and whether local funding sources should be explored further. The committee did not finalize the bill draft at that point and planned to continue discussion at a later meeting. The committee also approved a bill draft repealing obsolete language related to approval of a bi-state authority with South Dakota, after staff explained that no agreements had ever been implemented and the provision appeared outdated. A roll call vote was taken and the motion carried. Later, the Department of Commerce and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site presented updates on uncrewed aircraft systems initiatives, including the Vantis radar data enclave, the drone replacement program, and efforts to build a revenue model for Vantis. Test site officials said FAA approval had been secured for the radar data program, replacement of noncompliant drones was underway, and future revenue could come from state and external users once pricing and intellectual property arrangements are finalized. Members asked about Chinese-made drones, supply chain issues, automation, and how the system would manage beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation then presented on the design of a new minimum-security prison and a reentry housing study. Officials said the proposed facility would relocate the minimum-security prison to the penitentiary campus, reduce costs from an earlier estimate, and provide more beds and programming space, with construction potentially beginning in 2027 and opening around 2031. They also described staffing needs, the planned move of women to the New England facility, and possible expansion of men’s housing there. The parole and probation chief described a reentry housing task force studying housing needs for people leaving incarceration, with a goal of developing data-driven recommendations for subsidies and support services; a representative from Protection and Advocacy closed by expressing general support for fixed-route and paratransit funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• He currently serves as the president and CEO of AB Bank, a sixth-generation family-owned community bank
• He currently serves as the president and CEO of AB Bank, a sixth-generation family-owned community bank
• He currently serves as the president and CEO of AB Bank, a sixth-generation family-owned community bank

Committee: Senate Education