Transcript Highlights:

• Jason Crawford, Home Education Foundation, waving against. Scott Darius, waving in support.
• and then come back and say, well, I don't want my children to have these screenings. ...sent home and
• Some of y’all would get that on the way home.
• This amendment allows home education students to participate in the interscholastic athletic teams at
• Jason Crawford, Home Education Foundation, waves in support. Is there... Waves in support.

Summary: The Pre-K-12 Education Committee took up a series of education, school safety, health, and student access bills. SB 754 on International Baccalaureate bonus funds was amended to clarify the theory of knowledge course and then reported favorably. SB 370 would allow routine non-invasive school health screenings, such as vision, hearing, and dental checks, to proceed with written notice and an opt-out process rather than active parental consent; supporters said it would improve participation and access, while opponents argued it was too broad and weakened parental rights. After debate over scope, funding, and consent, the bill was reported favorably. The committee also advanced SB 1070, which would require ECG screenings for student athletes under a phased rollout beginning in 2026, with religious and medical opt-outs. The bill was renamed the Second Chance Act in honor of Chance Gainer. Supporters described it as a life-saving measure to detect hidden cardiac conditions, while some members raised cost and implementation concerns. SB 508, the Family Empowerment Scholarship bill, would require private schools to disclose in writing what accommodations and services they will provide to students with IEPs, 504 plans, or ELL plans before enrollment; it was supported by parents, advocacy groups, and some school representatives and was reported favorably. School safety measures were also considered. SB 1470 would refine campus locking and supervision rules, create clearer exceptions, expand training and security options for school safety personnel, and allow district-employed law enforcement officers to use canines for threat detection. Witnesses from school safety and Parkland-related advocacy groups supported the bill but urged caution on exemptions and implementation details. SB 1472 would extend a public records exemption to certified school security guards, matching the protection already given to school guardians, and it was reported favorably. Finally, SB 248 would expand participation in FHSAA sports for private school and home education students at public schools when their own schools do not offer the sport, and SB 1618 made broad changes to VPK through grade 12 policy, including reading instruction, financial literacy, school funds restrictions, teacher certification, and advisory council rules; both bills were reported favorably. Several members later recorded votes in support of specific tabs before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, Pikeville is my home, and so I'm very interested in this conversation and coming up with some solutions
• Um, Pikeville is my<00:03:44.239> home<00:03:44.879> and<00:03:45.200> so<00:03:
• on the second floor of her home, and communications was a challenge for her and she's one of many.
• , they're now calling for a modification, they're now calling for a modification, which<00:30:39.520
• He noted that East Kentucky girls like to stay home and that they want their families to be home, too

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force opened its sixth meeting by approving the minutes and then taking up a presentation from University of Pikeville representatives and local leaders on an Eastern Kentucky Disaster Relief Center at Bear Mountain in Pike County. Speakers included Greg May, Rep. Ashley Tacket Laferty, Lori Worth, and Laura Damron. They described repeated flooding and other disasters in eastern Kentucky, the lack of a single prepared relief location, and the need for a centralized, elevated site that could serve as a flood and broader natural-disaster hub. The presenters said the Bear Mountain property, about 530 acres and well above flood levels, could support a multi-use facility combining disaster response functions with university and community uses. Proposed features included a command and communications center, distribution space, emergency shelter, medical and clinic support, food service, restroom facilities, RV hookups, and an indoor track/distribution building. They emphasized that the project would help avoid disrupting existing venues such as the Pikeville Expo Center and Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, while also supporting tourism and economic recovery. Committee members asked about community and emergency-management support, annual operating costs, and resilience standards such as tornado-related building codes. In response, the presenters said local stakeholders, including Appalachian Wireless, Pikeville Medical Center, Community Trust Bank, the city of Pikeville, and emergency management officials, had expressed support. They said the university planned to absorb some operating costs through multiple uses of the facility, community camps, and budgeted maintenance, and that construction documents were nearly complete with plans to begin building within months. After the presentation, the chair thanked the presenters and moved the committee into its recommendations discussion, noting the broader fiscal and humanitarian importance of disaster preparedness and resiliency and indicating that future legislation would likely follow from the task force’s work.

Transcript Highlights:

• build the homes that they want. build the homes that they want.
• . home. home.
• to the price of a single home. to the price of a single home.
• starter homes is driving up home prices. starter homes is driving up home prices.
• to even save for a home. to even save for a home.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• to the program that I make modifications to the program that I think<00:42:35.800> would<00:42
• [laughter] But yeah, no, these are good changes, and I appreciate the modifications to the credit.
• [laughter] But yeah, no, these are good changes, and I appreciate the modifications to the credit.
• But here, it was everybody got to experience Minnesota the way I know it and kind of like home.
• the way I know it and kind of like home. the way I know it and kind of like home.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I should note that the extension on lines 298 and 299, the Thompson Park, is actually a modification.
• I should note that the extension on lines 298 and 299, the Thompson Park, is actually a modification.
• Paul Inclusive Playground, Accessible Space, and then there was an Accessible Space modification and
• Then there is $62.372 million canceled from a 2023 appropriation for the Hastings Veterans Home.
• Home. Home.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The committee took up a large bonding bill and reviewed the final spreadsheet of capital investments. Chairs and members repeatedly thanked staff, House and Senate negotiators, and the Governor’s team for a collaborative process. The bill was described as a statewide package rather than a partisan one, with major funding for higher education asset preservation, DNR projects, public safety, transportation, the Met Council, veterans facilities, corrections, DEED/local projects, and a large water infrastructure section. House Fiscal staff and Senate fiscal staff walked through the bill line by line. Highlights included University of Minnesota and Minnesota State asset preservation, education and language immersion school funding, DNR trail and flood mitigation projects, public safety facilities, local road and bridge grants, Met Council parks and I/I grants, veterans home and armory funding, corrections projects including the Faribault vocational expansion, and many local economic development and public facility projects across Greater Minnesota and the metro. The bill also included Public Facilities Authority water and wastewater grants, housing rehabilitation funding, historical society grants, a Minnesota Zoo operating transfer, airport appropriations, and several cancellations of prior appropriations to help finance the package. Members generally praised the bill and the bipartisan work behind it. Some Republicans emphasized the one-time license fee reduction and affordability, while also saying DEED’s business development infrastructure funding was too low. Senator Nelson highlighted long-awaited transportation projects such as Highway 14 and township roads. Senator Dibble supported the transportation investments but criticized the bill for having no transit funding, calling that a major omission. No vote was recorded in the excerpt, but the discussion centered on final review and support for moving the bonding bill forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• health aide service in their home.
• health services who are attended by home health medically fragile children compared to those in home
• The home health care is aware of this. We're doing what we can.
• They have strict oversight when they do home health care.
• As I said, the home health aide for medically fragile children is an employee of the home health agency

Summary: The Health Facilities Subcommittee met to receive implementation updates from the Agency for Health Care Administration on three bills passed in prior sessions. First, Deputy Secretary Brian Meyer reported on the transfer of the Children’s Medical Services managed care plan from the Department of Health to AHCA under HB 1085. He said the move was administrative only, with no change to enrollment, providers, services, or clinical eligibility functions, and that it was intended to create efficiencies by aligning procurement and shifting staff resources between agencies. Members then questioned AHCA about reports of reductions in private duty nursing and therapy services for medically fragile children, including concerns about appeals, provider credentialing, and whether families were losing services or being transitioned appropriately. AHCA said it was reviewing denials, monitoring the plan, and using contractual remedies while focusing on maintaining access for members. The committee also reviewed implementation of a bill creating permanent Medicaid eligibility for individuals with permanent disabilities. AHCA staff explained that the agency had submitted a federal 1115 waiver request after public comment and stakeholder meetings, but CMS had indicated it did not anticipate approving the requested authority. Members pressed AHCA on why the waiver was submitted later than the bill’s directive date and on whether the delay was avoidable. AHCA said the waiver was complex and required review, drafting, and public input, and noted that DCF already has a specialized unit to help with redeterminations while the agencies work on operational changes. The committee discussed the practical impact on families who struggle with annual eligibility renewals and the need for clearer communication and faster follow-up from the agency. Finally, AHCA presented on the home health aide program for medically fragile children and related Medicaid eligibility changes. The agency described the 2023 law that created a family caregiver provider type and the 2025 changes that increased the hourly rate, expanded hours, reduced training requirements, and removed caregiver earnings from Medicaid eligibility calculations, subject to federal approval. AHCA said it had completed state public comment, submitted the waiver amendment to CMS, and was awaiting federal action. Members raised concerns that some families may have enrolled or begun work before the eligibility fix was in place and may have lost benefits, especially in Broward County. AHCA said it would work with affected families and plans, review outreach through DCF and the health plans, and continue rulemaking, system updates, and provider training. The meeting ended with the chair noting that the committee had received the updates and adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• She's our Chief of Operations for our Veteran Homes Division.
• I have two other proposals, the Veteran Homes Deferred.
• You we are giving out enormous sums of money, both through home key, now home key trust, as well as through
• I just want to bring it home for everyone's, for the hearing.
• Thousands of residents have lost their homes, jobs, schools.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This modifies the first of a couple of modifications to the home and community-based waiver regulations
• This modifies the first of a couple of modifications to the home and community-based waiver regulations
• This modifies the first of a couple of modifications to the home and community-based waiver regulations
• /c> couple um, modifications to the home and couple um, modifications to the home and community-based
• actually involve actual in-home visits. actually involve actual in-home visits.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This makes modifications to chapter 60D.
• Article five is modifications to the Minnesota Business Corporations Act, and this includes new sections
• Um, this makes modifications model act.
• Um, this makes modifications to<00:10:35.519> chapter<00:10:36.279> 60D.
• <00:10:40.320> Business modifications to the Minnesota Business modifications to the Minnesota

Bills: HF1545, HF2426, HF1615, HF2403

Keywords: medical cannabis, cultivation, cannabinoid products, plant canopy, Minnesota statutes, cannabis, hemp, lower-potency, edibles, regulations, licensing, local control, consumer safety, age restrictions, commerce policy, financial institutions, insurance regulation, limited long-term care insurance, Medicare supplement, health insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• could you walk me through what technical expertise you believe that BSC has that makes it a better home
• With respect to our recommended modifications, we present four for your consideration.
• With respect to our recommended modifications, we present four for your consideration.
• are over 55, and the state is wasting $450,000 a year on one elderly person who could safely be at home
• A year on one elderly person who could safely be at home and spending $300 million a year incarcerating

Summary: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 heard the Governor’s May Revision proposals for the judicial branch, the Board of State and Community Corrections, the Department of Justice, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The Legislative Analyst’s Office opened with a warning that the state budget remains structurally imbalanced and urged the Legislature to avoid new ongoing spending unless offset by reductions elsewhere. In the judicial branch discussion, the Judicial Council highlighted language access funding, appellate court security, a backfill for the state court facilities construction fund, and an extension of the lactation room mandate; Finance supported most items but suggested reporting language on interpreter costs and reducing the General Fund backfill. Members raised concerns about judicial vacancies, long-term salary freezes, remote hearings, and the lack of progress on court staffing in some counties. For the Board of State and Community Corrections, the administration proposed $10 million one-time each for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People grant program and a human trafficking vertical prosecution grant program. The LAO said both should be weighed against other priorities and suggested the Legislature consider whether the Tribal Nations Grant Fund could support MMIP work, while Finance said it preferred General Fund support and wanted more review before any fund swap. Members strongly supported MMIP funding and asked whether ongoing support would be considered. On the human trafficking grant, Finance said BSC was a good fit because of its grant administration experience and prior vertical prosecution work, while legislators asked why the program was not placed with the Office of Emergency Services as originally contemplated in prior legislation. The Department of Justice presented antitrust litigation funding, Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse staffing, completion of organized retail criminal enterprise cases, and trailer bill language for a continuous appropriation from the Victims of Consumer Fraud Restitution Fund. The LAO supported the antitrust account use but questioned the Unfair Competition Law Fund’s ability to cover the full request without General Fund repayment, and recommended against a continuous appropriation for the restitution fund in favor of a more limited mechanism with legislative oversight. Finance said the fund would remain solvent and defended the continuous appropriation as necessary to pay victims promptly. In the CDCR portion, the largest discussion centered on the Boston Consulting Group efficiency review and sharply reduced savings estimates; LAO said the department had not fully explained the proposed position eliminations or future $100 million savings target, while Finance said the work reflected deeper analysis and ongoing efforts to find savings. Members repeatedly pressed CDCR and Finance on the gap between earlier promised savings and the revised figures. CDCR also outlined population projections showing continued declines in prison and parole populations, while LAO again urged the state to close an additional prison to save ongoing costs. The department then walked through several May Revision items, including workers’ compensation funding, a Corcoran honor housing dorm, incarcerated firefighter pay implementation, an incarcerated menopause program, mental health receiver staffing, mental health resource teams and crisis intervention teams, medical classification staffing changes, and AI note-taking for the electronic health record. LAO generally recommended limiting-term funding and more reporting for many of these proposals, while Finance defended them as necessary ongoing investments or court-ordered obligations. Members questioned the cost of workers’ compensation, the need for more prison closures, the lack of funding for women’s facility violence prevention, and the timing and transparency of the BCG savings process. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• could you walk me through what technical expertise you believe that BSEC has that makes it a better home
• that, and certainly we want to have this grant program be a success, and maybe BSEC is the proper home
• With respect to our recommended modifications, we present four for your consideration.
• With respect to our recommended modifications, we present four for your consideration.
• With respect to our recommended modifications, we present four for your consideration.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're interested in that, but just to kind of drive home the point illustratively, if this is kind
• 35.160> drive in that, um, but just to kind of drive in that, um, but just to kind of drive home
• 19:36.520> the<00:19:36.680> point<00:19:37.280> kind<00:19:37.440> of home
• And the modification increases the total cost authorized to be paid with the increments.
• Um and the modification increases the Um and the modification increases the total<00:40:22.280> cost

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• rules for the purpose of allowing members to co-sponsor bills and resolutions or to submit vote modifications
• or to co-sponsor bills and resolutions or to submit<00:04:16.880> vote<00:04:17.199> modifications
• and have filed submit vote modifications and have filed the<00:04:18.720> proper<00:04:19.040
• Um, this morning God chose to call home an excellent servant that was a servant for all people of this
• <00:46:39.520> uh this morning God chose to call home uh this morning God chose to call home

Keywords: Convene 00:00 Senate Message 04:26 Report of Committees 05:13 Orders of the Day/ HB 6 06:22 HB 480 14:13 HB 562 17:55 HB 136 25:53 HB 257 29:47 HB 490 35:54 Motions, Petitions, and Communications 40:30 Introduction of New Bills and Resolutions 52:44 Recess for ConC/Rules Meeting 53:49 ConC/Rules Report 57:12 Floor Amendments 58:49 Adjournment 58:59, 958, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum with 96 members present, excused absent members, and approved the journal from February 13, 2026. The Senate also transmitted Senate Bills 72 and 110 for concurrence. Committee reports advanced several bills, including measures on deputy coroner training, local jail booking procedures, local business tax collection, peace officers, Kentucky National Guard benefits, and first responder mental health. The chamber then considered House Bill 6 on child care. The sponsor described it as the product of extensive stakeholder collaboration aimed at improving affordability, quality, access, and data in child care, including changes to the low-income subsidy program, employee child care assistance, Kentucky All-Stars, micro-centers, and a military child care pilot program in House Committee Substitute 1. The substitute was adopted, and the bill passed 84-11 with one abstention after supportive remarks from members emphasizing workforce needs, family support, and military families. House Bill 480, relating to state contracts, was explained as requiring clearer contract terms for appropriated funds, partial payment protections, a 1% penalty for late payment, and semiannual reporting on whether cabinets are paying bills on time. A member noted a planned amendment to limit the bill to state-funded appropriations, but the bill passed 96-0. House Bill 562, relating to alternative high school diplomas, would create a Kentucky alternative diploma for certain students with disabilities and require the Education and Labor Cabinet to maintain employer information for graduates; members spoke in strong support of the bill’s workforce and dignity goals, and it passed 96-0. House Bill 136, relating to campaign finance, was amended to remove a $15,000 cap and allow campaign funds to pay for reasonable security costs for candidates; the sponsor cited rising threats to elected officials, and the bill passed 97-0. The transcript ends as the House moved on to House Bill 257.

Transcript Highlights:

• have a mission to restore lives and reduce recidivism through judicial oversight and behavior modification
• through judicial oversight<00:03:07.120> and<00:03:07.360> behavior<00:03:07.840> modification
• oversight and behavior modification. oversight and behavior modification.
• ><00:38:59.440> testing<00:38:59.760> in<00:38:59.920> their<00:39:00.160> home
• can do their drug testing in their home can do their drug testing in their home county,<00:39:00.720

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee received an overview of Kentucky’s specialty courts from Audrey Collins of the Department of Specialty Courts and the Administrative Office of the Courts, along with testimony from Christian County District Judge Foster Cutoff. Collins described the mission and structure of drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts, emphasizing therapeutic jurisprudence, individualized treatment, judicial oversight, and multidisciplinary teams. She said Kentucky currently has about 2,991 active participants across the three court types, with drug courts in all 120 counties, mental health courts in 17 counties, and veterans treatment courts in eight counties. She also highlighted reported outcomes such as 7,658 entrants and 4,384 successful completions from 2020 to 2024, a five-year average completion rate of 57%, and lower recidivism among graduates than the statewide average. Collins also reviewed funding and costs, saying the department’s fiscal year 2025 budget was $18.6 million, with most of it from general funds, plus restricted and federal funds. She noted spending on personnel, treatment services, and drug testing, and said specialty courts allow participants to remain employed and meet obligations such as child support and restitution. She said participants paid more than $5.4 million in child support, restitution, and other court-related obligations over five years, and that a statewide evaluation by Morehead State University is underway. In response to questions, she said a dip in 2024 collections may have been affected by a case management system overhaul, and that court costs can be waived in some indigent cases while restitution is still required. Judge Cutoff described veterans treatment court and mental health court in Christian County, saying the programs are especially important because of the nearby Fort Campbell military community and because they help veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, substance use, and related issues. He said the courts rely heavily on staff, treatment providers, and the VA, which helps connect participants to benefits and therapy. He also said mental health court participants receive housing, benefits, and medication support, and that the programs can keep people out of jail and help them stabilize. Committee members asked about the legal basis and history of the courts, and Collins explained that Kentucky’s specialty courts began as pilot programs in the mid-1990s, shifted from federal support to state funding around 2008-2009, and are now largely state funded. No votes or formal actions were taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• topics, followed by House Bill 660, the opioid settlement bill, followed by H. 757, the manufactured homes
• closer to home. closer to home.
• homes and limited equity cooperatives. homes and limited equity cooperatives.
• House Bill 757 is an act relating to manufactured homes and limited equity cooperatives.
• loans programs available to mobile home loans programs available to mobile home parks<02:28:10.560

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House took up S. 190, a health care cost-containment bill relating to the Green Mountain Care Board, reference-based pricing, and a study of a public employee health benefit authority. The House first suspended rules to take the bill from the notice calendar, then heard committee reports from Health Care, Ways and Means, and Appropriations. The Health Care committee chair described the bill as a strike-all amendment intended to carry out Act 68’s hospital reference-based pricing timeline, saying it would let the Green Mountain Care Board begin implementation for fiscal year 2027, expand reference-based pricing to qualified health plans and the Vermont Education Health Insurance program, and address hospital pricing transparency, outsourcing, and critical access hospital Medicare outpatient cost-sharing issues. Supporters argued the bill would lower insurance costs, help reduce property taxes, and improve hospital sustainability by reducing the need for hospitals to limit access as they approach revenue caps. The Ways and Means committee said the bill could reduce education spending by lowering health care costs for school employees and reported the bill favorably on a 7-4 vote. The Appropriations committee said it reviewed the bill and an amendment, and noted that much of the detailed language would be changed by the appropriations amendment; it also discussed a possible state innovation waiver under the Affordable Care Act. The Health Care committee reported its strike-all amendment favorably on a 10-0 vote. The bill’s provisions were described in detail, including requiring hospitals and insurers to express rates as a percentage of Medicare, setting a path toward national median hospital prices by 2030, limiting certain reimbursements for QHP and VHI plans, requiring a report on hospital outsourcing and provider tax impacts, and creating a public health system performance tool if funding is available. The speaker also noted that the bill would not affect critical access hospitals or Vermont’s Medicare-dependent hospital in the reimbursement cap provisions, and that critical access hospitals were already working with the Green Mountain Care Board on solutions to Medicare outpatient cost-sharing concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• I had to go home and tell her 5-year-old, three-year-old great grandkids. Pretty horrific.
• Um, don't need a response, but I would also make sure that if you're going to seek modifications, also
• uh seek modifications uh seek modifications also<00:10:38.320> think<00:10:38.560> about
• <00:10:40.640> that<00:10:41.120> clarifies<00:10:42.079> whether a modification
• that clarifies whether a modification that clarifies whether this<00:10:42.640> is<00:10:42.880

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee approved the minutes of its June 10, 2025 meeting and then heard testimony on House Bill 198, “Angela’s Law,” sponsored by Representative Samara Hein. The bill would add a new aggravating circumstance in death-penalty cases when an offender abuses the corpse of a kidnapping or murder victim by engaging in deviate sexual intercourse, sexual intercourse, or sexual contact. Representative Hein and the victim’s parents described the case that prompted the proposal, saying the current law did not allow the conduct to be treated as an aggravating factor because the sexual act occurred after death. They emphasized that the bill would not require a death sentence or life without parole, but would give judges and juries another sentencing factor to consider. Doug and Angela Kerr gave emotional testimony about their daughter’s murder and said the current sentencing options were inadequate given the facts of the case. Several members expressed sympathy and supported the bill’s purpose. Senator Wheeler said the measure would signal that the Commonwealth will not tolerate such conduct, and Representative Petrie said he supported the concept but urged careful drafting so the language would not be too narrow or unintentionally reach co-conspirators or others whose conduct differed from the principal offender. The committee then received an informational presentation on KRS Chapter 202C from Judge Lisa Payne Jones and Shauna Mitchell of the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health. They explained that 202C was enacted in 2021 to address a gap in Kentucky’s civil commitment laws for defendants found incompetent to stand trial after serious offenses. The presentation outlined the process: a Commonwealth’s attorney must file a petition for qualifying offenses, an evidentiary hearing must be held quickly, and if the respondent is found by a preponderance of the evidence to have committed the offense, a commitment hearing follows with a higher burden of proof. They also described the 2024 amendment changing the commitment criteria from requiring all four factors to only one, and noted the statute’s review-hearing schedule and the availability of later review if circumstances change or new evidence emerges.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in support.
• > next<00:57:57.920> is<00:57:58.280> Governor's<00:57:58.680> message modif
• I to $1 next is Governor's message modif I to $1 next is Governor's message AGR<00:57:59.760> 141
• <01:36:04.199> patas<01:36:04.679> San<01:36:05.199> Council<01:36:05.880> modif
• 2181 75,000 for patas San Council modif 2181 75,000 for patas San Council modif uh<01:36:06.800>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Did we get a safe home? Thank you so much. Did we get a safe home?
• Other changes include modifications to make conforming changes.
• They create safer homes. capacity, very important.
• Most is safe homes, and this is exactly what BIPs do. They create safer homes.
• Most is safe homes, and this is exactly what BIPs do. They create safer homes.

Bills: SB1

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

Summary: The committee heard a Legislative Budget Board presentation and then testimony from the Department of Public Safety on the Article 5 public safety budget. LBB said DPS’s 2026-27 recommendation totals $3.7 billion, down from the prior base, while FTEs rise by 856.7. Major items included increased funding for driver license services and customer support, new trooper funding and recruit schools, crime lab operations, border security, and reductions tied to one-time facility, vehicle, and aircraft spending. The committee also discussed new riders, including one to lapse unused trooper funds and require reporting after recruit schools. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, questioning why prior staffing increases and a prior efficiency study had not solved long wait times, high call abandonment, and appointment delays. DPS and LBB said the agency receives about 22,000 calls per day, answers only about 9 percent, and is seeking more staff plus technology upgrades such as automation, kiosks, and better online processing. Senators also raised concerns about rural access, REAL ID document requirements, and whether the department should rethink its processes rather than simply add employees. DPS leadership then described needs for the Williamson County training academy, additional troopers, Capitol and Alamo security, border operations, aircraft and vehicle replacement, and regional headquarters in El Paso and San Antonio. Members asked about Operation Lone Star costs, overtime, pursuit safety, border crime, oilfield theft, and sexual assault kit and toxicology backlogs. DPS said border deployments remain focused on criminal threats, that overtime is partly driven by deployments and staffing shortages, and that the sexual assault kit backlog is down to 118 cases with a goal of zero by April. The committee later recessed and began the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission budget presentation, where LBB outlined a $115.1 million recommendation and noted ongoing costs for the AIMS technology project.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, going through PSEOC Fund Project Schedule detail modifications.
• And so, yes, there is an increase in cost to go to a brick veneer, but choosing how the homes are finished
• interaction with our design professionals and the staff who are more knowledgeable about how these modifications

Transcript Highlights:

• But in connection with other enterprises, we had to pursue a nursing home that relied on Medicaid dollars
• because 75% of that is covered by federal tax dollars. by our federal tax dollars, bringing those home
• There was a little bit of modification of the language we have in.
• We've included House File 1240, which are modifications to the Legislative Auditor.

Bills: HF627, HF474, HF361, HF1837

Keywords: HF627, fiscal note, fiscal notes, Minnesota Legislature, state government, committee procedure, ranking minority member, minority party, standing committee, Ways and Means, Finance Committee, legislative process, budget analysis, fiscal impact, Minnesota Statutes 3.98, committee chair, legislative transparency, HF474, Hubert H. Humphrey, Henry Mower Rice