Transcript Highlights:

• Valuation notices shall be mailed annually, which they are. Which, if you're from St.
• assessment process, and you make reference to actual value shall be stated on all property tax bills and valuation

Committee: House Ways and Means

Summary: The committee heard two measures. First, Representative Jim Murphy presented HJR 169, the Taxpayer Protection Act, modeled on Colorado’s TABOR. He said it would cap government spending growth at inflation plus population growth, apply across state and local governments, require voter approval for tax increases or spending above the limit, and include refunds for excess revenue. He also said he would offer amendments to include fees and surcharges and to count tax abatements against the spending base, with school population used for school districts. Support testimony came from Americans for Prosperity and ALEC, both praising the proposal as a way to restrain spending and increase accountability. Committee members asked about abatements, emergency exceptions, population declines, and how the measure would interact with Hancock and local taxing districts; the sponsor and witnesses said it would be stricter than Hancock and would allow emergency spending only with supermajority approval. No vote was taken, and the hearing on HJR 169 was closed. The committee then heard HB 2379, sponsored by Representative Cecily Williams, which would let counties, with voter approval, dedicate an existing local sales tax stream to early childhood education and child care. The bill would route funds into a dedicated early childhood fund overseen by an existing Community Children’s Services Fund board, with the stated goal of supporting child care centers, preschools, Head Start, transportation, and related services for children five and under. The sponsor and supporters from We Power STL, the St. Louis County Children’s Services Fund, Child Care Aware of Missouri, and child care providers argued the bill would address child care deserts, expand capacity, and use an existing governance structure to ensure accountability and prevent diversion of funds. Committee members raised concerns about overlap with DESE, school district programs, licensure, eligibility standards, and whether the proposal would amount to duplicative taxation or funding. Supporters said the bill is intended to supplement, not replace, existing programs and that local voters would decide whether to create the revenue stream. No opposition testimony was offered, and the hearing on HB 2379 was also concluded without a vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so once that's set for the year, all those valuations are set because they send out the tax notices

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• Review costs published on the fee schedule and not based on project valuation, set subjective compatibility

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum present and took up several bills, beginning with SB 762 on offices of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel. The committee adopted a strike-all amendment that removed a one-year sunset and a reporting requirement to the legislature. Senator Martin and regional counsel Itan Emotin explained that the bill would allow regional counsel offices to handle certain capital conflict cases, with the goal of reducing very high defense costs while maintaining adequate representation. After questions about whether referrals would be optional, compensation, and possible impacts on quality of defense, the committee reported CS for SB 762 favorably by a 9-1 vote. The committee then considered two uncontested local claims bills. SB 16, relating to relief of Heroberto A. Sanchez Mayan by the City of St. Petersburg, described serious injuries allegedly caused during an arrest and transport by police; counsel for the claimant appeared in support. President Gates spoke against the claims-bill process but said he would support the victim if the bill’s passage were in doubt. The bill was reported favorably 9-1. SB 14, relating to relief of Jose Correa by Miami-Dade County, involved a pedestrian struck by a county bus; the county had admitted fault and settled the case. The bill was reported favorably 9-1, and SB 24, a $500,000 settlement for Lourdes and Edward Latour against Miami-Dade County, was also reported favorably 9-1. Finally, the committee took up SB 208 on land use and development regulations. Senator McLean presented a negotiated strike-all amendment that would make development application fees more transparent and cost-based, tie them to direct and reasonable indirect review costs, and set subjective compatibility standards for residential projects, with carve-outs for PUDs, master plan communities, and historic districts. Multiple stakeholders appeared or waived in support, including 1,000 Friends of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, AARP, counties, cities, and planning and conservation groups. The amendment was adopted, and CS for SB 208 was reported favorably 10-0. The committee then adjourned after recording Senator DeSigley’s vote on SB 762.

Transcript Highlights:

• Review costs published on the fee schedule and not based on project valuation; set subjective compatibility

Bills: S0014 , S0016 , S0024 , S0208 , S0762

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee heard several bills, beginning with SB 762, which was amended by a strike-all to remove a one-year sunset and delete a reporting requirement to the Legislature. The bill would allow offices of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel to take on certain capital cases from outside their region on an optional basis, with supporters saying it could save money and use existing in-house death penalty expertise. After testimony from Senator Martin and the Second Region’s regional counsel, the committee reported CS/SB 762 favorably. The committee also considered three local claims bills. SB 16, relating to relief for Heriberto A. Sanchez Mayan by the City of St. Petersburg, described severe injuries allegedly caused during an arrest and transport; the claimant’s counsel supported the bill, while President Gaetz spoke against the claims-bill process generally and voted no. The bill passed 9-1 and was reported favorably. SB 14, for Jose Correa against Miami-Dade County, involved injuries from a bus-pedestrian collision and was supported by the claimant and county; it passed 9-1 and was reported favorably. SB 24, for Lourdes and Edward Latour against Miami-Dade County, was an uncontested $500,000 settlement bill and passed unanimously. Finally, the committee took up SB 208 on land use and development regulations. A late-filed strike-all amendment, described as a negotiated compromise, would make development application fees transparent and cost-based, tie them to direct and reasonable indirect review costs, and set subjective compatibility standards for residential projects, with carve-outs for PUDs, master planned communities, and historic districts. Multiple local government, planning, environmental, and business groups appeared in support. The amendment was adopted, and the committee then reported CS/SB 208 favorably on a 10-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Review costs published on the fee schedule and not based on project valuation, set subjective compatibility

Bills: S0014 , S0016 , S0024 , S0208 , S0762

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: negligence, settlement, police conduct, municipal liability, personal injury, compensation, injuries, Miami-Dade County, land use, development regulations, local government, application fees, affordable housing, zoning, residential construction, criminal defense, legal representation, death penalty, indigent defense, regional counsel

Bills: HB111 , HB103 , HB109 , HB128 , HJM2 , HJM3 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26 , HM2 , HM16 , HM11 , HM14 , HM21 , HM34 , HM50 , HB49 , HB60 , HB108 , HB120 , HB124 , HB145 , HB154 , HB158 , HB164 , HB180 , HB291 , HJR6 , HJR7 , HR1 , HJM1 , HM13 , HM47

Keywords: water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order, water rights, overdiversion, illegal diversion, groundwater storage and recovery, well license, permit violation, water enforcement, New Mexico water code, irrigation district, conservancy district, water diversion, unauthorized water sales, measuring device, district court appeal, water resources, water compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• The reason for the need for this increase um is related to the most recent actuarial study for funding
• <01:05:35.119><c> the</c><01:05:35.440><c> most</c><01:05:35.680><c> recent</c><01:05:36.079><c> actuarial
• </c> related to the most recent actuarial related to the most recent actuarial study<01:05:37.599><c>
• for police and fire over the last two years has been at an amount significantly higher than in the actuarial
• for police and fire over the last two years has been at an amount significantly higher than in the actuarial

Committee: Senate Labor and Technology

Summary: The committees heard testimony on several personnel and employment bills. SB 2119 would require the state or counties to reimburse public officers and employees for approved work-related travel costs within 30 days; testifiers from the State Procurement Office, UPW, HGA, the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, and others supported the measure, citing delayed reimbursements. SB 3131 would update state position titles by changing “private secretary” to “executive assistant” and “secretary” to “administrative assistant” where applicable, and it drew support from DEED and comments from the State Librarian. SB 3069 would permanently exempt a limited number of specialized positions in DAGS Public Works and the Comptroller’s office from civil service; DAGS, HCDA, and DEED supported it, while UPW opposed it. Committee members questioned whether the exemption should be narrower and whether the positions should be consultants or actual employees, and DAGS said the roles were narrowly tailored, highly specialized, and intended to help manage complex projects such as Aloha Stadium, the convention center, and other major redevelopment work. The committee then heard SB 3180, which would repeal the limit on temporary employment in a single position for two 89-day terms. Testimony included support from the Procurement Office, DOE, DHRD, the State Librarian in opposition, UPW written comments, HGA, the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii, and others. Discussion focused on whether the bill was needed to address abuse of repeated 89-day hires and whether it would affect recruitment and career pathways. Finally, SB 2137 would allow departments, divisions, and agencies to assume hiring and recruitment functions from DHRD under certain conditions. DHRD opposed the bill, saying existing law already allows delegation and that agency-level recruitment often lacks the expertise and staffing to do the work; UHPA supported it, and UPW submitted written support. In questioning, DHRD said it had reduced backlog and was now current on screening, while also offering programs like Operation Hire Hawaii for faster agency-led recruitment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have in there the managed care actuarial, the pharmacy specialty and non-specialty, the outpatient
• Okay, next tab, you'll see the managed care actuarial NDI.
• Next tab, you'll see the managed care actuarial NDI.
• This request is for a 6.5% increase based on actuarial rates.
• So you’ll see core cuts to that as well, in addition to an NDI for the actuarial increase.

Committee: House Budget

Summary: The committee resumed hearing the Department of Social Services’ Family Support Division budget request for FY 2027, with testimony from Director Mandy Adams, fiscal manager Jennifer Lovell, and other staff. Members reviewed core funding for FSD administration, income maintenance field staff, the call center, Medicaid renewal staffing, EBT, Summer EBT, refugee resettlement, the judgment payment related to EngagePoint, FAMIS/MEDES system maintenance, eligibility verification, and SNAP outreach. Several items were explained as core reductions due to one-time funding, changing match rates, or shifts in federal requirements, especially in light of HR1 implementation and Medicaid/SNAP renewal backlogs. The division emphasized using contract staff, technology upgrades, IVR improvements, and AI call summarization to reduce wait times, clear backlogs, and protect federal funding compliance. A large portion of the discussion focused on the call center and resource centers, including how calls are triaged, how outbound and inbound calls are handled, weekend IVR access, and whether county resource centers are publicized as alternatives. Members asked for more data on backlog volumes, call performance, and customer survey results. The division reported improved average wait times and said it is trying to shift Tier 1 questions to automated tools so staff can focus on more complex Tier 2 matters and interviews. Members also discussed the refugee resettlement line, with questions about why the state is again administering federal refugee support funds, how much of the appropriation will actually be spent in FY 2026 and FY 2027, and what oversight exists; staff said MoRA and its subrecipients will be monitored and that federal reporting and audits apply. The committee also spent considerable time on Summer EBT/Sun Bucks and TANF. Members questioned why some higher-income families might receive Summer EBT in CEP schools, whether the state can alter eligibility rules, and how the program is audited; staff said the criteria come from federal guidance and DESE, and that DSS will be audited later this spring. On TANF, members asked how the department and governor selected organizations and programs for funding, how much TANF was over-appropriated in FY 2026, and whether new additions would require offsets elsewhere. Staff explained that TANF spending is constrained by the block grant and carryover, that some items are mandated or prior-approved, and that new additions would require reductions elsewhere or later restrictions. The committee then recessed before finishing the TANF section, with no votes taken during the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• members from across the health care sector, as well as community partners, and works with WLE and an actuarial
• summarized in quarterly analytical reports posted publicly on the association's website by an independent actuarial
• summarized in quarterly analytical reports posted publicly on the association's website by an independent actuarial
• summarized in quarterly analytical reports posted publicly on the association's website by an independent actuarial
• summarized in quarterly analytical reports posted publicly on the association's website by an independent actuarial

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• They're in the form of valuation and station maps that would show the geometry of the track such that

Committees: House Agriculture , House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• They're in the form of valuation and station maps that would show the geometry of the track such that

Committee: House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2280, sponsored by Representative Nulte, but did not have a quorum. The bill would require the state land surveyor’s office to determine and publish the geometry of abandoned railroad rights-of-way so adjoining landowners and surveyors can identify ownership boundaries, with the work potentially contracted to private surveyors or engineers. Nulte said the measure is intended to address uncertainty over abandoned rail corridors, where the Surface Transportation Board is the entity that formally abandons rail lines, and noted the bill includes a sunset date in 2046 to spread out the work and reduce fiscal impact. Members asked about how abandonment is defined, how landowners would reclaim or survey former rail property, how the bill might affect rail-to-trail corridors such as the Katy Trail, and whether railroad fences or other remnants remain the railroad’s responsibility. Nulte said the bill is aimed at long-abandoned lines and that a committee substitute would likely add more detail on how the geometry would be reconstructed from historical maps and records. He also said title insurance and existing boundary records may help in some cases. The Missouri Railroad Association testified in opposition to the bill as drafted, saying the issue is more complicated than it appears because abandoned lines can involve reverted property, state-owned trail corridors, industrial sites, brownfields, and older records that may be proprietary or incomplete. The association said it was concerned about privacy, liability, and the burden of scrubbing historical ownership information from its files, and noted that Missouri’s rail network remains heavily used for freight and national defense shipments. No witnesses testified in favor, no votes were taken, and the hearing was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Claims and other agencies after the liabilities of the special fund are considered fully funded actuarially
• will go down. special fund are considered fully funded special fund are considered fully funded actuarially
• </c> actuarially in 2029. actuarially in 2029.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, gentle lady, within this area, one of the requirements in Senate Bill 376 is to submit actuarially
• Speaker, gentleman, that information is from a national actuarial firm's recommendations that were sent
• Can you tell me more about this actuarial firm? Who paid for this study?
• It's the Milliman actuarial firm that did the study. And Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:28:17.920><c> admr</c> revenues changes in town valuations admr revenues changes in town valuations
• </c><01:51:13.679><c> in</c> that gets divided over the valuation in that gets divided over the valuation
• , but also $400,000 valuation.
• , but also $400,000 valuation.
• , but also $400,000 valuation.

Committee: House Municipal and County Government

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe for last year we were mid-20s, 24 or 25, because of increased valuations primarily and expanded
• contributed to adding over $20 million to their property tax assessment from the original building valuations
• They go on to state that by putting value back into buildings and adding to the valuation of the building
• To the valuation of the building, it substantially increases the tax base to the city in the future.

Committee: Joint Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee

Summary: The Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee met with a quorum and approved the prior minutes. Staff reviewed the interim work schedule, noting that most assigned studies were complete and that the final meeting would be September 29, with remaining work focused on economic development tax incentives, the stripper well exemption, and property tax reform items such as the primary residence credit. The committee then took up a referral on political subdivision compliance with state law, especially reserve limits and levy calculations. State Auditor Josh Gallion explained the audit standards used for local governments, the state auditor’s limited authority to force compliance, and the practical challenges created by a shortage of auditors. He used Stark County and Mountrail County examples to show how reserve balances affect levy calculations, including Stark County’s 2023 general fund levy issue and Mountrail County’s zero-levy approach. Stark County Commission Chair Neil Messer defended his county’s decision to keep reserves for major projects and volatility in oil-related revenues, while acknowledging the county remained out of compliance with the 75% reserve rule. Committee members and staff discussed possible enforcement mechanisms, the role of county auditors, and whether the law should be changed to better fit current fiscal conditions. Linda from the Association of Counties and Matt Gardner from the League of Cities said both organizations have been heavily training local officials on the new tax cap and reserve rules. Linda said counties and cities are using standardized worksheets for the 3% cap and levy limitations, and suggested that an affidavit certifying compliance could be attached to levy submissions. She also clarified that the primary residence credit does not reduce mill levies; it only reduces the taxpayer’s bill. Gardner said city auditors receive required finance training and that his organization was unaware of current city reserve noncompliance. The committee did not take action on the issue and planned to revisit it at the September 29 meeting. The final portion of the meeting moved into a subcommittee report on the property tax statement, where Representative Headland introduced a bill draft to remove the legislative property tax relief line from the statement for further committee discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• But you mentioned that a company has to have a $1 trillion market valuation and 100 million users, or
• Francisco made an offer to PG&E in 2019 to purchase its assets, and it started the formal eminent domain valuation
• PG&E declined that, and that initiated the eminent domain valuation, but it will get a very significant
• payment from San Francisco to purchase the lines. ...valuation, but it will get a very significant payment

Summary: The committee heard several bills and took action on a number of them. SB 1234 by Senator Alvarado-Gil would require fentanyl to be included in drug tests ordered by juvenile courts for parents or guardians in dependency cases; there was no opposition, a committee member confirmed it would apply to caregivers rather than children, and the bill was supported for moving forward. SB 1257 by Senator Arreguín would require the Attorney General to publish an annual public report on immigration enforcement incidents at designated safe locations such as schools, hospitals, courthouses, and places of worship; supporters from immigrant advocacy and health groups testified about fear and chilling effects in communities, while questions focused on how data would be collected and concerns were raised about sanctuary policies. SB 1176 by Senator Choi would bar foreign adversary entities from buying California agricultural land; supporters cited national security concerns, but committee members pressed on enforcement, straw buyers, and who would be responsible for identifying prohibited purchasers, and the bill was held on a 2-4 vote after debate. The committee also heard SB 1146 by Senator Gonzalez, which would require clear disclosure when AI-generated or altered images, audio, or video are used in health-related advertisements depicting health care providers. The California Medical Association and California Dental Association supported the bill, describing deepfake health ads as deceptive and harmful; it passed the committee 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 988 by Senator Grayson would regulate auto glass insurance practices by restricting assignment of benefits, requiring claim numbers and itemized estimates, and addressing steering and billing practices; supporters said it would curb fraud and stabilize premiums, while independent glass businesses worried about steering and market concentration. After discussion of consumer choice and small-business impacts, the bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 1288, presented by Senator Grayson on behalf of Senator Laird, would require financial institutions to make a good-faith effort to notify beneficiaries of non-probate assets and would reduce barriers to claiming those assets, especially for nonprofits. Nonprofit witnesses described long delays and burdensome account-opening requirements, while SIFMA and bankers opposed the bill unless amended, citing conflicts with federal and industry obligations and concerns about retroactivity and verification. The bill passed 8-0 to call. The committee also heard SB 941 by Senator Padilla, which would cap commissary markups in private immigration detention facilities at 35% above vendor cost; the Attorney General’s office and immigrant advocates supported it as a response to exploitative pricing and poor conditions, and it passed 8-0 to call. Finally, SB 909 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas would raise and index public works contractor fees and penalties and dedicate more penalty revenue to enforcement; labor supporters said stronger funding is needed to address wage theft and backlogs, while contractors opposed the fee and penalty structure as uncapped and costly. The bill was moved forward on a vote and remained on call after committee discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• At this point, there are several dozen that have already received valuation notices for the '25 assessment
• that have there are several dozen that have already<01:08:03.039><c> received</c><01:08:03.520><c> valuation
• </c><01:08:04.000><c> notices</c><01:08:04.400><c> for</c> already received valuation notices for already
• received valuation notices for the<01:08:04.720><c> 25</c><01:08:05.119><c> assessment</c><01:08:05.920

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• I have not looked at the valuation component and the revenue that brings in for our municipalities.
• , but yes, all valuations are going up.
• but yes all all residential valuations but yes all all valuations<02:45:14.319><c> are</c><02:45:14.560
• Valuation is similar to Representative Run’s question.
• Valuation is similar to Representative Run’s question.

Summary: The meeting was a Ways and Means briefing opened by the vice chair, who introduced Jason Wong of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston to discuss the national and regional economy. Wong focused on inflation, asking why it had fallen from about 9% in 2022 to the 2%–3% range, and what that meant for monetary policy and the risk of an economic downturn. He said the Fed’s target is 2%, noted that recent PCE inflation was about 2.4% and core PCE about 2.7%, and described the ongoing debate over whether interest rates should stay tight or be lowered further to protect the labor market. Wong explained that the improvement in inflation has been driven largely by goods prices, especially durable goods such as cars, appliances, and furniture, as well as non-durable goods like food. He said supply-chain disruptions during the pandemic caused major price spikes in 2022, but those pressures have eased and many goods prices are now at or below the Fed’s target. He also referenced the New York Fed’s Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, saying it showed extreme pandemic-era disruptions that have since receded. The main remaining inflation problem, he said, is in services, especially housing. Wong broke services into rent of shelter and all other services, explaining that shelter is a large share of household budgets and that housing inflation has a lag because rent measures often reflect older lease terms rather than current market rents. He said monthly Zillow data suggest market rents have cooled and may eventually feed through to official inflation measures. Members asked several questions about the chart’s time scale, the treatment of real estate, property taxes, and utilities, and Wong clarified that housing costs are counted in services and that the slides would be shared digitally. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think the actuaries and underwriters would have a field day with it, which would ultimately be to the
• That the way the underwriters and actuaries look at this, it really is not in anybody's favor to have

Summary: The commission met to review its draft final report on continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), with most of the discussion focused on whether recommendations required unanimous consensus and how to handle disagreements in the report. Members agreed that consensus meant no stated opposition, and several participants argued that unresolved issues should still be described in the report rather than omitted. The chairs said the report would include agreed-upon recommendations, note areas without consensus, and preserve written comments or dissent letters submitted by members. The draft report’s findings and slides were reviewed charge by charge, including CCRC definitions, financial condition, entrance fee refunds, regulatory oversight, advertising practices, and closure/change-of-ownership procedures. Members suggested several factual and wording edits, including clarifying financial data sources, correcting a presenter’s name, refining language about entrance fee use and refund timing, and revising statements about Attorney General authority and CCRC advertising. There was also discussion about the need to distinguish nonprofit and for-profit CCRCs and to better explain how different care levels and licensing structures are described. On recommendations, the commission kept the proposal to advance the disclosure bill (S. 478) and update the consumer guide, but removed a recommendation for annual open board meetings after objections that it was inadequate. The group spent considerable time debating whether to recommend resident representation on CCRC boards, timely refund requirements for entrance fees, and possible state registration or definition changes for CCRCs, but no consensus was reached on those items. The chairs said the final report would be completed by the statutory August 1 deadline, with final written comments due before then and the report and meeting materials posted on the legislature website.

Transcript Highlights:

• The actuary does the stress test... The fund is pretty well funded right now.
• The actuary does the stress test every year, and I'm sure we can look up their latest report on that.

Bills: HB2438 , HB2422 , HB2525 , HB2586 , HB2337 , HB2311 , HB2286 , HB2324 , HB2363 , HB2098 , HB2088

Committee: House Postsecondary Education & Workforce

Keywords: education, scholarship, early childhood, funding, higher education, early education, support, degree seekers, private security, security guard, armed security guard, security company, licensing fees, license renewal, endorsement fee, fingerprints, background check, workforce retention, low-wage workers, public safety