Transcript Highlights:

• We also report those fees in our annual financial report.
• report on page 6.
• We're going to simplify the reporting contracts to make it more efficient for agencies to report contracts
• of reports, reports that we have.
• . efficiently and get services to school districts more efficiently.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 5173 by Dean, relating to the annual reports of the adoption of title insurance premium rates, is
• HB5355 by Leisure pertains to the information report of prosecutions.
• HB5433 by PLISA relates to limitations on the information reported by consumer reporting agencies and
• to the Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency.
• HB5479 relates to energy efficiency goals and programs for the Committee on State Affairs.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Through their energy efficiency programs.
• It amends the Efficient Use of Energy Act.
• Right now, each customer within the energy efficiency, Now, each customer within the energy efficiency
• And a lot of these energy efficiency programs do just that, right—efficient HVAC systems, mini splits
• Energy efficiency programs.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because it's less fuel-efficient than your Prius.
• Because it's less fuel efficient than your Prius.
• It'll be very difficult to be as efficient as the gas tax.
• So that report came out in December, and the following...
• Customers use that to report an odometer capture process when they first... ...report an odometer capture

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee first took up three highway naming resolutions on its consent calendar: ACR 109, SCR 78, and SCR 90. The committee approved the consent calendar with 11 aye votes and no no votes, then adjourned the bill-hearing portion. Members also recognized committee science fellow AJ Mendeola for his service, noting his contributions to bill analysis and staff support. The committee then held an informational hearing on alternatives to the gas tax, focused on the projected decline in fuel-tax revenue and the need for a more sustainable transportation funding model. The chair and invited experts described how inflation, improved fuel efficiency, and growth in electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles are eroding gas-tax revenues. Presenters from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the University of California discussed state options such as higher or indexed gas taxes, EV registration fees, road usage charges, delivery fees, public EV charging fees, transportation network company fees, and managed lanes, emphasizing tradeoffs among revenue adequacy, fairness, administrative cost, and public acceptance. Committee members raised concerns that mileage-based fees or EV fees could function as new taxes on commuters and lower-income drivers, especially if the gas tax is not repealed. Presenters responded that road usage charges are generally intended as replacements for the gas tax, not additions, and argued that mileage-based systems better preserve the user-pays principle while being less tied to vehicle fuel efficiency. They also noted that flat EV registration fees are easy to administer but can be less equitable because they are not linked to actual road use. Officials from Hawaii, Utah, and Oregon described their state programs and policy choices. Hawaii said its new road usage charge began July 1, 2025, for EVs, offers a choice between a per-mile charge and a flat annual fee through 2028, and will transition to mandatory EV participation before expanding to all light-duty vehicles by 2033. Utah described its voluntary EV road usage charge program, quarterly reporting, privacy protections, and legislative scenarios for removing the cap or making participation mandatory. Oregon outlined its constitutional cost-responsibility framework and broader transportation funding challenges, including reliance on user fees and limited use of general-fund support.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll talk with the chair and the vice chair, and we'll report back to the committee on an efficiency
• And the vice chair, and we'll report back to the committee on an efficiency we gained without going through
• Unless you wanted a report on success rate or percentage. ...a report on success rate or percentages.
• rate reports, quarterly jury utilization reports, and monthly budget status reports.
• Where the efficiency issues are, we can include that in our report, and moving forward, the other stuff

Summary: The task force reviewed survey results from state agencies on potential statutory revisions, with Levi reporting 70 proposals from 20 agencies and noting that about 33 might become agency pre-file bills. Members discussed the need to share the survey more broadly within higher education and to better coordinate issues involving IT and other cross-agency functions. The task force then heard from the Office of Management and Budget on three topics: concessions, architect/engineering pre-qualification, and legal notices. OMB said the concessions law is outdated and inconsistent with current practice, and suggested a collaborative rewrite to allow best-value evaluation, raise the threshold, and standardize solicitation templates. On architect/engineering pre-qualification, OMB proposed expanding authority beyond current state-agency limits and creating uniform templates. On legal notices, OMB proposed modernizing publication requirements, exploring online and abbreviated notices, and working with newspapers and other stakeholders on technology and accessibility improvements. Members asked about where concession revenues go, whether political subdivisions must follow the same rules, and how to move from discussion to action. The task force agreed to have OMB work with Legislative Council and affected stakeholders to develop bill drafts, and the motion passed unanimously. The University of North Dakota then presented a series of proposed revisions focused on public buildings and procurement. UND asked to rework the definition of construction so routine maintenance and one-for-one replacements over $250,000 would not automatically trigger public-improvement requirements, suggested raising the threshold to $500,000, and asked for more flexibility based on project complexity and risk. UND also proposed changes to public bid advertisements to reflect electronic bidding, revisions to construction manager-at-risk selection criteria, changes to architect/engineer procurement rules, an increase in the direct-hire design threshold, and a higher legislative-consent threshold for privately funded projects. The task force supported having UND work with counsel and OMB to develop bill drafts, and that motion also passed. The Department of Public Instruction concluded with proposed cleanup to credentialing and education statutes. DPI recommended reviewing its credential categories for relevance, possibly transferring credentialing authority to the Education Standards and Practices Board, removing outdated school safety patrol language, clarifying waiver provisions, and updating dyslexia screening reporting requirements so the statute reflects current practice. Members focused mainly on whether the dyslexia reporting requirement should remain, and DPI said the screening itself would continue even if reporting language were revised. No votes were taken on DPI’s suggestions, and the task force recessed after the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• House File 4543 does not create any new reporting mandate. It does not expand prevailing wage law.
• <00:02:35.360> It<00:02:35.599> also efficient for everyone involved.
• It also efficient for everyone involved. It also strengthens<00:02:36.400> oversight.
• efficiencies if they choose to. efficiencies if they choose to.
• <00:16:06.639> to can do things uh more efficiently to can do things uh more efficiently to

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for the report.
• How can this be more efficient?
• How can this be more efficient?
• Their efficiency head and the governor's efficiency head are pretty much the same person.
• And they use Brent prices in their report.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Leadership Division of the Budget Section approved the prior meeting minutes and then received an update from Senator Jonathan Sickler on the Cash Management Board’s interim work under House Bill 1278. He said the board has reviewed state cash, investments, and liquidity across agencies and concluded the state’s overall mix of long-term and short-term assets is appropriate, with about $35 billion in total liquid assets and investments and roughly 89% in longer-term investments. He highlighted process improvements already underway, including replacing more than 500 six-month CDs with a special-rate savings account to reduce administrative work, and said the board sees opportunities to improve forecasting, automation, and statewide coordination. Members asked about whether the CD change would increase returns, how the Legacy Fund transfer for the homestead tax relief bill affected earnings, and whether more state cash could be consolidated or better managed through BND; Sickler and BND staff said those issues are being studied and may lead to legislation for the 2027 session. Representative Nathan Toman then updated the committee on the Task Force on Government Efficiency. He said the group has focused less on cutting dollars and more on defining metrics and asking how the legislature knows whether programs are working. The task force is pushing a standard set of questions for new or expanding programs—who is affected, expected outcomes, alternatives, how success will be measured, and full funding—and OMB has agreed to require those answers in future budget requests. Members discussed possible use of dashboards, program evaluators, AI tools, and possible rule or statutory changes to require performance measurement. Toman said the task force will continue meeting with agencies such as the courts, university system, auditor, HHS, Commerce, and ITD to identify workflow bottlenecks and potential efficiencies. Phil Davis of Job Service North Dakota gave a workforce update, reporting that North Dakota’s unemployment rate is 2.5% and labor force participation is about 68.7%, both well above national performance. He described Job Service’s 15 workforce programs, including H-2A housing inspections for foreign agricultural workers, the job placement partnership program with DOCR, WOTC, and other federal and state workforce efforts. Davis said the agency served more than 11,000 individuals in 2025, operates nine workforce centers, and tracks outcomes through quarterly and annual reporting. In response to questions, he said job openings data reflect only positions in the system and may understate actual hiring needs, that child care and other assistance programs could be better tied to employment outcomes, and that the DOCR partnership has shown strong results with lower recidivism and higher earnings. He also said the H-2A inspection workload is growing quickly and additional staffing or less frequent federal inspection requirements could help. Allen Knutson then presented S&P Global’s updated revenue forecast. He said oil prices have risen sharply since the prior month’s outlook, improving the state’s near-term revenue picture, though the economy remains volatile and agriculture is facing weaker commodity prices. Based on the updated forecast, total major tax revenues for the current biennium are projected to be about $89 million above the legislative forecast, and the next biennium could be about $500 million higher, though that estimate is preliminary and may change. He also walked through an alternate oil-price scenario showing significantly higher oil and gas collections and a larger Strategic Investment Fund balance if prices remain elevated. Members asked whether another forecast should be requested once oil markets stabilize and about tribal allocation changes in the alternative scenario; Knutson said additional updates are possible through OMB and future forecast cycles.

Transcript Highlights:

• to make judgments about efficiency.
• make judgments about efficiency.
• as enterprises with a focus on operational efficiencies.
• So that concludes with my report. Report. ...have delivered to date.
• , efficiencies, transparencies, accountabilities.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education met to hear two presentations focused on the state university system: an update from the Board of Governors on performance-based funding and a state university efficiency study from Ben Watkins of the Division of Bond Finance. Chair Harrell emphasized accountability, maintaining Florida’s top-ranked higher education system, and getting the best return on state investment. A quorum was present, with several senators excused and one arriving later in the meeting. Sarah Donaghi outlined changes to the performance-based funding model. She said the current model will be used for 2026-27 funding, with only minor benchmark changes for metrics tied to programs of strategic emphasis, reflecting a statutory review that reduced the list of designated programs from about 800 to about 200. She also described a new “PBF 2.0” framework approved by the Board of Governors for implementation in 2027-28 funding, which will combine excellence and improvement measures, update benchmarks to the SUS 2030 strategic plan, reduce “layups” where many schools score perfect tens, expand the affordability metric to include students without loans, remove SUS transfer students from certain graduation metrics, and create a new transfer-student outcome metric. The board will run the new model alongside the current one before using it for funding, and no funding changes will occur this year. Watkins presented findings from an eight-month efficiency study ordered by executive order. Using audited financial data, student outcome data, and personnel data, he concluded that Florida’s universities provide strong value because of low tuition, rising degree production, and improved job placement and earnings outcomes. He said tuition remains the lowest in the country and that state support has increased, while per-student spending has also risen, driven largely by payroll costs. He argued that universities should operate more like business enterprises, with more granular budgeting, clearer financial reporting, and efficiency metrics such as operating expense per student and cost per degree, and he recommended that such measures be incorporated into performance funding and board oversight. Committee members asked about national comparisons, data transparency, payroll growth, admissions selectivity, and whether legislation should require more detailed institutional reporting. The meeting ended with no public comment and adjournment after Senator Bracey Davis moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll talk with the chair and the vice chair, and we'll report back to the committee on an efficiency
• Do we need to give the annual reports?
• Unless you wanted a report on success rate or percentage. A report on success rate or percentages.
• rate reports, quarterly jury utilization reports, and monthly budget status reports.
• Where the efficiency issues are, we can include that in our report and moving forward for the other stuff

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's because of increased fuel efficiency.
• So the takeaway from this report is clear.
• And thank you for our yearly report. Mr.
• Monifos Kelly for presenting the TRIP report.
• So are these three projects in this report? Mr.

Keywords: 996, all

Summary: The committee first heard TRIP’s annual New Mexico transportation report from Carolyn Boniface Kelly, which described deteriorating roads and bridges, congestion, safety concerns, and a large transportation funding gap. The report said more than half of major roads statewide are in poor or mediocre condition, over 170 bridges are rated poor, congestion costs drivers significant time and money, and traffic crashes and road conditions impose billions in annual costs. Members broadly agreed the report underscored the need for more stable transportation funding, with several noting the state’s recurring underinvestment and the safety risks to motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2, a transportation bonding and revenue package. Senator Gonzales and Governor’s office and NMDOT representatives said the bill would authorize about $1.5 billion in additional bond debt for ready-to-go highway projects, while also increasing certain motor vehicle excise, registration, weight-distance, and EV-related fees to help support debt service and transportation funding. Supporters, including contractors, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber, the Department of Finance and Administration, and transportation officials, argued the bill would improve safety, economic development, project delivery, and funding stability, and help preserve federal dollars. Opponents, including the Rio Grande Foundation and some committee members, objected to the tax and fee increases, argued the state should use existing surpluses or other funds instead, and raised concerns about impacts on families, businesses, and local governments. Committee members questioned how projects would be selected, how the new fees were calculated, how EV surcharges would work, and whether local government distributions would be affected. NMDOT said the projects would be reported to the legislature annually, selected using crash data, asset management, and project readiness, but bond approval would remain with the State Transportation Commission. After debate, Representative Romero moved do pass on SB 2 as amended, Representative Hochman-Vigil seconded, and the committee approved the bill 7-2, with Representatives Brown and Dow voting no and several members expressing reservations despite supporting the need for transportation investment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Importantly, our report only examines opportunities to improve the efficiency and certainty of our permitting
• Importantly, our report only examines opportunities to improve the efficiency and certainty of our permitting
• website uh there's also a summary report website uh there's also a summary report as<00:06:59.319
• <00:23:51.880> um<00:23:52.720> uh efficiency report that tries to um uh efficiency
• Key items are making the MPCA issue its permitting efficiency report twice per year instead of just the

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 2, permitting efficiency, uh, this section deals with permitting efficiency key items.
• Section 2, permitting efficiency, uh, this section deals with permitting efficiency key items.
• Making the MPCA issue its permitting efficiency report two times per year instead of one time per year
• Making the MPCA issue its permitting efficiency report two times per year instead of one time per year
• Bullet point one: making the MPCA issue its permitting efficiency report two times per year instead of

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the January 21, 2025 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Minnesota Chamber Foundation on its report about Minnesota’s environmental permitting system. The presenters said the report was based on research by Barr Engineering and the Policy Navigation Group and argued that permitting delays can discourage investment and make Minnesota less competitive for manufacturing, mining, energy, clean tech, and other industrial projects. They highlighted that Tier 1 permits are generally issued quickly, but Tier 2 air and water permits often take much longer than the state’s 150-day goal, with some median timelines ranging from 419 to 771 days for Tier 2 air permits and similar delays for industrial water permits. The report also said Minnesota’s permit timelines were longer than peer states and estimated that reducing delays could increase annual output by $260 million to $910 million and support 960 to 3,400 additional full-time-equivalent jobs per year. Committee members asked about which businesses fall under Tier 2 permits, the economic impact of permitting delays, and whether the Chamber had discussed the report with the governor or MPCA. The presenters said Tier 2 permits typically involve higher-emitting facilities such as manufacturing, utilities, mining, and other industrial operations, and that the economic estimates were based on modeling rather than exact lost-job counts. They also noted that the governor had been briefed and that MPCA had been invited to the hearing but did not attend. The committee then took up House File 8, which Chair Heintzeman said is intended to improve permitting efficiency while maintaining environmental standards. He described provisions that would reduce the number of 60-day wetland application extensions, require MPCA to issue permitting efficiency reports twice a year, break out data on missed timelines by municipal versus industrial applicants, treat failure to meet the 150-day Tier 2 deadline as a final action subject to judicial review, and require quicker notice when applications are incomplete. He also outlined sections that would allow separate construction and operating permits, expand expedited permitting, and change environmental assessment worksheet petition rules. The bill was moved to be re-referred to the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, and the discussion began, but the transcript ends before any final vote on the bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kantrud, Hubinger, we've got the efficiency report, and it's something that I was told about when I was
• Is that quantifiable efficiency amount that you have in the report something that we can translate into
• gap report.
• KH, I was going to try, but I just wanted to clarify too that the efficiency reports—that was something
• KH, I was going to try, but I just wanted to clarify too that the efficiency reports—that was something

Bills: HF1167, HF1242

Keywords: Northern Lights Express, NLX, Minneapolis-Duluth rail, passenger rail, intercity passenger rail, high-speed rail, Duluth, Minneapolis, MnDOT, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Council, transportation funding, rail appropriation, general fund, trunk highway fund, rail project cancellation, infrastructure spending, commercial driver training, CDL, financial assistance

Transcript Highlights:

• . efficiency and productivity.
• back and report back.
• and collective performance reports.
• It's not about efficiency.
• run more efficiently.

Keywords: Social Security, Medicaid, Frank Bisignano, Elon Musk, benefit processing, office closures, public testimony, administration policies, health care, vulnerable populations

Summary: The committee meeting focused heavily on the nomination of Frank Bisignano as the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, with intense discussions around the current state of Social Security and its management under the current administration. Members voiced significant concerns regarding potential changes to Social Security and Medicaid, specifically addressing issues such as office closures, delays in benefit processing, and the perceived policies from Elon Musk's association with the administration. Public testimonies highlighted fears that these changes would severely impact the accessibility of benefits for seniors and vulnerable individuals, resulting in a chaotic environment at the SSA. Members expressed a unified opposition to the notion of dismantling these critical programs, emphasizing the long-term implications on their constituents' well-being.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is creating that efficiency that efficiency uh and small tweaks to the process.
• So this is creating that<00:04:51.520> efficiency that efficiency that efficiency uh<00:04:53.680
• incorporate the report recommendations. incorporate the report recommendations.
• The report referenced air program.
• <01:02:46.960> And on efficiency and streamlining. And on efficiency and streamlining.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So who does the, like, who monitors the efficiencies right now?
• a government efficiency type function.
• Thank you for that very efficient close.
• Members show that H.B. 1475 reported favorably. Congratulations. H.B. 575 reported favorably.
• So that CSHB 29 has reported favorably.

Summary: The Government Operations Subcommittee heard several measures focused on government structure, oversight, and public policy designations. The most debated bill was HJR 1325, which proposed a constitutional amendment to create a statewide Commissioner of Government Efficiency, abolish the lieutenant governor office and the Government Efficiency Task Force, and eliminate the constitutional requirement for an Auditor General appointment. Sponsors said the new commissioner would be a watchdog over waste, fraud, and abuse across state and local government, while opponents raised concerns about cost, single-subject issues, lack of implementation details, and whether existing oversight structures were sufficient. After extensive debate, the resolution was reported favorably by a recorded vote. The committee also approved HB 575, which redesignates the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in Florida statute, and HB 1445, which requires certain state officials and agency heads to have stronger ties to Florida and, for some positions, to live in the county where their agency headquarters is located. HB 1445 drew questions about practicality and whether a proximity standard would be better than a strict county requirement, but the sponsor said he would continue working on that issue. Both bills were reported favorably, with HB 1445 passing unanimously. In addition, the committee unanimously approved HB 259, designating August 21 as Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day, with supporters emphasizing the need for public education about fentanyl overdoses. The committee also passed CS/HB 29, the public records and meetings bill linked to the social work licensure compact, which creates confidentiality and meeting exemptions needed for the compact to operate. Public testimony on that measure was supportive, and it too was reported favorably without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• So let's take it back to the report itself, the Auditor General's report. Thank you, Mr.
• But I'd like to address the substance of the report.
• We have had that vacancy for as long as on the report.
• We have had that vacancy for as long as on the report.
• They are efficiencies that have already been gained.

Summary: The subcommittee first heard a lengthy Auditor General presentation on the Department of Management Services’ fleet management operations. The audit found major problems with oversight, recordkeeping, policies, fee-setting, purchase and disposal approvals, public auction controls, and FleetWave system access and processing. Key findings included that 2,279 vehicles valued at more than $57 million could not be matched between FleetWave and FLAIR, disposal records were missing or incomplete, user access remained active long after employees separated, and the department had not documented a reasonable basis for its $1.75 per-vehicle monthly fee. Members expressed strong concern about the accuracy of the state’s fleet inventory and the risk of waste or misuse. DMS Secretary Allende said the department concurred with the findings, was working with the Auditor General, and planned corrective actions, including better training, clearer guidance, improved reconciliation, and possible centralization or pilot programs for fleet purchasing and management. The committee then returned to vacancy discussions with several agencies. The Division of Administrative Hearings said its two long-vacant judges of compensation claims positions had been hard to fill because of low pay and short reappointment terms, but the chief judge said the division could operate without them and offered those positions up as part of a reduction exercise. The Public Service Commission reported 42 vacancies but said statutory deadlines were still being met, though staff workloads and depth of analysis were affected. The commission also said vacancies help it manage salaries within its trust-fund budget. Members questioned whether some of those positions were truly needed given the lack of delays. The Florida Gaming Control Commission reported 29 vacancies, including a vacant chair that prevented appointment of an inspector general, and said the chair vacancy was a gubernatorial appointment issue. The acting executive director also said the commission’s compulsive gambling prevention program had lapsed after no responsive bids were received for a new contract, but an invitation to negotiate was nearly complete and a new provider was expected soon. The Public Employee Relations Commission reported that its caseload had more than doubled after Senate Bill 256, which increased union recertification work; it said it was meeting deadlines only with overtime and that the workload had not fallen despite decertifications. Members asked for follow-up data on union cases, vacancy needs, and whether some positions across agencies could be reallocated to better match workload.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the DNR outdoor recreation endorsement report and MPCA on annual permitting efficiency report
• and MPCA on annual permitting efficiency and MPCA on annual permitting efficiency report<00:01:55.520
• uh to the permitting efficiency report. uh to the permitting efficiency report. uh<01:03:25.200>
• with our annual permitting efficiency with our annual permitting efficiency report.<01:13:06.159
• efficiency report as well. efficiency report as well.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Highway to the Committee on Transportation HB 1709 by Capri Leone relating to the regulation and reporting
• HB 1841 by Gehan relating to the reporting of child abuse or neglect.
• programs for the Committee on Delivery and government efficiency.
• Refer to the Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency.
• Refer the Committee on Delivery of government efficiency.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, this is about efficiency, right?
• and measurements of efficiency.
• Efficiency is something they have to do to get by.
• Our school districts are having to report.
• And that's efficiency.