Transcript Highlights:

• bipartisan author support in the Senate that would modify the first-come, first-served system into a lottery
• first<00:21:05.799><c> serve</c><00:21:06.080><c> into</c><00:21:06.280><c> a</c><00:21:06.400><c> lottery
• </c><00:21:06.840><c> system</c><00:21:07.240><c> so</c> first serve into a lottery system so first serve
• into a lottery system so everyone<00:21:07.679><c> has</c><00:21:07.840><c> a</c><00:21:07.960><c> fairer

Bills: HF2066 , HF340 , HF341 , HF566 , HF2107 , HF2130

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: electric bicycles, tax rebate, transportation, environment, local economy, fleeing peace officer, culpable negligence, traffic laws, public safety, motor vehicle offenses, driving violations, penalties, license suspension, traffic enforcement, all-terrain vehicle, ATV, class 1 ATV, class 2 ATV, road rights-of-way, public roads

Transcript Highlights:

• Oklahoma only has three limited exceptions for gambling: lottery, horse racing, and Class 3 tribal gaming

Bills: SB372 , SB1224 , SB1232 , SB1264 , SB1330 , SB1381 , SB1441 , SB1450 , SB1589 , SB1618 , SB1936 , SB1980 , SB2011 , SB2030

Committee: House Criminal Judiciary

Keywords: SB372, firearms, gun rights, lawful carry, concealed carry, open carry, handgun license, Oklahoma Self-Defense Act, weapons policy, gun law, school safety, private school, public school, college campus, university campus, technology center, courthouse, government buildings, municipal buildings, county courthouse

Transcript Highlights:

• Gambling Commission; Gubernatorial Appointment 9265, Brian Bennett, the director of the Washington Lottery

Bills: SB6248 , SB5976 , SB6079 , SB6250 , SB6257 , SB6289 , SB6230 , SB6312 , SB6149 , SGA9060 , SGA9169 , SGA9265 , SGA9266

Committee: Senate Business, Trade & Economic Development

Keywords: travel insurance, travel protection plan, travel assistance services, cancellation fee waiver, travel retailer, travel administrator, limited lines producer, insurance producer license, blanket travel insurance, trip cancellation, trip interruption, travel medical coverage, emergency evacuation, repatriation, inland marine, premium tax, consumer protection, unfair trade practice, insurance commissioner, Washington RCW

Transcript Highlights:

• Gambling Commission; gubernatorial appointment 9265, Brian Bennett, the director of the Washington Lottery

Summary: The Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee met in executive session on cutoff day and received staff briefings on several gubernatorial appointments and bills, including SB 6248 on travel insurance, SB 5976 on false subject lines in commercial emails, SB 6079 on a wildfire mitigation grant program, SB 6250 on small loan principal limits, SB 6257 on real estate appraiser trainee licensing tolling, SB 6289 on the Department of Commerce’s economic development strategic plan, SB 6230 on rounding cash transactions to eliminate pennies, and SB 6149 on the definition of rural counties. Staff also noted a new substitute for SB 6149 that narrowed the rural county definition and reduced the fiscal impact. The committee briefly paused for caucus before taking action. In executive session, the committee voted to recommend confirmation of gubernatorial appointments 9060 (Alicia Levy), 9169 (Michael Charles), 9265 (Brian Bennett), and 9266 (Noah Skartford), all subject to signatures. It then advanced SB 6248, SB 6079, SB 6250, SB 6257, SB 6289, SB 6230, and SB 6149, generally by adopting proposed substitutes and sending the bills to Rules, except SB 6079, which was sent to Ways and Means. SB 5976 was not considered. At the close of the meeting, the chair thanked members, stakeholders, and staff for their work during the short session and noted the committee had completed its agenda. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the director of the Idaho State Lottery.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Summary: The Senate State Affairs Committee met with a quorum, approved the January 28, 2026 minutes, and was informed that Governor Little had withdrawn the reappointment of Estella Zamora to the Idaho Commission on Human Rights, ending further committee action on that appointment. The committee then considered and approved a rules docket from the Idaho State Lottery (IDAPA 52.01.03), which the director said was largely a cleanup and simplification effort. He highlighted changes to improve transparency around parent-company ownership, clarify draw games, simplify bingo paper language, and remove outdated or redundant provisions; the rule package reduced the text substantially in word count, paragraphs, lines, and pages. The committee next heard RS 329-88-C-1 from Senator Brandon Shippey, which would grant Koenig Distillery a specialty liquor license allowing it to sell liquor by the drink from brands it owns. Shippey said the distillery is a small family business outside city limits, so it cannot obtain a quota-type city license and is at a competitive disadvantage compared with distilleries inside cities. He said the proposal was developed with input from ISP, Alcohol Beverage Control, and legislators who toured the facility, and noted similar allowances exist in neighboring states. The committee voted to send the RS to print. Senator Ben Adams then presented RS 331-34, a revised public lands proposal. He said the change adds language allowing the acquisition of new rights, describing it as a minor adjustment that addresses concerns without creating new objections. The committee voted to introduce the RS. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the director of the Idaho State Lottery.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• by a special commission, including members of the General Court, relative to the distribution of lottery

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several Rules Committee reports. Members adopted resolutions recognizing the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and approved multiple orders extending committee reporting deadlines for the Election Laws, Environment and Natural Resources, and Revenue committees. The House also concurred with Senate petitions and suspended Joint Rule 12 to send a number of new petitions to committees, including proposals on travel insurance, easements involving Eversource, early intervention services related to prenatal opioid exposure, retirement benefits, lottery revenue distribution, designating asparagus as the state vegetable, and a temporary emergency veterans assistance program. The chamber then advanced a series of local and individual bills, including measures on electronic scanning of identification, police age-limit waivers for named applicants in Boston and Haverhill, and a bill on contracting for digital replicas. These bills were read a second time and ordered to a third reading. Later, the House considered engrossed bills and passed several to be enacted, including a land conveyance in Wellesley, Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day, changes to the Fall River police chief appointment process, a Seekonk charter amendment, and authorization for Billerica to set an age limit for police officer appointments. The House also passed to be engrossed bills on DCR Title IX compliance and additional Boston police age-waiver bills, and enacted the Wellesley land conveyance bill. Members adopted an order to meet again Thursday at 11 a.m. and a special adjournment in memory of Arthur H. Tobin, a former Quincy legislator, mayor, and clerk magistrate. The House then adjourned to meet Thursday next at 11 a.m. in an informal session.

Transcript Highlights:

• by a special commission, including members of the General Court, relative to the distribution of lottery

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• same changes in section 700.02 and 800.02 regarding validity of tag for bighorn sheep auction and lottery
• The game management units 13 and 18 were added as potential hunting areas for auction and lottery tags

Summary: The committee heard three Idaho Department of Fish and Game rule dockets tied to the governor’s zero-based regulation process. The first docket updated licensing and tag rules, including a new non-resident draw framework for deer and elk, added turkey-related landowner hunt provisions, clarified disability certification and refunds, consolidated moved language, changed the acreage threshold for certain landowner hunts to 79 acres, and adjusted several controlled-hunt and special-tag provisions. The second docket was a repeal of a chapter that had been moved into the big game rules, and the committee approved both that repeal and the licensing docket without opposition. The bulk of the meeting focused on Docket 13-01-08-24-01, which revised big game hunting rules and included a major package of technology restrictions. Fish and Game staff explained that the changes came from a Hunting and Advanced Technology working group and public comment, and would prohibit or limit certain uses of smart optics, transmitting trail cameras, thermal imaging, night vision, drones, and aircraft in big game hunting, while carving out exceptions for some uses such as backcountry pilots and certain wolf-management activities. Staff also described related changes to archery, muzzleloader, electronic tagging, motorized hunting, bait, herd-health kill authorizations, and grizzly-bear bait reporting. Testimony was sharply divided: supporters said the rules protect fair chase, preserve hunting opportunity, and prevent technology from eroding hunting tradition; opponents argued the restrictions would hinder wolf control, create legal problems, and unfairly limit tools for predator hunters and landowners. After extensive testimony and questions, Senator Conowitz moved to adopt the big game docket except for the technology-related subsections on page 56, citing constitutional and statutory concerns. That substitute motion failed on a 4-5 roll call vote. The committee then voted on the full docket, but instead of taking final action, members ultimately moved to hold Docket 13-01-08-24-01 subject to call of the chair. The meeting ended without final approval or rejection of that docket.

Transcript Highlights:

• With that, tomorrow it looks like we have the occupation of professional licensing and the Idaho Lottery
• With that, tomorrow it looks like we have the occupation of professional licensing and the Idaho lottery

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first reviewed the Department of Water Resources budget. Analysts and Director Matthew Weaver explained the agency’s staffing, continuously appropriated funds, and the effect of ARPA and other one-time infrastructure dollars on the budget. Members asked about efforts to stabilize the Snake River Plain aquifer, the impact of budget holdbacks, groundwater monitoring, and the status of major recharge and conversion projects. Weaver and Water Resource Board Chairman Jeff Raybould said the state is working to reduce groundwater pumping, expand recharge, and build infrastructure to reach a long-term managed recharge goal of 350,000 acre-feet annually, with current recharge averaging about 251,000 acre-feet and capacity potentially exceeding 500,000 acre-feet in good water years. They also discussed project delays caused by permitting, federal land access, and coordination with multiple landowners, and said the $30 million infrastructure appropriation was fully obligated and largely spent. The committee also discussed water projects in other basins, including the Palouse Basin, Mountain Home, Elmore County, and the Bear River. Raybould said the board is considering a Bear River study to identify storage, recharge, and irrigation opportunities under the Bear River compact, and estimated that some future projects, such as a Moscow-area pump station and pipeline, could be very expensive. Members raised concerns about data centers, water quality in the Snake River Plain aquifer, and the role of private and local matching funds in water infrastructure. Weaver said data center water use is a public-interest issue that depends on scale and location, and that groundwater contamination issues are generally handled by the Department of Environmental Quality. The committee then heard the Soil and Water Conservation Commission presentation, which focused on the proposed merger/affiliation with the Department of Water Resources and on funding for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Weaver, serving as interim administrator, said a stakeholder review recommended moving the commission’s affiliation from Agriculture to Water Resources while preserving its current duties, nonregulatory mission, and resources. He said related legislation and a concurrent resolution would support that transition and allow time for further code review and a combined budget in 2027. Analysts also explained a supplemental and FY 2027 enhancement for CREP funding, noting that rising land values increased the state match needed for enrolled acres. Weaver said CREP can help reduce groundwater pumping, that about 11,000 of the 50,000-acre statewide cap are currently enrolled, and that full enrollment could significantly aid aquifer conservation. The committee adjourned after thanking the agencies and noting the next day’s agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• With that, tomorrow it looks like we have the occupation of professional licensing and the Idaho Lottery
• With that, tomorrow it looks like we have the occupation of professional licensing and the Idaho lottery

Summary: The committee first heard a budget presentation for the Department of Water Resources. Analysts explained the agency’s structure, continuously appropriated funds, and the large budget increases tied to ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds and the ongoing $30 million infrastructure appropriation. Director Matthew Weaver and Water Resource Board Chairman Jeff Raybould described the department’s role in managing water rights, aquifer recharge, stream gauges, groundwater monitoring, and major projects in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA), the Palouse area, Mountain Home, and the Bear River basin. Members asked about aquifer stabilization, the impact of budget holdbacks on field work and monitoring, water quality concerns, project delays caused by easements and federal coordination, and the effect of data centers on water use. Weaver said reductions are being managed through cuts to travel, training, maintenance, and some stream gauge funding, and that the department is working toward a long-term goal of stabilizing the ESPA through reduced pumping, increased recharge, and expanded management areas. Chairman Raybould and Director Weaver also discussed the use of the prior $30 million appropriation, saying it has been fully obligated for recharge, conversion from groundwater to surface water irrigation, telemetry, and related projects. They said the next $30 million would likely support additional ESPA work, a Bear River study, and other emerging needs, but that major projects can take years because of engineering, landowner, state, and federal coordination. Questions also covered recharge capacity, the current average recharge level, and whether the state could reach a 350,000 acre-foot annual recharge goal; the witnesses said current infrastructure could handle well over 500,000 acre-feet in a good year, but more capacity is needed. The committee also discussed private and local matching funds for aging irrigation infrastructure and the role of groundwater quality monitoring, with Weaver noting that contamination issues are referred to the Department of Environmental Quality. The committee then moved to the Soil and Water Conservation Commission budget. Analysts said the agency’s budget is driven largely by one-time water quality appropriations in recent years and a small ongoing base, with a supplemental and enhancement request tied to CREP funding. Weaver, serving as interim administrator, and two commissioners explained that the commission supports local conservation districts and that a stakeholder process led by the Langdon Group recommended merging the commission with the Department of Water Resources. Weaver said the merger would preserve the commission’s non-regulatory, locally led mission while creating administrative efficiencies, and that related legislation and a concurrent resolution are moving through the Legislature. Members asked about CREP data, acreage, and water savings; Weaver said the program is a voluntary federal-state partnership, mainly in southern Idaho and parts of the eastern Snake Plain, with about 11,000 acres enrolled out of a 50,000-acre cap. He said a fully utilized CREP program could significantly reduce groundwater diversions, and the committee adjourned after discussing the historical shift from soil conservation toward water conservation priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:10:52.159><c> as</c><01:10:52.400><c> we</c> the first in the nation lottery as we the first
• in the nation lottery as we all<01:10:52.719><c> know.
• </c><01:11:04.159><c> with</c><01:11:04.320><c> the</c> has been providing lottery with the has been
• providing lottery with the gaming<01:11:04.960><c> system</c><01:11:05.440><c> back</c><01:11:05.679>
• with its retail training portal and cloud-based learning system to simplify the online lottery system

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you guys checking for that in regards to the lottery process or the licensing process?
• </c><01:53:51.119><c> process</c><01:53:51.599><c> or</c> &gt;&gt; in regards to the the lottery process
• or &gt;&gt; in regards to the the lottery process or the<01:53:52.080><c> the</c><01:53:52.239><c> the
• They came in dur before<01:53:56.400><c> the</c><01:53:56.639><c> lottery</c><01:53:57.119><c> process
• stood up, multiple companies used one address for the lottery.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then approved an agency amendment to a health and family services regulation. The amendment reversed a prior change so that neonatal ICU beds would remain subject to regular review rather than nonsubstantive review. The remaining administrative regulations were then reviewed without objection. The main presentation was from State Auditor Allison Ball on a report finding $836 million in concurrent Medicaid capitation payments from 2019 through 2022, involving individuals enrolled in Kentucky and at least one other state. Ball said Kentucky relied on the PARIS system, which has limitations because it is updated quarterly and depends on voluntary state participation, while a better federal data source, T-MSIS, was not fully available to the state. She said the audit found weak internal controls, siloed processes, outdated guidance, and a low-priority attitude toward residency checks, all of which contributed to missed alerts and improper payments. She also said the report identified additional problems, including payments made after beneficiaries died and cases involving multiple states paying for the same person. Ball recommended better access to federal data, stronger MCO contract provisions, and more active oversight by the Department for Medicaid Services and managed care organizations. She said the contracts reviewed did not provide a clear way to recoup the improper payments, though she and her counsel suggested possible equitable legal theories might be explored. Members expressed concern about the scale of the waste and the lack of contract enforcement, and asked whether any money could be recovered. Ball said the audit did not identify a clear contractual path to recoup the funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• Having the right for the people to vote—should we have a lottery or not?
• Having the right for the people to vote—should we have a lottery or not?
• Having the right for the people to vote—should we have a lottery or not?

Bills: HB541 , HB541

Committee: Senate State Governmental Affairs

Keywords: PFAS, drinking water, public health, environmental management, liability, primary elections, party registration, party affiliation, open primary, closed primary, runoff election, crossover voting, voter registration, Secretary of State, absentee ballot, polling place signage, election integrity, political party, Democrat, Republican

Transcript Highlights:

• is another governor's proposal that would allow carryover of gambling treatment funding from the lottery
• Lines 593 is a governor's proposal from DCT that exempts DCT facilities from security X-ray machine requirements
• exempts DCT facilities from security exempts DCT facilities from security x-ray<01:18:58.480><c> machine
• 59.560><c> and</c><01:18:59.680><c> is</c><01:18:59.800><c> a</c><01:18:59.840><c> zero</c> x-ray machine
• requirements and is a zero x-ray machine requirements and is a zero cost<01:19:00.320><c> proposal.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you thinking a lottery system? Thank you for the question.
• So I would prefer to allow the districts to either have a first-in, first-out or a lottery process, where
• </c> navigated are you thinking a lottery navigated are you thinking a lottery system<03:12:00.560><c
• system um either to to have a lottery system um either to pick<03:12:10.160><c> one</c><03:12:10.279
• </c><03:12:24.000><c> process</c> first in first out or a lottery process first in first out or a lottery

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 129, which would redefine “evidence-based” in public education to require objective, science-based evidence for pedagogical methods. The prime sponsor said the bill is a verbatim reintroduction from the prior session and argued that current federal definitions are too vague, allowing subjective surveys and other weak evidence to justify teaching methods. He said the bill is limited to pedagogy, not subject matter, and is intended to improve student outcomes, reduce fad-driven practices, and potentially save money by limiting unnecessary retraining and new materials. Members asked repeatedly about the bill’s scope, including whether it would affect classroom teachers, curriculum content, and existing instructional approaches such as phonics versus whole language or queuing. The sponsor said the bill applies to state and local education bodies and educator training policies, not individual teachers in their classrooms, and that teachers would retain flexibility. He also said standardized testing could be part of a scientific study but is not itself a study, and that textbook providers could be asked to furnish the studies supporting instructional guidance included in their materials. Several members raised concerns about the fiscal note and possible cost shifts to local districts and taxpayers. The sponsor disputed the idea that the bill would necessarily create major new costs or require additional staff, saying any costs would likely be limited and that the department is already applying federal evidence-based rules. He also said if some current methods are not science-based, updating them would be justified even if there were some initial expense. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• You can go online if you just Google New Hampshire Lottery sports betting revenue.
• I can tell you for the lottery tickets that the Mega Bucks is the one with the best odds.
• That’s the best way I can explain it. can I can tell you for the lottery can I can tell you for the lottery
• Yeah, and we'll hear from the director of the Lottery. Good afternoon, Mr.
• You can buy a lottery ticket at 18.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee received an overview from Chris of the Legislative Budget Assistance Office on how it will estimate unrestricted revenues for the General Fund, Education Trust Fund, Highway Fund, and Fish and Game Fund. He explained that the committee’s work is based on current law, not pending bills, and that the estimates will feed into a House resolution and an amendment to House Bill 1, the operating budget. He also described the broader budget process, including how House and Senate estimates are reconciled, how surplus statements account for revenue changes from enacted bills, and how a committee of conference could resolve differences later in the session. No votes were taken. Members then asked about why the Education Trust Fund was running below plan. Chris said the shortfall appeared to be driven largely by business taxes, including differences in the BET/BPT split and improved tax-processing systems that better track where business tax payments belong. Representative Orr also asked about tobacco tax collections and out-of-state sales; Chris said tobacco revenue was likely overestimated in 2023 based on COVID-era patterns, with more people smoking at home, and noted that e-cigarette tax revenue goes to the General Fund while cigarette taxes are split between the General Fund and Education Trust Fund. He said he did not have a specific estimate for cross-border sales. Commissioner Lindsay St. Pierre of the Department of Revenue then began a deeper dive into the department’s role and the taxes it administers. She reviewed the department’s mission, organizational structure, taxpayer services, and the tax policy and legislative analysis staff who prepare fiscal notes and testify on bills. She noted that the department administers about $2.9 billion in revenue across major taxes such as business taxes, meals and rooms, and utility property tax, and that the figures being discussed were preliminary because the annual report had not yet been issued. The discussion was informational only, with no formal action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• by a special commission, including members of the General Court, relative to the distribution of lottery

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House convened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several Committee on Rules reports and related procedural orders. Members adopted a resolution recognizing the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The House also adopted multiple orders extending committee reporting deadlines, including for the Election Laws, Environment and Natural Resources, and Revenue committees, and concurred in Senate petitions after suspending Joint Rule 12 for several matters. The chamber then advanced a series of local and House bills. After suspending Rule 7A, the House ordered several bills to a third reading, including measures on electronic scanning of identifications, police age-limit waivers or civil service eligibility for named individuals in Boston and Haverhill, and a bill on the contracting of digital replicas. Later, the House passed to be engrossed bills including a Department of Conservation and Recreation Title IX compliance bill and additional police-related local bills, and passed to be enacted a land conveyance bill for Wellesley and other enacted measures such as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day, a Fall River police chief appointment bill, a Seekonk charter amendment, and a Billerica police age-limit bill. The House also adopted an order for a joint convention with the Senate to receive the Governor’s communication on January 22, 2026. At the end of the session, members adopted an order to meet again Thursday at 11 a.m. and a special adjournment in memory of Arthur H. Tobin, former Quincy legislator, mayor, and clerk magistrate. The House then adjourned to meet Thursday next at 11 a.m. in an informal session.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're talking about lottery contracts, repealing tax credits for education, repealing charitable tax

Committee: House Government Efficiency

Summary: The Committee on Government Efficiency held a public hearing on Senate Bill 889, sponsored by Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a cleanup bill aimed at repealing obsolete or superseded statutory references rather than making broad substantive changes. Coleman explained that the bill was compiled from legislative research materials identifying outdated provisions and said the only substantive policy item she wanted to highlight was the repeal of a school corporal punishment statute, which she described as outdated and oddly written. She also emphasized that the bill would not alter existing tax credit programs or create new ones. Committee members asked about possible single-subject concerns, the scope of the repeals, and whether any provisions being removed might still be useful or relied upon. Coleman said she did not believe the bill raised single-subject problems, that the repealed provisions had generally been dormant for years or decades, and that many were already superseded elsewhere in law. Representative Burton expressed concern that some provisions, including education-related items and tax credits, might be worth keeping if they are still useful, and said she would like to review specific sections further. Representative Smith asked whether any repealed statutes were still referenced elsewhere in Missouri law; Coleman responded that many of the changes were simply removing missed cross-references from prior legislation. No witnesses testified in favor, opposition, or for informational purposes. After questions concluded, the chair closed the hearing on SB 889 without any vote or further action taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're talking about lottery contracts, repealing tax credits for education, repealing charitable tax

Committee: House Government Efficiency

Keywords: 959, house, all