Transcript Highlights:

• We'll have the identity of the plate with the person. And then they'll be changing the vision.
• To begin with, on page three of your document.
• On page four of your document, you address the unified transportation. program.
• That was on page 20 of the LBB document. and riders in the last legislative session.
• preparation, and documentation.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this is the identical bill with one simple change in this bill.
• principles which our country was founded concerning, including the Ten Commandments as being one of those documents
• the ten commandments as being one of the ten commandments as being one of those<00:25:20.159> documents
• that<00:25:21.520> was<00:25:21.840> instrumental<00:25:22.400> in those documents
• that was instrumental in those documents that was instrumental in in<00:25:22.799> the<00:25:

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So on the operating budget, the LFC and the executive recommendations were identical.
• All of these grants are announced, but across the board, identical recommendations where you'll see more
• As Julissa said, the recurring recommendations between the Executive and the LFC are identical for EDD
• I want to refer back to the science and tech roadmap document. because at the end of the document on
• to that same conversation we were having a little earlier DFA actually published a fund balance document

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When I did an open records request to DSHS and said do you have any documents of even suspected foodborne
• It helps prevent identity fraud and reduces administrative errors in patient and data management.
• Senate Bill 912 is nearly identical to SB 2256, which passed unanimously out of this committee last session
• has taken up to six months for prospective adoptive parents to receive and review these necessary documents
• . documents.

Bills: SB500, SB719, SB912, SB1232, SB1467, SB1777, SB1864, SB2023, SB2119, SB2458

Keywords: SB 500, Texas adoption law, Family Code, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child-placing agency, prospective adoptive parents, adoption records, confidential information, nondisclosure agreement, child history report, health history, social history, educational history, genetic history, termination of parental rights, permanency plan, single source continuum contractor, privacy, redaction

Transcript Highlights:

• Ba'ashi's reawakening offers a chance for our people to experience a part of our identity that we had
• It is an identical version of the bill passed out of this committee with no no votes last year.
• No, it's identical. They have to make sure that we have the appropriate plan in place. Thank you.
• More troubling than that, though, in 2023, we documented 54 bear home intrusions.
• They were doing a planning document. And they don't want to.

Summary: The committee heard several water, wildlife, conservation, and local government bills. AB 362, by Assembly Member Ramos, would add tribal water uses as a statewide beneficial use and strengthen tribal consultation in water planning; tribal representatives and conservation groups supported it as a long-overdue correction, while water agencies, business groups, and agricultural interests raised concerns about CEQA, regulatory uncertainty, and impacts on existing water planning. The bill was moved on a due pass motion to Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, with some members noting ongoing stakeholder discussions and one abstention. AB 1089, by Assembly Member Carrillo, would expand local permitting authority under the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act to include commercial and industrial projects. The author and the City of Adelanto argued it would speed housing and economic development in the high desert while preserving the overall conservation framework, but environmental groups opposed it as premature and potentially weakening protections for Joshua trees. The committee approved the bill on a due pass motion to Appropriations. AB 1024, by Assembly Member Harabedian, would require a regional black bear mitigation plan for the San Gabriel Valley and related areas; Sierra Madre officials described rising bear intrusions and the need for state help, and the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 846, by Assembly Member Connolly, would streamline permitting for local wildfire preparedness and vegetation management projects in local responsibility areas by creating a faster review process at Fish and Wildlife and improving mapping coordination with Cal Fire. Local government, fire service, and agricultural witnesses supported the bill as a common-sense wildfire prevention measure, and it passed to Natural Resources with no opposition. AB 263, by Assembly Member Rogers, would extend emergency minimum-flow regulations for the Scott and Shasta Rivers for five years or until permanent rules are adopted; supporters said it protects salmon recovery, tribal subsistence, and the fishing economy during a transition period, while opponents argued it bypasses normal regulatory process and harms farmers. The committee approved it on a due pass as amended motion to Appropriations, with one abstention and two no votes. AB 1044, by Assembly Member Bains, would create a new Tulare County groundwater sustainability agency for undistricted lands after other local agencies split off; the bill passed to Local Government. AB 1426, by Assembly Member Arambula, began testimony on creating a Diablo Range Conservation Program to fund habitat protection and restoration across the range.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I say that specifically because the PCOR is not a sale notice document.
• If you have a document that's around, you know, the property tax assessments, it's mainly used by the
• assessors and then having this unrelated issue in the in the document.
• In reading the documents that support this, I support the bill.
• So they were unwilling to look at the documents. And I know that there are reasons for that.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• acknowledges the docu and documents acknowledges the docu and documents differing<00:19:40.640><
• And the<00:20:54.080> other<00:20:54.240> document<00:20:54.559> I<00:20:54.720>
• encourage<00:20:54.960> you<00:20:55.039> to the other document I encourage you
• to the other document I encourage you to look<00:20:55.280> at<00:20:55.360> is<00:20:
• ,<00:26:33.600> we<00:26:33.760> do I'll note that in our documents, we do I'll note

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:16:10.720> earthquake<00:16:11.160> on<00:16:11.280> the largest documented
• earthquake on the largest documented earthquake on the planet<00:16:11.880> since<00:16:12.120
• Used to prevent identity theft, fraud, harassment, or to preserve the technical integrity of a system
• <01:36:19.640> Protection,<01:36:20.640> a of Privacy and Identity Protection, a of
• Privacy and Identity Protection, a former<01:36:21.080> data<01:36:21.320> broker<01:36

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional and the Pledge of Allegiance, then moved through first readings and referrals of several bills. House Bill 950, the pay act for certain state employees, was read and referred to Appropriations, and House Bill 951, the government appropriations bill, was read and referred to Ways and Means. Senate bills referred included S. 138 on commercial property assessed clean energy projects, S. 181 on eliminating a pre-sentence investigation requirement for deferred sentences, S. 206 on licensure of early childhood educators, S. 219 on an energy navigator program report, S. 239 on the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Working Group, and S. 291 on travel disclosures for legislators and certain executive officers, each sent to the appropriate committee. The chamber also read several House concurrent resolutions adopted on the consent calendar. These included resolutions congratulating Rice Memorial High School’s Division Two girls soccer team and Division One field hockey team, designating March 2026 as Athletic Trainers Month in Vermont, and remembering the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters in Japan. The Japan remembrance resolution included a message from the Japanese consul general expressing gratitude for Vermont’s solidarity and friendship after the disaster. Later, members offered announcements recognizing guests in the gallery, including Rice Memorial athletes and coaches, representatives of the Vermont Association of Athletic Trainers, and students and teachers from Pondbrook and Sterling College. The House also heard a detailed floor speech in support of House Bill 861, which would establish a statewide Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator. The sponsor described accessibility barriers faced by disabled Vermonters, argued that ADA responsibilities are currently uneven across state government, and said a coordinator would improve coordination, compliance, and access across agencies. The House then announced the order of upcoming bills, starting with H. 861 and H. 931, but no final vote on H. 861 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS INSPECTION IS IDENTICAL TO THE FIRST ONE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TWOFOLD.
• THE DOCUMENT WORK WAS DONE BEFORE WE GIVE THEM THE MONEY. THAT IS GOOD ACCOUNTING PRACTICES.
• SECONDARILY WE WANT TO DOCUMENT FOR THE HOMEOWNER THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THEY MADE SO THAT THEY CAN THEN
• ONCE WE HAVE ALL THE DOCUMENTATION THEN WE ARE READY TO CUT THEM THE CHECK.

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:00:37.480> uh incidents are always documented uh incidents are always documented uh within
• That's actually the ones we've been able to document.
• That's actually the ones we've been able to document.
• That's actually the ones we've been able to document.
• <02:35:16.680> crime there's a reason that we document crime there's a reason that we document

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Personnel<00:04:58.919> are<00:04:59.080> there<00:04:59.240> to<00:04:59.400> ident
• <00:04:59.680> identify Personnel are there to ident identify Personnel are there to ident
• But in addition to those, we have to get extra documentation, and we don't have the authority to be given
• But in addition to those, we have to get extra documentation, and we don't have the authority to be given
• and we don't to get extra documentation and we don't have<00:18:18.520> the<00:18:18.720>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So where are these hours documented?
• It's currently in committee because we use the identical language everywhere in statute for these, and
• It's currently in committee because we use the identical language everywhere in statute for these, and
• Is it based in a statute, a regulation, or some underlying document that you could look at to determine
• that you could look underlying document that you could look at<01:01:01.079> to<01:01:01.280>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard House Bill 2712, which would remove the exam requirement for licensure as a Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA). Members expressed concern that the exam requirement was only added in 2021 and has not been in place long enough to evaluate, but they also questioned whether licensure should be granted without a meaningful measure of competency. Testimony was split: supporters argued the exam is a barrier for applicants without formal social work education, while opponents said licensure should still require some standard of competency, especially because the title carries public expectations and insurance reimbursement implications. Karina Bonia, speaking for NASW New Hampshire, said there is very limited data because only one person in New Hampshire currently holds an LSWA. She explained that LSWA applicants may have degrees outside social work, unlike licensed social workers, and that the current exam is the same national social work exam used for higher levels of licensure. She argued that this creates a significant barrier for LSWA applicants and noted that LSWA holders are already required to complete 30 hours of training and substantial supervised hours. Members asked for data on pass/fail rates and whether a different exam or practical skills test would be more appropriate. Committee members and OPLC representatives discussed whether the current statute and board rules already provide enough authority for the board to set other criteria, and whether the exam requirement is tied to the social work compact. OPLC indicated that the current rule requires passage of a national proctored exam approved by the board, but that no national exam exists specifically for this level, and that the board may need legislative authority to develop different criteria. The discussion ended with interest in obtaining the existing rule language and possibly revisiting the issue through amendment or future legislation rather than immediately removing the exam requirement.

Transcript Highlights:

• the actual issues in the documents the actual issues in the Baltimore<00:15:06.560> City<00:15
• You could look at it and see that they're nearly identical.
• <00:18:16.640> or<00:18:16.680> identical.
• <00:18:17.080> I nearly identical or identical. I nearly identical or identical.
• Public and non-public school student transfers, academic records documentation.

Keywords: House streaming session for Thursday, March 12, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House met in Annapolis on February 27, 2026, with 128 members present. After a prayer, the chamber adopted the previous day’s journal and recognized a resolution honoring Brunswick High School’s first Tech Challenge team, Minerva’s Mechanics, for winning the FTC Regional Championships and qualifying for the World Championship in Houston. The resolution was read and adopted with applause. The main legislative item was House Bill 355, concerning the Education, Sexual Abuse and Assault Awareness and Prevention Program and human and sex trafficking; the House adopted the favorable committee report and ordered the bill printed for third reading. The next bill, House Bill 534 on nonpublic school transcripts and prohibiting punitive measures related to student debt, also received a favorable report. Debate then centered on an amendment offered to HB 534 that would have tied school funding to student choice for students in repeatedly one-star-rated schools and allowed parents of habitually violent or disruptive students to consider military boarding school options. The sponsor argued Maryland’s public schools, especially in Baltimore City, were failing students despite heavy spending, citing low literacy, violence, and the book Failure Factory; several members echoed concerns about school performance, bureaucracy, and the need for educational freedom. Opponents and procedural speakers said the amendment was not germane to HB 534, which they described as a narrow bill about transcript access for students leaving nonpublic schools with unpaid fees, often students with disabilities. The floor leader urged the body to resist the amendment and stick to the bill’s actual subject. Despite multiple members explaining their votes in support of school choice and criticizing the Blueprint and school outcomes, the House ultimately took a roll call on the amendment after a voice vote was challenged. The transcript cuts off during the roll call and does not show the final recorded result on the amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not sure they're identical. Do you have someone?
• I have a copy of 1515, but I'm not sure if they're identical. Where'd you get that?
• No, they're not identical. they're identical. Do you have someone? they're identical.
• No, they're<00:06:28.080> not<00:06:28.319> identical. Okay, that's the 1515.
• So, we have to offer it as a committee amendment, but we could reference the documents. Okay.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, they can't discriminate because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
• You know, they can't discriminate because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
• You know, they can't discriminate because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
• You know, they can't discriminate because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
• You know, they can't discriminate because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.

Bills: HF3490, HF4040

Keywords: education finance, scholarship-granting organizations, charitable purposes, student scholarships, nonpublic schools, K-12 education, tax credit, advance payment, Minnesota tax law, child education expenses, taxpayer assistance, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The single rate structure... ...sort of identical to each other in terms of their requirements.
• It gave me my identity. On the court, I wasn't defined by foster care. I wasn't the system.
• I was just Identity. On the court, I wasn't defined by foster care. I wasn't the system.
• We also know that this proposal would allow clinicians they know and trust to document these people's
• We also know that this proposal would allow clinicians they know and trust to document these people's

Summary: The committee heard an extensive Department of Social Services presentation on child care budget issues, including the Governor’s proposed 2026-27 budget, federal CCDF changes, Prop. 64 revenue adjustments, and a one-time $11.5 million disaster-related infrastructure grant for licensed child care facilities affected by 2025 declared disasters. DSS said federal formula updates and lower Prop. 64 revenues would reduce funding and could result in about 4,176 CCTR slots being reduced, but the department said it was working to avoid impacts to currently enrolled children. The LAO supported aligning general child care funding with lower revenues and asked for more detail on the disaster grant. Members pressed DSS and Finance on why reductions were not being backfilled and why so many awarded slots remain uncontracted or unused; DSS said delays are largely due to providers building new infrastructure, licensing, staffing, and enrollment challenges, and that some unspent funds revert to the General Fund. The committee also discussed whether some contract dollars should be shifted to vouchers and whether more flexibility should be allowed for infrastructure and expansion costs. A second panel focused on the state’s commitment to expand child care and on rate reform. DSS reported that nearly 125,000 new slots have been awarded since 2021-22, but speakers from Stanislaus County Office of Education, Parent Voices California, and the California Budget and Policy Center argued that unmet need remains large and that the system still leaves many families without access. Stanislaus County described a large local shortage of infant and toddler care and said reimbursement disparities between child care programs and state preschool create disincentives for providers. Parent Voices gave testimony about the burdens and instability families face when trying to access care, especially for survivors and low-income parents, and called for a universal, publicly funded system. The Budget Center said only about 16% of eligible children were enrolled in 2024, urged expansion across the mixed delivery system rather than concentrating investment in TK, and called for faster rate reform and new revenue. LAO estimated that bringing certain CCTR adjustment factors up to CSPP levels would cost $88 million to $131 million ongoing. Members and witnesses discussed the single rate structure, automation needs, and the need for deadlines and a ramp-up plan; DSS said the goal is to eliminate disparities, but that policy decisions are still needed before automation can proceed. The committee then reviewed several trailer bill proposals. DSS outlined a 2026-27 COLA proposal that would apply a 2.41% increase through cost-of-care-plus payments, though the department said it had inadvertently excluded CalWORKs Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program and would revise the proposal; LAO recommended making the COLA methodology uniform across programs. DSS also proposed replacing the market rate survey with the federally approved alternative methodology on a triennial schedule, limiting temporary absences in family child care homes to 20% of monthly hours, defining excessive unexplained absences as more than 30 days in a year, and aligning family fee deductions with new federal requirements so providers receive the full voucher value. Members generally supported the temporary absence change and asked about implementation timing for the family fee deduction, with DSS saying it was in contact with Riverside County. The committee also heard a brief update on the Early Childhood Policy Council reappropriation, which would extend unused funds through June 30, 2028 because prior costs came in higher than expected.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we've added a document and member packets that summarize the policy provisions from the standalone
• So, we've added a document this year.
• So, we've added a document and<00:16:35.360> member<00:16:35.600> packets<00:16:35.920>
• They enroll typically through a stolen Social Security identity. They apply for financial aid.
• . uh they apply for security identity. uh they apply for financial<01:06:13.200> aid.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up a series of “same and similar” provisions between the House and Senate higher education bills and adopted them one by one, with brief explanations from members and staff. The items included a cybersecurity addition for a doctoral degree program, Northstar Promise definitions and eligibility limits, self-loan provisions on institution eligibility and data disclosure, and dual training language requiring certificates, diplomas, or degrees to come from accredited postsecondary institutions. The committee also adopted an amendment to the private career school provisions that clarified exempt institutions remain within the act, and removed certain limited-license and renewal fees for institutions participating in dual training grants or the eligible training provider list. Each of these motions prevailed by voice vote. The committee then moved into policy differences between the House and Senate bills, beginning with emergency grants and hunger-free campus grants. Members discussed shifting funding from OHE-administered competitive grants to direct appropriations for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State, while the Senate retained competitive grant access for private and tribal colleges and added reporting requirements. OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said the added reporting would be an extra administrative task but raised no significant concerns. Testifiers from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State, and the private college sector supported faster, more direct funding and described the grants as important for emergency housing, transportation, food insecurity, and other student basic needs. A LeadMN representative also supported the changes, saying campus staff and students wanted funds delivered more quickly. The committee also discussed direct admissions on R31. The Senate proposal would require public and charter high schools to participate in the direct admissions program by the 2029-2030 school year. Assistant Commissioner Wendy Robinson said OHE supports statewide expansion and that the program has improved FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and student retention in Minnesota. Members noted the bill had bipartisan support and heard from advocates such as Ed Allies and Students United. No votes were taken on the policy-difference items during this portion of the meeting, and the chair said further discussion of state grant and sexual misconduct policy differences would be held at a later hearing with additional OHE staff present.

Transcript Highlights:

• for Tuesday, February 17th as documents for Tuesday, February 17th as draft<00:38:08.240> 3.1
• First, the bill describes several types of documents that may be used to support a victim's claim of
• The statement must include the identity and contact information of the perpetrator unless the victim
• The statement must include the identity The statement must include the identity and<01:19:44.040
• Within 30 days, the creditor will review the documentation and determine whether to accept or reject

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional reading for St. Patrick’s Day, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the reading of a resignation letter from Representative Hooper of Burlington. The letter said the House environment had changed significantly and that he was resigning before the next cycle, while thanking colleagues and urging bold leadership to address major problems facing Vermonters. Members then received first readings and referrals for a large slate of bills. House bills introduced included measures on tax administration, hunting license fees, emergency management, oath and affirmation language in statutes, judiciary procedures, a Vermont homelessness response continuum, paperwork reduction, public utility subjects, municipal regulation of agriculture, miscellaneous agricultural subjects, and municipal permitting of ground-mounted solar arrays. Senate bills referred to House committees included vocational rehabilitation, home improvement and land improvement fraud, advanced metering infrastructure devices, water quality, and fair employment practices. Several other bills on the notice calendar were also referred to Ways and Means or Appropriations because they affected state revenue or carried appropriations. The House adopted two concurrent resolutions on the consent calendar: HCR 214, honoring Irish-American patriots and their role in American independence, and HCR 220, welcoming the USS Vermont’s namesake visit and designating April 18, 2026 as USS Vermont Day. Members also offered announcements recognizing guests from the USS Vermont and related veterans’ groups, remembering former Representative Ken Harvey, and noting upcoming events such as March Madness pools, the Legislative Cabaret, a Rural Caucus meeting, and a NAMI Walks team. On the floor calendar, H. 723 on posting of land was taken up, amended as recommended by the Committee on Environment, and ordered to third reading on a 10-0-1 committee vote. The House then began second reading of H. 757 on manufactured homes and limited equity cooperatives; committee members described manufactured housing as a key affordable housing option in Vermont and said the bill would clarify how these homes are purchased, titled, taxed, and financed, while reducing costs and improving consistency for homeowners, lenders, and municipalities.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's identical. Okay, perfect. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All right.
• The speaker said the language had been almost identical for five years and that the district kept going
• There was no documentation. They just simply testified, ‘This is what I heard.’
• There was no documentation. They just simply testified, this is what I heard.
• is the Constitution and school board members’ founding document is state statute.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In a world where so much felt uncertain, but now that identity stood.
• Our population consists of immigrants, both documented and undocumented.
• And I urge you to review that document.
• There's been countless documentation, tangible.
• Documented student their college journey has always been filled with uncertainty.

Bills: HB232

Keywords: disaster recovery, natural disaster, weather disaster, emergency relief, flood relief, hurricane relief, storm damage, wildfire, tornado, hail, windstorm, extreme heat, ice storm, snowstorm, property damage, personal injury, temporary housing, relocation assistance, lost wages, state emergency management