Transcript Highlights:

• from across the state to the Capitol, to talk to their legislators about the issues that matter most
• A museum dedicated to the Black experience in this state is long overdue.
• This is the state that attempted to secede from the Union to preserve the institution of slavery.
• Are they going to report it to the Department of State? Are they going to report it?
• It urges Congress to impel the United States National Guard Bureau to examine the resource allocations

Bills: S0014 , S0016 , S0024 , S0052 , S0308 , S0504 , S0506 , S0564 , S0572 , S0590 , S0594 , S0806 , S1396 , S7020 , S7024 , S7026

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: negligence, settlement, police conduct, municipal liability, personal injury, compensation, injuries, Miami-Dade County, places of worship, house of worship, church, mosque, synagogue, religious security, armed security, volunteer security, private security, security guard licensing, licensure exemption, Florida Statutes chapter 493

Transcript Highlights:

• CSU continues to deliver a tremendous economic impact to our state.
• , the CSU continues to deliver a tremendous economic impact to our state.
• , I think, throughout the state, but also to success.
• to students in every region of the state.
• college degree is so vital to our students, to our state, and to our nation, and look forward to future

Summary: The joint Assembly Higher Education and Budget Subcommittee hearing focused on the future of the California State University system, with opening remarks emphasizing CSU’s major role in California’s economy, workforce, and degree production. Chairs and members said the hearing was intended to inform 2026 budget decisions and to examine three main issues: declining enrollment at some campuses, cost controls and possible consolidation, and oversight of recent state investments at campuses such as Humboldt and Sonoma. The meeting was briefly delayed by microphone and sound problems before reconvening. The first panel featured CSU Academic Senate Chair Dr. Elizabeth Boyd and Cal State Student Association Vice President Katie Karam. Boyd urged the Legislature to protect academic freedom, strengthen faculty governance, provide stable ongoing funding, end unfunded mandates, support student food and housing security, fund flexible course schedules, improve transfer systems such as ASSIST, avoid over-centralizing academic programs, protect immigrant students, and expand intersegmental collaboration. Karam said students are feeling the effects of budget shortfalls through fewer course sections, reduced advising and services, longer time to degree, and tuition pressure, and she called for transparency, meaningful student involvement in budget decisions, and sustained state investment rather than cuts that harm the student experience. The second panel covered enrollment management and included CSU Chancellor’s Office and campus administrators from Chico State, Cal State L.A., and San Diego State. Dr. Delcy Perez said CSU Forward and the new systemwide enrollment plan are aimed at expanding access, aligning programs with workforce needs, and increasing resident enrollment; she reported systemwide enrollment gains and strong application numbers, including a direct-admissions pilot that expanded from Riverside to more campuses. Campus representatives described local recruitment and retention strategies, including early outreach to high school students, community college partnerships, guaranteed admission programs, and expanded advising and student support. San Diego State highlighted record enrollment and high demand, while Cal State L.A. described efforts to recover from impaction and rebuild enrollment. Members pressed CSU officials on the accuracy of enrollment data, the gap between funded targets and actual enrollment, and the system’s reallocation formula. CSU staff explained that campuses below target will see a 5% ongoing reallocation beginning in 2026-27, with one-time reserve funding also being directed to campuses that can grow, and that fiscal health reviews have been completed for 21 of 22 campuses. Legislators also asked about turnaround plans required by the budget act; CSU said those plans are being developed and will be shared in the spring after campus consultation. No formal votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Each biennium, the Secretary of State is required to conduct outreach to all tribes in the state about
• PERC if federal law ceases to preempt state law.
• Relations Act to perk if if federal law ceases to preempt state law or if the NLRB ceases to enforce
• This bill is estimated to decrease state revenue by interim. to 20 percent.
• and the brightest to be in our state, for businesses to be able to thrive, and for them to be able to

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met in executive session on February 9, 2026, first hearing a staff briefing on Senate Bill 6346, which would impose a tax on individuals earning over $1 million. Staff described the bill’s revenue and spending impacts and reviewed a proposed substitute and 11 amendments addressing items such as public defense funding, charitable deductions, out-of-state tax credits, small business credits, diapers, constitutional issues, and a contingent constitutional amendment. The committee later took up the bill and rejected all of the offered amendments, then advanced the substitute bill with a due pass recommendation to the Rules Committee. Members supporting the bill argued it would help address tax fairness and fund public services, while opponents raised concerns about constitutionality, economic harm, and the effect on businesses and charitable giving. The committee also acted on a series of policy bills. It advanced a substitute bill on grocery store closures in food deserts after adopting a narrower substitute, despite concerns from some members about burdening grocers. It approved a substitute bill expanding voting access for military, overseas, Native American, and disabled voters, adopting a second substitute that removed a cybersecurity review requirement. The committee also advanced bills on tort claim arbitration against governments, victim and witness protections in sexual assault and domestic violence cases, JLARC review of student aid fraud, agricultural collective bargaining, labor relations if federal preemption ends, a cost-of-living adjustment for Plan 1 retirees, workers’ compensation and medical care access, line-of-duty death reimbursements, law enforcement background checks and eligibility, veterans’ discharge definitions, and extraordinary medical placement. Several of these bills had amendments adopted, including changes to tort claim oversight, victim-requested standby counsel, agricultural labor definitions, workers’ compensation penalties, law enforcement volunteer support, and extraordinary medical placement criteria. In the second group of bills, staff briefed measures affecting property taxes, housing, cannabis, disaster-related tax relief, technical tax code changes, aircraft fuel tax revenues, the estate tax, and a pesticide tax exemption. The committee heard that a substitute for the fire protection district bill would alter how city or town levy capacity is reduced and include consultation requirements and board-creation provisions. It also heard that the property tax relief expansion for seniors and disabled retirees needed a substitute to make the consolidated school levy revenue-neutral. Other bills would expand tax exemptions for low-income housing and nonprofit homeownership, authorize local cannabis excise taxes, extend disaster repair tax relief, expand housing-related local sales tax uses, make technical tax code changes, redirect aircraft fuel tax revenues to aeronautics, reduce the estate tax rate, and extend a pesticide tax exemption. The transcript ends during the committee’s consideration of Senate Bill 6346, with the committee debating and rejecting amendments before moving the bill forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• losing a lot of talent to other states.
• a lot of talent to other states.
• on giving back to your state.
• our members are in all corners of the state, is that we are going to struggle as a state to support
• And that tends to force them to look out of state, potentially to other places that they would have to

Committee: House Labor & Industrial Relations

Summary: The House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee met on April 9 and first took up Senate Bill 162, which would change the workers’ compensation medical treatment schedule appeal process. The bill, presented as a collaboration between the Attorney General’s office and trial lawyers, would require additional medical evidence submitted on appeal to be sent back to the medical director for review before court review continues. Members discussed the 30-day turnaround for the medical director and whether the process would delay injured workers’ cases. After testimony from injured workers’ representatives and support cards from several business and labor groups, the committee adopted the technical amendments and reported SB 162 favorably. The committee then heard House Bill 353, which would establish a state minimum wage beginning at $12 per hour in 2027, rising to $15 in 2029 and then indexed to inflation. Supporters, including the sponsor, Invest in Louisiana, the Workplace Justice Project, 10,000 Women Louisiana, the AFL-CIO, and a young witness from People’s Promise, argued that Louisiana’s wages have lagged behind costs of living, that many workers remain in poverty, and that the bill would help families, reduce reliance on public benefits, and improve economic stability. Opponents, including NFIB and small-business advocates, argued that the market should set wages, that the bill would raise labor costs, compress pay scales, reduce hours or hiring, and potentially increase prices. After extended debate, the committee voted and HB 353 failed. The committee next considered Senate Bill 383 on the incumbent worker training program. Senator Bass and Louisiana Works officials said the bill would expand and make the existing program more flexible, increase available funding, shorten the business eligibility period from three years to two, and allow unused funds to roll over. Members focused on how the program would reach workers, how businesses and employees would learn about training opportunities, and how it would support workforce development in growing regions. Support came from business and economic development groups, and the committee reported SB 383 favorably with amendments. Finally, the committee began Senate Bill 382, which would repeal the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council, described as the Senate version of a bill the committee had already considered. The transcript cuts off during discussion of the prior vote on the similar House version, and no final action on SB 382 is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• rules</c><02:00:37.320><c> in</c> the State Board to develop rules in the State Board to develop rules
• education in the state in 2000 to to to 2023<03:40:06.880><c> our</c><03:40:07.120><c> enrollment</c
• Building aid is consolidation. We're going to have to.
• go to library or PE, or recess is right around the bend.
• </c> PE or you got to go to library or PE or you got to go to library or recesses<04:15:02.880><c> right

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 362, which would give the Department of Education rulemaking authority over educator licensing and testing requirements, including professional education assessments. Representative Ladd argued the bill is meant to preserve New Hampshire’s higher standards for teacher preparation and to avoid lowering requirements for licensed educators, while also allowing flexibility for career and technical education (CTE) instructors who may have strong industry experience but not traditional classroom credentials. Members discussed whether the bill should preserve industry-recognized credentials and basic academic skills testing while exempting CTE teachers from content exams; DOE Director Steven Appy said an amendment would clarify that the bill applies to initial licenses, exempt CTE teachers from the content-testing requirement, and keep current administrative practice on basic skills and industry credentials in statute. The committee also noted that an executive session would be scheduled later, likely the following week, to act on the bills and amendment. The committee then took up House Bill 90, dealing with the definition of part-time teachers. Representative Ladd explained that the bill is intended to let university and community college faculty teach limited hours in high school concurrent enrollment settings, especially in subjects like math and STEM where some schools cannot find locally certified teachers with a master’s degree. He said the measure is designed to expand student access to college-level courses, not to replace fully certified teachers or reduce standards, and emphasized that the bill is limited to faculty employed or contracted by the University System of New Hampshire or the Community College System of New Hampshire, with criminal background checks and ethics/conduct rules still applying. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the discussion ended with the understanding that further action would come in executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've got to think that since it works in these other states, we can find a way to make it work here.
• I feel fortunate to live in a state...”
• to address the 3D printing of ghost guns in our state.
• bring my advocacy to the state of Washington in 2023.
• class or on the way to study at the library.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on House Bill 2255, House Bill 2548, and House Bill 2320. HB 2255 would regulate third-party litigation funding by requiring disclosure of funders and agreements, prohibiting funder control over litigation, capping funder recovery at 25%, and creating enforcement remedies. Supporters, including the sponsor, insurance groups, and liability reform advocates, described it as a transparency and consumer-protection measure that could improve court efficiency and reduce costs. Opponents, including the Washington State Association for Justice and the commercial litigation funding industry, argued it would burden plaintiffs, reveal protected work product, chill access to justice, and create satellite litigation. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing and asked testifiers to submit written comments. HB 2548 would expand state oversight of health care market transactions by broadening the types of mergers, acquisitions, asset sales, and ownership/control changes that trigger notice to the Attorney General, pausing transactions until information requests are substantially complied with, expanding interagency data sharing, and revoking nonprofit status in certain transactions. Supporters, including patient advocates, nurses, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General’s office, physicians, and individual health care workers, said private equity and consolidation are driving higher costs, reduced access, and lower quality. Opponents from the Washington State Hospital Association and MultiCare said the bill is unclear, may contain drafting errors, does not adequately target private equity structures, and could create problems around nonprofit status and charitable assets. The hearing ended with the committee moving on to the next bill. HB 2320 would update Washington’s ghost gun laws to address 3D-printed firearms, CNC manufacturing, digital firearm manufacturing code, and the sale of machines marketed for firearm production, and would make certain violations per se Consumer Protection Act violations. The sponsor and supporters, including school officials, gun violence prevention advocates, a trauma survivor, a 3D-printing industry representative, and others, said the bill closes a public safety loophole and responds to the growing availability of untraceable weapons. Opponents, including the NRA, makerspace representatives, and some industry witnesses, argued the bill is overbroad, may sweep in lawful 3D-printing and CNC activity, raises First, Second, and Fifth Amendment concerns, and could create uncertainty through rebuttable presumptions and the CPA provisions. The transcript ends during the HB 2320 hearing, with additional testimony panels still to come and no final committee action recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• For the state hospital project, first I would like to bring recognition to the state partners that are
• For the state hospital project, first I would like to bring recognition to the state partners that are
• First, I would like to bring recognition to the state partners that are diligently working to keep this
• All of the savings are returned to the state per contract. ...the state per contract.
• You asked me to report to you on the status of the state fiscal recovery funds.

Summary: The Budget Section Leadership Division met with a quorum and approved the March 18 minutes. The committee first heard an update from the Petroleum Council on oil and gas activity in North Dakota. Ron Ness said production is expected to remain relatively flat at just under 1.2 million barrels per day, with efficiency gains and longer laterals helping offset lower rig counts. He discussed oil and gas prices, gas taxation, flaring concerns, northward movement of drilling activity, and the importance of new infrastructure and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) pilots. Members asked about gas taxation, natural gas liquids, pipeline impacts, and the outlook for Continental and other operators. Ness said the industry is likely to remain steady rather than see a major ramp-up or decline. Matt Pearl of the State Tax Department then explained the federal “big beautiful bill” and its effect on North Dakota income tax collections. He said the law extends or makes permanent several federal provisions and creates temporary deductions for seniors, tips, overtime, and auto loan interest, with the biggest state impact coming from the standard deduction increase and business tax changes. He revised earlier estimates downward, saying the net cash impact on state collections is likely in the $30 million to $35 million range after accounting for business prepayments and one-time FY25 oilfield transaction effects. Committee members asked which provisions apply to standard versus itemized returns. OMB staff gave a detailed update on major capital projects and facility funding. Topics included Capitol grounds improvements such as 18th-floor renovations, wayfinding, seating, lighting, tree management, and restroom and lobby upgrades; security work at the governor’s residence, which has been delayed by the discovery of human remains; and space reconfiguration efforts in Bismarck-Mandan to reduce leases and create shared offices and conference rooms. They also reported on the State Facility Maintenance Fund, including roof, window, boiler, and kitchen projects at state facilities, and on the state hospital project in Jamestown, which remains on budget and on schedule for substantial completion in winter 2027 and opening in spring 2028. OMB also updated the committee on the Minot North Central State Office Building, the use of federal State Fiscal Recovery Funds, and the status of legislative intent and trust fund reports, including school aid turnback, the school construction loan program, the Foundation Aid Stabilization Fund, the Legacy Fund, and the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund. The committee ended by discussing future agenda items, including government efficiency, cash management, Bank of North Dakota lines of credit, and the rural health transformation program, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands
• in the American Dream was to join the United States Army.
• Korea, but also to the state of California.
• motivated him to join the United States Marine Corps.
• his father to check in on his emotional state.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and took up Senate Concurrent Resolution 106 by Senator Choi, which designates January 13, 2026 as Korean American Day in California. Senator Choi and many members spoke in support, highlighting the history of Korean immigration, the contributions of Korean Americans in business, public service, culture, education, health care, and civic life, and the significance of Korean American communities across the state. Several members also shared personal and district-specific examples, including Koreatown, the Korean Friendship Bell, Pachappa Camp in Riverside, and Korean American organizations and businesses affected by the recent wildfires. The resolution was adopted on a 38-0 roll call vote. After the vote, Senator Choi introduced Korean American guests visiting the chamber, including the Consul General of Korea in San Francisco and other community leaders. The Senate then returned to motions and committee announcements, including notices that the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee and the Human Services Committee would meet after adjournment. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas also requested that SB 626 be removed from the inactive file and returned to the Assembly for amendments. The remainder of the session was devoted largely to adjournment memorials. Senator Umberg honored Monica Lynn Martinez-Hays, a longtime legislative staffer and artist. Senators Pérez and Allen jointly memorialized the 19 people who died in the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires, describing the devastation, the community’s recovery, and the names and lives of many victims. Senator Menjivar also asked for adjournment in memory of Marine Corps Sergeant Adrian Carrillo, who died in a December traffic collision. The Senate announced its next floor session for Friday, January 16 at 9 a.m. and then recessed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so those reports, in some states they go to the courts.
• In some states, they go to probation officers.
• In other states, they seem to kind of nebulously go nowhere.
• Enriquez, welcome to the committee. Please come forward and state your name for the record.
• state has to offer, and that's where treatment courts step in.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• All states designated to the CTE program are required to have program advisory committees, which support
• At this time, I would like to introduce back to Jill.
• I am happy to say each year I have been able to bring on a student, totaling about six to date.
• Lastly, I try to carve out a few times per term to come in to help Mr.
• With that, I'm going to turn it back over to Chairman Gordon to say a few words. All right.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held an informational hearing at Quincy Public Schools focused on career and technical education (CTE). Committee members said the visit was intended to gather input for statewide CTE legislation, including efforts to expand awareness and access, improve middle school exposure, invest in equipment and facilities, and strengthen ties to workforce boards and labor pathways. Quincy officials described their CTE system as integrated with academics and highlighted support from district, city, and state partners. School leaders outlined Quincy’s CTE offerings, including 15 Chapter 74 programs at Quincy High School and four at North Quincy High School, with about 1,360 students enrolled. Presenters emphasized curriculum aligned to DESE frameworks, work-based learning, industry-recognized credentials, safety training, business electives, dual enrollment and articulation with Quincy College, and grant funding such as Skills Capital and Perkins. They also discussed support liaisons for nontraditional careers and military pathways, advisory committees, and plans to seek Chapter 74 approval for an engineering program at North Quincy, along with new computer science and business offerings. Testimony from MassHire South Shore described workforce partnerships, YouthWorks, job fairs, resume workshops, and the Credit for Life Fair, while the assistant superintendent explained Quincy’s MyCAP planning grant and efforts to build a student-driven college and career readiness system. Three students testified about their pathways in welding, early education and care, and healthcare technology, describing hands-on learning, certifications, clinical or co-op experiences, and future plans for college and careers. Committee members praised Quincy as a model for combining CTE with general education, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn and unanimous adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• One that cannot be delegated to the states.
• due to the presence of federal or state. of tribal lands.
• and treaty obligations to states.
• Rose, do TCUs currently have to answer to states on how they spend their federal funds?
• So as we think about the way that these programs would be rolled out state to state to state across our

Committee: Senate Indian Affairs Committee

Keywords: Native education, Department of Education, federal funding, testimony, treaty obligations, public schools, educational policies, Indigenous students

Summary: The meeting focused on the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Education towards Native students, highlighting the importance of federal education programs that satisfy treaty obligations to Native communities. Various witnesses testified about the impact of educational policies designed to support Native students who primarily attend public schools. Concerns were voiced over recent proposals that could potentially undermine these programs, citing the role of federal funding in ensuring successful educational outcomes for Native youth. The chair of the committee emphasized the need for continued federal support and attention to the unique educational challenges faced by Indigenous populations.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Or your local political party wants to use a library room.
• Uh, so with respect to libraries, I know a lot of libraries will use personal political forums.
• to libraries, I know Uh, so with respect to libraries, I know a<00:47:37.280><c> lot</c><00:47:37.359
• the</c><01:19:37.760><c> bill</c><01:19:37.920><c> to</c> State prior to presenting the bill to State
• to make sure that it was doable in this state.

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• that certainly is to the state of North Dakota.
• , just you can talk about change within a state, but one state is—there's a lot of corners to the state
• that want to come to Minot State, that want to do nursing, that declare early, and we kind of save a
• some level of support to Dickinson State.
• to come back to the state and practice or work.

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> brought to the United States when he was brought to the United States when he was four<00:28:05.919
• Speaker, to add insult to this grave injury, the United States of America is aiding and abetting by and
• ><c> to</c><02:36:37.520><c> Florida</c><02:36:37.840><c> State</c> went to the floor to Florida State
• It compelled all states to state law.
• <04:35:08.639><c> and</c><04:35:08.959><c> retired</c> states to allow offduty and retired states to

Bills: HCR24 , HR352 , HB2243 , HR405 , HB2215

Keywords: Jewish American Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Week, antisemitism, anti-Jewish hate, Jewish Americans, Jewish community, Hamas, October 7, Israel, hate crimes, civil rights, religious freedom, campus antisemitism, synagogues, public education, heritage month, diversity, inclusion, Holocaust remembrance, community safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, our students were told mid-degree that their state aid would end, creating gaps of up to $12,000
• Team Child has received state funding for many years to provide civil legal aid to youth at every level
• the state when they go to the hospital.
• the state when they go to the hospital.
• I want to thank you all very much for your commitment to civil legal aid and access to justice.

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on the Senate operating budget proposal, beginning with a staff briefing from James Kettle. He described the budget as built on relatively flat revenue after multiple forecast updates, with substantial mandatory cost growth, especially in Health Care Authority, DSHS, and DCYF. He highlighted major policy-level additions and savings, including large tort liability costs, continued support for long-term services, reductions tied to child care and K-12 items, several assumed revenue bills, and major transfers from reserves and other accounts. Kettle also noted the four-year outlook remained positive overall, with about $1 billion ending fund balance in the final year and roughly $3 billion in total reserves. A committee member asked about a diagram showing the loss of federal funds, and staff said they would follow up. Public testimony then focused first on K-12 education, where school leaders, teachers, OSPI, PTA, and rural district representatives largely opposed the proposed cuts to local effort assistance, transition to kindergarten, bus depreciation, and related school funding items. Many argued the reductions would disproportionately harm rural and property-poor districts and weaken early learning access, while several students and educators spoke in favor of career and technical education and IT Academy funding. The committee also heard support for wildfire prevention funding from the Commissioner of Public Lands, who thanked the Senate for restoring those dollars but raised concerns about recreation program reductions. Higher education testimony was mixed but generally supportive of the Senate proposal compared with the governor’s budget. Community and technical college leaders warned that the budget still shifts compensation costs to tuition and reduces Running Start funding, while university representatives from Western, Eastern, Central, WSU, and UW thanked the committee for avoiding deeper cuts. Private vocational college students and administrators urged extension of Washington College Grant eligibility for students already enrolled, and others asked to preserve IT Academy and related certification funding. In early learning, child care and advocacy groups praised the decision not to cap Working Connections Child Care but warned that child care and transition to kindergarten still bear a disproportionate share of cuts; they also requested continued support for Dolly Parton Imagination Library and Pierce County early childhood programs, including Family Connects. The hearing continued with testimony on employee compensation, mental health, and human services. State employee and retiree groups supported the budget’s COLA and wildfire funding but objected to cuts in retiree health benefits. Behavioral health and public safety advocates supported mentoring, Trueblood-related funding, crisis stabilization, and the Recovery Navigator Program, while others opposed reductions to those programs and to community-based recovery services. In human services, witnesses thanked the committee for funding victim services, child welfare supports, health homes, adult day care, community health centers, energy assistance, and disability services, while urging the committee to avoid further reductions to skilled nursing, case management, and recovery navigation. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands
• try to help out uh individuals in our state.
• try to help out uh individuals in our state.
• aid offices of the programs to which they're applying to demonstrate proof of income change.
• To State Government, House Bill 671.

Transcript Highlights:

• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands
• All told, there are over 400 libraries across our state, and library branches add over $100 million to
• Welcome to the House. Across our state. Welcome. So I appreciate it. Welcome to the House.
• You need to look at a service map of the state of Missouri.
• I'm going to flee this state because this is crazy.

Transcript Highlights:

• that state grant program, which is going to do so much to ensure that Minnesota students can attend
• When we are saying that we are trying to incentivize people to come to our state to build these facilities
• We did make some cuts to aquatic invasive species aid.
• come to this state.
• Because it's really complicated and it costs them a lot of money to have to remit this to the state.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> that would relate to um to building Aid that would relate to um to building Aid and and and appropriate
• We still had hope to get some state building aid. We did not.
• Districts in the past and in good faith, you know, put projects in and try to apply for state aid, and
• > the</c><00:48:06.480><c> state</c> Aid projects submitted to the state Aid projects submitted to the
• </c> wants to apply for public uh Aid wants to apply for public uh Aid building<01:02:05.000><c> Aid<

Summary: The committee held a hearing on HB 366, which would increase school building aid for eligible projects. Representative Cahill, the prime sponsor, said the bill would raise the annual minimum from $50 million to $60 million and help address a long backlog of school construction and renovation needs after years of a moratorium on applications. He argued that districts forced to build during the moratorium were left to shoulder costs through local property taxes, and he cited examples such as Londonderry, Claremont, and other communities with aging or inadequate facilities. He also said the current aid structure, including paying 80% upfront and 20% at completion, concentrates too much spending at once and limits how many projects can be funded. Several committee members asked about the fairness and structure of the program. Representative Maguire questioned whether aid should be distributed more broadly to all districts rather than only a few selected projects, and Representative Luneau noted that the committee would also be considering related bills on catastrophic aid, special education aid, and the school foundation formula. Cahill responded that building aid has historically been targeted to property-poor communities and that the state should be a reliable partner in school construction. He also said the bill includes a small retroactive component for communities that built during the moratorium, which he described as a compromise. Testimony in support came from Representative Cluder, who described Claremont’s Stevens High School project as a case where a bond issue narrowly failed and the city later had to fund renovations without state aid, contributing to high property taxes. He said the bill would help property-poor communities and urged passage. Tony Weinstein of New Market also supported the bill, saying his community had serious facility and safety needs, had moved forward with scaled-back renovations during the moratorium, and still faced debt-service burdens without state participation. Robert Thompson, superintendent in Hampstead, testified that his district needs an addition for overcrowding, safety, and special education space, and said building aid would help reduce out-of-district placements and transportation costs. No vote was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The $2 million number is very similar to a recent study that took place in the state of Nevada to look
• aid to help respond to that disaster and then is awaiting reimbursement from the federal government.
• So, if a state employee needs to go to Las Cruces on state business, they effectively check... ...out
• it was going to come to only the state museum had there been funding.
• Of state employees. They are statutorily obligated to transport state prisoners, but we don't...

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance