Transcript Highlights:

• And we get down to what we call these annual catch limits.
• On the management end, we have limited entry effort controls.
• There are three main permit types, one being limited access.
• When limited access was first issued in 1994, When limited access was first issued in 1994, they were
• Ensuring the consolidation could remain limited and fair.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The joint hearing focused on the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, with particular attention to Massachusetts ports, federal scallop management, the proposed reopening of the Northern Edge on Georges Bank, and permit stacking/consolidation. The chair opened by noting the hearing would take written and oral testimony, that time was limited, and that the discussion was intended to inform legislative engagement with federal regulators rather than decide the issue directly. Dan McCarron of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and Dr. Kate O’Keefe of the New England Fishery Management Council outlined the federal management structure under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the role of annual catch limits and rotational closures, and the economic importance of scallops to New Bedford, Gloucester, and other Massachusetts ports. O’Keefe said the council’s current scallop framework is based on annual management, research surveys, and public input, and that recent environmental changes and uncertainty are affecting catch advice and biomass. Dr. O’Keefe and later Dr. Kevin Stokesbury of UMass Dartmouth described the fishery’s recent condition: abundance has increased in some areas, but biomass has fallen because many scallops are still too small to harvest, and changing ocean conditions and natural mortality are affecting the stock. They said the Northern Edge action was considered as a joint scallop/habitat framework but was discontinued in 2024 because the council could not reconcile competing objectives involving scallop yield, habitat protection, and impacts on other species such as cod, lobster, and herring. Stokesbury emphasized the long-running collaborative survey work with industry, said the fishery remains highly productive, and argued that the science supports careful rotational management and that the Northern Edge could be highly productive for scallops, though he acknowledged habitat tradeoffs. Committee members pressed both witnesses on why the issue had remained unresolved for so long and whether the council could revisit it through a future framework. Representatives of the Sustainable Scalloping Fund, including attorney Drew Kavage, John Lees, Sam Blasley, and Tony Alvernes, urged support for reopening the Northern Edge and for permit stacking, which would allow more than one scallop permit on a vessel while keeping ownership caps in place. They argued the fishery is a major economic driver, that industry-funded research has supported sustainable management, and that stacking would help family-owned operators reduce costs, improve safety, and avoid financial distress. They also stressed the need to protect working waterfront infrastructure in New Bedford and other ports. The chair said he was not opposed to stacking in principle but wanted to avoid a slippery slope toward excessive consolidation or private equity control; he noted that any stacking change would require an amendment to the fishery management plan or federal action. No votes were taken, and the hearing concluded with an invitation for continued engagement and future updates on the council process.

Transcript Highlights:

• doesn't require any certain limits.
• doesn't require any certain limits.
• </c><00:41:55.079><c> I</c> we don't select the limits because I we don't select the limits because I
• c><00:42:30.520><c> think</c> require any certain limits do you think require any certain limits do you
• </c> they're going to reach at $85,000 limit they're going to reach at $85,000 limit and<00:59:06.319

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a one-minute time limit for all testifiers. We have six governance messages on this agenda.
• and sorry to speak again, but like one of the ways that we can do that too is like having these aggregated
• So I think having these aggregated spaces where people can learn how to do that properly and then also
• speak again, but like one of the, one of the ways that we can do that too is like having these aggregated
• So I think having these aggregated spaces where people can learn how to do that properly and then also

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism heard several governor’s nominations for advisory and regulatory boards. The first group included William Smith, Michelle Ige, and Kayana Neman for the Community-Based Economic Development Advisory Council; Leland Park and Cynthia Hobson for the Small Business Regulatory Review Board; and Nicole Kacal for the Hawaiʻi Technology Development Corporation board. DBEDT and related witnesses testified in support of all nominees, and each nominee described experience in small business, finance, community engagement, or technology. Much of the discussion focused on strengthening Hawaiʻi’s economy through small business support, financial literacy, and better access to capital and grants. Committee members questioned nominees about priorities for Hawaiʻi Island and the state more broadly. Topics included agricultural infrastructure, value-added food production, shared processing facilities and commercial kitchens, workforce housing, and ways government and nonprofits can partner to help small businesses navigate permitting, licensing, and grant processes. Several nominees emphasized community impact, measurable outcomes, and practical regulatory reform. Nicole Kacal also discussed diversifying the economy beyond tourism, expanding technology and AI opportunities, and creating locally governed training and research pathways so workers can adapt to changing jobs. At the end of the hearing, the committee voted to recommend advice and consent for all nominees. The nominations for GM 608, GM 609, GM 612, and GM 613 were adopted by voice vote, with Senators Kim and Fevella excused. The committee then voted separately on GM 794 for Nicole Kacal, and that recommendation was also adopted. The hearing concluded with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have several bills to hear today, so we are going to try and limit.
• So for me, that meant limiting what I could say yes to.
• Running on a walking leg would have limited my achievements.
• They, yeah, they're limited. They're limited significantly by that.
• they don't want to work with that lead aggregator.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• are published in a newspaper, they are also posted on the newspaper's website and on the statewide aggregate
• without getting approval, without changing state statute, media has changed their obligations by limiting
• This limitation is removed on January 1, 2033. This limitation is removed on January 1, 2033.
• basic needs, including rent, mortgages, health care, utilities, groceries, insurance, and gas, it limits
• Two percent of any bond that is passed has a relocation fund attached to that, but we don't really know

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What you see here in the bill is that the aggregate of the tax credits issued by the commissioner to
• are very specific directions how this is going to happen, and the proportional share, the maximum aggregate
• of the tax credits issued the aggregate of the tax credits issued by<00:04:47.520><c> the</c><00:04:
• </c> proportional share the maximum aggregate proportional share the maximum aggregate credit<00:05:04.520
• The RSA 72:23, III is the definition above, so it's still limited to the church purposes, right?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• activities requirements; SP 105, canvas certification acknowledgement; SP 106, campaign finance, aggregate
• Second reading of bills continued: SB 1073, speed limits, bicycle sidewalk pass; SB 1074, classroom management
• authority; SCR 1001, citizenship identification contribution, early voting; SCR 1002, campaign finance aggregate
• authority; SCR 1001, citizenship identification contribution, early voting; SCR 1002, campaign finance aggregate

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then completed roll call, approved the prior journal, and welcomed several guest groups to the gallery, including CSG West and NCSL visitors, Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Native BRG members, Pascua Yaqui constituents, Marcos de Niza High School students, and guests from Payson. Members also observed a moment of silence for former Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Senator Hatathlie read a proclamation honoring the life and service of Amaya Curley, a Navajo woman and Navy veteran, and the chamber recessed for presentation of an Arizona state flag flown in her memory, with her family present. The President Pro Tem announced extended deadlines for opening Senate folders and for Senate bill intro set preparation, and the Senate received House messages regarding adjournment. The chamber voted to accede to the House request to adjourn after Thursday, January 15, 2026, until Tuesday, January 20, 2026. No substantive bill debate occurred; instead, the body moved a large number of measures to second reading, including election, education, health care, firearms, immigration-related reporting, cryptocurrency, transportation, and various memorial and appropriation bills. Committee and caucus announcements were made for Thursday, January 15, including Rules Committee and both party caucuses. The Senate then adopted a motion to adjourn until Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 10 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• activities requirements; SP 105, cosmetic sales, animal testing prohibitions; SP 106, campaign finance aggregate
• SB 1073, speed limits, bicycle sidewalk pass; SB 1074, classroom management, students temporary removal
• authority; SCR 1001, citizenship identification contribution early voting; SCR 1002, campaign finance aggregate
• SCR 1001, citizenship identification contribution early voting; SCR 1002, campaign finance aggregate

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• all manner of things, including extensive voter roll purges, strict photo ID requirements, and limitations
• And here in Washington, you all have some vote suppression protections, but they're very limited and
• And here in Washington, you all have some vote suppression protections, but they're very limited and
• But it's actually a large number of ballots when you kind of aggregate it out.
• But right now, we're just limited to where someone lives and without a sense of their identity.

Summary: The committee held a work session on voting rights in the United States and Washington, beginning with testimony from Marissa Wright of Campaign Legal Center and David Montes of the ACLU of Washington. They described the federal Voting Rights Act’s main protections—preclearance, vote suppression, and vote dilution—and argued that Supreme Court decisions such as Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich have weakened those tools. They said Washington should consider stronger state-level protections, including a preclearance program and broader safeguards against discriminatory voting practices. Members asked about Washington’s history of discrimination, voter roll purges, noncitizen registration, and remedies under the Washington Voting Rights Act, including ranked-choice voting and district-based systems. The committee then heard from the Office of Equity and several commissions, which described their roles in advising state government and working with communities. They focused on the immigration sub-cabinet created under Executive Order 2509, saying it is intended to improve coordination across agencies, the legislature, the courts, and community organizations on issues such as data privacy, language access, health care, education, and accountability under the Keep Washington Working Act. Members asked about the use of NGOs, accountability for KWW violations, and the sub-cabinet’s goals, and the panel said the effort is meant to help government respond more quickly and collaboratively while centering immigrant, disability, LGBTQ, and other communities. The final panel was from the University of Washington Elections Database Project, which presented data on vote-by-mail ballot challenges, cures, and rejections from 2020 to 2024. They reported that about 1.5% of ballots are signature-challenged in most elections, roughly 60% of challenged ballots are cured, and overall rejection rates are about 1% in general elections and 1.5% in primaries. The researchers said voters of color, younger voters, and some tribal-area voters experience higher rejection rates, and that differences appear tied to signature mismatch, language access, ballot timing, and familiarity with the system. In the last panel, Maria Fernandez and Vicki Frausto of EIA described voter education and civic engagement work in Yakima County and Sunnyside, including concerns about intimidation, language barriers, signature mismatch, and at-large election systems; they said stronger Washington Voting Rights Act protections would help communities elect candidates of choice. No votes were taken during the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Aggregate data, so we'll talk, well... We can come back to that.
• We would basically be pushing the grid to its limits until we could dispatch this energy.
• On the top, you have third-party aggregators. This is basically an emergency.
• I think we would prefer a third-party aggregator to ensure we have a level playing field.
• A brief outline here: it would aggregate the Distributed Energy Resources (DERs).

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, Senate Bill 1161 is a limits bill for the Health Care Authority.
• Members, Senate Bill 1162 is the limits bill for the State Department of Health.
• Members, Senate Bill 1161 is a limits bill for the health care authority.
• the aggregate producers and the Department of Mines.
• This is non-coal mining, aggregate mining. Okay, thank you.

Bills: HB4030, HB4031, HB4032, HB4033, HB4034, HB4035, HB4036, HB4037, HB4038, HB4039, HB4040, HB4041, HB4042, HB4043, HB4044, HB4045, HB4046, HB4047, HB4048, HB4049, HB4050, HB4051, HB4052, HB4053, HB4054, HB4056, HB4057, HB4065, HB4067, HB4071, HB4072, SB1144, SB1145, SB1146, SB1147, SB1148, SB1149, SB1156, SB1157, SB1158, SB1159, SB1161, SB1162, SB1163, SB1164, SB1165, SB1166, SB1167, SB1174, SB1175, SB1176

Keywords: education funding, budget appropriations, public schools, teachers' retirement, early childhood education, aeronautics, infrastructure, funding, sustainability, Oklahoma, mining, operator fees, coal production, noncoal mining, department of mines, revenue, state budget, budgetary reform, financial legislation, fiscal accountability

Summary: The Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget met to consider a long agenda of appropriations, retirement COLAs, revolving funds, and limits bills. Early actions included Senate Bill 1144 and Senate Bill 1145, which provided cost-of-living adjustments for retired teachers and OPRS retirees, respectively, and Senate Bill 1146, 1147, 1148, and 1149, which extended similar retirement benefit increases or a one-time stipend for law enforcement, firefighters, judges, and certain retired police and firefighters. The committee also advanced bills funding the Pardon and Parole Board, OSBI cybercrimes and fraud work, juvenile medication, and several agency limits bills for Health Care Authority, Health Department, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and DHS. Members also heard and passed a series of education, public safety, and economic development measures, including funding for school security at the School for Science and Math and the Schools for the Blind and Deaf, support for National Board certified teachers, and appropriations for the Rural Health Transformation Program, the Decennial Census Revolving Fund, Task Force One, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation forensic center. Several bills created or expanded revolving funds and financing tools, including military readiness and aviation funds, a taxpayer endowment trust fund, water infrastructure loan and REAP-related measures, and a revised non-coal mining fee structure. The committee also approved a bill increasing court reporter pay and another reducing employer contributions to the retirement system after it reached over 100% funding. There was notable discussion on a $5 million film-related pilot program for sitcom production, with questions about the amount and certification requirements, and on a rural economic development package that included money for the state fairgrounds and a university energy plant, which drew objections over whether those projects fit the intended purpose of rural prep funds. Other debated items included a bill directing funds to the Oklahoma Dream Act/Trump accounts, a bill rejecting judicial pay increases recommended by the Board of Judicial Compensation, and a proposal to move $200 million from the stabilization fund into a new Taxpayer Endowment Trust Fund. Most measures were reported out with due pass votes, though several drew dissenting votes, including the film bill, the fairgrounds/economic development bill, the water projects bill, and the trust fund and judicial pay measures. The committee adjourned after completing the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• To effectively manage our time today, we will be limiting testimony to witnesses in support and two witnesses
• In order to facilitate the goal of hearing as much from the public within the limits of our time, we
• just in anything that would indicate that these filters are unsafe and would lead to any future limitations
• The bill has also been amended to address the privacy concerns and is now focused on aggregate data,
• The attacks are not just limited to individuals and instead also focus on immigrant-serving organizations

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, they also have separate issues, but I will get you the list of the Sarro, just the aggregate numbers
• ><00:49:13.520><c> sarro</c><00:49:14.480><c> just</c><00:49:14.720><c> the</c><00:49:14.880><c> aggregate
• </c> list of the sarro just the aggregate list of the sarro just the aggregate numbers<00:49:15.520><
• </c><00:49:33.119><c> the</c> are and just the aggregate the are and just the aggregate the department
• </c><00:57:03.839><c> because</c> the aggregate numbers for you. because the aggregate numbers for you

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, as an aggregate, we make sure we feel like they're reasonable in the aggregate.
• And in the aggregate, really, the total cost shift was not material. So that is that. And if Mr.
• And then, as an aggregate, we make sure we feel like they're reasonable in the aggregate.
• And in the aggregate, really, the total cost shift was not material. So that is that. And if Mr.
• We may have an inflection point where tax growth in property values could become limited, and the plans

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The Public Retirement System Actuarial Committee met on February 23, 2026, approved the December 18, 2025 minutes, and heard no public comment. The committee then reviewed actuarial valuation reports and, for most systems, accompanying experience studies. The actuaries reported generally favorable investment and demographic experience across the systems, with funded ratios improving and employer contribution rates declining in several plans. They also explained the role of funding deposit accounts, frozen unfunded liabilities in some plans, and how recent legislative changes, especially the move to five-year DROP periods in some systems, affected assumptions and costs. For the Louisiana Clerk of Court Retirement Relief Fund, the committee adopted the valuation and experience study, recognizing a fiscal 2027 minimum recommended employer rate of 14.75%. For the District Attorney’s Retirement System, it adopted the valuation and experience study and recognized a fiscal 2027 minimum rate of 3.00%. For the Firefighters’ Retirement System, the committee adopted the valuation and experience study, recognized a fiscal 2027 minimum rate of 25.5%, and noted that DROP balances left on deposit will earn the market rate of return of 11.7%. The committee also adopted the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System valuation for both Plan A and Plan B, recognizing fiscal 2027 minimum rates of 20.75% and 8.75%, respectively. It adopted the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System valuation and experience study, recognizing a fiscal 2027 minimum rate of 26.5%, a DROP crediting rate of 7.4%, and a policy range up to 29.35% for future contributions. For the Registrars of Voters Employees’ Retirement System, the committee adopted the valuation and experience study, recognized a fiscal 2027 minimum rate of 0%, and noted a $207,683 allocation to the Member Supplemental Savings Fund for fiscal 2026. Finally, it adopted the Sheriff’s Pension and Relief Fund valuation and experience study, recognizing a fiscal 2027 minimum rate of 7.75%. All motions passed without objection, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The parent then appealed. school's policy does not limit the school's policy does not limit the ability
• </c> the committee shall review aggregate the committee shall review aggregate student<03:13:10.560><
• </c><03:45:52.800><c> aggregate</c> provide only aggregate aggregate provide only aggregate aggregate
• The bill also limits when school day.
• We've limited overdoses and supply.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• IT PROVIDES LICENSING WITH EXPERTISE AND LIMITS RESIDENTIAL INSPECTORS TO ONE AND TWO FAMILY HOMES PER
• IN 2021, THE LEGISLATURE PASSED A BILL ALLOWING SOLAR FACILITIES AS A PERMITTED USE ON ALL AGGREGATED
• IN ADDITION TO ALLOWING LARGE SCALE SOLAR RIGHT ON AGGREGATED LAND BUFFERS CANNOT EXCEED THOSE OF OTHER
• AGGREGATED FACILITIES.
• AND IN THE AGGREGATE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MASSIVE GENERATION OF POWER IN THE RURAL COUNTIES THAT HAVE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bonds will mature in October of 2035.
• In Kansas City, we did not bond.
• for repayment for those bonds.
• Half of the project was bonded for, so there was one— Half of the project was bonded for.
• The one thing I will add is that we have not been able to issue those bonds yet because bond counsel

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to highlight, in FY25, MassHire served more than 130,000 job seekers, including but not limited
• DUA administers the state's unemployment insurance system, including, but not limited to, processing
• Right now, under the Logan Act, it's looked at as an educational type of facility, so there's no limits
• It's an educational type of facility, so there's no limits on where it can go in a city or town.
• Data transparency will be reduced, limiting the ability to provide accurate information to policymakers

Summary: The hearing in Barnstable opened with remarks from the House and Senate co-chairs about the importance of holding Ways and Means budget hearings on the Cape, especially given the region’s seasonal economy and infrastructure needs. The committee then heard testimony from Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones on the governor’s FY27 budget proposal. She highlighted funding for workforce programs including the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Career Technical Initiative, registered apprenticeship, YouthWorks, reentry workforce programs, and services for young adults with disabilities. She also discussed MassHire career centers, the MassHire Innovation Project, and the Department of Unemployment Assistance modernization effort, noting improved call wait times and claims processing, but acknowledging continued challenges and federal funding uncertainty. Members asked about job-seeker barriers such as child care, housing, and transportation; domestic outmigration of young workers; youth work permits; unemployment insurance costs and the COVID assessment on employers; and the state’s unemployment rate and UI trust fund solvency. Jones and Undersecretary Josh Cutler explained the difference between workforce training funds and the unemployment trust fund, described the statewide trigger that extends unemployment benefits from 26 to 30 weeks when regional unemployment averages 5.2 percent, and said the administration is reviewing the trust fund with labor and business stakeholders. They also said the administration is trying to preserve front-line DUA staffing while shifting resources to customer service and adjudication, including a Friday adjudication pilot and seasonal hires. Senators and representatives also pressed the administration on regional equity in workforce funding, especially for Hampshire Franklin MassHire, which was described as serving a large rural area with fewer resources than other regions. Administration officials said they are reviewing MassHire funding formulas and modernizing the system with a policy committee and state workforce board input, but did not offer an immediate fix. The committee also heard that early childhood education apprenticeships are expanding quickly, with state funding leveraged to secure federal grants and support new Grow Awards. The hearing then moved to the Executive Office of Economic Development, where Secretary Eric Paley outlined House 2 proposals for economic development, including support for the Community One Stop for Growth, rural economic development, workforce partnerships, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, AI, small business assistance, tourism, and tax incentives. Undersecretary Leila D’Amilia followed with testimony on consumer affairs and business regulation, describing funding for consumer protection, banking oversight, occupational licensure, and public safety inspections.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to highlight, in FY25, MassHire served more than 130,000 job seekers, including but not limited
• As part of the Chapter 90 bond bill the governor filed last month, the administration seeks $200 million
• Right now, under the Logan Act, it's looked at as an educational type of facility, so there's no limits
• It's an educational type of facility, so there's no limits on where it can go in a city or town.
• Data transparency will be reduced, limiting the ability to provide accurate information to policymakers

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in terms of the amount, whether by students or by dollars, is there any policy on the board or limitations
• I think, Brenda, some of these dollar amounts, certainly in the aggregate, are significant.
• As an aggregate, as opposed to a campus that was charging $1,000 tuition and waived it all, they would
• And this is really crop aggregation.
• And this is really crop aggregation.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first reviewed the 2024-25 tuition waiver report for the North Dakota University System. Staff explained that waivers were reported for degree-seeking students and broken out by residency, institution, and waiver type. Members asked about partial versus full waivers, institutional discretion, athletic waivers, and whether campuses have published guardrails or transparency requirements. Staff said most waivers are set by institutions, with some statutory and board-required categories, and that athletic waivers are a small share of total waiver dollars. The report showed total gross tuition of $354.5 million, tuition waived of $38.9 million, and 11,193 of 42,040 students receiving some waiver. Members also discussed how waivers affect net tuition revenue, housing and food collections, and whether campuses are using waivers strategically compared with scholarships and other funding sources. The committee then heard a presentation on tuition rates by campus and State Board policy. Staff explained the board’s tuition factors for resident, Minnesota reciprocity, contiguous-state/U.S. nonresident, and international students, and noted that campuses often seek exceptions based on program-specific competition and enrollment goals. Members asked whether rates are based on cost or competition, and staff said campuses typically bring forward estimates and market comparisons when requesting special rates. The presentation also reviewed general fund appropriations versus net tuition revenue by campus, and members discussed how local tuition decisions and waivers do not directly affect the state funding formula, though they do affect institutional revenue and reserves. Questions were also raised about the Higher Learning Commission’s financial composite indicator and how it differs from the more intuitive reserve and revenue figures. The committee next received a broad overview of non-higher-education entities affiliated with the State Board of Higher Education, beginning with NDSU agriculture-related units. Dr. Greg Lardy described the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, the NDSU Extension Service, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the branch research centers, emphasizing their statewide role in crop and livestock research, extension education, and county-based outreach. He outlined funding mixes for extension, the experiment station, and branch stations, noting that grants and contracts support both research and education, while the agronomy seed farm is self-funded through seed sales. Members asked about the new and vacant FTE pool, R1 research status, matching requirements for grants, and whether state appropriations count toward research expenditures. Dr. Lardy also highlighted major research impacts, including crop varieties, virtual fencing, AI-assisted weed control, and NDAWN weather data. The Northern Crops Institute and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute also presented. NCI described its role in market development, technical services, and education for regional agriculture, its governance through the Northern Crops Council, and its funding from state appropriations, other states, and earned revenue. Members asked about the source of out-of-state funding, intellectual property, and the institute’s international reach. UGPTI then outlined its transportation research, federal and state funding structure, and work on road and bridge condition assessments, travel demand modeling, and workforce training. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting reflected in the transcript.