Transcript Highlights:

• That good change cleaned out the underbrush of specious ethics complaints based on rumors and internet
• We have Steven Ziegowski, and you represent the Florida Commission on Ethics.
• The Commission on Ethics believes that if witnesses to ethics violations are going to be the ones who
• file ethics complaints, they should be protected from retaliation.
• As far as implementation goes, having the Ethics Whistleblower Program with the Commission on Ethics

Summary: The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability heard three bills and reported all three favorably. First, the committee took up Senator Gates’ employee protection bill, which was amended with a delete-all to create whistleblower protections for people who file ethics complaints based on personal knowledge. Gates and the Florida Commission on Ethics said the measure would reduce retaliation against insiders who report misconduct, while the commission said it supported the proposal and expected low implementation costs. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed the bill as amended. The committee next considered Senator McClain’s bill to reclassify certain district assistant regional counsel supervisor positions in the Florida Retirement System to the senior management class. Supporters said the change would align those positions with comparable attorneys in public defender and state attorney offices and help with recruitment and retention. A late-file technical amendment aligning class codes with statute was adopted, and the committee then reported the bill favorably. The final bill, Senator Martin’s SB 194, would designate October 14 each year as Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance in Florida. Martin argued the day would honor Kirk’s advocacy for free speech, civic engagement, and debate, and said it would not create a state holiday or require closures. The bill drew strong opposition from Senator Polsky and Senator Bracy Davis, who cited Kirk’s public statements on race, women, guns, and systemic discrimination and argued he was divisive and unworthy of a state honor. Supporters, including representatives from the Venezuelan American Republican Club and the Christian Family Coalition, backed the measure. After debate, the committee voted to report the bill favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first section makes it a violation of Section 112, the Florida Code of Ethics, for anyone who is
• Chairman, deals with fines imposed by the Commission on Ethics. Section 2 of the bill, Mr.
• of Ethics, fines that remain unpaid and delinquent after 90 days.
• This part of the bill is recommended by the Commission on Ethics in consultation with... ...days.
• Representing the Florida Commission on Ethics, she would like to speak. Thank you. Come on up.

Summary: The Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security met with a quorum and took up two bills. First, it heard SCS for SB 348, which would make it an ethics violation for a public official, candidate, or appointee to falsely claim military rank or honors for material gain, and would also require withholding delinquent ethics fines from the paychecks of current public officials or employees after 90 days. Senator Gates presented the bill, the Florida Commission on Ethics supported it, and members discussed the wage-withholding process. The committee voted the bill favorably. The committee then considered SB 400, which removes the repeal date from Florida’s participation in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, making the compact permanent unless later repealed by the Legislature. Senator Wright explained that the compact helps military families with school transitions, and a representative from Foundation for Florida’s Future waived in support. The committee voiced support and voted SB 400 favorably. After completing both measures, the committee had no further business and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair calls this meeting with the Texas Ethics Commission at 9:10 a.m. with the executive director, please
• Um, we want to recognize the contributions of three former chairs of the Texas Ethics Commission.
• He chaired the Business and Commerce Committee, State Affairs, and the Select Committee on Ethics.
• , the best ethics bill in the history of the Texas legislature.
• Texas Ethics Commission at 12:05 p.m. Will the executive director please call the roll.

Transcript Highlights:

• Recommended changes to the code of ethics. Yes, Emily Stephen.
• <00:03:23.360> Yes, changes to the code of ethics. Yes, changes to the code of ethics.
• ethical misconduct. ethical misconduct.
• <00:10:48.399> code recommended changes to the ethics code recommended changes to the ethics
• Now that doesn't mean the ethics code.

Keywords: Part two will take place after first executive session., 958, all

Summary: The commission first returned from executive session and noted that discussions there were preliminary only and no final agency action was taken. It then approved the budget report, which staff said was within year-to-date budget parameters. Members discussed recommended changes to the code of ethics. Staff proposed four items: defining and prohibiting sexual harassment as ethical misconduct; two housekeeping changes related to lobbyist registration notice and campaign contribution language; and a possible reduction of the post-service waiting period for former legislators to become lobbyists from two years to one year. Members agreed the lobbying cooling-off period was a broader General Assembly issue and voted to recommend only the first three changes, leaving the fourth for later review. The chair noted the July 1 deadline for submitting ethics-code recommendations to the LRC. The commission also approved renewal of a $100,000 contract with Casey Bailey and Mains for Robert Jenkins to continue serving as enforcement counsel, with hourly rates of $125 for the attorney and $40 for the paralegal. Finally, it approved a 3% cost-of-living pay increase for General Counsel Steven Pium, discussed possible conference attendance and informal opinions, and adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• Of course, we're not doing generative AI because we don't trust it to give you the proper tax data, so
• to track— not for, um, not using generative AI chatbots to interact with customers, but sort of more
• And so I'm just wondering if you guys are using AI in any of those ways.
• <00:21:58.200> in wondering if you guys are using AI in wondering if you guys are using AI
• Increased use of AI, we just mentioned, to answer basic questions, and we are shrinking our physical

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The language basically says if an insurer and affiliated entity is subject to the AI rules created by
• affiliated entity is subject to the AI affiliated entity is subject to the AI rules<02:23:55.760
• We are still the first in the country that has passed an AI in automated decisions in the country.
• <02:25:57.840> in<02:25:58.160> in country that has passed an AI in in country that
• has passed an AI in in automated<02:25:59.359> decisions<02:25:59.680> in<02:25:59.920

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and received a series of engrossing/revising/enrolling notices and committee reports. Committee reports advanced several measures, including House Bills 1139 and 1263 from Business, Labor, and Technology; House Bills 1206, 1111, and 1014 from Finance; and later Appropriations reports on House Bills 1423, 1419, 1276, 1256, 1015, and Senate Bills 189, 188, 187, 180, and 125. The chamber also granted a brief recess for guests and later granted leave for the Joint Budget Committee to meet while the Senate was in session. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to tributes and personal privilege remarks. Senators recognized the University of Denver men’s hockey team for winning the 2026 NCAA championship and adopted a joint Senate-House tribute honoring the team’s 11th national title. Senator Kolker also marked Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Day/Week, describing the condition, the need for screening and treatment, and honoring a guest advocate living with TD. The Senate then moved through third-reading consent and final-passage votes on multiple bills. Measures passed included SB 181, HB 1338, HB 1344, HB 1336, HB 1227, HB 1314, HB 1282, HB 1317, HB 1078, SB 167, HB 1069, HB 1132, HB 1347, HB 1210, HB 1196, HB 1224, and HB 1028; HB 1028 was first removed from the consent calendar, amended with a conforming amendment, and then passed. Several bills drew notable opposition, including HB 1132 and HB 1210, while HB 1069 passed unanimously. The Senate also laid over the general order second-reading calendar to Friday, May 8, 2026, and took up special-order second-reading bills in committee of the whole, adopting the special-order consent calendar and reporting those bills back favorably for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of that is AI, data center, cloud computing, all of those things.
• , let's call it, for market share in the AI space.
• We've talked a lot about AI data centers and compute.
• We've talked a lot about AI data centers and compute. semiconductors and microchips.
• We've talked a lot about AI data centers and compute.

Summary: The committee met at the Coteau Freedom Mine in Mercer County, approved the June 2 minutes, and heard an overview of the mine from Coteau Properties president Andrew Hawbaker. He described the Freedom Mine as the largest lignite mine in the United States, supplying coal to Dakota Gasification, Antelope Valley Station, and Leland Olds Station. He emphasized the mine’s scale, safety record, reclamation work, workforce needs, community involvement, and economic impact, including payroll, taxes, royalties, scholarships, and local hiring. Members asked about how long land stays in production, how quickly it returns to agriculture after reclamation, labor shortages, and how mining affects groundwater and water wells. Hawbaker said most tracts are mined for about three to five years, reclamation is coordinated with landowners, and the company continues to struggle to find electricians, welders, mechanics, operators, and engineers. The committee then heard from Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christman on coal mining reclamation and permitting. He reviewed North Dakota’s coal mining history, the state’s reclamation laws, federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act primacy, bonding, permit renewals and revisions, prohibited mining areas, inspection and enforcement, and contemporaneous reclamation requirements. Christman stressed that North Dakota’s program is professional and thorough, with frequent inspections, financial assurance, and a 10-year revegetation monitoring period before bond release. He also discussed federal coal ownership issues that can delay mine plans, the treatment of prime farmland, and how reclamation differs for wind and pipelines. In response to questions, he said one challenge is sometimes releasing land too soon before long-term compaction issues are fully understood, and he noted that data centers do not currently have a comparable reclamation model because they typically own the land. In the afternoon, the committee received an update from Lignite Energy Council president Jonathan Fortner on the lignite industry. He said North Dakota’s lignite sector supports five commercial power plants, four mines, about 12,000 direct and indirect jobs, and more than $5.5 billion in economic activity, while helping keep the state’s electricity rates among the lowest in the nation. Fortner reviewed coal severance and conversion tax revenues, the lignite research fund, federal regulatory rollbacks, carbon capture policy, and the industry’s legal costs fighting federal rules. He also highlighted a study on large-load development, saying new data centers and critical mineral processing facilities could create major local tax revenue and help justify new baseload generation. Members asked whether new gas pipelines would crowd out coal plant development and whether the economic study included jobs and broader local impacts; Fortner said the industry sees room for both and that the study did include construction, operations, jobs, and tax effects.

Transcript Highlights:

• Whereas, in some cases, we now have tools with the use of AI and so forth; they can actually do that
• Not, oh, well, they got really great AI tools to do this testing, so the risk is really minimal; it's
• Not, oh, well, they got really great AI Not, oh, well, they got really great AI tools<00:26:12.400
• Um, you know, they didn't say, 'We've incorporated AI to do those things, so we don't need the manual
• to do those "We've incorporated AI to do those things,<00:30:28.440> so<00:30:28.560> we

Transcript Highlights:

• By now we're all familiar with the rapid rise of generative AI.
• of AI.
• and other exciting innovations, but there's also challenges with AI.
• This is a critical step in keeping children safe in an increasingly AI.
• These are sophisticated AI tools, and they're actually incredibly simple to correct.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and all these different tools with AI and all these different tools that<00:52:38.920> are<00
• <00:53:59.680> in to AI in to AI in particular<00:54:01.599> we<00:54:02.000> are
• <00:54:17.400> across They're discussing the use of AI across the enterprise and policies,
• we can use AI because we would only be using it on public information.
• <00:55:43.680> representative go with respect to AI representative go with respect to AI representative

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the January 16, 2024 minutes without objection. Members then heard a presentation from the Office of the Legislative Auditor on its December 2024 performance audit of the Department of Human Services’ outstanding provider debt in Minnesota’s Medicaid fee-for-service program. Legislative Auditor Judy Randall said the audit was launched after the office noticed a large accounts receivable balance during the state financial statement audit and became concerned that DHS did not understand the extent of the overpayments, had poor data, and planned to forgo recovery of some recoverable balances. Deputy Legislative Auditor Lori Lyson explained that DHS had reported $51.7 million in provider debt across about 2,500 providers in fiscal year 2023, with testing focused on long-term care facilities and the largest balances. The audit concluded DHS did not comply with legal requirements and lacked adequate internal controls. Findings included that DHS had not attempted to recover more than $40 million since collection notices were last sent in 2015 and 2019; that the department planned to write off some balances under $1,000 and some older than six years despite the auditors’ view that at least some of that debt may still be recoverable; that DHS overstated accounts receivable in its financial reporting because it had not updated its allowance calculation since 2019; and that MMIS data were insufficient to verify balances, with 20 of 59 sampled providers not reconciling and many dates inaccurate. In response to member questions, the auditors said the overpayments appeared to be routine program adjustments rather than fraud, but the department could not explain many of them because detailed data are only retained for about three years. They also said they did not know which specific DHS leader approved not collecting the debt, and that responsibility for recovery appeared split between program and finance staff, with each pointing to the other. The auditors recommended DHS recover the debt where possible, improve internal controls, retain better documentation, ensure accurate financial reporting, and work with the legislature if needed to clarify recovery authority.

Transcript Highlights:

• AI is... and you've got AI now, too.
• >> Yeah.<00:43:41.119> AI<00:43:41.599> is >> Yeah. AI is >> Yeah.
• 43.359> got<00:43:43.440> AI<00:43:43.839> now,<00:43:44.079> too.
• <00:43:44.319> And >> and a and you've got AI now, too.
• And >> and a and you've got AI now, too.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 409, 28 January, 2026; 1:30 P.M., 925, all

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations from the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy and the Mississippi State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, followed by the physical therapy board. The Pharmacy Board said it licenses pharmacists, technicians, students, and many facilities and supply-chain entities, including wholesalers, manufacturers, 3PLs, PBMs, and nonresident compounders. Its main requests were a 3% salary increase for specialized staff, about $118,000 for contract help to evaluate pharmacists with substance abuse or mental health issues under a recently passed public health bill, and additional IT spending authority for system upgrades and cloud migration. Members discussed the board’s role in protecting the public, vetting out-of-state facilities, and the need to keep sensitive data secure; no vote was taken. The Chiropractic Examiners board described itself as a small, contract-staffed agency with about 700 active licenses and a database system that is no longer supported by Microsoft. It said it had requested about $173,000, but the legislative budget recommendation was $134,000, and it needs roughly $40,000 more to upgrade or rebuild the system, including security fixes and online renewal capability. Members focused on the cybersecurity risk of using unsupported software and the need to protect personal information; the board also noted that its licensing data does not include banking information because payments are handled through the state portal. The Physical Therapy Board said it regulates physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, with 4,242 licenses and 252 complaints in the last fiscal year, and that demand for the profession continues to grow. Its requests included $6,000 in salary progression for long-serving staff, about $360 more in PDM salary authority, and roughly $38,610 for a one-time upgrade to its LMS licensing system, plus related cloud-migration costs. Senators noted the board’s strong reputation, discussed the burden of annual or biennial renewals, and supported the technology upgrade because the current system is no longer supported and could create liability risks if not addressed.

Transcript Highlights:

• You all may have heard the phrase about AI and lawyer. Mr. Chairman, do I have any more time?
• So, AI will not replace lawyers, but lawyers who use AI might replace lawyers who don't.
• Their limited flexibility and potential incompatibility. ability with modern AI driven solutions.
• Um, you know, AI drive thrives on high quality. well-structured and accessible data.
• I am. very excited about the possibility of AI. I've told some of you this story, but I'm gonna...

Bills: HB150, HB869, HB876, HB 1043, HB1494, HB1522, HB150

Keywords: cybersecurity, state command, information resources, data protection, incident response, information technology, classification officer, job descriptions, state positions, competency-based, information sharing, government efficiency, public sector, private sector, distributed ledger, title registry, real estate, property liens, pilot program, healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• think of cars or buildings or or whatever, uh, you know, transportation, buildings, but now um with AI
• transportation buildings but now um know transportation buildings but now um with<00:12:13.360> AI
• somebody<00:12:16.320> wants<00:12:16.560> to<00:12:16.720> build with AI
• uh I know that new large users for AI uh I know that some<00:14:49.680> states<00:14:50.079><
• some states are now looking at the AI some states are now looking at the AI groups<00:14:52.959>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Neches River Authority, Lower Neches Valley Authority, Trinity River Authority of Texas, and the Texas Ethics
• The next agency we're voting on is the Texas Ethics Commission.
• Members, allow me to present this modification to recommendation 1.2 for the Texas Ethics Commission.
• So this recommendation directs the Ethics Commission to review rules relating to their definition of
• I would like to direct the Texas Ethics Commission to display the agency's list of delinquent penalties

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then we know that with the advent of AI, as well as what is happening with our federal government
• I have met teachers who have left the profession because of all of this technology, all of the AI.
• And it uses—it did not use AI then or now, but it was, at the time, more advanced technology.
• And we are seeing this year in the other committee a lot of legislation in the AI space that is like,
• And it uses, it did not use AI then or now. their systems and it uses it did not use AI then or now but

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several education-related bills, with most of the discussion centered on student privacy, faculty health coverage, Native student data collection, mental health training for coaches, and human trafficking prevention education. AB 1159, the California Learner Personal Information Protection Act, would expand student data privacy protections to higher education, clarify existing ed-tech rules, and add limited enforcement. The author and supporters said current law is outdated and does not adequately protect sensitive student information, while some college-related stakeholders raised definitional concerns about preserving routine student communications and access to course materials. The bill was approved on a due-pass motion to the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies and Consumer Protection Committee and placed on call. AB 1171 would keep unspent funds in the part-time community college faculty health insurance program from being swept for other uses and would require all community college districts to begin negotiating participation by 2030. The author and supporters argued that part-time faculty often lack employer-sponsored coverage despite teaching most community college courses, while opponents said the bill was premature because participation is still growing and the program’s full-year spending data is not yet known. Members debated whether the Legislature should preserve the funding in statute or continue handling it through the budget process. The bill passed on a due-pass motion to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. AB 1581 would require collection of tribal affiliation data for Native American and Alaska Native students in CalPADS to address severe undercounting and improve resource allocation. The author and tribal and education supporters said Native students are often misclassified, making it harder to provide culturally responsive programs and measure outcomes; committee members discussed how the reporting would work for multitribal and multiracial students and emphasized the need for tribal consultation and workable data definitions. The bill passed on a due-pass motion to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. AB 1665, requiring mental health training for school coaches, was supported as a way to help trusted adults recognize warning signs and connect student athletes to services; it also passed to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. AB 1766, which would expand human trafficking prevention education from kindergarten through 12th grade and address online grooming and exploitation, received strong support from the author, survivors, and advocacy groups, with testimony emphasizing earlier prevention and digital safety; the transcript ended during support testimony and did not include final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't want people to go from a blue screen to, you know, AI in one day and be very confused and have
• We don't want people to go from a blue screen to, you know, AI in one day and be very confused and have
• We don't want people to go from a blue screen to, you know, AI in one day and be very confused and have
• there were 3500 new AI generated images like<00:46:40.400> this<00:46:40.880> uh<00:46
• October there had been over 20,000 AI October there had been over 20,000 AI images<00:46:49.480>

Bills: HF1169, HF1916

Keywords: child protection, child welfare, paperwork reduction, social services information system, SSIS, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, foster care, children in placement, county social services, Tribal governments, private child placing agencies, case management, administrative burden, information technology, human services, welfare administration, Minnesota tribes, child care assistance, CCAP, program integrity

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have an attorney for the state ethics commission to focus on municipal ethics regarding what
• We also have an attorney for the state ethics commission to focus on municipal ethics regarding what
• We also have an attorney for the state ethics commission to focus on municipal ethics regarding what
• We also have an attorney for the state ethics commission to focus on municipal ethics regarding what
• We also have an attorney for the state ethics commission to focus on municipal ethics regarding what

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House Caucus of the Whole received a budget review from House Appropriations Chair Rep. Shay on H.951, the FY27 budget. He said the budget totals about $9.334 billion across all funds, with a 1.6% increase overall and a 2.1% increase in the general fund, and stated that it balances, fills required reserves, meets pension obligations, and largely reflects the governor’s January budget requests. He also noted that budget documents were emailed to members and that Appropriations Committee members and Joint Fiscal Office staff would be available in the House well during lunch for follow-up questions. Shay described the budget as divided into ongoing base appropriations and one-time appropriations. Major ongoing investments highlighted included funding for designated and specialized service agencies, home- and community-based providers, Medicaid skilled home health services, Bridges to Health, AHEC primary care loan repayment and provider placement, Vermont screening and referral clinics, VHIP housing support, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, a homelessness and housing initiative, a disabilities housing coordinator, the Vermont Access Network, Flood Safety Act positions at ANR, a state mediator position, an attorney for the state ethics commission, an additional attorney at the Human Rights Commission, and funding for the Defender General’s public defense contracting and training. He also emphasized one-time funding for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, a pension and benefits funding task force, provider stabilization grants, Meals on Wheels, Vermont Legal Aid’s immigration attorney and hotline, rental arrears assistance, manufactured home repair programs, HomeShare expansion, NOFA food and farm programs, food banks, conservation districts, VSAC Freedom and Unity scholarships, and the Community Resilience and Disaster Mitigation Fund. No votes were taken during the presentation; the meeting ended after a brief opportunity for questions, with members directed to continue discussion during noon office hours.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Well,<00:25:31.840> because<00:25:32.080> of<00:25:32.320> AI, >>
• Well, because of AI, >> Well, because of AI, >> we<00:25:34.640> spent<00:25:35.039
• in right now in the world we live in right now in the world we live in through<00:28:43.120> AI
• through<00:28:43.840> the<00:28:44.000> through<00:28:44.320> the through AI
• and through the through the through AI and through the through the internet.<00:28:45.039> So,

Keywords: Insurance - Room 216, 3 February, 2026; 9:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The committee took up several insurance and health-related bills. Earlier discussion focused on metastatic cancer step therapy and biomarker testing, with the sponsor explaining that the bills would prevent insurers from requiring patients to try less effective treatments first and would require coverage for biomarker testing to better target treatment. The biomarker bill was described as a product of a summer study committee and was reported favorably. The committee also advanced a bill setting standards tied to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and a private residence elevator bill requiring licensing, inspection, and permitting for elevator installers, with an amendment exempting those elevators from annual inspections after the initial inspection. Members then considered a mitigation program for retrofitting homes, with the sponsor saying the Department of Insurance and industry were close to a workable statewide program. The bill would be funded by increasing a fee paid by insurance companies, not policyholders, and would allow use of a third-party administrator capped at 5% of program funds. The committee also reported bills extending the state health plan repealer, extending the LOSAP volunteer firefighter program repealer, and creating a fraud detection trust fund at the Insurance Department to address AI- and cyber-related fraud. The fraud fund bill drew questions about whether it would raise premiums and how it would help investigators; supporters said the fund would support staffing and equipment and that the existing fund had been dormant. Additional bills included a transparency measure for dental insurance spending, which would require reporting on the share of premiums spent on dental services beginning in 2027, and a bill expanding access to self-funded group health plans for members of legitimate professional and trade associations. The committee also heard a Mississippi Patient Protection Act aimed at strengthening willing-provider protections and limiting insurer discrimination against qualified providers; an amendment was proposed to clarify that vision benefit managers would not be treated as pharmacy benefit managers. Most measures were moved by title sufficient due pass and reported without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is in the AI super cycle.
• So on the opportunity capture an AI super cycle, I agree with you, and TSM is in my district.
• The first is in the AI super cycle.
• an AI super cycle I agree with you and TSM's in my district I am thrilled with them and and what we're
• So there's data center and AI and the water field all related, but they weren't in the slides together

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee met to review the governor’s fiscal 2027 budget presentation, with the chair repeatedly asking members to keep questions brief and avoid speeches. The discussion focused first on the overall revenue and spending outlook, including concerns from members that the executive forecast was more optimistic than the JLBC baseline and that the budget appeared to front-load revenue and expenditure growth. The governor’s budget team said the forecast was close to JLBC’s, that the budget was structurally balanced, and that differences were roughly $100 million per year on ongoing revenue. Members asked for follow-up calculations in writing, including the total multi-year gap and the amount of revenue enhancements above base revenues. A major portion of the meeting centered on tax and fee proposals tied to data centers, water use, and sports betting. The governor’s team defended eliminating the existing data center tax incentive as the removal of a loophole rather than a new tax, arguing the incentive had already succeeded in attracting major investment. They also described a proposed Department of Water Resources fee-setting authority for data centers to support a new Colorado River Protection Fund, and said the proposal would apply to existing and future facilities without a grandfather clause. Members raised concerns about fairness, competitiveness, and whether the changes would require a supermajority vote. The team also discussed increased sports betting fees, saying the revenue forecast did not include dynamic behavioral effects. The committee then moved through major spending areas, including corrections, public safety, border security, cybersecurity, K-12 education, Medicaid, and developmental disabilities. The governor’s budget includes ongoing funding to prevent correctional officer pay cuts, money to comply with prison health care court orders, probation funding, body-worn cameras, law enforcement staffing, fentanyl task forces, and cyber readiness grants. Members questioned the lack of funding for a prison oversight committee and asked for corrections spending totals over the administration. On border security, the executive said it was seeking about $759.7 million in federal reimbursement for border-related costs and that the governor had met with federal officials, including Secretary Noem and Tom Homan, about the request. In education, the budget proposes renewing Prop. 123, adding K-12 base funding, and issuing $1.5 billion in school facilities bonds over three years; members debated whether the proposal was appropriate and whether Prop. 123 revenues could support the debt service. The meeting also covered AHCCCS cost growth and federal HR1 impacts, with the executive warning of major coverage losses and hospital funding reductions, and DDD funding, where the governor’s team said the budget fully funds services and includes about $120 million in supplemental needs. No votes were taken; the meeting was a presentation and question-and-answer session only.

Transcript Highlights:

• bill also does not include water use fee increases as proposed or the aquatic invasive species, or AIS
• responsiveness, ultimately contributing to the sustainable use of the state's groundwater, and the AIS
• <00:08:07.199> searchcharge invasive species or AIS searchcharge invasive species or AIS searchcharge
• <00:08:19.120> search<00:08:19.360> charges groundwater and the AIS search charges
• groundwater and the AIS search charges are<00:08:20.400> essential<00:08:20.720> to<00:

Bills: HF2439

Keywords: environmental protection, pollution reduction, waste management, climate change, funding allocations, 1183, house