Transcript Highlights:

• and a reference to help cities build and a reference to help cities build that<00:11:04.079>
• And I would say, you know, if they can build three single-family homes, they can build a triplex.
• And I would say, you know, if they can build three single-family homes, they can build a triplex.
• And I would say, you know, if they can build three single-family homes, they can build a triplex.
• Why are you not building townhomes? This building feels very large.'

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Minnesota or Beyond uh so it builds Minnesota or Beyond uh so it builds character<01:10:54.040><
• our youth uh we also help us build our youth uh we also help us build projects<01:11:03.400>
• the muu those are all Bert building the muu those are all buildings<01:11:19.239> that<01:11:
• 19.640> our buildings that our buildings that our organization<01:11:21.920> sponsored<
• We're ready to start to build.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . buildings. buildings.
• But uh conversation with the chamber.
• 01:14:41.800> in recall any such conversation in recall any such conversation in committee<01:
• more transparent, and it will help build more transparent, and it will help build our<01:46:42.040
• I've been having running conversations I've been having running conversations with<02:11:42.840>

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are the conversations.
• Those are the conversations.
• Those are the conversations.
• Those are the conversations.
• The conversations it's not an easy conversation; it's one that's been battered around the community.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we shouldn't be having this conversation.
• This is 40 miles long, expected to be decades to build.
• Because this conversation will go on, I'm sure. Go ahead.
• you have to just go and build less of it.
• Now, the UK is building High-Speed Two.

Summary: The hearing opened with budget framing from the chair and the LAO, who said the May Revision addresses roughly a $14 billion budget problem and that the environment and transportation subcommittee’s proposals account for about $1.9 billion of the solution. The LAO urged members to focus on solutions that do not worsen out-year deficits, to preserve reserves, and to defer major policy changes that are not necessary to pass the budget, including the newly introduced water-related trailer bills. Members also raised concern about a late-dropped Olympic-related trailer bill, which the LAO likewise suggested should be deferred for fuller review. The first major item was the Delta Conveyance Project and related water quality control plan trailer bills. The administration argued the proposals would streamline permitting, water rights proceedings, judicial review, and land acquisition, and would clarify DWR’s bond authority for the project. DWR said the project is needed to protect water supply reliability against drought, earthquakes, sea level rise, and other climate-related disruptions, and that the tunnel would help move water when conditions are wet and safer for the environment. Committee members from both parties questioned the timing, the use of budget trailer bills for major policy changes, the scope of the CEQA and water-rights changes, the lack of a bond cap, cost growth, and eminent domain protections. The LAO recommended deferring both water trailer bills without prejudice. Public comment was sharply divided, with labor, water agencies, and some business groups supporting the project as climate adaptation and reliability infrastructure, while environmental, tribal, fishing, county, and community groups opposed it as an attempt to bypass public process and weaken protections. The committee then briefly heard the DMV’s Digital Experience Platform fee trailer bill, which would reinstate a $1 system improvement fee to help fund the vehicle-registration phase of the project. DMV said the fee would raise about $7 million annually and offset roughly $59 million to $60 million of project costs, while the LAO noted it would help but would not solve the Motor Vehicle Account’s broader structural gap. The hearing then moved to California High-Speed Rail, where the new CEO presented an updated plan and said the project remains a major climate and infrastructure investment. He reported a revised Merced-to-Bakersfield cost range of $34.9 billion to $38.5 billion, said the agency is trying to reduce risk through direct procurement of materials, and argued that stable annual funding is needed to avoid higher costs from delays.

Transcript Highlights:

• You elevate the conversation every room you come into.
• Of this building, in front of him, and I'll say it in this building, the smartest guy in the place, and
• Because every time I see Estelle in this building and out of this building, the first thing I think of
• Jen and Estelle on in the building.
• We'll never stop it no matter what we do in this building.

Bills: HB1168

Keywords: abortion, abortion-inducing drugs, medication abortion, mifepristone, misoprostol, methotrexate, pro-life, pro-choice, reproductive health, unborn child, trafficking, felony, contraception, pharmacist, pharmacy, Title 63, Oklahoma statutes, abortion pill, drug distribution, criminal penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• But I'm looking forward to this conversation.
• important conversation.
• That is just not the focus of this conversation. All right.
• That is just not the focus of this conversation. All right.
• I appreciate the conversation as well on competition.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, it was a tiny little commercial building.
• Now, we're talking about industrial-sized buildings, massive footprints.
• You'd drive by it and think it was an office building.
• that they're trying to build. that they're trying to build.
• they're just the little office buildings they're just the little office buildings still. still.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The discussion focused on the growing number of data center proposals in Minnesota and the concerns they are raising in communities such as Eagan, Hermantown, Farmington, and Rosemount. The senator described data centers as having evolved from small server rooms into large industrial-scale facilities that support data storage and AI systems, and said the main issue is not whether they are needed, but where they should be located. He argued they should be treated as industrial uses and placed in industrial zones away from residential neighborhoods because of potential impacts on nearby homes, including concerns about property values, utilities, and the character of the area. The senator also discussed Senate File 607, a bill he introduced last session to address data center placement. He said the bill would require data centers to be sited in industrial areas and include an inspection to ensure adequate water and electricity resources are available. He said the bill had been scheduled for a hearing in State Government but the hearing was canceled, and he hopes to bring it back for a hearing this session. He noted that the issue is becoming more important as data center development expands and that lawmakers are still catching up to the change. A second major topic was the use of nondisclosure agreements in data center development. The senator said local governments should not be required to sign NDAs before discussing projects with constituents, especially when those agreements prevent public disclosure until projects are already far along. He said NDAs may be appropriate in limited cases, such as tours of controlled facilities where trade secrets are involved, but not when cities are buying property or rezoning land. He expressed support for efforts to ban or limit NDAs in this context and said the issue is bipartisan but also politically difficult in a closely divided legislature.

Transcript Highlights:

• We think those are good uses of one-time funding to help build capacity.
• other salary and benefit conversations are determined locally.
• Yeah, and we'll want to have continued conversation. Okay.
• Yeah, and we'll want to have continued conversation, you know, around that.
• First, there's the $5 million to build the transcript review platform.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Downtown buildings are often older and among the largest buildings in the community.
• <00:15:12.320> These buildings in the community. These buildings in the community.
• :15:14.000> suited<00:15:14.240> for buildings are especially well suited for buildings
• Phase one is currently underway, which focuses on the conversion of the primates and polar bear buildings
• Paul with this initiative. our building. Thank you again for your our building.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Things that are allocated to electrification and fuel conversion.
• Then there's ZEV programs and alternative fuels, and that's entirely electrification fuel conversion,
• Some of that may also be electrification and fuel conversion, and some of it is not.
• Team, which does very similar work in decarbonizing the building sector.
• They point You know, we've worked with charging companies to have conversations about this.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The House Transportation Committee held a work session focused heavily on Climate Commitment Act transportation spending and electrification programs. Staff first reviewed roughly $2.2 billion in CCA transportation allocations over three biennia, noting that the largest shares went to public transportation, active transportation, ferry electrification, ZEV programs, rail freight/ports, and planning, with about half of the electrification and fuel-conversion spending tied to state ferries. Members asked for more detail comparing CCA dollars with the broader transportation budget and for total project costs, not just CCA contributions. The Department of Ecology presented on the zero-emission school bus program. Ecology said the legislature codified the program in 2024 and requires electric buses once diesel and electric costs are equivalent, with exemptions available when electric buses cannot meet district needs. Ecology reported $38.3 million in CCA funding for 2025-27, with $21.4 million already obligated or spent to replace 91 diesel buses in 28 districts, plus additional federal EPA funding leveraged for 13 more buses. Members asked about health impacts, parity timing, rural route exemptions, charging and training costs, and whether the program includes infrastructure; Ecology said the grants cover buses, charging, and sometimes training, and that the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is developing the cost-equivalency formula. The Department of Commerce described its clean transportation role, including EV rebates, charging infrastructure, tribal electric boats, and the EV Coordinating Council. Commerce said its rebate program was designed to lower monthly payments for low-income households, that 89% of recipients said the rebate was essential to their purchase, and that lease incentives helped draw additional federal dollars. Members asked about tribal boat details, utility interconnection and curtailment, range anxiety, and vandalism at charging stations; Commerce said battery storage and managed charging are being used in some projects, some utilities are more responsive than others, and vandalism remains a challenge. The Department of Enterprise Services reported 567 Level 2 and 46 Level 3 charging ports installed at 82 state sites, with 19 more sites in progress and over $100 million in additional candidate projects. DES said most funding is for new infrastructure, though some VW settlement money is used for replacements, and members asked about charger replacement needs, mobile charging, and EV fleet purchasing data. WSDOT then outlined its EV infrastructure and transit programs. It said the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Partnership program has funded 23 new charging sites this biennium, including overburdened communities and tribal locations, and has supported 264 DC fast-charging ports statewide. WSDOT also described the new Washington Zero Emission Incentive Program, a point-of-sale voucher program for zero-emission commercial vehicles and equipment with $112 million available this biennium; it reported strong early demand, especially for off-road equipment and heavy trucks, and said technical assistance is being provided to help businesses participate. In public transportation, WSDOT said CCA funds support bus and bus facility grants, commute trip reduction, green transportation capital projects, paratransit, tribal transit, zero-emissions access car share, and other mobility projects, with most awards benefiting overburdened communities. Finally, WSDOT’s rail freight and ports division said port electrification projects are underway but spending is still low because of long design, permitting, utility, and supply-chain timelines; it estimated the $89.8 million program could reduce more than 140,000 metric tons of emissions over 10 years. Members questioned the pace of spending, the Northwest Seaport drayage project, and how state funds can leverage additional federal or port resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so these are the conversations.
• This is all, you know, conversation. Wouldn't you agree?
• And we use HOME funds to build homes as well.
• Is the conversation I hope to have? And disability? Is the conversation I hope to have.
• And so I think that it's a good conversation.

Keywords: 914, all

Summary: The committee/task force met with several disability service providers to discuss integrated employment, transition services, and barriers to community jobs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Robin Arder and Belinda Stevens of ThinkAbility described creating their own businesses when community employers were not hiring their clients, and said rigid service rules, employer readiness, bullying, and reimbursement structures often force the person to fit the service rather than the service fitting the person. They said they have not seen clients lose benefits, but they do closely manage reporting to Social Security and related supports. Tina Hannah of South Central Industries described a broad business model that includes manufacturing, janitorial work, city beautification, state-use contracts, a food truck, and an entertainment trailer, along with an adult day program and residential services. She said many employers are hesitant because of productivity and cost concerns, and that businesses are often more open to contracting with her agency than hiring individuals directly. Miranda Figueroa of A New Leaf said her agency is moving toward a more person-centered model with sheltered work, volunteer sites, paid contracts, and a Transition Academy. She said the academy is a two-year program focused first on independent living and then on employment, with internships and an 85% placement rate, but funding is a major barrier because the program is not accredited and students cannot access traditional aid. She also cited dual diagnoses, inconsistent job coaches, and employer uncertainty as major obstacles. Angela Decker and Deborah Copeland of DRTC described DRTC’s long-running enclave contracts, a new Community Skills and Connections program, and a plan to phase out 14(c) subminimum wage use by the end of the year. They said the new program is designed to keep people engaged in community-based skill-building and networking while families still need day supports, and that DRTC has developed more than 100 community partnerships. Senator Kirt, Rep. Hefner, and participants discussed broader system issues, including the need for better school-to-work transition, more social integration, transportation, safety, and employer education. DRS staff said the agency is already required to provide pre-employment transition services in schools starting at age 14 and offers employer accommodations support and job-carving assistance, though they acknowledged federal reporting expectations and service rules can be restrictive. Several participants raised concerns about line-of-sight restrictions, congregate living rules, benefit cliffs, and the difficulty of moving from DDS to DRS services. The group also discussed the need for better data and possible working groups focused on in-school transition, program support and blending services, and community integration. No formal votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I think part of the biggest conversations that we had most specifically...
• Those conversations are happening.
• like the conversation around access to child care, I feel like the conversation around access to child
• Or is there some other avenue to help the school districts with building?
• going we can't let this like fall to the It keeps this conversation going.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then natural UF6, that's after conversion, chemical conversion into uranium hexafluoride there.
• And then you have what we'll call conversion.
• So we're trying to help build through that pathway.
• So we were greatly interested in the conversion.
• We are here to have that conversation and welcome that conversation.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the quality of questions from the group, followed by a series of technical presentations from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent nuclear regulatory changes tied to presidential executive orders, including NRC Part 53 for advanced reactors, the forthcoming Part 57 for very small reactors, and DOE updates to reactor authorization standards. He emphasized efforts to align DOE and NRC processes, use risk-informed and performance-based licensing, support reactor deployment for AI/data centers and national security, and use AI to speed communications and crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements. In response to questions, he said there was no plan to merge agencies, but rather to improve coordination and public outreach through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and reprocessing. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), why it is needed for advanced reactors, and DOE’s HALEU Availability Program and related investments in enrichment, transportation, deconversion, and supply chain development. He also covered spent fuel management, the possibility of centralized storage or a fuel-cycle campus, the Center for Used Fuel Research, and ongoing work on high-burnup cask testing and reprocessing technologies. Tolman described aqueous, pyrochemical, and fluoride-volatility reprocessing approaches, noting the advantages and waste characteristics of each, and said several companies are working with INL on these technologies. Ashley Shields presented INL’s AI and nuclear work, focusing on the Genesis initiative and the Prometheus effort to use AI to design, license, build, and operate reactors with far less human intervention. She described INL’s broad use of generative AI tools, the need to manage large volumes of legacy technical data, and applications in reactor design, materials discovery, autonomous laboratories, and digital twins. Shields said AI is being used to reduce the enormous documentation burden in nuclear licensing and to support autonomous or remotely operated reactor demonstrations, while stressing that humans remain in supervisory roles. In discussion, she addressed data security, model access, and the continued need for software engineers. The session then recessed briefly and resumed with Mitch Kerman beginning a presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some people just needed a building permit for a single-family dwelling.
• But some people needed a building permit for a single-family dwelling.
• They might have needed a building permit for a new access point.
• There’s a third entrepreneurial entity that’s building their business.
• The conversation is about wildfire resilience.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, uh, conversations like this.
• Uh, you could build requirements for six months, even a year, before you ever start coding or building
• ><00:15:16.320> months,<00:15:16.639> even build requirements for six months, even build
• cost to build it to this point? cost to build it to this point?
• any subsequent conversations. any subsequent conversations.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'll just say a lot of conversation about AI replacing lawyers.
• The conversation...
• We build industries that honor them.
• We build industries that honor them.
• Who would build new homes if they knew they would be all given away?

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee and Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational hearing at Stanford on the intersection of artificial intelligence, copyright, transparency, and California’s creative economy. Chairs and members emphasized that the hearing was not on a specific bill and no vote would be taken. Opening remarks framed the issue as balancing protection for artists and other rights holders with the need to keep AI innovation and related economic activity thriving in California, while noting that federal action is unlikely and that state policy may influence national standards. The first panel featured Professor Pamela Samuelson and Stanford researcher Rishi Bommasani. Samuelson reviewed the current copyright litigation landscape, including dozens of lawsuits over AI training, and explained the fair use framework, the Google Books precedent, and the uncertainty around newer theories such as market dilution. She said states can likely regulate transparency, deepfakes, privacy, and safety, but warned that some proposals may be preempted by federal copyright law. Bommasani described widespread opacity around training data among major California AI companies, discussed AB 2013 and the EU AI Act as transparency models, and identified gaps in disclosure design, enforcement, and whether transparency alone can address copyright and IP concerns. Members asked about open-source models, opt-outs, machine unlearning, user data, and state options for protecting creators. The second panel included SAG-AFTRA board member Jason George, Animation Guild president Danny Lynn, and OpenAI copyright counsel Mark Gray. George and Lynn argued that AI training on performers’ and artists’ work without consent or compensation threatens jobs, bargaining power, and reputations, and they supported stronger transparency and licensing requirements so creators can identify when their work is used. Gray said AI is already being used as a productivity tool and highlighted partnerships between AI companies and publishers, record labels, and studios, while arguing that specific harmful uses such as deepfakes should be regulated directly rather than restricting general-purpose AI development. Committee members discussed labeling and watermarking of AI-generated content, transparency around model use, and whether state law should require more detailed disclosure of training data; no formal action was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• This summer's construction season: are we still building off of the old design rather than building off
• So we continue to build this.
• First off, no new FTE, no new buildings.
• First off, no new FTE, no new buildings.
• We would have conversations, and we are having conversations with them.

Summary: The Water Topics Overview Committee met to receive interim status updates on several water-related studies and Department of Water Resources projects. The committee approved the March 26, 2026 minutes, observed a moment of silence for the late Representative Conmy, and then heard updates on the watershed management study and the stormwater/wastewater study. Staff reported that the committee had already received the testimony contemplated in the study plans, including input from state agencies, local governments, and out-of-state entities, and that any further action would be at the committee’s discretion. The Department of Water Resources then provided project and budget updates on NAWS and the Southwest Pipeline Project. Reese reported NAWS is expected to serve about 81,000 users, with a total projected cost of about $571 million and about $96 million remaining, while the Southwest Pipeline Project is estimated at $1.06 billion total with about $409 million remaining. Members asked about funding sources, capacity needs, and whether current and future construction is being designed for increased demand; department staff said current work is designed for ultimate capacity, but some future components may need redesign based on new requests. The committee also discussed local cost shares, Minot’s role in NAWS funding, and whether the system is adequate for peak demand. A major portion of the meeting focused on the department’s cash management, carryover, and long-term water funding outlook. The department said Resources Trust Fund revenues are tied to oil extraction taxes and are affected by stripper well exemptions and future oil price declines. Members expressed concern about large carryover balances and whether the state is obligating more money than can realistically be spent in a biennium. The department reported about $340.6 million in remaining carryover and said it is trying to reduce that through a two-tier pre-construction/construction process and closer project vetting. The department also summarized the Deloitte studies on regional governance and finance and on cost-share policy. Stakeholders generally favored keeping the current governance structures for NAWS and Southwest with improvements, while Red River stakeholders leaned toward a different option; the department said it will bring an implementation plan back in September. On cost share, Deloitte’s recommendations would reduce some percentages, prioritize projects differently, and use other measures to close a projected long-term funding gap. Members debated affordability, local burden, deferred maintenance, and whether statutory changes may be needed to allow the commission more flexibility in prioritizing and funding projects. No formal votes or final actions were taken beyond approving the minutes and receiving the updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• those conversations.
• We've been having conversations with everyone, including...
• We've been having conversations with folks from the financial services.
• Keith Dunn here on behalf of the State Building Construction Trades Council.
• It is about as straightforward a policy as we can talk about in this building.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think we even had a conversation And I think we even had a conversation maybe<00:18:47.679
• <00:21:46.159> is the disproportionality conversation is the disproportionality conversation
• Conversations we're having now or continue the conversations that were begun in the restrictive practices
• We're lacking capacity for building We're lacking capacity for building setting<01:10:25.360>
• Um, I had a a conversation of programs.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Seclusion Working Group approved the minutes from its November 5, 2025 meeting and then heard presentations from Jessica Heiser and Aaron Sansmark of Solutions Not Suspensions and the Minnesota Disability Law Center on the misuse and illegal use of seclusion in schools. They described illegal seclusion as including use outside emergencies, for discipline or noncompliance, beyond the emergency period, in unregistered rooms, without parent notice, without required observation or documentation, for students outside the grade-limit rules, when meals/restroom/water are withheld, or when staff are not properly trained. They emphasized that Minnesota lacks a single reliable data source for identifying illegal seclusion and that families often learn about incidents late, if at all, making complaints and legal action difficult because of barriers such as time, cost, language, and access to advocates. The presenters summarized Minnesota Disability Law Center records, saying they receive about one seclusion-related case per month during the school year, statewide, and that in the cases reviewed over the last year the children were all boys with disabilities, including autism, ADHD, developmental delay, or emotional disabilities; three were white and two were children of color, and four of the five were age 10 or younger. They said all of those families pulled their children from school afterward, and that five of five cases potentially had valid illegal-seclusion claims, though only three pursued legal action. They also noted PACER reports many discipline and behavior calls involving seclusion but does not keep hard records. The presenters proposed better statewide data collection, including identifying school buildings, staff, or students involved, reporting incident duration, and adding a checkbox on MDE complaints to flag restraint/seclusion allegations. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on disproportionality. The presenters cited national research showing students with disabilities and students of color, especially Black boys, are disproportionately restrained or secluded, while acknowledging Minnesota does not have a single statewide racial aggregate for seclusion. Members discussed whether banning seclusion would reduce misuse and disproportionality, whether it could increase physical holds or injuries, and whether the issue should be viewed in the broader context of emergency interventions. Heiser argued Minnesota is moving in the same direction as federal actions and other states that have restricted or banned seclusion, and noted that the current birth-through-third-grade ban has reportedly reduced seclusion by 40%. Other members agreed disproportionality is a serious systemwide problem, but emphasized the need to keep the conversation focused on seclusion and emergency use. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes.