Transcript Highlights:

• SB 549, Allen, from the Local Government Committee to the Education Committee.
• And when it comes to education, the people that matter in the education budget are mostly young people
• Title I education funding, that was DEI.
• This legislation also caps multiple tax credits and... ...that they buy.
• It is time we finally reexamine those tax credits.

Summary: The Assembly convened, initially lacked a quorum, and then completed the roll call, prayer, and pledge. Members observed a moment of silence for the fatal B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base in Assemblymember Lackey’s district. The body then handled a series of procedural motions, including re-referrals of numerous Senate bills to different committees, suspending rules for committee notices, and taking up the budget bill, AB 109, without reference to file for concurrence in Senate amendments. Debate on AB 109, the 2026 budget act, centered on competing views of the state’s fiscal condition and policy priorities. Supporters said the budget balances the current and next year’s budget, reduces the structural deficit, builds reserves, protects health care, schools, housing, food assistance, and other safety-net programs, and responds to federal cuts under H.R. 1. Opponents argued the budget increases taxes and costs, shortchanges schools, underfunds Proposition 36, relies on gimmicks, and does not adequately address public safety, cost of living, or long-term sustainability. Several members also highlighted specific provisions such as hospital support, Medi-Cal and IHSS protections, child care, immigrant legal services, prison closure, and funding for courts and victim services. A motion by Assemblymember DeMaio to return AB 109 to the Senate failed on a roll call vote, 13 ayes to 45 noes. The Assembly then voted on concurrence in the Senate amendments to AB 109; the measure passed, and the Senate amendments were concurred in without objection, with immediate transmittal to the Governor. Afterward, the Assembly moved to the daily file and took up SCR 89, a resolution affirming diversity, equity, and inclusion. Supporters from several caucuses framed DEI as a core California value and a response to federal attacks, while opponents criticized DEI as divisive. The transcript ends during debate on SCR 89, before any final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• And when it comes to education, the people that matter in the education budget are mostly young people
• Title I education funding, that was DEI.
• An alternative tax credit to the May revision proposal for certain business tax credits lowers taxes
• Their corporations still benefit from generous tax credits.
• It is time we finally reexamine those tax credits.

Transcript Highlights:

• It prevents stacking with other property tax credit programs.
• You mentioned the stacking of other property tax credits.
• I know they're called tax credits, but they don't actually operate like tax credits, right?
• As a credit, right? I think that's how it's done.
• In Iowa, they receive a 100% homestead tax credit.

Committee: House Special Committee on Tax Reform

Summary: The Special Committee on Tax Reform heard three measures focused on property tax relief and tax administration. House Bill 2869, sponsored by Rep. Mike Jones, would authorize counties to offer up to a 100% property tax credit on the primary residence of 100% permanently and totally disabled veterans, with a $500,000 value cap, surviving-spouse carryover, no stacking with other credits, and protections for bonded indebtedness. Jones and supporting witnesses from Missouri veterans organizations said the bill is a practical, county-option approach that recognizes veterans’ service and could help keep federal retirement and disability income in Missouri. The Department of Revenue noted the bill could reduce eligibility for the existing property tax credit and urged timely fiscal-note review. No opposition testified. The committee also heard H.J.R. 115, sponsored by Rep. Dave Griffith, which would place a constitutional amendment before voters to exempt 100% disabled veterans from personal property tax and homestead-related taxes, with surviving-spouse protections. Griffith said the measure has been pursued for years, would affect a relatively small number of veterans, and should be treated as a common-sense benefit for service-connected disabilities. Veterans’ groups strongly supported the resolution, describing it as overdue relief for veterans on fixed incomes and urging the committee to move it forward. Several members discussed whether the policy should be in the Constitution or statute, but all testimony was in favor. Finally, the committee heard HB 3303 from Rep. Cecily Williams, a cleanup bill to clarify that state and local sales or use taxes are exempt when the General Assembly purchases goods or lodging for official business and is reimbursed with public funds. Williams said the current statute lists outdated tax categories and leaves some local taxes on reimbursable expenses, causing the state to pay unnecessary taxes. Members generally supported the concept, and the Department of Revenue testified only on the need for timely fiscal-note requests and said the fiscal impact appeared minimal. No one testified in opposition to any of the three bills, and the committee concluded its hearing without taking final action or votes in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And begin accruing service credit.
• employees who experience multiple breaks in service during that grace period may purchase service credit
• This is a very important bill for the educational process of educating people on tech aquaculture and
• institutions and universities in the Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program.
• The tax credit allows higher education institutions to make necessary updates. to notable and significant

Bills: HB 104 , HB2434 , HB2529 , HB2688 , HB3161 , HB3486 , HB3487 , HB3745 , HB4044 , HB4226 , HB4945 , HB104

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• We also offer workforce and community education.
• I am the director of the nursing education program here at.
• So, briefly over the program, it is a 60 credit hour program, as all two-year degrees are. 45 to 43 credit
• These foundations have really high education standards.
• college credit to younger students.

Committee: House Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• as a punishment or for academic makeup, requiring meaningful physical education credit for graduation
• as a punishment or for academic makeup, requiring meaningful physical education credit for graduation
• as a punishment or for academic makeup, requiring meaningful physical education credit for graduation
• credit for graduation physical education credit for graduation while<02:32:04.800><c> limiting</c><02
• </c> substituted for physical education substituted for physical education credit.<02:32:16.880><c> And

Committee: Joint Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Education.
• Education.
• Education.
• credit for the same time.
• President of Baham, Post-Secondary Education, to prohibit public post-secondary education institutions

Bills: HR112 , HR113 , HR114 , HCR51 , HCR52 , HR94 , HR95 , HR96 , HR97 , HR98 , HR99 , HR100 , HR103 , HR104 , HR105 , HR106 , HR107 , HR108 , HR109 , HR110 , HR111 , HCR46 , HCR47 , HCR48 , HCR49 , HCR50 , SCR25 , SB17 , SB300 , HCR35 , HB51 , HB82 , HB143 , HB145 , HB160 , HB180 , HB192 , HB393 , HB430 , HB445 , HB506 , HB515 , HB521 , HB565 , HB590 , HB614 , HB638 , HB647 , HB670 , HB672 , HB685 , HB692 , HB752 , HB773 , HB781 , HB799 , HB839 , HB860 , HB873 , HB874 , HB887 , HB917 , HB937 , HB956 , HB965 , HB972 , HB977 , HB982 , HB1006 , HB1010 , HB1044 , HB1072 , HB1088 , HB1157 , HB1179 , HB1200 , HR15 , HR20 , HCR14 , HCR6 , HCR19 , HCR10 , HR74 , HCR26 , HCR45 , HB54 , HB67 , HB73 , HB125 , HB133 , HB158 , HB168 , HB169 , HB191 , HB195 , HB245 , HB280 , HB283 , HB296 , HB319 , HB339 , HB399 , HB407 , HB448 , HB550 , HB591 , HB826 , HB995 , HB1085 , HB1086 , HB98 , HB108 , HB131 , HB151 , HB161 , HB288 , HB294 , HB305 , HB310 , HB320 , HB336 , HB380 , HB392 , HB403 , HB420 , HB459 , HB476 , HB540 , HB615 , HB631 , HB637 , HB648 , HB665 , HB682 , HB789 , HB813 , HB815 , HB835 , HB870 , HB905 , HB915 , HB933 , HB938 , HB987 , HB1040 , HB827 , HB953 , HB796 , HB352 , HB463 , HB735 , HB780 , HB882 , HB81 , HB400 , HB140 , HB750 , HB911 , HB961 , HB401 , HB901 , HB9 , HB52 , HB58 , HB154 , HB193 , HB284 , HB410 , HB570 , HB577 , HB582 , HB605 , HB733 , HB868 , HB952

Summary: The House met with a quorum, opened with prayer and the pledge, and received several Senate messages and enrolled resolutions. The chamber also recognized visiting groups and guests, including a guest minister, the Joe Burrow Foundation, Youth Legislature participants, children’s advocacy center representatives, Alzheimer’s advocates, Delta Sigma Theta members, Kappa Alpha Psi members, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and City Year AmeriCorps. The House adopted a series of commemorative and awareness resolutions, including measures for Sanfilippo Syndrome Awareness Day, Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia Awareness Day, Knock Knock Children’s Museum Day, Big Brothers Big Sisters Day, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Day, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Day, My Sister’s Keeper Day, Youth Legislature recognition, and several commendations and condolences. It also concurred in SCR 25 and received Senate resolutions and bills, including measures on commercial driver’s licenses, Medicaid eligibility during redetermination, postsecondary support fund use, juvenile traffic violations, background checks, and explosives regulation. The House then considered and advanced a long list of bills, largely on criminal justice, education, public safety, transportation, and administrative procedure. Notable measures included bills on parole and probation alternatives, supervised release venue for sex-offender violations, jail-credit limits on consecutive sentences, medical parole notice, juvenile parole eligibility cleanup, teacher and school employee battery penalties, inmate workforce cleanup, re-entry programming for female parolees, extradition costs for probation/parole violators, and a bill allowing public postsecondary institutions to permit self-defense chemical sprays. Other bills addressed protected personal information for certain public officials, the M.J. Foster Promise Program eligibility age, scholarships for spouses of firefighters and police officers, compensation for parish board commissioners, paid family leave insurance as a voluntary private-market product, insurance referral practices, and vehicle inspection sticker requirements. Several bills were amended and passed, often with strong or unanimous support, while a few were recommitted or returned to the calendar. The House passed HB 504 on parole violations as alternatives to revocation by a vote of 88-0; HB 73 on electronic voting in public meetings by 88-0; HB 125 on supervised release venue by 91-0; HB 67 on protected information records by 98-1; HB 133 on assault and battery penalties for teachers by 96-0; HB 158 on probation technical violations by 92-3; HB 168 on a female parolee re-entry program by 95-0; HB 169 on extradition costs by 92-3; HB 191 on overlapping jail credit by 88-5; HB 195 on self-defense chemical sprays on campus by 93-0; HB 245 on medical parole notice by 95-0; HB 280 on juvenile parole eligibility cleanup by 93-0; HB 283 on sick leave and discipline rules for attacked school employees by 97-1; HB 296 repealing inactive inmate workforce provisions by 88-5; HB 319 on civic education commission quorum by 98-0; HB 339 on protected information for police officers and retired judges by 97-0; HB 407 on the M.J. Foster Promise Program age reset to 21 by 94-2; HB 448 on scholarships for spouses of firefighters and police officers by 95-0; HB 550 increasing parish board commissioner pay from $50 to $100 per day by 91-2; HB 591 creating a voluntary paid family leave insurance product by 95-0; and HB 826 modernizing insurance referral rules by 93-0. HB 1085, a major proposal to eliminate traditional vehicle inspection stickers and replace them with a new sticker/QR-code system tied to registration, drew extensive questioning about costs, enforcement, local parish programs, and where the fee revenue would go; the debate was ongoing in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Education and Employment Committee will come to order. Chair Canady. Rep. Canady: Here.
• I would like to—you are codifying specifically because I am an educator.
• Kristen: I am here as a Florida parent and a public education advocate.
• That is not an educational item. That is coercive in an emotional way.
• This will be managed carefully and efficiently as per our education system.

Committee: House Education & Employment Committee

Summary: The Education and Employment Committee met with a quorum and considered four measures. HB 409, which would require K-12 schools to observe Veterans Day, was presented briefly with no public testimony or debate and passed 18-0. The committee then took up HJR 583, a proposed constitutional amendment to codify religious liberty and expression in schools. Supporters argued it would strengthen existing protections and give voters the final say, while opponents from parent, atheist, interfaith, and church groups warned it could privilege dominant faiths, create coercion or confusion in schools, and reduce flexibility for districts. After extended debate, the resolution passed 18-1, with Rep. Harris voting no. The committee next heard CS/HB 453, which would allow students to substitute participation in Special Olympics for a PE credit and marching band for PE and arts credit under certain conditions. The sponsor and supporters said the bill recognizes the physical demands of these activities and would benefit students with disabilities and band students; school district and PTA representatives waived in support. The bill passed unanimously, 19-0. Finally, HB 127, requiring cursive writing instruction in grades 2 through 5, was presented as a literacy and heritage measure. Supporters said it would help students read historical documents and strengthen handwriting skills, while questions focused on grading, retention, and applicability to charter schools. It passed 17-0. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kate, you want to come on up and talk to us about higher education and post-secondary education funding
• Today I will go over the overview of higher education.
• It just shows that of the 13% of the higher education pie, that changes from the 8% of higher education
• Participating students receive tuition-free education.
• Participating students receive tuition-free education.

Bills: HB2148 , HB2132

Committee: House Postsecondary Education & Workforce

Keywords: education, pay it forward program, tuition, student loans, financial aid, state financial aid, financial aid application, postsecondary education, higher education, student aid, Washington Student Achievement Council, public records exemption, privacy, student records, personally identifying information, financial information, data sharing agreement, enrollment assistance, institutional records, FERPA

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman Livingston, do we still have the education rollover? Yes, the education rollover, we do.
• the individual and corporate refundable research and development tax credit.
• tax credit at $110 million annually beginning in fiscal year 2027.
• Right below that, number 11 talks about the dependent tax credit. Big deal if you have kids.
• We're giving a 25% increase in this credit. This is a big deal for families.

Transcript Highlights:

• And what that is is education.
• Education throughout communities means education for fire departments, education for the citizens, and
• education for the elected officials that are there.
• I talked a little bit about this point, but the education has to go beyond just fire prevention education
• Next, going into credit for service and records: the annual period of service that may be credited in

Summary: The committee was called to order, a quorum was established, and the minutes from the prior meeting were approved. The first major presentation came from Montana Public Employees Retirement System executive director William Hollahan, who gave an overview of Montana’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Compensation Act plan. He explained that the plan covers volunteer firefighters in unincorporated areas, is funded by 5% of state fire insurance premium taxes, and currently serves 228 departments with about 2,936 active members and 1,242 retirees. He described eligibility rules, annual training and reporting requirements, benefit levels for partial and full pensions, disability, death, medical, and funeral benefits, and said the plan is actuarially sound with roughly $60 million in assets and a funded ratio slightly above 100%. Committee members asked about prior-service credit, whether EMS personnel are included, the effect on recruitment and retention, and whether expanding coverage would require a funding analysis; Hollahan said prior service is not credited, EMS is not currently included, and any expansion would need financial review. Tim Walleen of Workforce Safety and Insurance then presented a draft North Dakota workers’ compensation solution for volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMS personnel. He explained that volunteer responders are already covered by workers’ comp for medical and wage-loss benefits, but the proposal would set a minimum annual wage of $30,000 for calculating wage-loss benefits for qualifying volunteers, with the benefit paid at two-thirds of that amount. Representative Porter suggested tying the volunteer definition to existing code rather than a fixed dollar amount, and Walleen agreed. Questions focused on whether search and rescue or other volunteer emergency services could be included, whether departments would face new paperwork, and whether volunteer organizations can already elect coverage; Walleen said there would be no additional paperwork and that volunteer coverage is already available. The committee also heard from volunteer fire service representatives and the state fire marshal. An Oakes-area firefighter, Mr. Olson, testified that small departments are struggling with retention, communication, and administrative burdens, especially around separate bookkeeping and funding rules for donated or fundraising money, and he said departments need clearer guidance from the state. State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark introduced himself and outlined a broader effort to improve education, support, and coordination for fire departments, including a planned 10% audit of certificates of existence beginning in 2027, more outreach through his office, and better assistance with training, reporting, and grant access. He said his office is authorized under current law to provide these services, but the role has been vague and underused. Finally, Arnagard Rural Fire District Chief Rick Schreiber testified in favor of new recruitment and retention ideas, including retirement-style benefits, health insurance, tax incentives, scholarships, grants, and more remote or regional training. He said volunteer departments are losing members, that local tax and donation funds are already stretched, and that any new retirement or incentive program should be sustainable and likely involve a mix of state and local support.

Transcript Highlights:

• The tax credit expansion outlined in this bill for the California Film and Television Credit Program.
• This bill will also make meaningful and real investments in the critical film tax credits.
• We were able to include 500 million for the low income housing tax credit. 120 million for the.
• This budget also prepares for a rainy day ahead and protects our public education investments.
• I rise to present AB 123, the Higher Education Trailer Bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• for the 4% tax credit.
• And so the federal tax credits, those 9% tax credits, generally provide more than double the equity for
• credits or other additional subsidy.
• Last year we funded 43 projects with 4% tax credit. 43 projects with 4% tax credits plus the state enhanced
• But it's critical that state tax credits and 9% credits can be paired with HDFC projects.

Summary: The subcommittee opened with remarks on the Senate’s budget plan for affordable housing and homelessness, including a proposed $2 billion housing investment and full funding for HHAP rounds 7 and 8. The first major item was the administration’s housing reorganization and trailer bill package, which would codify the new Housing Development and Finance Committee (HDFC), consolidate multifamily housing finance programs into a one-stop application and award process, and shift some authority over bonds, tax credits, and the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program. Administration officials said the goal was to reduce duplication, speed projects from award to construction, and improve accountability by aligning financing decisions. The LAO generally supported the streamlining concept but recommended changes to the proposed bond set-aside and earlier reallocation of unused bond authority, and suggested preserving flexibility for integrated applications and reporting back on the proposed 70/30 split for housing versus sustainable communities funding. Committee members, especially Senator Cabaldon, raised concerns that the new committee structure could add process and delay, and questioned whether the proposal was effectively repurposing the climate-oriented ASIC program into a housing finance tool without enough direct investment in core housing programs. Administration witnesses responded that the structure was meant to create transparency, public accountability, and simultaneous financing awards, and said the proposal was only a first step in a broader consolidation effort. Members also asked about specific programs such as the Joe Serna Farm Worker Housing Grant Program and the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program, and staff said those would remain within the broader streamlined framework or the flexible sustainable communities allocation. The committee then heard from CDLAC and TCAC on federal tax credit changes and state housing finance. Staff explained that H.R. 1 increased the federal 9% LIHTC allocation and, more importantly, lowered the bond-financing threshold for 4% credits from 50% to 25%, allowing California to finance many more projects. They reported emergency regulations were adopted quickly to implement the change, resulting in 195 projects and more than 25,000 units in the 4% program, while the 9% program funded 58 projects and nearly 3,000 units. Members asked about the value of the state low-income housing tax credit program and rehabilitation projects; staff said state credits remain important for filling financing gaps and that a portion of bond and credit resources is now set aside for acquisition and rehabilitation. Finally, the Civil Rights Department reported on the effects of federal civil rights rollbacks and on three limited-term or expiring programs: California vs. Hate, the Community Conflict Resolution Unit, and Investigations and Conciliation Enhancement. Director Kevin Kish said federal closures and funding cuts have increased demand on the department, which now has more than 12,000 open matters, up from 8,700 a year earlier, and a six-month wait for intake interviews despite overtime triage and early case screening. Members urged continued funding for the programs, arguing they are essential as federal protections weaken; department staff said California vs. Hate connects callers quickly to support services, the conflict resolution unit fills a gap left by the shuttered federal counterpart, and the limited-term investigators have helped reduce wait times even as filings continue to rise.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also allows for credit card processing fees, now incentivizing the option for consumers to use credit
• Let's take up tab 50, CS for SB 7038 on education by Education Post-Secondary, and Senator Calatayud,
• We're going to take up tab 49, CS for SB 7036 on education by the Education Pre-K through 12 Committee
• Senator, talk to us about the educational emergency.
• Is that what an educational emergency is?

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The committee first confirmed six appointees in a single vote, then took up a series of bills, most of them reported favorably. The early debate centered on SB 208, a land-use bill by Sen. McLean that would require development fees to reflect review costs and create more objective compatibility standards for residential development denials. An amendment adding housing-related provisions, including an OPAGA study of urban development boundaries, drew extended discussion over the Everglades and local control; it was adopted, while a late-filed amendment on rural boundaries was withdrawn. The bill was then reported favorably after supporters and opponents, including Miami-Dade and housing groups, weighed in. The committee also favorably reported SB 686 on agricultural enclaves after amendments adding conservation, wildlife corridor, and Everglades-related protections, with one amendment specifically preserving stronger protections in counties covered by the Northern Everglades/Indian River Lagoon plan. Several criminal justice and public records measures also advanced. SB 436 would add resisting an officer with violence as a qualifying prior offense for battery enhancement and include certain felony battery offenses in prison release reoffender status. SB 830 would extend public-records protections to county and city administrators and related family information. SB 990 would authorize protected cell captive insurers in Florida. SB 600, on bail bonds, drew the most debate: an amendment by Sen. Rouson preserved the current treatment of charitable bail organizations’ deposits, with supporters arguing nonprofits help low-income defendants and critics saying the bill should distinguish commercial and nonprofit bonding; the amendment was adopted and the bill reported favorably. SB 914 on dry needling and SB 1434 on infill redevelopment also passed, the latter with an amendment removing a 10% markup requirement for buyback provisions. The committee then moved through a large education and health agenda. SB 1504 would let high school students who complete an insurance/personal finance elective qualify later for a customer service representative license. SB 1718 would expand educator preparation and temporary certification options. SB 7038 was a broad education package covering tuition waivers for Florida State Guard members, residency rules, consumer protections, dual enrollment, grading, and college funding; amendments clarified workforce licensure and exempted certain dental training from new licensure rules. SB 1092 on podiatric medicine added definitions and restrictions for cellular/tissue-based products. SB 1138 on qualified contractors created a pre-application review program for certain local governments, with historic-preservation carveouts. SB 186 on student health and safety required seizure-training and action plans in schools, and SB 560 on child welfare streamlined psychotropic-medication procedures for children in state care while adding youth advisory meetings and insurance-data review. SB 902, a broad Department of Health bill, addressed medical marijuana facility setbacks, practitioner discipline, autism microcredentials, marriage and family therapy licensure, a neurofibromatosis grant program, and family home health aide delegation; it passed after two amendments. Finally, SB 218 on land-use regulations limited hurricane-recovery restrictions to affected counties, SB 1002 expanded child-neglect definitions tied to parental drug abuse, SB 1474 tightened biosolids land-application rules, SB 1708 eased out-of-state veterinary licensure by endorsement, and SB 314 established a Florida regulatory framework for payment stablecoins aligned with federal law. Most measures were reported favorably by committee vote after brief testimony or no debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• She had accumulated 59 credits of developmental education and she was confused about why she wasn't graduating
• <00:26:15.680><c> education</c> developmental education developmental education and<00:26:17.400><c>
• </c> credit-bearing classes. credit-bearing classes.
• education."
• education."

Bills: HF4698 , HF4608

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: higher education, identity verification, enrollment fraud, funding, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, postsecondary education, community college, university, developmental education, remedial education, remediation, corequisite, co-requisite, English composition, college readiness, adult basic education, ABE, student placement, credit-bearing courses, noncredit courses

Transcript Highlights:

• for the 4% tax credit.
• And so the federal tax credits, those 9% tax credits, generally provide more than double the equity for
• credits or other additional subsidy.
• in state credit requests for projects.
• But it's critical that state tax credits and 9% credits can be paired with HDFC projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• Through AFP education to try and get CME accreditation for some of the kind of medical education courses
• In 2021, those federal tax credits were enhanced.
• on top of those federal tax credits.
• So we're getting a lot more federal tax credit for those folks still eligible for the tax credit due
• have to overcome in order to claim those tax credits.

Committee: House Health Care & Wellness

Summary: The committee heard a JLARC audit presentation on the Department of Health’s oversight of hospital inspections, complaints, and hospital data reporting. JLARC said DOH was late on 72% of acute care hospital inspections as of December 2024, had not verified that third-party accrediting standards were substantially equivalent to state requirements, did not consistently collect proof of those inspections, and was not reviewing adverse health event corrective action plans as required. JLARC also said DOH’s complaint system may have language-access barriers and that hospital data posted online is difficult for the public to use. JLARC made five recommendations to DOH and one to the Legislature; DOH concurred with the recommendations. DOH then outlined a response plan and said it had already begun work on several items. Officials said they would develop staffing and performance plans for inspections, verify accrediting body standards and require proof of third-party inspections, expand complaint forms into additional languages, seek funding and legal updates for adverse event review, and improve public access to hospital data, including a possible dashboard. They said annual progress updates would be provided to the Legislature and noted some improvement in inspection timeliness, while also emphasizing staffing, funding, and pandemic-related backlogs as constraints. The committee also received a DOH presentation on certificate of need modernization. DOH described the current program as a tool to assess community need, financial feasibility, quality, and cost containment for certain facility expansions and new services, and recommended a phased modernization focused on clarifying statutory purpose, creating a planning entity, adding flexibility, reducing legal costs, modernizing access standards, expanding oversight to freestanding emergency departments and urgent care, addressing equity, improving cost control coordination, securing ongoing funding, and using new state data systems. Members asked about streamlining overlapping inspections and whether triggers could be used to target inspections more efficiently. A final panel discussed artificial intelligence in health care, with a Coalition for Health AI representative describing industry efforts to create standards for responsible AI, including principles of usefulness, fairness, safety, transparency, security, and privacy, plus tools such as model cards and quality-assurance frameworks. The committee then heard testimony on federal and state health care funding changes from the Washington State Hospital Association and Providence Swedish, which warned that state cuts, taxes, and federal HR1 changes would worsen already thin margins, lead to service reductions, layoffs, and delayed capital investments, and increase charity care and uncompensated care. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange also began a presentation on expiring federal ACA premium tax credits and the state’s Cascade Care Savings program, warning that coverage affordability for exchange customers could be affected if federal enhancements are not extended.

Transcript Highlights:

• the support for higher education.
• higher education continuing their higher education Journey<01:03:17.680><c> until</c> Journey until
• </c> Investments made in higher education Investments made in higher education including<01:04:20.839
• and special education.
• Education is too high.

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:17.879><c> funding</c> those of you on the education funding those of you on the education
• </c><00:05:28.840><c> funding</c> 2,000 you heard at the education funding 2,000 you heard at the education
• </c> out of conversations with the education out of conversations with the education funding<00:11:54.600
• They pursued 54,000 credits.
• </c> cost of doing that those 54,000 credits cost of doing that those 54,000 credits if<01:04:22.559>

Summary: The committee received an orientation from University System of New Hampshire Chancellor Katherine Preventure and Senior Director of Government Relations Lauren Banker on the system’s enrollment, finances, workforce role, and academic programs. They described the system as consisting of UNH, Keene State, and Plymouth State, with about 23,000 students, $928 million in FY24 operating expenses, a $3.7 billion economic impact, and UNH’s R1 research status. They emphasized the system’s role in graduating students into the New Hampshire workforce, its statewide Cooperative Extension and regional campus presence, and its alignment of degree offerings with top occupations identified by New Hampshire Employment Security. The presentation also highlighted partnerships with businesses, internships, and collaboration with the community college system, including 100 transfer pathways and a direct-admit program. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on tuition, state support, and student costs. The chancellor said the state invested $95 million in FY25, with about $81 million used to reduce resident tuition and about $14 million for statutory programs such as Cooperative Extension and the Agricultural Experiment Station. She said the state subsidy is about $7,300 per New Hampshire student, and that resident net tuition averages about $7,000, while nonresident net tuition averages about $16,600. She provided published tuition figures for UNH, Plymouth State, and Keene State, and explained that resident tuition has been held flat for five years while financial aid has increased, reducing average net tuition and fees for New Hampshire students from about $10,500 in 2020 to $9,800. Members asked for clarification on how residency and workforce-retention percentages were calculated, and the chancellor said she would follow up. Members also asked about comparisons with peer institutions, housing and meal costs, research funding, and the reasons for declining enrollment and staffing reductions. The chancellor said peer comparisons were based on flagship universities for UNH and smaller regional publics for Plymouth and Keene, and noted that out-of-state tuition has risen about 2.5% annually. She said housing for a UNH double room is $8,536 and a meal plan is $5,100, and offered to provide a consolidated cost document. On research, she said the system’s direct research spending includes federal funding and that indirect costs were about $34 million last year, with a follow-up promised on the federal/state and direct/indirect split. She attributed enrollment declines largely to demographics and said the system is responding by reducing costs, selling buildings, exiting leases, moving the system office to NHTI, and implementing Workday. She also noted that Plymouth received approval for five three-year bachelor’s degree programs and that members praised the shorter, workforce-focused pathways, especially for manufacturing and other in-demand fields.

Transcript Highlights:

• Higher education also faces strain.
• Higher education also faces strain.
• Higher education also faces strain.
• Higher education also faces strain.
• Higher education also faces strain.

Bills: SB5998

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: fiscal appropriations, budget, state funding, financial management, operating expenses