Transcript Highlights:

• It's serving right now about 5% of our residential obligations.
• It's serving right now about 5% of our residential obligations.
• And next, we have our Cascade and our Columbia units.
• Our Baker unit in October of 2025.
• It is three units. It is 22 beds.

Summary: The committee held a work session focused first on juvenile rehabilitation system capacity. DCYF officials said the juvenile rehabilitation population is older, includes more adult-sentenced youth, and has longer lengths of stay, especially for “post-25” youth who must remain in secure facilities and cannot go to community beds. They described overcrowding at Green Hill School, placement limits at Echo Glen and Harbor Heights, staffing turnover, mental health acuity, and the need for more medium-security and specialized mental health beds. DCYF said it is pursuing a Parkland facility proposal, a staffing model decision package, and a broader feasibility study and master plan update. No votes were taken; members were asked to follow up with questions later. The committee then heard on behavioral health system capacity from the Behavioral Health Administration and the Health Care Authority. DSHS described growth in forensic and civil bed need, expansion at Olympic Heritage, Maple Lane, and Brockman, and construction of a new 350-bed forensic hospital at Western State expected to open in 2028. HCA reported progress on long-term civil commitment beds, intensive behavioral health treatment facilities, PACT teams, and intensive residential treatment teams, saying the community-based system is being expanded to support step-down care and reduce hospital reliance. Members asked about whether capacity is right-sized, the difference between facility types, and federal match eligibility for services. A federal funding update followed, covering the effects of H.R. 1 and H.R. 5371 on SNAP, Medicaid, marketplace coverage, long-term services and supports, K-12, higher education, and hemp regulation. OFM and agency staff said H.R. 1 adds work requirements, changes non-citizen eligibility, increases state administrative and benefit costs, reduces Medicaid and marketplace subsidies for some groups, tightens redeterminations, and may significantly affect provider payments and state-directed payments. H.R. 5371 extended federal funding through January 30, 2026 and included some agency appropriations and other provisions, including changes affecting hemp producers. Members asked about SNAP error rates and special enrollment periods. Finally, budget coordinator Mary Monroe gave a 2026 supplemental budget preview. She reviewed the state’s near general fund outlook, noting revenue declines since the enacted budget, the effect of reversions, and a preliminary maintenance-level outlook showing a projected increase in NGFO spending over the four-year period. She said the supplemental will reflect updated caseload and cost forecasts and mandatory impacts from H.R. 1, but not policy proposals. No actions or votes were taken during the session.

Transcript Highlights:

• What happens to that equity picture if there is any after 5 years?
• What happens to that equity picture if there is any after 5 years?
• <01:53:25.000> of and tribal entities, local units of and tribal entities, local units of
• Thank you very much for your time. holding up our end of the bargain, and holding up our end of the bargain
• <02:16:23.920> of typically been the local units of typically been the local units of government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it really puts a lot more power into the hands of our local units of government to have influence
• then it would overshadow the role of the Met Council to help represent the local communities, the units
• then it would overshadow the role of the Met Council to help represent the local communities, the units
• groups higher collective bargaining groups higher education<00:11:47.440> Transit<00:11:47.880
• This is not on behalf of a unit of government.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We're also one of the Centers of Excellence for the National League for Nursing, only 5% of schools actually
• We're also one of the Centers of Excellence for the National League for Nursing, only 5% of schools.
• One of the Centers of Excellence for the National League for Nursing, only 5% of schools actually achieve
• the salaries of those instructors, those teachers, because we're talking about school boards with bargaining
• the salaries of those instructors, those teachers, because we're talking about school boards with bargaining

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education met to focus on nursing education funding, workforce supply, and Florida’s low NCLEX pass rates. The chair emphasized that Florida ranks last nationally in nursing exam pass rates and said the committee wants to use budget decisions and a forthcoming nursing bill to improve outcomes. The Florida Center for Nursing at USF presented preliminary workforce and education data showing RN supply is moving toward equilibrium with demand through 2037, while LPN shortages are projected to worsen, especially in some regions. The center also reported on enrollment, retention, faculty vacancies, and NCLEX trends, noting Florida still underperforms the national average but has shown some recent improvement, including higher RN pass rates in 2024 despite fewer test takers. The center highlighted that students who test sooner after graduation tend to pass at higher rates. A panel of nursing education leaders from public universities, state colleges, technical colleges, and private institutions described how prior state pipeline and line-item funding helped expand enrollment, simulation labs, faculty hiring, student support services, and partnerships with hospitals. UNF, Galen College, College of Central Florida, Keiser University, and Lorenzo Walker Technical College each reported strategies such as expanded simulation, mental health and social work support, test-prep and remediation, and efforts to grow faculty pipelines. Several speakers said faculty recruitment and retention remain major barriers because of salary competition with hospitals, faculty debt, and aging faculty. Technical college representatives also stressed the need to strengthen LPN pathways, English-language support, and LPN-to-RN bridge programs. Members asked for ideas to improve NCLEX outcomes and discussed possible policy options, including student loan forgiveness, critical shortage supplements for faculty, incentives for students to test soon after graduation, and possible changes to timing or regulation around NCLEX eligibility. Several witnesses supported more flexible or recurring funding, while noting that one-time line funding has been useful for simulation, scholarships, and faculty support but is harder to sustain. The committee adjourned after the discussion, with the chair saying the ideas would be considered in future funding and policy decisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• With that, that's all we have. 8 to 5 before the committee with a recommendation it is re-referred to
• Generally speaking, substantial supplemental budget requests following collective bargaining are needed
• too that it's We are not talking about every single phone and every single facility and every single unit
• We have units where the challenges can be greater, but we are dealing with not just these security challenges
• Studies show that every $1 spent on violence interruption and prevention saves up to $5 in reduced medical

Transcript Highlights:

• By contrast, this is $5 million, and it doesn't have to be a willful violation.
• And each interactive session is its own violation, and the penalties can go up to $5 million.
• By contrast, this is $5 million, and it doesn't have to be a willful violation.
• And each interactive session is its own violation, and the penalties can go up to $5 million.
• Are those 5 million people covered by this? Could they, in fact, file for this right of action?”

Summary: The committee heard several bills, but much of the meeting focused on House Bill 306, which would require disclosure when a consumer is interacting with a chatbot rather than a human. Sponsor Senator Townsend described it as a consumer protection measure and said the bill is meant to keep pace with rapidly changing AI technology. Committee members and witnesses raised concerns about the bill’s enforcement structure, especially private rights of action and penalties that could apply even without actual consumer harm. The Department of Justice said the bill would apply where the conduct has a Delaware nexus, and that the disclosure requirement is the key consumer protection. Industry witnesses and chambers of commerce opposed the bill as drafted, arguing it would create broad compliance burdens and expose businesses to excessive litigation risk without a harm requirement or clearer safe harbor language. Earlier in the meeting, the committee discussed House Bill 429, which would update Delaware’s step therapy exception process to include biosimilars and interchangeable biologics. Senator Poore and supporters from Highmark and the Department of Insurance said the bill would modernize insurance law, improve access to effective treatments, and reduce costs; they cited national savings from biosimilars and said the bill has agency support. Members asked about Delaware-specific savings, patient switching, and how the process would work, but no vote was taken during the discussion. The committee also heard House Bill 310, which would exclude large data centers from Blue Collar Jobs Act tax credits; the sponsor said the bill is intended to ensure large energy users contribute more to state and local revenues, while supporters and opponents debated competitiveness and community impacts. House Bill 406, on allowing insureds to choose their auto repair shop, and Senate Bill 347, a cleanup bill related to medical debt collection and personal property levies, were also presented without opposition in the hearing. House Bill 253, concerning who may receive letters testamentary or of administration, was described as a cleanup to align statute with existing practice. The committee approved the meeting minutes, but the transcript does not show final votes on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• California literally subsidizes the rest of the United States.
• And I think hopefully we can unite behind that.
• The feds would essentially be saying, we don't want to uphold our end of the bargain anymore.
• It's a sad day in California and in the United States. Assembly Member Attis. Thank you Mr.
• We are one connected United States.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, items 4 and 5 on your agenda.
• Article 5 is Modifications to the Minnesota Business Corporations Act.
• beverage can have up to 10 milligrams of THC per can, as long as that can contains no more than two 5-
• We employ over 200 Minnesotans in stable, well-paying jobs, upheld by collective bargaining.
• cultivation license has a canopy of 30 that is not vertically integrated, while a retail license has 5

Bills: HF1545, HF2426, HF1615, HF2403

Keywords: medical cannabis, cultivation, cannabinoid products, plant canopy, Minnesota statutes, cannabis, hemp, lower-potency, edibles, regulations, licensing, local control, consumer safety, age restrictions, commerce policy, financial institutions, insurance regulation, limited long-term care insurance, Medicare supplement, health insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• the fact that New Hampshire represents less than one-half of 1% of the total written premium in the United
• <00:04:16.239> States<00:04:16.479> of the United States of the United States of America
• We need people who have a high degree of experience in whatever unit we're talking about here.
• And then, as I said, the other two were a fraud position and a position in our tax unit.
• time that was only a 5% time that was only a 5% increase increase increase yeah yeah yeah okay<02

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Insurance Commissioner DJ Bettencourt on the New Hampshire Insurance Department budget. He said the department is self-funded through assessments on insurers based on New Hampshire premium volume, with about $8 billion in premiums written in the state and a department budget of roughly $15.5 million. He explained that the department has 88 authorized positions, eight vacancies, and that three full-time positions were unfunded after the governor’s requested 4% reduction exercise. He also said the department is trying to balance staffing needs with not overburdening carriers during a hard insurance market. A major topic was the department’s $2.6 million rebate to industry from the prior fiscal year, which Bettencourt described as a credit against the next assessment rather than a direct cash payment. Members questioned why that credit was not reflected as a reduction in the upcoming budget, and Bettencourt and staff explained that the budget assumes full staffing and full spending, with any year-end surplus returned to insurers. The commissioner said the department had added staff in recent years for succession planning and to preserve institutional expertise, and that the rebate reflects careful budgeting rather than excess spending. Members also asked about staffing changes by division, including positions unfunded in fraud, property and casualty examinations, life and health examinations, and tax. Bettencourt said fraud investigations remain strong and that the department can use outside contractors for examinations, with those costs billed to the company being examined. He also described the department’s examination process, including periodic financial exams and targeted market conduct reviews triggered by consumer complaints or trends. Additional questions covered OIT transfers, the department’s oversight of fully insured health coverage, the insurance premium tax and fines going to the general fund, and the department’s limited role in auto repair reimbursement disputes, where he said complaints have recently declined.

Transcript Highlights:

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 years of age in the United
• <00:03:18.880> States,<00:03:19.280> and years of age in the United States, and years
• Wisconsin is pretty similar to Minnesota in regards to pay, collective bargaining, population.
• Pay is less, collective bargaining rights are different.
• bargaining, population. bargaining, population.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I intend to run committee until probably about 5 minutes to 11, when we will take a recess, and the plan
• this magnitude, a Cadillac version, without having reasonable conversations about what collective bargaining
• 00.320> what<00:33:00.480> about<00:33:00.799> collective<00:33:01.200> bargaining
• about what about collective bargaining about what about collective bargaining agreements<00:33:02.039

Bills: HF11

Keywords: Minnesota Paid Leave, paid family and medical leave, family leave, medical leave, implementation delay, premium collection, employer premiums, state payroll tax, workforce, labor, benefits administration, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, employer notice, seasonal employees, private plans, actuarial study, outreach and education, employee rights, reinstatement

Transcript Highlights:

• We passed a 5-0 decision to support AB 89. Thank you.
• I'm a member of Californians United for Sex-Based Evidence in Policy and Law.
• I am here representing Californians United for Sex-Based Evidence and Policy and Law.
• I'm with Women Are Real and associated with Californians United for Sex-Based Evidence.
• I represent United Front for Accountability.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Joint Resolution 78 provides for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States
• Joint resolution provided for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code
• 5, United States Code chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code of<00:57:44.240> the<00:57:44.319
• Joint resolution providing congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code,
• the United States House of Free stuff. the United States House of Free stuff.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, May 1, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you did not know, California rice is one of the state's largest crops and contributes more than $5
• And contributes more than $5 billion a year.
• Yeah, with a vote of 5-0, the committee rules are adopted.
• We raise heritage-bred chickens that are on the verge of disappearing in the United States.
• Jesse Ortega, a 20-year United States veteran.

Summary: The Assembly Agriculture Committee met as a subcommittee at first because a quorum was not yet present, then adopted its committee rules for the 2025-2026 legislative session by a 5-0 vote. The committee heard a series of agriculture-related bills, with most measures receiving broad support and moving forward. AB 1142 by Assemblymember Hoover would raise the fee thresholds for small public horse events that are exempt from equine medication monitoring rules; supporters said the current limits are outdated and hurt small riding clubs, and the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 411 by Assemblymember Papin would allow ranchers to compost livestock carcasses on-farm; supporters cited cost, environmental, and predator-control benefits, while rendering industry representatives asked for amendments to protect existing services and limit the bill’s scope. The bill passed to Natural Resources. AB 482 by Assemblymember Solache would modernize the California Table Grape Commission law and raise assessment caps without increasing assessments themselves; it passed to Appropriations. AB 312 by Vice Chair Alanis would shorten the holding period for ag theft property from six months to three months; it also passed to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 937 and AB 947 by Assemblymember Connolly. AB 937 would make technical changes to the Organic Transition Pilot Program to improve access to organic transition support, with testimony from a farmer who said the program helped him pursue organic certification; the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 947 would expand and refine technical assistance under the Healthy Soils/Climate Smart Agriculture programs, including training, grant writing, matching funds coordination, equipment sharing, and outcome monitoring; supporters said the changes would help small and organic producers access state climate programs, and it also passed to Appropriations. AB 1486, presented by the chair, would use Proposition 4 funding to start grants for public postsecondary agricultural research farms focused on climate resiliency; members praised the role of CSU and UC research farms, and the bill passed to Natural Resources as amended. The most extensive discussion centered on AB 928 by Assemblymember Rogers, the California Cockfighting Cruelty Act. Supporters argued the bill would help law enforcement target cockfighting and rooster trafficking, reduce avian disease risks, and protect public health and animal welfare; opponents, including poultry hobbyists, breeders, and 4-H-related participants, said it would overreach into lawful poultry keeping and harm heritage-breed and youth programs, urging instead that cockfighting penalties be increased to a felony. Committee members echoed concerns about unintended impacts on legitimate poultry owners and requested continued work on exemptions and language. The bill passed to Judiciary on a 5-2-1 vote, with one no vote and one abstention, and the chair noted that further committee review would continue as the bill advances.

Transcript Highlights:

• My frame of reference is as a United States Marine.
• But when I cast those votes, I lived in a different United States.
• I hope that we'll have a good evening. tonight at 5:30.
• Currently, I'm the supervisor for the Street Crimes Unit.
• And then the social media platform has held up their end of the bargain.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think this is a bargain.
• for possible inclusion. think you know the I think this is a think you know the I think this is a bargain
• > it's<00:07:15.800> something<00:07:16.039> that's<00:07:16.240> really bargain
• it's something that's really bargain it's something that's really needed<00:07:16.720> and<00

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 1478, a bill to continue and expand a grant program for locating Minnesota’s public land survey system (PLSS) monuments and survey corners. The author explained that many of the state’s 325,000 PLSS monuments have unknown locations, which contributes to boundary uncertainty, lawsuits, and inaccurate land records and taxation. The bill, as described, would add criteria for counties, allow tribes to access the program, and continue funding it. The committee also noted Senate authors and bipartisan support for the measure. An A1 amendment was offered by Representative Fryberg to put the bill in the desired form, and it was adopted without objection. Testifiers from the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors and county surveying offices supported the bill, saying better monument location improves maps, property transfers, land management, and tax accuracy, while reducing disputes and lowering survey costs for landowners and public projects. One testifier said the work is important but often underappreciated; another emphasized that more monuments can make surveys much cheaper and more accurate. Committee members expressed support for the bill’s goals, with several indicating they would sign on. The chair repeatedly referenced uncertainty around the budget forecast and said the committee would have to consider practical fiscal realities. In the end, Representative Fryberg renewed his motion, and House File 1478, as amended, was laid over for possible inclusion.

Transcript Highlights:

• plant indicate a peak of 85 decibels at the unit itself.
• To put that in perspective, your average lawn mower is 90 to 95 decibels at the unit.
• plant, they indicate a peak of 85 decimals that's at the unit itself.
• To put that in perspective, your average lawnmower is 90 to 90. unit itself.
• So next, turning to slide 5, I wanted to touch briefly on reliability.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Cuz quite frankly, I think all of you are well aware of how course units have stood up over time, you
• Cuz quite frankly, I think all of you are well aware of how course units have stood up over time, you
• Cuz quite frankly, I think all of you are well aware of how course units have stood up over time, you
• What the Carnegie units is asserting is that all students can master Algebra 1 in 120 hours.
• that collective bargaining that collective bargaining representatives<01:06:08.640> be<01

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SCR 78, which urges the Department of Education to strengthen natural health education and adopt a comprehensive menstrual cycle curriculum. The Department of Education said it supported the intent and had offered technical amendments to scaffold the curriculum by grade level. The Commission on the Status of Women and several advocates, including students and Ma'i Movement Hawaiʻi, testified in support, describing gaps in menstrual health education, stigma, and the need for more inclusive, age-appropriate instruction. No opposition was heard, and the chair moved on after no questions from members. The committee then took up SCR 194, urging the Department of Education to meet the criteria to recognize cheerleading as a Title IX sport. The Department supported the measure, noting recent expansion of girls flag football and surfing as recognized sports and saying cheerleading would create additional opportunities for students. The Commission on the Status of Women also supported the resolution, saying it could improve participation, resource allocation, and representation for female students. No opposition or further action was recorded in the excerpt. Finally, the committee discussed SCR 195, requesting the Board of Education and Department of Education to revise graduation requirements to include a standalone financial literacy course. The Board of Education and Department of Education both supported the intent but cautioned against a one-size-fits-all mandate, emphasizing school-level flexibility, existing stand-alone and online options, and the requirement that the class of 2030 must complete financial literacy before graduation. Hawaii Kids Can supported the resolution while raising questions about equity, access, quality, and how different delivery models compare; it also asked for more information on community survey data. Committee members questioned the department and board about asynchronous versus in-person instruction, standards, and how the requirement would be tracked in the personal transition plan. No vote or final action was taken in the provided portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• That unit became, um, and so that's what's happening there.
• I have a lot of units of six that I think should be eight.
• <04:18:14.840> Human uh but we have our legal unit Human uh but we have our legal unit Human
• Also added in that group is our health environmental health unit, so we look at that unit helps the whole
• so we look environmental health unit so we look that<04:19:51.439> unit<04:19:51.720> helps

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented an overview of its budget and operations, emphasizing that it is the lowest-spending agency in state government and that its general fund allocation has declined since 2019. Commissioner Arling House explained that DAS also handles back-office functions for several administratively attached boards, which has affected staffing and spending comparisons. He said the department’s current general fund spending is roughly split between retiree health and other operations, and that the presentation was based on adjusted authorized spending rather than the original budget figures. A major portion of the meeting focused on retiree health benefits and the long-term effort to control costs. Deputy Commissioner Cassie Keane described how the state moved from a projected deficit in retiree health to savings through a series of changes, including higher premium contributions, co-pay adjustments, and shifting Medicare retirees into Medicare Advantage arrangements to capture federal reimbursement. She said the state has about 12,500 retirees and spouses on the plan, with roughly 10,906 Medicare retirees and 1,580 non-Medicare retirees, and that the savings have depended heavily on federal funding and procurement decisions. She also noted that Medicare retirees pay Part B premiums and that the state has grandfathered older retirees from some premium contributions. Members asked about what the expenditures cover, why the state offers retiree health instead of simply giving retirees a payment to buy coverage themselves, and whether out-of-pocket costs changed under Medicare Advantage. Keane said the plan covers actual health claims or insurance premiums, that co-pays and maximum out-of-pocket limits remain in place, and that the state has no authority to change benefit details without legislative action. She explained that retiree health is a long-standing employee benefit that wraps around Medicare and is not collectively bargained in the usual sense, though its eligibility rules and cost-sharing have been tightened over time to better target the benefit to long-term state service. The discussion also covered vendor performance problems. Keane said Anthem recently won the contract back from Aetna, but its pharmacy subsidiary, Caroline, caused serious service disruptions. DAS responded by withholding payments, assessing more than $2 million in performance guarantees, and hiring a third-party auditor to review the pharmacy processes. The current contract runs through the end of calendar year 2026, and officials said they are watching federal Medicare Advantage reimbursement changes closely because future savings are uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving on to the next page, section 5.
• These are requests 1, 2, 3, and 5 in our LAR.
• It'll be over $5 million for a full system.
• Moving on to page 5, pages 5 and 6 include the HCA exceptional items not included in the recommendations
• To page 5, items not included in recommendations.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all