Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:18:12.480> it's establishment of the green fee, it's establishment of the green fee,
• I think, you know, we call this the green fee, but it's a climate impact fee.
• I think, you know, we call this the green fee, but it's a climate impact fee.
• , but it's a climate impact fee.
• So, we're going to add a bunch of language to this bill. green fee dashboard bill. green fee dashboard

Bills: HB1617

Keywords: carbon emissions, tax credit, fossil fuel, agriculture, food security, environmental tax, greenhouse gas, 910, house, all

Summary: The committees heard testimony on HB 1949, which would create a public dashboard for the green fee to improve transparency and accountability. Testimony from the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, and many community and conservation groups was generally supportive, with several speakers urging that the governor’s project recommendations remain largely intact and that community-driven projects continue to guide spending. One amendment was suggested to place the dashboard at the Department of Budget and Finance for fiscal expertise, while other testimony favored keeping it with the commission. Members asked about procurement, ETS involvement, recurring hosting costs, and whether the dashboard could be funded from green fee revenues; the commission said it could work with ETS and that green fee funds could reasonably be used. The committees then voted to pass HB 1949 with amendments. The committees also heard HB 2618, which would require the governor to submit a separate bill for amounts tied to any increase in the transient accommodations tax and, in later discussion, was expanded into a broader restructuring of future green fee allocations. Testimony from the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition, and others supported the bill and emphasized the value of more predictable, dedicated funding for conservation and climate-related work. During decision-making, the chair described amendments creating several special funds under DLNR, including a watershed biodiversity and wildfire risk reduction fund, an aquatic resources conservation fund, a coastal restoration fund, a cesspool conversion revolving loan fund, and a green fee special fund for remaining revenues, with recommended amounts discussed for some of the funds. The committees voted to pass HB 2618 with amendments. The hearing then moved to HB 1644, a consumer protection measure for residential solar sales that would require compliance with consumer protection laws, licensing or contractor affiliation for sellers, and a standardized disclosure form. Testimony in support came from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, DCCA’s Office of Consumer Protection, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, and several solar companies and individuals. Supporters said the bill would address complaints about third-party sales practices and improve disclosure, especially around financing. The committee then began hearing HB 2243, which would require electric utilities to provide public, electronic customer bill impact analyses and annual reports to the Public Utilities Commission; the Division of Consumer Advocacy and the PUC offered comments supporting the measure’s intent.

Transcript Highlights:

• the fee.
• The local government imposing the fee has to show that the person who pays the fee gets a benefit from
• the fee.
• And this modified stormwater utility fee would explain And this modified stormwater utility fee would
• Just curious about the sidewalk utility fee. I'm curious about the sidewalk utility fee.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Electrical engineering. Definitely. All right.
• our equipment, do not reverse engineer our software.
• The engineers come in, and they help diagram this.
• The engineers come in, they help diagram this, they'll stamp it.
• When you look at study fees, that is the fee that is required for ERCOT and the TDUs to do the work that

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Johns Water Management District and the Army Corps of Engineers.
• Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida DEP had submitted a permit application to the St.
• There is a ton of standards and caps attorney's fees at 25% of recovered funds.
• the fee section and cost section does in particular, I'd like to just add some context to.
• There is some disagreement on the fees.

Bills: S0330, S0474, S0694, S1120, S1216, S1366, S1442, S7018

Keywords: firefighter disability, law enforcement disability, correctional officer disability, correctional probation officer, presumptive disability, workers' compensation, line of duty presumption, heart disease presumption, hypertension presumption, tuberculosis presumption, public safety employees, first responders, physical examination, preemployment exam, medical specialist, Medicare reimbursement, employing agency, Florida Statutes 112.18, Florida Statutes 943.13, occupational disease

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills, beginning with SB 694 on compensation for the descendants of the Groveland Four. Senator Bracey Davis described the wrongful accusations, convictions, deaths, and long-term harm to the families, and an amendment added a $4 million appropriation and updated the recipient for Ernest Thomas’s family. Multiple family members, advocates, clergy, and supporters testified in favor, emphasizing the decades-long delay in justice and the need for accountability and repair. Senators from both parties spoke in support, and the committee reported the bill favorably after a roll call vote. The committee then approved SB 330 on disability provisions for firefighters, law enforcement, and correctional officers; SB 474 on military affairs leave and related benefits; and SB 96 on the Veterans Dental Care Grant Program. SB 96 drew the most discussion, with Senator Sharief explaining that the bill raises eligibility to 400% of the federal poverty level and moves $500,000 in recurring funding to the General Appropriations Act. Senator Wright and Senator Harrell raised concerns about whether expanding eligibility could worsen the existing waitlist, while supporters argued the change would help more veterans access needed dental care. The bill was ultimately reported favorably. The committee also passed SB 7018 on child welfare, making the Step Into Success pilot program permanent and statewide, adjusting visitor/background-check rules for foster homes, and creating a best-practices program through the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. SB 480 on information technology was reported favorably after amendments creating a central IT governance structure under the Governor’s office, adding vendor performance metrics and a preferred vendor list, and restoring criminal justice information security provisions. SB 1066 on the Ocklawaha River and Rodman Dam also advanced after extensive testimony from supporters and historians about partial restoration, recreation, and economic benefits; the sponsor said he would continue working through permitting questions before floor consideration. Later, the committee approved SB 1216 on educator compensation, which gives districts more flexibility on cost-of-living adjustments, advanced degrees, and performance pay caps, and SB 1120 on water management district oversight and reporting. The committee also reported favorably SB 1366 on sovereign immunity and claims against government, which would raise damages caps, index them to CPI, shorten claim deadlines, and cap attorney fees at 25%. That bill drew testimony from hospitals, cities, counties, school districts, and others, with some supporting the Senate’s compromise approach and others raising concerns about impacts on self-insured law enforcement agencies and attorney incentives. The meeting concluded with the favorable report on the bill after debate continued over those issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• According to DPS, truckers are departing the designated permitted route to pay lesser fees to cartels
• The attorney fees are mandatory if a farmer or rancher wins the case.

Bills: SB66, SB243, SB250, SB317, SB393, SB397, SB456, SB628, SB629, SB636, SB715, SB731, SB801, SB865, SB1012, SB1013, SB1015, SB1032, SB1141, SB1181, SB1224, SB1241, SB1242, SB1250, SB1266, SB1285, SB1376, SB1442, SB1449, SB1502, SB1524, SB1528, SB1551, SB1585, SB1640, SB1708, SB1844, SB1854, SB1863, SB1959, SB1965, SB2035, SB2082, SB2119, SB2138, SB2199, SB2200, SB2201, SB2245, SB2269, SB2284, SB2310, SB2357, SB2419, SB2422, SB2480, SB2514, SB2523, SB2529, SB2533, SB2541, SB2550, SB2568, SB2595, SB2605, SB2608, SB2615, SB2717, SB2721, SB2753, SB2778, SB2841, SB2846, SB2891, SB2925, SB2929, SB2933, SB3016, SB3029, SB3039, SB3044, SJR3, SJR18, SB5, SB326, SB494, SB530, SB767, SB769, SB783, SB914, SB963, SB1035, SB1197, SB1271, SB1415, SB1437, SB1619, SB1637, SB1786, SB1806, SB2312, SB29, SB1238, SB1967, SB1, SB260, SB1637, SJR36, SJR50, SJR63, SJR59, SCR12, SCR39, SCR48, SCR19, SB2023, SB62, SB666, SB847, SB284, SB854, SB1073, SB810, SB1505, SB583, SB1502, SB507, SB1434, SB1376, SB1585, SB1772, SB2016, SB1163, SB1122, SB731, SB397, SB508, SB1436, SB287, SB261, SB1882, SB393, SB1791, SB209, SB2429, SB1999, SB511, SB2309, SB510, SB1085, SB1975, SB2717, SB1262, SB1524, SB636, SB2056, SB884, SB517, SB1200, SB1845, SB1863, SB2681, SB2200, SB2199, SB2458, SB2201, SB801, SB2533, SB3014, SB3013, SB758, SB1013, SB2797, SB2119, SB2076, SB2876, SB2284, SB2929, SB2595, SB715, SB1640, SB2514, SB2753, SB1241, SB2538, SB1449, SB2529, SB2846, SB986, SB1181, SB1359, SB2550, SB2245, SB410, SB1234, SB456, SB1012, SB2926, SB2138, SB1242, SB2615, SB2310, SB1224, SB2972, SB2841, SB3016, SB1856, SB2035, SB1528, SB1141, SB1266, SB1373, SB2269, SB2480, SB672, SB2891, SB2422, SB1854, SB317, SB2539, SB2532, SB2925, SB1250, SB2082, SB2203, SB2357, SB2721, SB243, SB1285, SB2568, SB1959, SB1442, SB1454, SB2520, SB2541, SB1708, SB1237, SB1844, SB1586, SB1551, SB3039, SB2819, SB66, SB629, SB1015, SB2342, SB2903, SB2933, SB1965, SB2477, SB3029, SB2605, SB2419, SB1957, SB375, SB250, SB777, SB628, SB2523, SB2367, SB2703, SB2608, SB2778, SB3044, SB2965, SB2521, SB865, SB1032, SB2165, SB2501, SB2675, SB2452, SB2835, HB1109, HB1392, HB22, HB2525, HB3093, SB872, SB1212, SB1278, SB1588, SB1602, SB1704, SB1723, SB1833, SB1858, SB1946, SB2009, SB2177, SB2460, SB2785, SB2373, SB1660, SB614, SB867, SB1608, SB1525, SB905, SB640, SB2487, SB1698, SB383, SB705, SB748, SB1113, SB1117, SB1802, SB2340, SB2586, SB2680, SB2690, SB2994, SB2747, SB1950, SB913, SB1071, SB1086, SB1087, SB1483, SB1444, SB1553, SB1556, SB1703, SB2133, SB2297, SB2298, SB2622, SB2955, SB3059, SB2782, SB2781, SB2637, SB2633, SB2337, SB2334, SB1861, SB2043, SB1367, SB946, SB945, SB2857, SB128, SB571, SB1263, SB3058, SB612, SB2221, SB2587, SB2044, SB2363, SB2713, HB517, HB912, HB1130, HB142, HB1689, HB2018

Keywords: disability, supported decision-making, legal assistance, confidentiality, access to justice, autonomy, civil rights, advocacy, migrant labor housing, migrant housing, farmworker housing, migrant agricultural worker, agricultural labor, farm labor contractor, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, TDHCA, civil penalty, housing code enforcement, sanitation, occupancy standards

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:38:11.680> ladies about that's just the admin fee ladies about that's just the admin fee
• to the consumer or a combination of both. fees are are fees are are um<01:30:46.560> inadequate
• debate within our committee about fees debate within our committee about fees and<01:30:59.600><
• We've had major push back effect fee.
• next one would be the state engineer. next one would be the state engineer.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• which we I think we the sound engineer which we I think we have<00:39:57.079> as<00:39:57.160
• So does one sound engineer create a program?
• <00:47:51.040> create<00:47:51.440> a engineer create a engineer create a program<00:47
• You know, you have to pay residence fees, non-residence fees, plus you're paying your dorm rate, and
• you're fee non-residence fees plus you're fee non-residence fees plus you're paying<00:53:16.839

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• which includes Lakewood Ranch, Myakka City, and other portions of Manatee County, licensed civil engineer
• which includes Lakewood Ranch, Miyaka City, and other portions of Manatee County, licensed civil engineer
• This is my first time on Ways and Means. licensed civil engineer.
• Well, they can increase other fees and services, right?
• You want to make sure that when you are paying a fee or fine or a tax, you get something out of it.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on March 13, 2025, for its first meeting of the session, with member and staff introductions followed by consideration of several tax-related bills. The committee first heard HJR 163 and its implementing bill HB 165, which would extend the homestead property tax exemption for quadriplegics to surviving spouses, similar to the treatment for surviving spouses of certain disabled veterans. Sponsor Rep. Tant and constituent J.R. Harding described the financial and caregiving burdens faced by spouses of quadriplegics. The committee heard supportive testimony from the Florida Association of Property Appraisers and members voted both measures favorably without opposition. The committee then considered HB 785 on heated tobacco products. Rep. Tramont said the bill would create a new tax/regulatory category for the product, and an amendment clarifying the definition was adopted. The James Madison Institute offered a resource on the issue, the Florida Retail Federation waived in support, and Ranking Member Eskamani said she had concerns about the excise tax treatment and would vote no. The bill passed 16-1. Next, HB 321, a property tax exemption clarification for homes for the aged, was presented by Rep. Smith as a technical “glitch bill” to align state law with IRS tax code and ease development of low-income senior housing. It drew supportive testimony and passed unanimously. The final bill, HB 503 by Rep. Botana, would cap local government revenue from local business taxes and require refunds if collections exceed the cap, with carve-outs for fiscally constrained areas. Local government and economic development groups, including the Florida League of Cities, the City of Winter Haven, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, and the Florida Association of Counties, opposed the bill, arguing it would limit funding for public safety, inspections, economic development, and other services and create administrative refund problems. Several members supported the bill as a tax-cutting measure, while others warned of impacts on local services and revenue flexibility. The committee reported HB 503 favorably on a 14-5 vote, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We use outside engineering. We don't have the staff on hand to be able to do that.
• We rely on city engineers and other city attorneys and other people, but being Brian Dolan: As small
• If somebody gives us something, and I take it to my city engineer, and he's already got Brian Dolan:
• We need time to make sure that what is being presented to us has no issues, that our city engineer is
• We all use third-party engineering out there and M.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the tuition and fee cap for a Winona State student, but the tuition and fee cap for a student
• That's the tuition and fee cap for a Winona State student, but the tuition and fee cap for a student
• That's the tuition and fee cap for a Winona State student, but the tuition and fee cap for a student
• That's the tuition and fee cap for a Winona State student, but the tuition and fee cap for a student
• That's the tuition and fee cap for a Winona State student, but the tuition and fee cap for a student

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Conference Committee reviewed differences among the Governor’s, House, and Senate proposals for state grant parameter changes and their effects on state grant spending, North Star Promise spending, and average student awards. Nonpartisan staff explained that the proposals use different combinations of parameter changes, with the Governor’s and Senate plans modeled to avoid or minimize rationing, while the House plan would require rationing to balance the program. Staff reported projected biennium balances of a positive $29.836 million for the Governor’s proposal, a negative $60.758 million for the House proposal without rationing, a positive $994,000 for the House proposal with rationing, and a positive $3.623 million for the Senate proposal; North Star Promise balances also varied, with the Senate showing a positive balance and the Governor and House with rationing showing negative balances. Staff also said the Senate proposal would extend availability of the state grant appropriation and suspend surplus procedures through fiscal year 2029, allowing the balance to carry forward. The committee then focused on the House-only tuition and fee cap provision, which would limit the tuition recognized for state grant purposes for four-year programs to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities level, with 1% annual increases in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. House members said the cap was intended to address rising tuition, especially at the University of Minnesota, and to produce savings in the state grant program. The governor’s office confirmed the provision was not included in the Governor’s bill. Representatives from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Private College Council opposed the cap, arguing it would reduce awards for low-income students and shift costs to students rather than address underlying tuition pressures; they also said it could discourage enrollment at higher-cost institutions. Supporters from Minnesota State argued the cap would improve fairness because students at lower-tuition institutions are effectively capped lower, while students at more expensive institutions receive larger awards, and they said the legislature should intervene in a variable that has grown substantially over time. Committee members questioned how the cap would work and whether it was tied to the Twin Cities campus rate. Testifiers clarified that the state grant formula is tied to the University of Minnesota level, but because Minnesota State institutions are below that level, the cap effectively limits their students to their own lower tuition while allowing higher awards at the University of Minnesota and private colleges. No formal vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the chair indicated the committee would continue with item-by-item review of the remaining parameter changes and hear additional testimony from agencies and institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Paying $100 as a registration fee for that, you know, on top of your $3 actual registration fee just
• > didn't $3 actual registration fee just didn't $3 actual registration fee just didn't make<01
• Is this fee then going to be on top of that fee that we're charging?
• Is this fee then going to be on top of that fee that we're charging?
• fee? fee?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• it is for executive search consulting services for their College of Business, as well as their engineering
• So why is it twice the total projected fee? Back to the original question.
• So why is it twice the total projected fee? Back to the original question.
• And with this year, you're looking at the engine hot section, so that's why the number is so high.
• Both engines or just one? Both engines.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that should go to fund schools, public safety, and infrastructure will instead be going to pay legal fees
• We do not have engineers on staff that can handle these types of requirements.
• We do not have engineers on staff that can handle these types of requirements.
• In engineering, we constantly talk about sustainability.
• I want to graduate into a New Mexico where my work as an engineer is supported by a constitution that

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are California's teachers, accountants, nurses, first responders, engineers, entrepreneurs, as
• Last semester, I was a TA for Math 54, a fundamental course for engineering and science majors.
• A lot of them are going into engineering and biotechnology, and I'd really hate to see future classes
• This system remains not only an engine of social mobility in the state but also an economic engine, generating
• Why are the funds being charged such high fees? There are other places to come.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So they will collect the permit fees, they will collect the impact fees, they will allow for development
• A really good example of this, an obvious one, is impact fees.
• The cost of impact fees can be an impediment. The cost of impact fees can be an impediment.
• Code enforcement is not fee-based.
• We can't charge a fee for that, so it falls to the general fund, which is often a budgetary issue, and

Summary: The committee held a work session on local government issues, beginning with an update from the State Building Code Council on four legislatively mandated code amendments now in CR-102 rulemaking: temporary emergency shelters, reduced minimum dwelling unit size, multiplex housing up to three stories and six units, and single-exit apartment buildings up to six stories. Council staff also described a separate embodied-carbon appendix proposal that remains under public review, with testimony both supporting and opposing it. Members asked about the rationale for some of the code limits, including the restriction on connecting multiplex buildings. The committee then heard a panel on annexations from MRSC, Pierce County, and the Association of Washington Cities. Witnesses reviewed annexation methods, including petition, election, and interlocal agreement approaches, and said larger annexations are increasingly using interlocal agreements because they can address infrastructure, revenue sharing, and public process concerns. They described barriers such as inconsistent local standards, the cost of infrastructure, referendum risk, census requirements, and the difficulty of persuading residents and local officials to support annexation. Members asked about the five-year restriction on residential zoning changes in one annexation method and whether a hearing examiner could reduce political pressure on local decision-makers. A second panel discussed subdivision reform. The Master Builders Association urged raising the short-plat threshold within urban growth areas to 30 lots as a simpler first step, citing permitting delays and added housing costs. The City of Spokane described implementation problems with recent housing laws, including uncertainty about how to review plats under HB 1110, lot-splitting administration, and added notice requirements for unit lot subdivisions. AWC said there was broad agreement that subdivision decisions should be more administrative, but public hearings remained a point of disagreement. The committee also heard from FutureWise, the Washington State Association of Counties, and Lewis County on county development regulation and enforcement, with witnesses emphasizing underfunded code enforcement, inconsistent standards between counties and cities, and the need for better coordination, incentives, and possibly stronger enforcement tools. No votes were taken; the chair said the committee would continue working on possible solutions in future sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're able to give municipalities unilateral control to charge as much fees as they want for a housing
• We're able to give municipalities unilateral control to charge as much fees as they want for a housing
• We're able to give municipalities unilateral control to charge as much fees as they want for a housing
• as they want for a charge as much fees as they want for a housing<01:21:19.920> unit.
• Happy to take any questions. not have any guardrails on fees or not not have any guardrails on fees or

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You back to your engineers having a hard time recruiting engineers.
• In with our engineering school at UW.
• ,<01:55:57.600> you and so, to attract good engineers, you and so, to attract good engineers
• engine after it blew over. engine after it blew over.
• But yes, our engineers are working with their engineers to ensure that we're prepared as much as possible

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Would they also see a reduction in their baseline fee here?
• Is ORES contracting with third-party environmental engineering firms to review ORES applications?
• How does ORES use its $1,000 per megawatt application fee it receives for every application?
• Are any third-party engineering firms working for ORES and also working for renewable energy companies
• Are any third-party engineering firms working for ORES and also working for renewable energy companies

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, chaired by Senator Kevin Parker, considered several Public Service Law bills and advanced each one to the Rules Committee after brief discussion and recorded no votes or without-recommendation votes on some measures. The bills included proposals to prohibit utilities from using ratepayer funds for certain activities (1012A), establish minimum standards for payment plans for eligible customers (1327), adjust residential fixed charges (1329), require the Public Service Commission to consider economic impacts when setting rates (1847), require utilities to adopt PSC-authorized equity ratios and returns on equity (1896), create the Rate-Hike Notice Act (5553C), suspend certain utility rate changes while allowing retroactive revenue recovery (5593), allow consideration of non-economic losses in penalty determinations (7165A), change the composition of the Public Service Commission (7328A), and let utilities retain revenues above authorized returns on equity (7693). Members asked questions about who would be affected by the bills, including whether fixed-charge reductions would apply to vacant units or vacation homes and whether economic-impact considerations could affect customers differently depending on where they live; the chair and sponsors generally explained the measures as territory-wide or applicable to all residential customers, with no occupancy or income-based circuit breaker in the text. The committee then heard testimony from Alexandra Fasulo, introduced as an entrepreneur and farmer in Schuylerville, about her concerns regarding the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) and utility-scale solar development on farmland and grasslands. She argued that solar developers were pressuring landowners, including older and lower-income property owners, into long-term leases, that ORES approves most projects despite local opposition, and that the process lacks transparency, with redacted documents and limited public access to information. She also criticized the siting of solar projects on productive farmland and said decommissioning rules could leave equipment buried in the soil. Committee members responded that the Legislature has already taken steps to protect high-quality soils, that ORES was created by statute and operates within the Public Service Department, and that DEC and ORES are supposed to work together rather than ORES superseding DEC. Several senators said they were sympathetic to concerns about farmland and community engagement, but also emphasized the need to expand renewable energy and balance that with land preservation. Members suggested that specific complaints about ORES transparency or solar siting could be addressed through future legislation or by inviting ORES and PSC officials back for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• legislature to say mother may I rather than to my too broad of a blanket of here you can charge this fee
• without us saying what that percentage of the fee ought to be as a proportion of the donation. this
• What I'd like to say is last week, the engineers released a report card.
• The American Society of Civil Engineers released a report card on our infrastructure and our drinking
• Part of the reason why the engineers downgraded our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure is because

Bills: SB 384, SB 503, SB 565, SB 616, SB 740

Keywords: hunting license, fishing license, donation, operation game thief fund, wildlife conservation, livestock, electronic registry, marks and brands, Texas Animal Health Commission, animal identification, SB 565, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, compliance agreement, enforcement suspension, utility consolidation, regionalization, water supply, sewer

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water and Agriculture and Rural Affairs convened under the leadership of Chairman Kelly Hancock, who opened the meeting with a prayer in remembrance of Chairman Perry, who was absent due to a personal loss. The session focused on the discussions surrounding SB384, which aims to support the longstanding initiative known as Operation Game Thief. Senator Flores presented the bill, emphasizing its essential role in the fight against poaching through public support. The operation has a successful track record of convictions but is currently dependent on donations and merchandise sales for funding. The committee aimed to vote on multiple bills during this session, contingent on achieving a quorum. Notably, discussions also revolved around fiscal notes on two bills that were set aside for later consideration, indicating the committee's intention to carefully manage their legislative decisions. The meeting showcased a productive atmosphere, with committee members actively engaged in the review and potential advancement of key legislative measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• fees that go to the agency for permitting.
• Also, the parks fees go into the Natural Resources Fund.
• fees that go to the agency for permitting.
• Also, the parks fees go into the Natural Resources Fund.
• are scientists so uh Engineers are scientists so uh Engineers hydrologists<01:27:34.080> soil

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Chair Foung Hawj opened the Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee meeting by welcoming members, agency staff, and constituents, and by outlining the committee’s shared-power arrangement for the session. Members introduced themselves and described environmental activities from the interim, including gardening, outdoor recreation, farming visits, Great Lakes work, and a tree-planting trip in Thailand that Hawj said symbolized cultural unity and environmental stewardship. Ben Stanley, the committee’s nonpartisan counsel, then explained the co-chairs’ operating agreement: Hawj would chair the meeting, Senator John Hoffman would chair the next two meetings, then Hawj would chair the following two, with the chair rotating after each pair of meetings. Agendas would be set jointly, additional meetings would require both chairs’ approval, and passing a bill out of committee would require a majority of all committee members, or seven votes. At Senator Tory Westrom’s request, the agreement was to be emailed to members in writing. Stanley also reviewed the committee’s jurisdiction, which includes environmental and natural resources bills, legacy funds, and agencies such as the Environmental Quality Board, Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency, and Board of Water and Soil Resources, along with several related councils and boards. Fiscal analyst Dan Mueller then gave a budget overview of the committee’s agencies, noting that many current biennium appropriations include one-time general fund money that drops back in the 2026-27 base budget. He highlighted funding levels for the Pollution Control Agency, DNR, Metro Parks, Conservation Corps, BWSR, the Minnesota Zoo, the Science Museum, and the Metropolitan Landfill Contingency Action Trust Account, and said the committee’s base-budget area totals about $2.2 billion. He also reviewed the Legacy funds, estimating available 2026-27 appropriations of about $327 million for Outdoor Heritage, $31.7 million for Clean Water, $133 million for Parks and Trails, and $185 million for Arts and Cultural Heritage. No votes or bill actions were taken at this meeting.