Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:21:17.840><c> health</c> employers and state employee health employers and state employee health
• health plans so this Kentucky employee health plans so this is<00:21:39.480><c> this</c><00:21:39.600
• health plan that has an $18 million estimate for the state employee health plan.
• health plan those are State employee health plan those are State dollars<00:29:54.919><c> it</c><00:
• Another point I think that the Kentucky Employee Health Plan impact statement was mentioned here, and

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:10 SB145 Discussion: 02:23 SB145 Vote: 05:13 SB183 Discussion: 06:13 SB183 Vote: 11:37 HB413 Discussion Only: 16:15, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum and first took up Senate Bill 145, sponsored by Sen. David Givens. The bill would update retail installment contract statutes for automobile sales, allowing retailers with installment contracts shorter than 28 days to begin collections after three days instead of waiting for multiple missed payments, and it also harmonizes a related dollar amount in statute from $10 to $15. The committee asked no questions, and the bill received a favorable expression on a roll-call vote. The committee then heard Senate Bill 183 from Sen. Matt Nunn, with testimony from Chris Nolan of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. The bill would require proxy advisers acting for the State Retirement System to act solely in the financial interest of current and future retirees and to avoid political or social considerations in shareholder voting recommendations. Supporters argued it would keep politics out of public pensions and align proxy advice with fiduciary duties; members praised the bill and noted Kentucky could be among the first states to adopt such a model. The committee approved the bill with favorable expression after a roll-call vote. The committee also reviewed administrative regulation 808 KAR 9:10 from the Department of Financial Institutions, with no vote required. It then took up House Bill 413, a PBM rebate pass-through bill, with testimony from Sarah Wood of the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition. She said the bill would require 85% of negotiated drug rebates to be passed through to patients at the point of sale, lowering out-of-pocket costs, especially for high-rebate drugs such as insulin, while still allowing 15% to remain with plans. She cited examples from other states and argued the bill would benefit about 650,000 Kentuckians. Hope McClaflin of Anthem opposed the bill, saying it would reduce employers’ ability to use rebates to lower premiums, could disproportionately favor high-cost brand-name drug users, and could create significant costs for state and fully insured plans. Members asked questions about other states’ pass-through rates and the effect on premiums, but no final action on House Bill 413 was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So to my knowledge, businesses with potential employees or current employees can't ask if they're on
• Won't employers only look for maybe employees that don't have any gaps?
• That's $12 per employee. So it's not a long-term sustainable solution.
• That's $12 per employee. So it's not a long-term sustainable solution.
• It's the law to have workers' comp for your employees.

Committee: House Labor and Employment

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a 20-year employee, a current employee of DHS, and I am one of the very, very few DHS employees
• I am a 20-year employee, a current employee of DHS, and I am one of the very, very few DHS employees
• State employees don't do that.
• State employees don't do that.
• State employees don't do that.

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> been</c> maintenance employees have been maintenance employees have been recognized<00:03:50.640
• Uh, you asked about our request for funding for employee health exams.
• Is that on the uh employee health.
• What how do for new employees coming on?
• um reimbursements that we give employees um reimbursements that we give employees for<00:29:08.559><c

Keywords: 00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:47 Maintenance 12:40 Approval of Minutes 12:55 Vehicle Regulation 21:08 General Admin and Highways 34:11 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met without a quorum at first, then later approved the minutes once quorum was established. The committee heard presentations from Transportation Cabinet officials Mike Hancock, Jeremy Slinker, and Sean McCarnieran on maintenance, vehicle regulation, general administration, highways, and related capital projects. Hancock emphasized that maintenance is the cabinet’s most visible public service, especially for snow and ice removal and routine roadway upkeep, and said rising costs have outpaced funding. He cited a 61% increase in highway construction costs since 2020 and said maintenance spending was $488 million in FY 2024 and $511 million in FY 2025, while the FY 2026 baseline request was $483.3 million. The cabinet’s additional maintenance request would add $23.6 million in FY 2027 and $38.6 million in FY 2028, with expected impacts on litter pickup, mowing, vegetation management, and pothole repair if not funded. The cabinet also outlined five maintenance-related capital projects: additional funding for Ballard County maintenance/salt storage, Hopkins County maintenance/salt storage, Whitley County maintenance/salt structure, and the District 2 office and materials lab, plus reauthorization of the Breckinridge County maintenance and salt facility. Hancock also asked for budget language allowing the cabinet to use unexpected restricted and federal funds more quickly, similar to existing authority for federal earmarks. McCarnieran described the governor’s inclusion of funding for the ASHTOWare system, employee health exams, priority IT projects, and a District 7 office renovation request, noting that some items were not funded because they ranked low among competing projects. He also said the governor’s budget included a $7.5 million annual maintenance pool for the cabinet’s 1,200 facilities and requested additional restricted fund authority for Trimark and the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. Slinker focused on the Department of Vehicle Regulation, saying recent investments in staffing and equipment had reduced wait times and improved customer service in driver licensing offices. He requested $535,600 to keep temporary contract workers in place for the rest of the year, warning that without it regional office operations would have to be reduced. He said the surge in demand was driven by new 15-year-old licensing requirements, vision testing, and Real ID implementation, but believed the volume was beginning to level out. He also outlined FY 2027 and FY 2028 plans totaling $20.38 million and $19.85 million, including six new regional offices and a shift away from temporary workers toward state positions. Additional requests included $106,000 for debt service on the new driver’s license modernization system and operating costs of $5 million in FY 2027 and $2.5 million in FY 2028 to support the transition from the old system. Members asked about the cabinet’s funding sources, and officials said the road fund is the primary source, supported by motor fuels tax, usage tax, driver-related receipts, and some restricted funds; they stressed that the requests were not for additional general fund dollars. Questions also covered employee health exam reimbursements, the annual Trimark/Cumberland Gap contract, and the District 7 renovation request. No votes were taken on the budget items during the meeting, beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Stuart Henderson, retired employee and citizen.
• I am also a state employee.
• I'm a union member with Washington Federation of State Employees.
• All 1,000 folks in our bargaining unit are state employees.
• All 1,000 folks in our bargaining unit are state employees.

Bills: SB5439 , SB6109 , SB6304

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: investment, thermal coal, divestment, state investment board, fossil fuels, environmental impact, renewable energy, detention facilities, state funds, privatization, criminal justice reform, Washington State Investment Board, responsible investment, sustainability, corporate governance, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so House Bill 47, School Employee Insurance Programs. Mr.
• the legislature provided to all public employees last year. year.
• A reminder that doesn't mean that's all employees.
• It is important that we bring them to parity with other public employees and that...
• . employees not even being made aware that that was coming.

Committee: Senate Senate Education

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Tax benefits are offered to employers and employees under the traditional employer-employee health care
• To offer low-cost, defined health care plans for their employees and empower the employee to choose with
• In essence, folks, my company has 100 employees.
• I could give money to an employee today, but there's no tax benefit to me.
• It's helping the employers and the employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• 2,500 retired employees.
• This means the current soft Civil Service employee, also known as a merit system employee, under...
• Employees, future hires of the county.
• In 2022, it then says any part-time employee of the county shall have the option.
• These are for part-time employees, or appointed or elected.

Bills: HB343 , HB345

Committee: House Jefferson County Legislation

Keywords: retirement system, mandatory membership, Jefferson County, employee contributions, civil service, special reserve deputy, emergency writ condition, Sheriff, law enforcement, property seizure, Alabama Peace Officers' Standards, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , based simply on how they walk. ...flagging suspicious individuals, whether customers or employees,
• Surveillance and monitoring of employees has been growing for some time.
• Workplace restrooms, break areas, private vehicles, and employees' homes—they're all subject to some
• The Grooming Academy trains employees to perform the job that they were hired to do.
• I don't think that by itself should restrict the freedom of movement of employees.

Summary: The committee heard a series of labor-related bills, with most measures focused on worker training, privacy, wages, and safety. AB 296 would require schools or districts to host apprenticeship fairs at least once a year, with flexibility on how they are run and whether programs outside the county can participate. Supporters said it would help connect students to skilled trades and address workforce shortages; school administrators opposed the bill as an unfunded mandate that could be impractical for elementary schools. The bill was later moved on call, with the committee noting it could not vote until quorum was established. AB 1221 and AB 1331 both addressed workplace surveillance. AB 1221 would restrict invasive monitoring tools, require notice to workers, limit the use and sharing of worker data, and require human review before discipline based on surveillance outputs. Labor groups supported the bill as a response to AI-driven monitoring, while business groups raised concerns about broad definitions, security cameras, investigations, and data-access provisions. AB 1331 focused more narrowly on privacy in off-duty and private spaces, limiting surveillance in places like restrooms, break areas, vehicles, and homes; hospitals and business groups opposed it as too broad and potentially disruptive to safety, cybersecurity, and facility monitoring. Both bills were advanced by committee vote. The committee also heard AB 1181, which would require firefighter turnout gear to be free of cancer-causing chemicals such as PFAS by 2027, and AB 1198, which would require prevailing wage rates on public works to reflect the wage in effect when the work is performed rather than when the project was first advertised. Firefighter representatives strongly supported AB 1181, while the chemical industry asked to continue working on scope and timelines. AB 1198 drew support from labor and contractor groups but opposition from local governments and housing groups concerned about mid-project cost increases; it was passed to Appropriations after a roll-call vote. Other measures approved included AB 1235 on skilled-and-trained workers for CSU construction, AB 1251 on ghost job postings, AB 552 on locating the Agricultural Labor Relations Board office outside Sacramento, AB 1110 on updating Cal/OSHA workplace posters, AB 1136 on expanding high road training partnerships, and AB 1234 on wage claim enforcement. AB 692, which would ban employer debt agreements that require workers to repay training or other costs if they leave a job, drew strong support from nurses and labor advocates and opposition from business and health care groups; it was also passed on a roll-call vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Employees are trained physical conduct.
• </c><00:32:11.640><c> and</c> ca- sino and the casino employees and ca- sino and the casino employees
• </c> different levels of casino employees. different levels of casino employees.
• to make sure that the employees and that, you know, our members obviously make sure that their employees
• </c><00:33:32.360><c> standpoint,</c> the training of employees standpoint, the training of employees

Bills: SCR145 , SCR132 , SCR31 , SCR110

Keywords: traffic violations, demerit point system, driver license points, traffic safety, hit and run, reckless driving, repeat offenders, recidivism, Department of Transportation, DOT, task force, traffic enforcement, road safety, vehicle code, license suspension, county police, Hawaii transportation, SCR132, Senate Concurrent Resolution, Makakilo Drive Extension

Transcript Highlights:

• IT agency as I did total employees.
• many employees do y'all have We have about 1,200 employees total.
• The employee, or 10% for some law enforcement, it gets 10%, and then the employee contributes 9.5%, and
• They include our own employees and all the HHS employees.
• If I allotted for a certain number of employees and gave them. a budget for that number of employees

Committee: House Delivery of Government Efficiency

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's no reason this bill can't be amended to exclude California employees.
• The Bane Act provides immunities that apply only to California employees.
• And our concern is that California employees will be left holding the bag.
• Our ask is that you exempt California employees from this bill.
• My concern is your local California employees.

Summary: The committee heard and acted on several bills. SB 479 by Senator Arreguín would allow Berkeley, Long Beach, and Pasadena, as local health jurisdictions, to use multidisciplinary homeless response teams and share specified information across departments; supporters said it would improve coordination and services for unsheltered residents, and the bill passed 9-0 to Appropriations. SB 46 by Senator Umberg would direct the Secretary of State to keep constitutionally ineligible presidential candidates off the California ballot, including anyone who has already served two terms; supporters argued it was a constitutional enforcement measure, while Senator Niello questioned whether it was needed, and it passed 6-1 to Appropriations. SB 99 by Senator Blakespear would improve coordination between military and civilian systems by requiring courts and law enforcement to account for military protective orders and notify military authorities of possible violations; the Department of Defense supported it, while the ACLU raised due process concerns, and it passed 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 719 by Senator Cabaldon would extend the sunset on state reporting about high-risk automated decision systems from 2029 to 2032, and it passed 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 300 by Senator Padilla would strengthen California’s new AI chatbot law by requiring operators to prevent minors from being exposed to sexually explicit material; supporters said the existing law was insufficient, while industry groups warned against expanding a brand-new regime before it had been tested, and it passed 9-0 to Appropriations. SB 381 by Senator Wahab would allow adult adoptees, and descendants of adoptees, to obtain original birth certificates and create a nonbinding contact preference form for birth parents; supporters described health, identity, and dignity concerns, while some members raised privacy concerns, and it passed 13-0 to the Senate Health Committee. SB 33 by Senator Cortese would eliminate the sunset on the public works contractor claim-resolution process, with supporters saying it reduces litigation and speeds payment, and it passed 10-0 to Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• When surveyed last year, employees expressed a 66% increase in employee satisfaction when asked about
• Can you guarantee to us right now that you have no other employees that are also employees of any regulated
• Um, you talked about employee retention.
• Employees, uh, government employees that were not working.
• Our lowest employee makes around $41,000 annually, and I believe our highest employee makes around $220,000

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII

Transcript Highlights:

• Are those normally in a public employee context, or do we also see situations where for very sensitive
• This appears to be almost a limitless right on behalf of employees and staff physicians to engage in
• That is protected speech, and this bill prohibits an employer from taking action against an employee
• It Witness: It changes what employers can do when an employee exercises their free speech rights.
• They could prohibit that and absolutely take action against their employee, a private employer.

Bills: SB 240 , SB 1183 , SB 1184 , SB 1577 , SB 2043 , SB 2051 , SCR 42 , SJR 68

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: biological sex, gender identity, public facilities, civil penalties, local government, EBT, electronic benefits transfer, food stamps, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, TANF, temporary assistance for needy families, welfare benefits, benefit card fraud, fraud hotline, card replacement, photo ID, recipient photograph, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> more employees ask for the same day off. more employees ask for the same day off.
• Um, what we're looking at two employees.
• We need to terminate this employee based on this conduct.
• We need to terminate this employee based on this conduct.
• We need to terminate this employee based on this conduct.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened with routine business, including the Pledge of Allegiance, seating alternates, and approval of the minutes and consent calendar. Both were approved without opposition. The committee then moved to the regular calendar, beginning with Department of Environmental Services drinking water rules (2532). Staff noted that the final proposal deleted requirements that had been in the initial proposal, making the published notice technically inaccurate because it said there were no substantive changes. The agency responded that the requirements still exist in other rules, that regulated entities and the Water Council were notified, and that the public had notice through related hearings. After discussion about whether a new noticed hearing was needed, the committee approved the rule. The next item was Department of Administrative Services personnel rule 2510 on seniority and employee performance evaluation. Staff raised informational comments and one unclear comment about language that appeared to require a checkbox even though no form exists, and about evaluation categories that could overlap. The agency said the checkbox language should be removed, but defended the overlapping categories as part of a long-standing template used by agencies for the past 10 years. Members discussed whether the language was too ambiguous or could lead to inconsistent application, but the committee ultimately approved the rule with a condition striking the checkbox language in the affected sections. The committee then considered personnel rule 25109 on investigations, discipline, non-disciplinary communications, and non-disciplinary removal. Staff recommended clarifying language distinguishing license suspension from termination for cause, and questioned whether the sexual-harassment discipline language was too broad because the same conduct could fit multiple discipline levels. The agency agreed to add the suggested clarification for the license-suspension provision, but argued the sexual-harassment language should remain because another rule already provides the factors for determining the appropriate discipline and the agency needs discretion for fact-specific cases. The discussion included concerns about how non-verbal conduct might be treated, but the committee moved toward conditional approval with the agreed clarification and approval of the rest of the rule as written.

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:24:37.840><c> employee</c><02:24:38.720><c> retirement</c><02:24:39.439><c> income</c> employee employee
• </c> its employees. its employees.
• </c> an hourly employees regular pay rate. an hourly employees regular pay rate.
• </c> higher employer employee engagement. higher employer employee engagement.
• . employees. employees.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Employee retention, the cost of living here in Austin is extremely expensive. 70% of our employees are
• Our agency is currently running off of eight full-time employees.
• Ray Hemel, representing the Texas Public Employees Association.
• We desperately need. a COLA that is recurring for your employees, your employees. retired employees.
• Every Texan partnered with Texas State Employees. employees union last year to survey state employees

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles I, IV, & V

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> demonstrated by wage data and employee demonstrated by wage data and employee retention<00:07:48.400
• I think when any business employees.
• </c><01:28:03.360><c> Um</c> uh employees total. Um uh employees total.
• You have 9,000 employees that are dependent on you making good decisions. >> You have 9,000 employees
• </c> issued to the central office employees. issued to the central office employees.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call - 0:25 Approval of Minutes – 3-50 2025 RS SB 253 – 4:25 Computer Science and AI Literacy – 27:36 Fayette County School District Budget Update – 51:46 Adjournment – 2:09:46, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call, introductions, and approval of the previous meeting minutes by voice vote. It then heard a presentation on SB 253, focused on expanding support for teacher apprenticeship and teaching-and-learning pathways. Senator Hickman and staff from the Kentucky Department of Education and Nelson County Schools described how the program uses dual credit, work-based learning, and registered apprenticeship to help students earn an associate degree in high school and continue toward a teaching degree. They said the goal is to address the teacher shortage by creating a sustainable pipeline into the profession. Witnesses emphasized that the main barrier is cost. Mary Taylor said Kentucky’s youth apprenticeship model has been successful in other fields and that education should be added as an in-demand sector, but an associate degree alone will not solve the teacher shortage because teachers still need a bachelor’s degree and certification. Laura Arnold of Nelson County Schools described the district’s Lead Nelson program, saying the district has invested more than $800,000 since 2021, currently has 37 students in the pathway and seven committed apprentices, and spends about $85,000 per apprentice from freshman year through certification. She said district staffing, planning, and university partnerships are also significant hurdles. Members asked about job guarantees, tenure, and retirement; Arnold said employment is performance-based and retirement issues are being considered. Senator Hickman said the bill would use lottery funds to help cover tuition and dual credit costs so more districts can participate, noting that a prior version died because of a high fiscal note. Representative Payne and Representative Tipton praised the program but stressed the need for funding and noted inconsistencies between statute and budget language on Work Ready Kentucky and dual credit support. Representative Tipton also cautioned that lottery revenue may not keep pace with demand and said the General Assembly may need to make broader funding decisions. After the apprenticeship discussion, the chair moved the committee to the next agenda item on computer science and AI literacy, where Code.org began a presentation on the importance of computer science for all students.

Transcript Highlights:

• In a recent employee survey, 90% indicated that they would be interested in an employee housing program
• And over 90% of our surveyed workforce expressed interest in employee housing.
• This bill would allow VTA to implement an employee housing preference policy, giving our employees the
• We are thankful to Assembly Member Calra for his authorship, and on behalf of VTA employees, we hope
• But your employees will have preference? That is correct. On a certain percentage, that is correct.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee heard a long agenda of transportation-related measures, with testimony focused on housing, safety, environmental access, and fuel affordability. Several bills dealt with Caltrans surplus or former freeway properties in the Los Angeles area: AB 1338 would let the City of Linwood transfer a public-purpose covenant to another parcel to enable 55 units of affordable housing; AB 1594 would remove a net-equity repayment requirement for Ronald McDonald House’s purchase of former SR 710 properties in Pasadena; and AB 2329 would create a more transparent process for tenants and cities to facilitate sales of former SR 710 homes, with support from South Pasadena and Pasadena officials and tenants. AB 2679 addressed safety and access around Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay corridor by allowing Caltrans and local Tahoe agencies to manage parking and improve pedestrian, transit, and public access infrastructure. The committee also heard several public safety bills aimed at impaired driving. AB 1685 would increase DMV points for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated from two to three, and AB 1687 would extend the license revocation period for a third DUI conviction from three years to eight years, with an interlock option after four years. Both measures drew strong support from law enforcement, MADD, and victims’ families, including emotional testimony about repeat offenders and drunk-driving fatalities. AB 1613 would require an off-highway vehicle safety and stewardship course before access to off-highway lands beginning in 2029, with supporters describing it as an education-first response to rising OHV injuries and fatalities. Other bills focused on transportation efficiency and affordability. AB 2046 would allow EPA-approved E85 conversion kits in California, which supporters said would give drivers a cheaper, lower-carbon fuel option and improve fuel resiliency. AB 2168 would revise the Active Transportation Program to better prioritize transit-connected biking and walking projects and add stronger accountability for grantees that do not spend funds on time. AB 2263 would authorize the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to reserve some affordable housing units for its employees, and supporters said it would help workers live closer to their jobs and reduce long commutes. The committee reported no opposition on most measures, and after quorum was established it approved the bills, sending them onward mostly to the Committee on Appropriations, with AB 2679 sent to Natural Resources and Water. Several votes were unanimous, while AB 1613 and AB 2168 drew some no votes but still advanced.

Transcript Highlights:

• The title of the bill relates to employee benefits, requiring employees of the state and political subdivisions
• This issue is impacting our hardest working and most dedicated employees.
• What happens to employees that are not hourly? Are you talking about contractual employees?
• No, I'm referring to management-level employees. How are they compensated?
• How many new employees? How many new programs?

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs