Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:26:12.080><c> of</c> is below the national average of is below the national average of $66,872
• Average interest rates are 6.93%.
• </c> private sector wage this is an average private sector wage this is an average not<04:12:10.319><
• average?
• This is a revenue source that's set to raise a certain amount, and that amount changed between fiscal

Summary: The meeting was a Ways and Means briefing opened by the vice chair, who introduced Jason Wong of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston to discuss the national and regional economy. Wong focused on inflation, asking why it had fallen from about 9% in 2022 to the 2%–3% range, and what that meant for monetary policy and the risk of an economic downturn. He said the Fed’s target is 2%, noted that recent PCE inflation was about 2.4% and core PCE about 2.7%, and described the ongoing debate over whether interest rates should stay tight or be lowered further to protect the labor market. Wong explained that the improvement in inflation has been driven largely by goods prices, especially durable goods such as cars, appliances, and furniture, as well as non-durable goods like food. He said supply-chain disruptions during the pandemic caused major price spikes in 2022, but those pressures have eased and many goods prices are now at or below the Fed’s target. He also referenced the New York Fed’s Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, saying it showed extreme pandemic-era disruptions that have since receded. The main remaining inflation problem, he said, is in services, especially housing. Wong broke services into rent of shelter and all other services, explaining that shelter is a large share of household budgets and that housing inflation has a lag because rent measures often reflect older lease terms rather than current market rents. He said monthly Zillow data suggest market rents have cooled and may eventually feed through to official inflation measures. Members asked several questions about the chart’s time scale, the treatment of real estate, property taxes, and utilities, and Wong clarified that housing costs are counted in services and that the slides would be shared digitally. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• This allows water utilities to plan and schedule system improvements.
• This allows water utilities to plan and schedule system improvements.
• Rather, they will pay for the amount of water... ...to paying for the amount of water that they use.
• So on average, the fixed costs of a utility is between 15 and 80%; the industry average is about 70%.
• And so that's what you're allowed to earn.

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Summary: The committee heard a series of energy and utility bills focused largely on affordability, reliability, wildfire costs, grid flexibility, and water rates. SB 254 by Senator Becker drew the most extensive discussion. Becker described it as a broad affordability package that would provide customer credits, create a Power Fund to move certain costs out of rates, tighten scrutiny of utility spending and profits, expand wildfire cost review, and use securitization and public financing to lower long-term costs. TURN and many environmental and public power groups supported the bill, while investor-owned utilities, labor, business groups, counties, and others opposed or opposed unless amended, arguing it did not adequately address underlying cost drivers and needed more analysis. The committee passed SB 254 on a 6-3 vote, with the bill held on call. SB 541, also by Senator Becker, focused on load flexibility and better use of existing grid capacity. Becker and economist Ryan Hledick said the bill would increase transparency on load-shifting progress and direct the CPUC to develop a strategy to capture distribution-level savings by shifting demand away from peak hours. Support came from labor, environmental, solar, storage, and demand-management groups, while CCAs, utilities, and public power agencies raised concerns that the bill could be read as a mandate and needed clearer amendments. After the author described amendments to remove language dividing the state goal among suppliers and to add cost-effectiveness and lessons learned from prior programs, the committee passed the bill 9-1 on call. The committee also approved SB 453 by Senator Stern, which would help return unspent ratepayer-funded microgrid money and support keeping the lights on in at-risk communities. PG&E expressed a concern about timing but no opposition, and local government and environmental groups supported the measure; it passed 12-0. SB 292 by Senator Svantes focused on PSPS and outage data reporting at the census-tract level to better target resilience investments. Supporters said more granular data would improve planning and equity, while utilities sought to avoid duplicative reporting; the bill passed 12-0. Finally, SB 473 by Senator Padilla addressed water affordability and conservation by requiring the CPUC to allow water utility decoupling. Supporters, including water utilities, labor, cities, and business and environmental groups, argued decoupling promotes conservation and can lower bills for low-use customers. The Public Advocates Office and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District opposed, saying prior CPUC studies found no conservation benefit and higher costs under the full RAM mechanism. Members debated the evidence and rate-setting process, and the bill was moved out on a 12-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• But it doesn’t say what a reasonable amount of time is.
• The average in the country is 110, for what it's worth.
• So I will allow you to testify. Okay.
• So I will allow you to testify. Okay.
• So this amount... ...a year. So this amount should help alleviate that.

Committees: House Government , House House Government Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:10:18.440><c> should</c> accustomed to RCV that amount should accustomed to RCV that amount should
• </c> continue to be sold and the average continue to be sold and the average person<00:26:44.000><c>
• </c> part of the answer was to allow part of the answer was to allow communities<00:54:09.000><c> to<
• ><00:54:21.240><c> further</c> type of provision why not allow further type of provision why not allow
• </c><01:18:57.280><c> more</c> appreciate that it um uh allows more appreciate that it um uh allows more

Committee: Senate Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• So that as we expand it, we're also decreasing the average amount people need to drive to live their
• Um, interestingly, if we can do this and reduce the average amount people need to drive, there are all
• So that as we expand it, we're also decreasing the average amount people need to drive to live their
• Um, interestingly, if we can do this and reduce the average amount people need to drive, there are all
• Um, interestingly, if we can do this and reduce the average amount people need to drive, there are all

Transcript Highlights:

• The average mortgage is over $2,500. The average age of buying your first home is 38 years old.
• </c><00:08:57.440><c> of</c> the provision that caps the amount of the provision that caps the amount
• In that home, you are allowed to invest in your home, you are allowed to invest in your community, and
• </c><00:31:25.520><c> went</c> to building and record amounts went to building and record amounts went
• commercial districts, and we allow for commercial districts, and we allow for getting<00:42:33.920><

Transcript Highlights:

• Further, Century Code allows the Attorney General to allow an employee of an alcoholic beverage establishment
• The code allows the Attorney General to allow an employee of an alcoholic beverage establishment to provide
• North Dakota Century Code Section 53-06.1-11 allows an amount equal to 60% of the adjusted gross proceeds
• Well, I understand that 501(c)(3) allows a charity to be tax-exempt from federal taxes and allows asset
• in an average month.

Committee: Joint Judiciary Committee

Summary: The Judiciary Interim Committee met to continue its study of charitable gaming, especially the ownership of alcoholic beverage establishments by licensed charitable gaming organizations and the relationship between charities, site owners, and gaming manufacturers/distributors. Legislative Council reviewed the background memo and Attorney General’s Gaming Division explained the legal framework, including site authorizations, rent limits, allowable expenses, and restrictions on distributors and manufacturers. Members focused heavily on electronic pull tabs, asking about the large gap between gross proceeds and adjusted proceeds, how much is paid out in winnings, how much is retained for expenses, and whether the 60% allowable-expense cap is being used as intended. The AG’s office said e-tabs account for most gaming volume, that winnings make up much of the difference, and that some organizations do not use the full 60% while others may exceed it, though only the capped amount counts as gaming expense. The committee also discussed the number of gaming organizations that appear to own or be affiliated with bars, the ways those ownership structures are formed, and whether some arrangements may create conflicts or site-selection pressure. The League of Cities and the Association of Counties described the local site-authorization process and recent model policies adopted after the 2025 session. Cities said they can require signed agreements, limit games and machines, set qualifications, and charge up to $100 for site authorization, but cannot require charities to donate net proceeds or force a specific charity or site. They said the new policies are meant to add transparency and local control, though the more controversial parts involve requiring a local nexus or community connection. County representatives said the issue is mostly a city matter and that counties generally take a lighter-touch approach. Committee members raised concerns about whether local rules could unfairly exclude larger regional charities or create inconsistent standards across cities. The North Dakota Gaming Alliance said it supports the study and provided information on charities that own or are affiliated with bars, emphasizing that most gaming organizations do not own alcoholic beverage establishments. Its representative said some charities may pursue bar ownership for site stability and diversification, while others decide against it because operating a bar is difficult. He also said a ban on charity-owned bars could raise federal tax-law issues depending on how it is written, and agreed to provide more detail. The committee asked Legislative Council and the Gaming Alliance for additional information on ownership structures and federal-law questions before the next meeting. Later, the Racing Commission gave a separate update on live racing, pari-mutuel wagering, and related charitable partnerships, and the State Hospital superintendent reported on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s support services, staffing, and wait lists; no votes were taken on these presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• we're going to do instead of having them come forward and do any sort of presentation, we're going to allow
• With that, does anyone... ...going to allow your questions to guide the discussion.
• I have amount redeemed for fiscal year 2024 is $16.4 million.
• Do you know what that average was over the past, let's say, 10 years? I don't know the average.
• Typically, it's sold for less than what the actual tax credit amount is issued for, but that's usually

Committee: House Budget

Summary: The House Budget Committee met with a quorum and reviewed the state’s tax credit programs, using a distributed packet and taking member questions rather than hearing formal presentations. Representative Mayhew questioned the Department of Economic Development about the Business Facility Headquarters Tax Credit Program. Agency staff explained that the program is limited to headquarters operations, requires a Missouri headquarters to be at least 50 years old, and has only been used by Burns & McDonnell. To qualify, a company must create at least 25 new jobs, make at least $1 million in new investment, and maintain an average of at least $20 million in business facility investment. Staff also said the credit is transferable and sellable, has no annual cap, and currently sunsets on December 31, 2028; a proposal to extend the sunset to 2031 was noted, but the committee discussion did not address that legislation directly. Mayhew said he had intended to offer an amendment or motion related to the credit but would hold off, citing commitments from involved parties to make significant changes next year. Representative Fogle then asked about the broader tax credit motion, confirming that expired credits listed for approval were ones the state no longer had authority to issue, and that the low-income housing and historic preservation caps matched fiscal year 2026 levels. Representative Martin asked whether the packet or motion was changing the separate legislation on the headquarters credit; the chair and others clarified it was not, and that the committee’s action was a routine budget-related tax credit authorization distinct from standing committee legislation. The committee then moved into executive session and adopted the FY 2027 tax credit authorization motion. The roll call passed 21 ayes, 1 no, and 0 present. Representative Mayhew voted no; the remaining recorded votes were in favor.

Transcript Highlights:

• Signs are not allowed in the committee room. There will be no outbursts or clapping.
• It costs nothing to allow us to promote public safety. Mr.
• With an average income, including benefits, averaged out at $100,000, this would cost taxpayers.
• Chair, it would now be slightly less than the budgeted amount.
• Now that is, we're averaging, as I said, seven million minutes of phone call usage.

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Allowing cities to publish online or in new technology will allow a new channel for publishing notices
• Allowing cities to publish online or in new technology will allow a new channel for publishing notices
• Allowing cities to publish online or in new technology will allow a new channel for publishing notices
• Allowing cities to publish online or in new technology will allow a new channel for publishing notices
• </c> amount. $1,000 a month is nothing. amount. $1,000 a month is nothing.

Bills: HF1532 , HF1290 , HF2231 , HF2013

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Transcript Highlights:

• And then what is it now, average?
• Our budget ask allows.
• that we are able to provide students with the allowed amount for books and course materials, so they're
• that we are able to provide students with the allowed amount for books and course materials, so they're
• that we are able to provide students with the allowed amount for books and course materials, so they're

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The hearing was a Joint Committee on Ways and Means budget session held in Lawrence focused on the governor’s proposed FY27 education and local aid budget, with remarks from legislative co-chairs, local officials, and education agency leaders. Acting Mayor Giovanni Rodriguez and Superintendent Ralph Carrero emphasized Lawrence’s high-need student population, the importance of Chapter 70 and Student Opportunity Act funding, and the impact of state aid on schools serving many English learners and low-income families. Carrero highlighted Lawrence High School programs such as early college, dual degrees, career pathways, and early childhood classrooms embedded in the high school, while lawmakers introduced themselves and noted the importance of the hearing to their districts. Acting Secretary of Education Amy Kershaw, Commissioner of Higher Education Noi Ortega, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Pedro Martinez, and Commissioner of Early Education and Care Amy Kershaw outlined the administration’s FY27 priorities. They described investments in literacy initiatives, universal school meals, student mental health, early college and career pathways, higher education affordability, community college and university student-success supports, preschool expansion, child care subsidies, and workforce supports for early educators. The commissioners also discussed federal funding threats, equity gaps, and the administration’s efforts to improve outcomes for Black and brown students, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students. Members questioned the panel about the local contribution formula study, the final year of Student Opportunity Act implementation, and the need to revisit Chapter 70 funding to better address rising costs such as special education, transportation, and health care. Officials said the local contribution study report is expected by the end of June, with a draft to be shared after data analysis and public comment. Commissioner Martinez said the Student Opportunity Act narrowed funding gaps but more work is needed, and he pointed to a proposed Accelerating Achievement Initiative to support the highest-need schools. Senator Oliveira also raised concerns about Chapter 70 disparities and asked about partnerships with libraries to support literacy, prompting discussion of broader early literacy collaboration.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what do you have to allow to be built there? You've got to allow rental products.
• You've got to allow, this is a build-to-rent product.
• So what do you have to allow to be built there? You've got to allow rental products.
• I'm allowed to go back and forth. Okay. Ms.
• Forty percent is the average. Yeah.

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum present and took up SB 122, which would repeal Chapter 205 on local business taxes while allowing municipalities to continue imposing a gross-receipts-based business tax on merchants. Senator Trumbull presented the bill for the sponsor, and committee members questioned what services local governments fund with local business tax revenue and whether the bill should be considered alongside broader property tax changes. County and city representatives opposed the bill, arguing that local business taxes are capped home-rule revenues used for general fund services such as public safety, zoning and licensure checks, economic development, and business support, and warning that repeal would shift costs to residential taxpayers and reduce local flexibility. Senator Shreve said he would vote no because of ongoing property tax discussions, while Senator Pizzo said he would support the bill but wanted clearer accounting of how the revenue is spent. The committee voted 5-1 to report SB 122 favorably. The committee then held a housing panel discussion focused on Florida’s housing shortage, affordability, and supply constraints. Dr. Samuel Staley said Florida is in a housing crisis driven largely by insufficient supply, arguing that the state needs roughly 100,000 additional units per year just to keep up with in-migration and that local planning systems often do not prioritize housing enough. He urged more emphasis on measurable impacts, streamlined permitting, accessory dwelling units, smaller lot sizes, and other market-responsive tools. Ann Ray of the Shimberg Center said Florida is seeing more single-family and multifamily construction but that production is concentrated in a handful of counties, while condo construction remains limited; she also noted that rents and home prices spiked sharply in the early 2020s and remain above pre-2020 levels, with nearly 905,000 low-income renters cost-burdened. Leslie Deutsch of John Burns Research said the national housing market is slow, Florida has a severe affordability problem, and builders are lowering prices and offering incentives but still face high land, labor, materials, and insurance costs. In committee discussion, senators focused on whether Florida should encourage more density, including townhomes, build-to-rent products, modular housing, and redevelopment of existing sites rather than relying on large new subdivisions. Members also discussed the role of local zoning, impact fees, density bonuses, and state incentives tied to housing targets. Several senators said Florida’s growth and affordability challenges require updating land development codes and planning for where future residents will live without overbuilding rural or environmentally sensitive areas. The chair closed by emphasizing that density can support affordability and that Florida should use existing footprints more efficiently.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our average costs are pretty reasonable.
• We have a tremendous amount of data.
• This allows us to plan and be strategic about where we do our work, but it also allows us to show our
• We have a tremendous amount of data. to become compliant. We have a tremendous amount of data.
• This allows us to plan and be strategic about where we do our work, but it also allows us to show So.

Transcript Highlights:

• Since 2021, they have referred, uh, on average about five cases a year to law enforcement for criminal
• Since 2021, they have referred, uh, on average about five cases a year to law enforcement for criminal
• For every dollar we spend on an investigator, we have an average return on investment of 189.
• </c> Authority so allow Authority so allow allowing<01:21:25.639><c> this</c><01:21:25.800><c> to</c>
• us</c> allowing this to take place allowing us allowing this to take place allowing us to<01:21:27.920

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• In some cases, community placement options or wraparound services in the home allow discharge within
• of time and just considerable amount of time and just um<00:26:50.360><c> that</c><00:26:50.640><c>
• It will cost Beltrami County approximately $150,000 or so on average.
• </c> and protect the services that allow and protect the services that allow motans<00:59:39.240><c>
• And next we have NAMI. would very roughly uh for us amount to would very roughly uh for us amount to

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> public schools a certain dollar amount. public schools a certain dollar amount.
• You can change, for example, a starting teacher, the average starting teacher, or the average teacher
• You can change, for example, a starting teacher, the average starting teacher, or the average teacher
• You can change, for example, a starting teacher, the average starting teacher, or the average teacher
• :23:48.400><c> borrow</c><00:23:48.720><c> in</c> allows school districts to borrow in allows school

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• allowed the company to provide accelerated development timelines. ...instances allowed the company to
• This modified review also allows competitive market forces to determine pricing, allowing for an accelerated
• Allowing for an accelerated approval process of 60 days.
• The higher the load factor, the lower the average cost.
• The lower the load factor, the higher the average cost.

Committee: Joint Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Interim Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:00.599><c> of</c> sorry what is that total amount of sorry what is that total amount of premiums
• tax—the amount of premium written.
• tax—the amount of premium written.
• tax—the amount of premium written.
• tax—the amount of premium written.

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:

• For the average—mm hmm, okay.
• We have a small allowance for revenue bonds.
• However, billing data is not captured in a way that allows analysts to tie exact expenditure amounts
• Do we have the amount that isn't spent?
• We're low; we have the lowest amounts on these things.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that something that we allowed to happen by statute, or did we allow it, or is it just something that
• What we did is we took an average over the amount of money that each of these agencies were receiving
• So it's inclusive of both the local millage amount and the amount that comes from the state? Yes.
• So it's inclusive of both the local millage amount and the amount that comes from the state? Yes.
• What it does not allow for is the language we've put in here that says the, that allows them to determine

Committee: All JBC-SPECIAL LANGUAGE