Transcript Highlights:

• It is known as the Nutritional Supplemental Act.
• Aid for desperate people. That's why we're here.
• We should separate this food aid issue from the shutdown.
• To give this food aid.
• Because at least they did not want to jeopardize food aid.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're going to legal aid, tax exempt.
• </c> exempt uh if you're going to Legal Aid exempt uh if you're going to Legal Aid tax<00:04:35.479><
• Minnesota does a pretty good job of intergovernmental aid to our cities and counties, probably better
• ><c> our</c> good job of intergovernmental Aid to our good job of intergovernmental Aid to our cities
• or Minnesota Minnesota company or Minnesota Government<01:47:42.239><c> and</c><01:47:42.760><c> that

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• those watching on the live stream, any individual organization may submit written testimony and supplemental
• Some, including Maine and Minnesota, have run elections with this policy for over 40 years.
• We are one of the civil legal aid organizations here in Massachusetts.
• We are one of the civil legal aid organizations here in Massachusetts, but we're also federally funded
• Some of my patients are employed as home health aides. They care for elderly patients at home.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Election Laws

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Election Laws held a hearing on a wide range of voting-access and election-administration bills. The largest portion of testimony focused on same-day voter registration (H. 834/S. 505), with support from Rep. Gentile, Boston and Chelsea officials, civic groups, and election administrators from Maine and Vermont. Supporters argued that same-day registration would help eligible voters who move frequently, miss deadlines, or face administrative errors, and would reduce rejected provisional ballots. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Vermont elections director Sean Sheehan testified that same-day registration has worked in their states without major administrative problems and has helped increase turnout. A Boston-based panel also described high rejection rates for provisional ballots and the burden of registration cutoffs on renters, students, immigrants, and low-income voters. A second major topic was restoration of voting rights for incarcerated people, including S. 524 and related House bills. The committee heard extensive virtual testimony from incarcerated individuals at MCI Norfolk and MCI Shirley, who said voting should be restored as part of rehabilitation, civic engagement, and reintegration. They described disenfranchisement as dehumanizing and argued that voting would help maintain family and community ties, reduce recidivism, and give incarcerated people a voice on laws affecting prisons and reentry. Rep. Erica Uyterhoeven also testified in support, saying the bill would restore municipal voting rights for incarcerated residents and align with broader efforts to expand political participation. The committee also heard testimony on bills affecting election administration and access, including a proposal to reduce or eliminate mandated early in-person voting in primaries and shorten the general-election early voting period, with supporters from the town clerks’ community arguing that low usage, staffing burdens, and costs justify the change. Opponents warned that reducing in-person early voting could hurt voters who do not use mail ballots and could disproportionately affect communities of color. Other bills discussed included decoupling the municipal census from voter registration, requiring periodic accessibility inspections of polling places, and a Somerville home-rule petition on non-citizen municipal voting and another on lowering the voting age in municipal elections. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• have agreed to do, which will make critical investments in infrastructure all across the state of Minnesota
• Yeah, so Minnesota has a couple things that limit the size of the bonding bill.
• &gt;&gt; Yeah,<00:14:57.960><c> so</c><00:14:58.760><c> Minnesota</c><00:14:59.240><c> has</c><00:15:
• 00.120><c> um</c><00:15:00.400><c> a</c><00:15:00.440><c> couple</c> &gt;&gt; Yeah, so Minnesota has
• </c><00:20:24.040><c> in</c> from the state of Minnesota in from the state of Minnesota in President's

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Brandon Walter, and I am here from Medina, Minnesota.
• what Minnesota State statute 62Q545 62Q545 62Q545 requires. requires. requires.
• Thank you for your time and the work you do on behalf of all Minnesota families. >> Thank you.
• Thank you for your time and the work you do on behalf of all Minnesota families. >> Thank you.
• </c><00:25:41.919><c> families</c> challenges that many Minnesota families challenges that many Minnesota

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• campaigns, and Democratic Party organizations, Richard McGrath has served with distinction as press aide
• Aid, $1.4 billion of pre-K aid, $4.3 billion of property tax relief rebates, $257 million in child income
• appropriation to Hudson County for general operating aid.
• Supplemental appropriation to Hudson County for general operating aid.
• Student financial aid application requirements. Senator Ruiz moves the bill.

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• so we always have our locally Minnesota so we always have our locally uh<00:08:23.919><c> Minnesota<
• </c><00:08:39.519><c> where</c> your area 120 csas In Minnesota where your area 120 csas In Minnesota
• SAF was made from Minnesota-grown camelina here in Minnesota, so I'm sorry, the camelina was grown here
• 17.480><c> the</c> uh here in Minnesota so I'm sorry the uh here in Minnesota so I'm sorry the the<00
• </c> sorts of crops that we grow in Minnesota sorts of crops that we grow in Minnesota um<00:17:38.760

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For thousands of students every year, financial aid is not a supplement; it is the difference between
• For thousands of students every year, financial aid is not a supplement.
• Another one of my peers had their entire financial aid package delayed.
• Financial aid delays don't just affect our finances.
• create significant uncertainty for students awaiting time-sensitive aid.

Summary: The Assembly Higher Education Committee heard a long policy agenda focused largely on student access, equity, and institutional oversight. Bills discussed included AB 2236 on common course numbering and streamlined articulation across the community colleges, CSU, and UC; AB 2422 on protections when financial aid is delayed; AB 1669 on medical and mental health leaves of absence; AB 1713 on accepting IEPs and 504 plans as proof of disability for accommodations; AB 2766 on priority housing and related supports for foster youth and students experiencing homelessness; AB 2212 on tech-facilitated sexual harassment and AI-generated intimate images; AB 2504 on a pilot to upskill creative-industry workers for AI-related changes; AB 1734 on preserving and expanding California food insecurity data collection; and AB 2771, the sunset bill for the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. The committee also took up a consent calendar of three bills earlier in the hearing. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from student groups, advocacy organizations, and system representatives, with many speakers describing personal experiences with transfer confusion, delayed aid, mental health crises, disability documentation barriers, housing instability, and online sexual harm. AB 2236 drew support from community college, CSU, UC student associations, and college-opportunity advocates, while the CSU Academic Senate registered opposition. AB 2771 drew a notable exchange over the cost and scope of the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education, with Vice Chair DeMaio opposing the extension on fiscal and bureaucracy grounds; the author responded that the bureau is fee-funded and that its fees had not been raised in years. AB 1734 also prompted skepticism from DeMaio about the survey’s cost, methodology, and whether the work should be competitively bid, though supporters argued the existing California Health Interview Survey infrastructure was the most efficient way to preserve critical food insecurity data after federal cuts. The committee voted to advance the measures it heard, generally on party-line or near-party-line votes, with several bills held open for additional members to add on. AB 2236, AB 2422, AB 1669, AB 1713, AB 1734, AB 2766, and AB 2212 all received do-pass recommendations and were re-referred to the appropriate policy or fiscal committees. AB 2771 was also moved forward to the Committee on Business and Professions after debate over the bureau’s reauthorization and fee structure. The hearing ended with the committee beginning consideration of AB 2504, the AI-related workforce upskilling pilot for creative industries.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:02:12.640><c> on</c> sheriffs of the state of Minnesota on sheriffs of the state of Minnesota
• </c> participants of the state of Minnesota participants of the state of Minnesota with<00:03:27.200>
• </c> of these changes could be Minnesota of these changes could be Minnesota statute statute statute
• , Greater Minnesota radar gaps.
• <01:47:17.520><c> Rehabilitation</c><01:47:18.280><c> and</c> Minnesota Rehabilitation and Minnesota

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> protect Minnesota students in school. protect Minnesota students in school.
• and to aid in their recovery.
• In Minnesota, [snorts] the three largest recipients of non-public pupil aid for guidance counseling are
• I'm just wondering if Ed Minnesota could come In Minnesota, [snorts] the three largest In Minnesota,
• It included a cut to student support personnel aid. It included a cut to library aid.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Cal Grant Program is a financial aid program administered by the California Student Aid Commission
• formula, whereas Irvine Unified is on a non-basic aid formula.
• Newport-Mesa Unified is on basic aid, whereas Irvine Unified is on non-basic aid.
• And this is one example of many, many school districts in the non-basic-aid funding formula.
• So your basic aid districts will always have more funding for students than your non-basic aid districts

Summary: The committee first heard AB 402, which would increase Cal Grant award amounts for students attending private nonprofit colleges and extend transfer entitlement eligibility to those institutions. The author and supporters argued the bill would improve affordability and access for low- and middle-income, working, military, and transfer students, while some senators emphasized the need to pair any increase with broader Cal Grant reform and funding. The bill drew support from private nonprofit universities, community college districts, and student advocates, and no opposition was presented. It passed on a due pass motion to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. The committee then took up AB 2067, a sunset extension for the competitive lease-lease-back process for TK-12 school construction through July 1, 2032. Supporters from school facilities groups, school districts, and contractors said the method provides flexibility, early contractor involvement, cost control, and legal certainty for school construction projects. Some senators questioned how often the method is used and raised concerns about the bill’s skilled-and-trained workforce provisions, with one senator opposing on the grounds that such requirements limit contractor participation. The bill passed on a due pass motion and was placed on call. Next, AB 1204 proposed changes to the Local Control Funding Formula, including a lower concentration-grant threshold, regional cost adjustments, a minimum annual COLA, and other equity-focused revisions. Supporters said the bill would better reflect regional costs and student need, while opponents—especially several school district leaders—argued it would shift money away from the base grant, widen disparities, and create new fiscal cliffs. Committee members raised concerns about the scale of the rewrite, the lack of a broader funding strategy, and the proposed 4% COLA guarantee, though the author said the bill was intended as a phased update to improve equity. The bill was supported by the chair and several members, then passed on a due pass motion to Appropriations and was placed on call. Finally, the committee heard AB 1235, which would require a skilled-and-trained workforce process for CSU design-build projects. Supporters said it would align CSU with other segments and promote quality training, while opposition from contractor groups argued it would add liability, reduce competition, and increase costs without evidence of better outcomes. Senators again focused on the effect of skilled-and-trained requirements on contractor participation, with one member stating opposition to limiting who can work in California and another noting the bill’s broader policy implications. The transcript ends during committee discussion of AB 1235, without a recorded final vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also want to thank the Real Property Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Minnesota
• Credit Union Network, the Minnesota Land Title Association, Minnesota Realtors, and Bank Inn, all of
• State Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Minnesota<00:35:55.040><c> Credit</c
• </c> insurer from operating here in Minnesota insurer from operating here in Minnesota if<00:40:12.720
• </c> the Minnesota Society of Pathologists. the Minnesota Society of Pathologists.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:17.840><c> Plant</c><00:04:18.079><c> medicine</c><00:04:18.440><c> is</c> help supplement
• Plant medicine is help supplement that.
• And she is a recent Minnesota immigrant who came from Wisconsin.
• is in desperate need of and Minnesota is in desperate need of economic<00:12:52.560><c> growth,</c><
• </c><00:13:30.800><c> immigrant</c> And she is a recent Minnesota immigrant And she is a recent Minnesota

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We're here today to talk about the next part of our Minnesota First plan.
• </c> surprised to learn that Minnesota surprised to learn that Minnesota already<00:02:02.520><c> has
• made Minnesota left less commission have made Minnesota left less safe<00:04:47.080><c> by</c><00:04:
• </c><00:05:16.840><c> sentencing</c> ensure the Minnesota sentencing ensure the Minnesota sentencing
• </c> impact on Public Safety in Minnesota impact on Public Safety in Minnesota while<00:08:49.279><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> support personnel aid funding stream. support personnel aid funding stream.
• Minnesota lags increase in gun theft.
• </c> administrators like the Minnesota administrators like the Minnesota Superintendent<00:18:37.039>
• </c> Minnesota School Counselors Association. Minnesota School Counselors Association.
• It's aid from $30 to $34 per student.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 4893, a school safety and gun violence prevention bill, and first adopted a DE1 amendment before hearing the bill. The author and supporters described the measure as a layered approach to school safety, combining increased funding for student support personnel, required school safety plans, and anonymous threat reporting systems. They cited research from the Violence Prevention Project and other sources arguing that many school shooters are insiders, often show warning signs, and frequently leak plans beforehand, making early intervention and trusted adults in schools important. Members and testifiers also discussed the bill’s firearm storage provisions. Representative Green explained that the bill would require firearms on school property and in vehicles to be unloaded and locked, and would limit or remove principals’ discretion to allow firearms in school buildings, while preserving access for trained school security personnel. Supporters said the bill would improve clarity and safety for schools, while a representative from private schools raised concerns that the language could limit flexibility and create staffing and accountability problems for non-public schools, prompting discussion of possible amendments. Several student and organizational testifiers supported the bill, including students from Edina High School, Education Minnesota, the Minnesota School Counselors Association, and the Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota. They emphasized the impact of gun violence on students’ mental health and learning, the value of anonymous reporting systems, and the need to invest in counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses. No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided, but the committee did adopt the DE1 amendment and continued discussion of possible changes, including with the BCA and school safety center.

Transcript Highlights:

• Receiving funding to replace lost non-resident supplemental tuition is imperative, as non-resident supplemental
• Also note that about 10 percent of CSU spending is on financial aid.
• We spend more than $1 billion per year on the State University Grant and other aid programs.
• So 85 percent of our spending is on employees and student aid.
• Including financial aid, bond debt service, and retirement fund contributions.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education held its first 2026 hearing on higher education, focusing on UC and CSU system updates, student housing, enrollment, and core operations. In opening remarks, the chair noted recent state fiscal stress, the prior rejection of proposed UC/CSU cuts, and the Governor’s proposed 5% ongoing compact increases. UC President James B. Milliken and CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia described the systems’ public value, research and workforce roles, and the impact of federal actions on grants, financial aid, and campus operations. Both also emphasized Title IX and civil rights efforts; CSU said it had implemented nearly all state auditor recommendations and was on track to finish the remaining one, while UC highlighted its systemwide civil rights and Title IX offices. Both leaders said federal investigations, grant cancellations, and litigation demands were consuming staff time and money, with UC reporting more than 200 grants lost or affected and CSU citing more than $161 million in lost grants and more than 1,600 grants affected overall. The committee then heard on student housing. Finance and LAO staff said the Governor’s budget made no major new housing proposal but continued support for the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program. CSU reported 12 supported projects that will add about 5,047 beds, most below market rate, with four already open and seven more expected this year; it also said it has about 68,000 beds systemwide, a 92% occupancy rate, and ongoing emergency housing support. UC said the program has supported seven UC projects and two joint community college projects, adding more than 7,000 beds total, but nearly 10,000 UC students were on housing waitlists at the start of fall 2025. UC asked for additional state support, including possible bond funding and a statutory change to allow UC participation in public-private partnership housing projects. Members discussed rapid rehousing, student homelessness, faculty and staff housing, and community college housing partnerships, with both systems describing existing emergency beds and support services. On enrollment, LAO recommended maintaining UC’s 2026-27 resident undergraduate target, funding enrollment growth separately from base increases, pausing the nonresident reduction plan, and holding UC flat in 2027-28. For CSU, LAO recommended revising the 2026-27 target downward to reflect current projections, funding growth separately, and holding 2027-28 flat. CSU said it had rebounded from COVID declines, now exceeds its funded target by about 3,000 FTE, and is shifting about $89 million and 10,000 FTE spots from lower-demand campuses to higher-demand ones while developing turnaround plans for seven campuses with sustained enrollment declines, including Sonoma State. CSU also described direct admissions, transfer success pathways, and new degree programs aimed at workforce needs. UC said it had surpassed its compact enrollment goals, planned to add 2,721 California undergraduates in 2026-27, and was seeking $5.5 million for health professional programs. Members raised concerns about underprepared freshmen, K-12 alignment, nonresident caps at UC San Diego, deferred maintenance, ROTC access, and the need for stronger turnaround plans and teacher preparation pipelines. The final item on core operations addressed the Governor’s proposal to defer 3% base funding again, moving the one-time deferral to 2027-28 and allowing short-term zero-interest loans to cover it.

Transcript Highlights:

• Cloud and Northwest Minnesota. And St. Cloud and Northwest Minnesota.
• , and municipal state aid.
• </c> greater Minnesota transit account. greater Minnesota transit account.
• </c><00:42:30.160><c> design</c> aid and municipal state aid design aid and municipal state aid design
• </c> standard for um for state aid projects. standard for um for state aid projects.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The state of Kentucky supplements the other 36% on average out of our general funds via the state supplementation
• The state of Kentucky supplements the other 36% on average out of our general funds via the state supplementation
• The state of Kentucky supplements the other 36% on average out of our general funds via the state supplementation
• The state of Kentucky supplements the other 36% on average out of our general funds via the state supplementation
• The state of Kentucky supplements the other 36% on average out of our general funds via the state supplementation

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Health and Family Services committee heard an informational presentation on Kentucky personal care homes from representatives of the Kentucky Association of Healthcare Facilities, Management Systems of Kentucky, and Elder Care Partners. Witnesses described personal care homes as a lower-cost, 24/7 residential option for adults, often with serious mental illness, who do not meet nursing home criteria but need structured supervision, medication assistance, meals, and daily support. They said the homes are regulated by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, are not Medicaid-funded, and are supported largely through state supplementation payments and residents’ SSI income. The presenters argued that the current reimbursement rate of about $50.70 per day is no longer sufficient to cover staffing, food, insurance, utilities, maintenance, and other costs, and said the sector has shrunk significantly over time. They cited figures showing a decline from 64 to 34 homes serving the seriously mentally ill since 2002, with 30 closures over 23 years, and said the loss of beds contributes to homelessness, hospital overcrowding, and longer psychiatric stays. They also gave examples of residents who had spent many months in hospitals before being successfully placed in personal care homes, which they said can prevent more costly institutional care. Committee members asked about staffing credentials, fraud controls, referral processes, and how reimbursement works in other states. The presenters said Kentucky does not require licensed or certified staff in these facilities, though some homes use certified medication technicians or an LPN, and they described a county case-manager-based assessment process used to set individualized rates in other states such as Minnesota. Members expressed support for the work but emphasized the need for documentation of savings and budget offsets. The presenters said they are seeking an incremental reimbursement increase over two years, roughly 25% to 50% in the first year and another 50% after that, and urged the committee to support the homes to prevent further closures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Third, nothing in this bill prohibits the sale of any dietary supplement to an adult.
• Dietary supplements are not regulated like pharmaceutical drugs.
• , as we stated in previous policy committees, we do not oppose. supplement.
• I now work at Legal Aid at Work supporting workers who face discrimination.
• I now work at legal aid at work supporting workers who face discrimination.

Summary: The committee heard several immigration-, health-, food access-, and tribal-rights-related bills. AB 1725 would require disclosure of oil wells near homes and sensitive sites and stronger methane monitoring; supporters described health and safety harms in communities near wells, while apartment, realtor, building, and chamber representatives opposed or sought amendments, arguing the bill should better target the responsible industry and fit existing disclosure processes. AB 1650 would require privately rented or leased vehicles used by government agencies for enforcement to be clearly identifiable and equipped with safety lighting; supporters, including immigrant-rights advocates and local officials, said unmarked vehicles create fear and confusion during ICE operations, while the chamber sought clarification and noted exemptions for ordinary undercover law enforcement. AB 1857 would prohibit grocery restrictive covenants that keep new supermarkets from opening after a store closes, with supporters framing it as a food-access and anti-hunger measure; grocers and retailers raised concerns but said amendments addressed many issues, and the committee moved the bill forward as amended to Appropriations on a recorded vote, with all members present voting aye except one absent member and the bill placed on call. The committee also heard AB 1876, which would codify federal health-care nondiscrimination protections in state law. Supporters from Equality California, Disability Rights California, Planned Parenthood, and other health groups said it would preserve coverage protections for LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and other protected classes amid federal rollbacks; opponents argued it would entrench gender-affirming-care standards and criticized the underlying medical framework. The bill passed to Appropriations on a recorded vote, with most members voting aye and one no vote, and was placed on call. AB 1908 would allow public entities to use judgment obligation bonds to finance self-funded victim compensation funds; Los Angeles County said the bill would fill a financing gap for faster compensation, and the committee advanced it on a recorded vote and placed it on call. AB 1881, the California Indian Freedom Act of 2026, would protect California tribes’ access to sacred sites and traditional practices on state public lands and require meaningful consultation; it drew extensive support from tribal leaders and Native organizations, while cities, counties, utilities, builders, and business groups were opposed unless amended, largely seeking clarification and narrowing. The bill was amended to focus on state public lands and passed to Appropriations on a recorded vote, then placed on call. Later, AB 2465 would bar businesses that profit from private detention facilities or contract with immigration-enforcement agencies from receiving state grants, loans, or tax credits and create an immigrant resilience fund. Supporters said the state should not subsidize businesses tied to immigration raids and detention; opponents, including the chamber, bankers, and contractors, raised vagueness and scope concerns, especially over what contracts would be covered. Members said they supported the concept but wanted the bill tightened, and it passed to Revenue and Taxation on a recorded vote with one no vote and was placed on call. The committee then heard AB 2662, which would create a formal state process to monitor and report on federal immigration enforcement actions and their impacts; supporters from legal aid and health centers said raids have chilled access to work, schools, clinics, and naturalization, and the bill was presented as a modest accountability measure. The transcript cuts off before any vote on AB 2662. The committee also approved a consent calendar of several bills and resolutions, sending some to Appropriations and others to the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• We include a supplemental for the Department of Public Safety.
• This is some really significant support and aid to our families here in Arizona.
• This is some really significant support and aid to our families here in Arizona.
• STEM and workforce program state aid and operating state aid for the community college districts as specified
• They haven't received that state aid since approximately 2015, and the STEM aid all community college

Keywords: 1182, all