Transcript Highlights:

• Trevor Woods replied that the deadline has already passed.
• Well, five-year plan means two sessions. Last session was that first session.
• Session.
• We don't like to bring you a mess during legislative session.
• We don't like to bring you a mess during legislative session.

Summary: The committee began with roll call, introductions of a new fiscal analyst and a new member, and approval of the March 19 minutes. The first major presentation was from the Office of Management and Budget on the state’s general fund and special fund status through May. OMB reported general fund revenues were running below the legislative forecast by about $76 million, driven largely by weaker individual income tax and sales tax collections, though the projected ending balance remained positive and above the budgeted level. The budget stabilization fund was above its cap and would transfer excess earnings to the general fund, and the legacy fund balance continued to grow. Members also asked about federal funding uncertainty and mineral leasing revenue variability. The committee then reviewed compliance reports and trust fund analyses, followed by discussion of a bill draft for the fixed-route city transportation network study. The draft would create a $15 million general fund grant program with a formula-based distribution to eligible fixed-route transit cities, intended to support operating and capital needs and help match federal transit funds. Transit officials from Minot and Fargo testified in support, explaining local fare and match structures and the difficulty of replacing aging buses and securing federal matching dollars. Several members questioned whether the program should be limited to the current four cities or broadened to future eligible urban areas, and whether local funding sources should be explored further. The committee did not finalize the bill draft at that point and planned to continue discussion at a later meeting. The committee also approved a bill draft repealing obsolete language related to approval of a bi-state authority with South Dakota, after staff explained that no agreements had ever been implemented and the provision appeared outdated. A roll call vote was taken and the motion carried. Later, the Department of Commerce and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site presented updates on uncrewed aircraft systems initiatives, including the Vantis radar data enclave, the drone replacement program, and efforts to build a revenue model for Vantis. Test site officials said FAA approval had been secured for the radar data program, replacement of noncompliant drones was underway, and future revenue could come from state and external users once pricing and intellectual property arrangements are finalized. Members asked about Chinese-made drones, supply chain issues, automation, and how the system would manage beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation then presented on the design of a new minimum-security prison and a reentry housing study. Officials said the proposed facility would relocate the minimum-security prison to the penitentiary campus, reduce costs from an earlier estimate, and provide more beds and programming space, with construction potentially beginning in 2027 and opening around 2031. They also described staffing needs, the planned move of women to the New England facility, and possible expansion of men’s housing there. The parole and probation chief described a reentry housing task force studying housing needs for people leaving incarceration, with a goal of developing data-driven recommendations for subsidies and support services; a representative from Protection and Advocacy closed by expressing general support for fixed-route and paratransit funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, House Bill 4140 continues session law that directs unrestricted federal Winston members, House
• Winston members, House Bill 4140 continues session law that directs unrestricted federal monies to be
• And finally, it continues other baseline session law provisions.
• And we sent it to the governor on day four of session, the first week of session.
• In November, when we asked for tax conformity to sit down, we asked for a special session.

Summary: House Republican caucus met on April 29 to review the FY 2027 budget package and several related “budget implementation” bills, with Chairman Livingston noting that HB 2415 was being held. Staff and members walked through HB 4138, the General Appropriations Act (“feed bill”), which appropriates about $17.96 billion from the general fund and includes one-time fund transfers, 5% lump-sum reductions for most agencies, funding for the state health insurance plan, school facilities, child care, correctional officer stipends, public safety, and other prior-year items. Members emphasized that the budget reflected House and Senate negotiations after the governor left budget talks, and Republican leaders framed it as a package that lowers taxes, shrinks government, and funds priorities such as K-12, child care, foster care, and public safety. The caucus then reviewed a series of mostly standard budget bills: HB 4139 on gaming/racing assessments; HB 4140 on federal monies, the budget stabilization fund, and ACE initiative savings reporting; HB 4141 on capital outlay, highway construction, airport funding, and rural transportation match funds; HB 4142 on commerce and lottery distributions; HB 4143 on corrections reporting; HB 4144 on environmental provisions and water-related fund uses; HB 4145 on state employee health insurance premiums and DES reforms; HB 4146 on higher education funding provisions; HB 4147 on SNAP administration and error-rate reduction; HB 4148 on K-12 inflation adjustments, school facilities, and ASDB property-sale oversight; HB 4150 on county expenditure flexibility and state office rent rates; HB 4151 on the Department of Revenue’s integrated tax system funding and related charges; HB 4152 on tax conformity, deductions, and repeal of several renewable-energy tax preferences and the Rio Nuevo diversion; and HB 4153 on transportation reporting. Discussion repeatedly centered on health plan solvency, SNAP/ACCESS eligibility and fraud controls, school funding, rural transportation, and tax conformity and relief. The caucus also took up several blue-sheet bills: HB 2035 on extended-family placement notifications in child welfare cases; HB 2170 restricting certain PRC-controlled companies from state IT contracts; HB 2249 expanding Parents’ Bill of Rights provisions; HB 2573 on DUI interlock/restricted-license rules and psychotherapy definitions; and HB 2873, which was amended to allow withdrawal of referendum petitions before ballot qualification. HB 2415 was held. The Speaker closed by praising the caucus for its budget work, saying the package delivers tax relief, protects vulnerable populations and public safety, and reflects months of Republican negotiations, and the meeting adjourned to the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• What I wanted to do first is just to remind you that we are up against the deadline to, I wanted to do
• first is just to remind you that we are up against the deadline to authorize a brand-new Alzheimer’s
• We have a really strong success story out of Conway, Coach Daniels, that some of you met last session
• Dan We have a really strong success story out of Conway, Coach Daniels that some of you met last session
• It was a pretty expensive drug in the last session. But I'd love to maybe...

Summary: The Arkansas Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Advisory Council met with legislative members and agency, advocacy, and provider representatives present. The council adopted its rules and procedures, approved the prior meeting minutes, and authorized the co-chairs to approve special expenses. Members then heard an extensive update on the state Alzheimer’s plan and current developments in diagnosis, treatment, research, caregiving, and workforce issues. David Cook of the Alzheimer’s Association described major changes since the first state plan, including the growth of blood-based biomarkers, broader access to amyloid PET scans, and the availability of disease-slowing treatments such as Leqembi and Kisunla. He emphasized that Arkansas still faces major barriers in rural areas, including limited provider awareness, insurance coverage concerns, shortages of specialists, and long wait times for memory care and infusion services. He also highlighted caregiver burden, the need for better education and care navigation, and new efforts such as a dementia resource center pilot with UAMS, respite grants, and workforce training. Members discussed the importance of public education on brain health, diet, exercise, and risk reduction, as well as the need to collaborate with chronic disease partners and improve outreach to primary care providers. The council approved four proposed focus areas for the next state plan: advancing risk reduction, brain health, early detection and diagnosis; strengthening family caregiver support; improving access to diagnostics and treatment; and supporting access and quality of care, including workforce training and crisis response. Members also discussed possible legislative or statutory changes to keep the council active and engaged, and they agreed to pursue a future meeting in August, tentatively August 12 in Hot Springs, with additional meetings under consideration for later in the month. The meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• law as first written in the 2023 session law as first written in the 2023 session and<00:46:22.480
• We can do that while we're in session.
• Is that while we're in session.
• There's more questions likely coming after this after our session.
• We have to rely on the our session.

Bills: HF3217, HF2252

Keywords: bioindustrial facilities, economic development, renewable energy, advanced biofuels, state funding, HF2252, Minnesota bonding, volume cap, private activity bonds, tax-exempt bonds, public facility bonds, public facilities pool, unified pool, bond allocation, municipal finance, bond cap, housing bonds, residential rental projects, manufacturing bonds, enterprise zone bonds

Summary: The committee first approved the prior day’s minutes as amended, correcting the meeting number from the 46th to the 45th meeting. It then took up House File 3217, which would restore funding for the Minnesota Bioincentive Program. Representative Kisha argued the state should honor commitments made to companies that met program requirements and had not received full reimbursement. Testifiers from the Great Plains Institute and Minnesota Biofuels Association said the program has supported bioeconomy investment, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and generated strong economic returns, but has been underfunded, leaving unpaid claims. Members raised questions about whether the bill was retrospective and whether it should be reviewed by another committee; the bill was laid over for further consideration without a vote. The committee then heard House File 2252, a proposal to modernize Minnesota’s private activity bond volume cap by shifting unused allocation from the small issuer/manufacturing bucket to the public facilities bucket while leaving the overall cap unchanged. The bill’s public finance testifier said the current allocation formula is outdated, housing would remain the top priority, and the change would be budget neutral. Testifiers from the Minnesota Milk Producers Association and Minnesota Biofuels Association supported the bill, saying it would better align financing with rural infrastructure, clean water, manure management, renewable natural gas, dairy processing, and low-carbon fuel projects, and could lower borrowing costs for those sectors. Members questioned whether the bill fit the committee’s jurisdiction and noted it might be more appropriate for another committee; the bill was also laid over for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was elected in 2020, so I’ve served for six sessions now.
• That was in February of 2021, my first session.
• That happened in like January 2023, and I believe that was a long session.
• At that time, Tuesday, June 23rd by 5 p.m. is the deadline for submitting closing briefs.
• Hopefully that 30-day deadline will also be bolded and underlined as a part of the appeal rights.

Summary: The hearing resumed in the Legislative Ethics Board matter involving Tara Simmons after the board confirmed no ex parte communications had occurred overnight. Respondent’s counsel moved to dismiss two allegations at the close of the board staff’s case: that Simmons pressured the Administrative Office of the Courts to alter a contract in favor of her employer, and that she violated ethics rules by combining legislative support for AEJG with a personal donation to the organization. Board staff opposed the motion, arguing the evidence showed Simmons’s legislative and personal dealings were intertwined. After a recess for deliberation, the board denied the motion to dismiss, and the hearing moved into the defense case. The first defense witness was Sharon Navas, executive director of the Equity and Education Coalition (EEC). Navas testified that she met Simmons in 2018, later hired her, and took steps to separate Simmons’s legislative duties from her work for EEC. She said Simmons was never paid for lobbying or legislative acts, that her compensation came from unrestricted funds, and that the organization used written ethics-compliance language and a formal scope of work. Navas also described the proviso-funded dashboard project involving Anthony Powers and Chris Stanley, testifying that Simmons was not involved in the project’s day-to-day work, did not attend the meetings about the dispute, and was not part of the alleged contract disagreement. On cross-examination, staff focused on the contract documents, the dashboard work, and whether the scope of work matched the parties’ understanding. Tara Simmons then testified in her own defense. She described her background, legislative career, disability accommodations, and extensive efforts to seek ethics guidance from House counsel and board-related materials before taking outside employment or supporting provisos. She said she relied on prior ethics advice when separating her legislative role from outside work and when seeking provisos for AEJG and EEC. Simmons also addressed her relationship with Anthony Powers, describing it as a friendship rooted in criminal justice reform work and prior collaboration. The hearing was still in the middle of Simmons’s direct testimony when the transcript excerpt ended, with no final ruling on the merits or disposition of the allegations.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we support it and look forward to meeting the deadlines within the bill. Okay.
• <00:24:01.120> within forward to meeting the deadlines within forward to meeting the deadlines
• Right on the get-go when we began this session, you sent me an email and kept on pushing this bill for
• Right on the get-go when we began<00:29:01.840> this<00:29:02.080> session,<00:29:02.640
• c> sent<00:29:03.400> me<00:29:03.480> an<00:29:03.600> email began this session

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:32:54.760> give<00:32:55.080> them Back so that you actually give them some deadline
• In last session, the legislature appropriated $20 million to do electrical upgrades that are going to
• Last session, we got money to do, as part of our TOD responsibilities, money to do the roads.
• Last session, we got money to do, as part of our TOD responsibilities, money to do the roads.
• we got money to do as part of session we got money to do as part of our<01:21:06.560> T<01:21

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The executive session for calendar.
• The executive session for House Bill 1388 is closed. We're now exiting executive session.
• session for House Bill 1298 is closed. session for House Bill 1298 is closed.
• I'll see you in session on we have<02:04:20.000> session<02:04:20.320> today.
• have session today. This week, right? have session today. This week, right?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Ladies and gentlemen, this joint session is called to order. Representative Bedsole. >> Mr.
• Ladies and gentlemen, this joint session Ladies and gentlemen, this joint session is<02:07:56.960
• Last session, I was proud to work with Governor Ivy on the Safer Alabama initiative.
• But if you meet the deadline, there'll be no problem.
• My, I always leave here at the end of each session and I process the words that I hear.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, but we are where we are, and so we're going to meet the third deadline by sending this bill out.
• Uh, but it has to kind of make this process work to get it out of third deadline.
• <00:04:24.800> We deadline by sending this bill out.
• We deadline by sending this bill out.
• So, um, to the public that is deadline.

Bills: HF2440

Keywords: labor market, employment, economic development, funding, data analysis, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're going to try and make sure that we're done by the 1:30 deadline. 1:30 deadline, but certainly
• discussion with you all that I think will merit some good conversation during our question and answer session
• time that I hope you'll hold on to as you think about your policy agenda in the next legislative session
• that Representative Padajohn (member_13415), who you all know, will be carrying legislation this session
• And I think we talked in the previous session about that. I'm a little bit confused about.

Transcript Highlights:

• support as discussions regarding the renewable development account and appropriations continue this session
• account and Appropriations<00:04:38.199> continue<00:04:38.680> this<00:04:38.840> session
• <00:04:39.840> um Appropriations continue this session um Appropriations continue this session
• It had just missed the print deadline, so thank you for highlighting that.
• It had just missed the print deadline, so thank you for highlighting that.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, moving back to Members, a reminder that next Monday, March 3rd, is the deadline for you to submit
• Moving on to announcements, once again members, a reminder that Monday March 3rd is the deadline to submit
• Session schedule is as follows, Tuesday, February.
• February 25th, check-in session, Wednesday, February 26th, check-in session.
• Thursday, February 27th, floor session at 9 AM.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• be here especially on Executive session be here especially on Executive session days<02:00:52.639
• We're going to be done way before our deadline, and we'll only have to come back for session days.
• in the rules around noticing of executive sessions.
• > days only have to come back for session days only have to come back for session days and<02:
• I won't see him past these people. exact session or we're looking up exact session or we're looking up

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, good afternoon, senators my first bill of the session. >> This bill helps to provide affordable
• Alarm and sprinkler projects sets deadlines for permits and inspections laws, contractors to begin work
• Local governments missing deadlines, most reduce permit fees unless an exception applies, not compliant

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 15 at the bottom of page 14 is extending the deadline for precinct boundary changes for election
• <00:05:08.039> for page 14 uh is extending the deadline for page 14 uh is extending the deadline
• But the deadline for getting the list in makes it pretty unworkable for the MOP with caucuses.
• can bump the deadline up from May to a workable timeline.
• from<00:32:26.760> May we can we bump the deadline up from May we can we bump the deadline

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This waiver is being requested to meet the single referral deadline. The waiver is granted.
• This waiver is being requested to hear SB 3125 proposed SD1 to meet the single referral deadline.
• . deadline. deadline.
• referral deadline. referral deadline.
• The filing deadline for standing one.

Bills: HB20, HB276, HB644, HB812, HB816, HB916, HB1131, HB1247, HB1518, HB1525, HB1537, HB1541, HB1546, HB1553, HB1562, HB1565, HB1566, HB1576, HB1577, HB1591, HB1605, HB1612, HB1613, HB1614, HB1618, HB1620, HB1650, HB1656, HB1658, HB1661, HB1664, HB1668, HB1676, HB1707, HB1711, HB1713, HB1715, HB1718, HB1727, HB1749, HB1756, HB1774, HB1776, HB1801, HB1802, HB1805, HB1813, HB1815, HB1831, HB1838, HB1853, HB1854, HB1859, HB1863, HB1871, HB1872, HB1918, HB1920, HB1952, HB1965, HB1966, HB1967, HB1969, HB1972, HB1973, HB1974, HB1975, HB1980, HB1985, HB2005, HB2023, HB2031, HB2033, HB2062, HB2113, HB2114, HB2116, HB2138, HB2139, HB2156, HB2158, HB2159, HB2171, HB2208, HB2268, HB2270, HB2272, HB2273, HB2276, HB2289, HB2310, HB2315, HB2335, HB2338, HB2339, HB2340, HB2343, HB2361, HB2384, HB2387, SB2338, SB2431, SB2438, SB2593, SB2907, SB2671, SB2321, SB3084, SB2401, SB3033, SB2972, SB3032, SB2806, SB3014, SB2108, SB2981, SB2973, SB2423, SB2078, SB2322, SB2397, SB2896, SB2088, SB2347, SB2408, SB2970, SB2851, SB2713, SB2697, SB2312, SB2192, SB2363, SB2530, SB3028, SB2024, SB3007, SB2599, SB2596, SB2662, SB2930, SB3334, SB2378, SB3019, SB3231, SB2240, SB2372, SB2175, SB2046, SB2298, SB2922, SB2835, SB3263, SB2174, SB2128, SB2006, SB2489, SB3134, SB2982, SB2425, SB2849, SB2797, SB2795, SB2575, SB2521, SB2765, SB2386, SB2852, SB2022, SB2117, SB2277, SB2387, SB2688, SB2885, SB3132, SB3219, SB2169, SB2591, SB2090, SB2983, SB888, SB3249, SB2611, SB2429, SB2463, SB3154, SB3131, SB3152, SB3315, SB2448, SB2054, SB2140, SB2520, SB2377, SB2986, SB2010, SB2189, SB2026, SB3010, SB2818, SB2002

Keywords: lava insurance, homeowners, insurance market, subsidy, Hawaii, condominiums, annual report, filing fee, real estate, developer, residency, property regime, PFAS, single-use plastics, environmental health, food ware, pollution reduction, local produce, agriculture, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Transcript Highlights:

• pass in a special session.'
• special session." special session." And<01:37:31.600> what<01:37:31.720> happened?
• Governor didn't call a special session. Governor didn't call a special session.
• Tomorrow is the committee deadline. Tomorrow is the committee deadline.
• meeting deadline in the house. meeting deadline in the house.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• under the the way follow that deadline under the the way it's<00:42:33.119> written<00:42:33.760
• We're about 10 months away from the 2028 deadline, and I have been told there's no rule, excuse me, that
• We're about 10 months away from the 2028 deadline, and I have been told there's no rule, excuse me, that
• and I have been told there's no deadline and I have been told there's no rule<00:46:55.040> excuse
• thank you Mr chairman 1st 2026 deadline thank you Mr chairman and<01:26:57.840> members<01:26

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to open the work session on three Senate bills: 655, 88, and 416.
• I know this is a work session, which is fine.
• Uh I don't know what the deadline is if I may what's what is the deadline to sharing, two different things
• <02:19:15.679> of we do have a deadline of we do have a deadline of of of of approving<02:
• I hereby close the executive session on HB 655.

Keywords: 1189, house, all