Transcript Highlights:

• As we understand it, part of the genesis of this bill was trying to track some of the TDU rate increases
• goes... back to the issues that we were discussing previously today about how difficult it is to keep track
• Again, there's a lot to keep track of, and it can make it difficult to digest their total bill and understand
• riders, providers, and distribution charges to end-use customers can be quite difficult to keep up. ...track
• electricity market issues, verifying and reviewing data, and developing comprehensive reports and tracking

Bills: SB483, SB522, SB783, SB1239, SB1254, SB1255, SB1259, SB1341, SB1664, SB1762, SB1856, SB1877, SB1977

Keywords: utility, proprietary information, customer data, data protection, electric service, customer information, emergency communication, electric utility, privacy, certification, public accountants, interstate licensing, accounting, regulatory amendment, energy efficiency, construction regulations, building codes, Texas, sustainability, cost-effectiveness

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know if you guys track the increase in cost. year over year.
• Do you track the increase in cost per in some cases? In some cases, pipe, PVC, steel, do you track?
• track that specifically but we do see projects once funded through our financial assistance when entities
• when they're built in a community, in a municipality, do we have any tracking systems?

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They are being tracked by the Secretary of State's office.
• So there is a tracking mechanism currently. It is a hard copy.
• I wouldn't, because again the document that tracks the chapter, which the bill becomes, it tracks when
• Will this legislation prohibit those conversations unless discussion time and funding is tracked?
• Will this legislation prohibit those conversations unless discussion time and funding is tracked?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first dealt with scheduling and housekeeping, including a plan to take a hard break at 2:00 p.m. for an early bill, hold a brief executive session, and then continue with the remaining afternoon bills. The chair also noted the next likely meeting date would be March 12, when the committee expected to take up the remaining bills before crossover deadlines. The main substantive item was House Bill 142, which would recognize the Honor and Remember flag for Gold Star families and related remembrance purposes. Prime sponsor Rep. Michael Moffett described the bill as a bipartisan measure revised to address earlier concerns, arguing that the flag honors fallen service members, can be personalized with names, and complements rather than detracts from the American flag. He said many other states have already adopted it and suggested the committee could amend details such as the number of days and locations for display. He also raised practical issues about flag dimensions and whether the bill should use "shall" or "may" for display requirements. Testimony was divided. Janine Nutter opposed the bill, saying she supports Gold Star families but objected because the flag resembles the Viet Cong flag and because she believes the American flag should remain the sole symbol representing servicemembers. Kevin Grady, representing the State Veterans Advisory Committee under RSA 115:8, also opposed the bill, saying the committee believes the American flag is the only symbol needed, while still praising the work of Honor and Remember in creating personalized flags for families. Committee members asked questions about where the flag would be flown, whether the State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen is already displaying it, and how the bill’s language would interact with cemetery policies and committee discretion. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Senator Dever, for keeping us on track. And now, Ms.
• This is largely IT stuff in choosing what we want to track.
• I mean, we could track everything, but as we track more systems and we pull in more systems and track
• And I'll get into that a little bit more because of the way they're tracking their folks through their
• They told the forum in 2025 that they don't track it, so I don't have a good response to that.

Summary: The committee opened with a moment of silence for a deceased member, then approved the April minutes and heard a presentation from HHS on the Diversion Task Force and related youth services grants. Chelsea Florey described the $750,000 one-time appropriation from HB 1012, the five awarded grants, and how programs in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot are using the funds for youth diversion, including school-based groups, physical activity, and services for problematic sexual behavior. Members raised concerns about staffing shortages, family engagement, service silos, and whether diversion eligibility rules are too rigid; Florey said the task force is focused on better coordination, broader education about available services, and possible changes to diversion criteria, with the Children’s Cabinet likely to drive broader recommendations. The committee then received a North Dakota Lottery biennium report from Director Thomas Lawler, who reviewed the lottery’s history, games, retailer commissions, player programs, and revenue distribution. He reported about $67 million in ticket sales for the 2023-2025 biennium, about $16.2 million transferred overall, including roughly $13.6 million to the general fund, plus transfers to drug task force and compulsive gambling funds. Members asked about the compulsive gambling allocation and whether it is set by statute. Next, the Department of Corrections presented on criminal justice data sharing and reentry. Adam Anderson explained that jails, courts, DOCR, HHS, and other entities use separate systems with limited interoperability, making real-time communication largely manual. He outlined possible hub or point-to-point IT solutions, but noted cost, vendor, identifier, and data-definition challenges. Robin Schmolenberger followed with an update on a Medicaid data exchange project between DOCR and HHS to suspend and reactivate inmate Medicaid coverage automatically and improve care coordination, with full bi-directional exchange expected in fall 2026. The committee also heard from county representatives on 24-7 sobriety program fees and an AG opinion allowing local sheriffs to use cheaper testing options when courts waive fees. Finally, the North Dakota Racing Commission reviewed a troubling audit. Bruce Johnson acknowledged serious findings involving overspending from the promotion fund, missing grant documentation, a reversed decision on breeders fund eligibility, and repeated procurement violations. He said the commission has begun corrective actions, including monthly tracking of the promotion fund cap, stricter grant documentation, written procurement procedures, and clearer eligibility rules in condition books. Members pressed him on how the overspending occurred, whether the commission board would impose consequences, and whether statutory clarification is needed on the promotion fund limit and related spending rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• If I just try to listen, I'll get off track. So you're a state employee. Yes.
• But then also Health Tracks for Medicaid, Healthy Health Tracks, the screening program for children on
• The infant development for kids with a disability and then Right Track for, is it Right Track?
• It used to be Health Tracks for Medicaid children, which is a broader group.
• I believe Health Tracks is Medicaid and then, yeah.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Human Services Committee met in interim session and first approved the previous meeting minutes before receiving a series of presentations on homelessness and housing stability. Jennifer Henderson of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency updated members on the new Interagency Council on Homelessness, describing its executive-order mandate to review resources, gather input from stakeholders, identify gaps, and develop recommendations. She said the council’s first work is building a statewide program matrix of existing homeless services and funding sources, with attention to youth, tribal communities, and other vulnerable populations. Members raised concerns about youth homelessness, homeless veterans, and how the council will stay focused on a practical framework rather than getting lost in details. The committee also discussed possible connections to the rural health transformation grant and agreed to continue the topic later in the spring. Beth Olson of Presentation Partners in Housing described the organization’s housing-first model in Cass County and Clay County, including homeless prevention/diversion, housing navigation, and Cooper House, a 42-unit permanent supportive housing building in Fargo. She said the organization focuses on people with long-term and chronic homelessness, many with mental health, addiction, health, domestic violence, and Indigenous identity-related barriers, and reported strong outcomes: 85 of 86 people housed in 2025, 91% still housed after one year, and major reductions in emergency room use, ambulance rides, jail stays, detox days, and shelter use. She also explained that state funding has grown from a small share of the budget to about $1.1 million in state-connected funding for fiscal 2026, largely through contracts tied to supportive services. Members asked about vouchers, rent contributions at Cooper House, length of stay, and whether similar projects could be expanded elsewhere. Andrea Olson of the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota outlined statewide homeless and housing-related services delivered through six community action agencies in all 53 counties. She explained the Community Services Block Grant structure, said housing was identified as the top need in the most recent statewide needs assessment, and described programs including Supportive Services for Veteran Families, North Dakota Homeless Grant services, and Home ARP supportive services. She emphasized that the end of North Dakota Rent Help has increased pressure on the system, that the current $2 million annual homeless grant is far smaller than prior rent-help assistance, and that community action is using case management and financial assistance to move households toward self-sufficiency. Members asked about funding formulas, rural service delivery, and coordination with Presentation Partners to avoid duplication. YouthWorks then began a presentation on youth homelessness, describing services for ages 12 to 24, the special needs of youth and former foster youth, and the organization’s use of federal and state funds to support transitional housing, emergency shelter, maternity housing, and diversion services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, the land record system does not track land according to whether it abuts a lake.
• <00:41:33.040> its<00:41:33.280> holdings acres of land and it tracks its holdings
• <00:41:41.440> land record system does not track land record system does not track land according
• To track<00:42:44.480> this<00:42:44.720> information<00:42:45.119> going<00:42:
• 45.440> forward, track this information going forward, track this information going forward, the

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Dave Nelson: ...The tracking and analytics dashboard will give us visibility into our data, allowing
• Do you track the time, how many calls per month?
• Do you track the time, how many calls per month? What's the wait time for elections?
• **Chair**: Well, we should probably get the conversation back on track, Thomas.
• That's over 10,000 filers with the TEC now that the TEC must track.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in three sports, diving,<00:19:24.160> wrestling,<00:19:24.640> and<00:19:24.880> track
• ,<00:19:25.440> and diving, wrestling, and track, and diving, wrestling, and track, and participates
• <00:19:42.000> His for USNA's track and field team. His for USNA's track and field team.
• male won in a division in state track male won in a division in state track championships<07:34:
• And if any of you have your phone and you like tracking, you know, stories, put in Medicare Advantage

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, they also get to do stuff like kickball, they play basketball, they run track, um.
• Trace has started track and he's actually gonna be throwing shot put at this next track meet.

Transcript Highlights:

• This prioritizes safety, streamlines the process by allowing residential home developers to fast-track
• This prioritizes safety, streamlines the process by allowing residential home developers to fast-track
• This prioritizes safety and streamlines the process by allowing residential home developers to fast-track

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I was wondering, is there any way or any attempt to track that kind of thing?
• I was wondering, is there any way or any attempt to track that kind of thing?
• I was wondering, is there any way or any attempt to track that kind of thing?
• I was wondering, is there any way or any attempt to track that kind of thing?
• Are you struggling to track all the funds that you have?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard from the Personnel Appeals Board, which explained that it became an independent state agency after Senate Bill 487 and was presenting its first standalone operating budget. The board described its quasi-judicial role in hearing appeals from classified state employees over disciplinary actions such as warnings, suspensions, and terminations, and said it handles about 25 to 35 cases a year, with some cases lasting longer because of their complexity. Members also outlined the need for a chair and vice chair who are attorneys, the board’s current staffing and space needs, and its plan to move away from reliance on Administrative Services for office support and website functions. The board requested about $353,500 for fiscal year 2026, including startup costs, routine operating expenses, and two new part-time positions: a program director and a paralegal. Members said the budget reflects the new independent status, includes funding for only four board members rather than the authorized five, and is designed to avoid full-time staffing costs and benefits. Legislators asked about the cost per case, the board’s relationship to DAS, whether appeals must go through the board before court, and how often cases are appealed further. The board said appeals must first go through it, that court appeals are infrequent but have increased recently, and that the board’s process is intended to resolve disputes more quickly and less expensively than court litigation. Committee members also asked about the board’s caseload, outcomes, and staffing. The board said that in the prior year there were 22 cases, with four decisions overturned in favor of employees, nine dismissals, and nine settlements, and that many disputes are resolved before reaching the board through a multi-step internal process. A member noted the governor and council had recently approved a new board member and were expected to approve a fifth soon. The discussion ended with questions about the board’s website and records access, which members said would need to be moved from Administrative Services as part of the agency’s transition. The committee then moved to the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities. The executive director explained that the council is 100 percent federally funded under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and develops a five-year plan to address the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She said the council works with state agencies and advocacy organizations on quality-of-life issues, accessibility, voter rights training, and plain-language or easy-to-read materials, and that 60 percent of its membership must be individuals with disabilities or family members/guardians. She also described the council’s funding structure, including reimbursement to the state for operating costs, and noted that it currently has three full-time and three part-time positions, with no new positions requested but one full-time position being eliminated and replaced after a pandemic-era staffing change did not work out as planned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So my biggest thanks... ...track is not an easy thing to do.
• It has the fast-track workforce incentive grant.
• The Fast Track expansion... ...for individuals in our state.
• The Fast Track expansion was a piece that was voted off this floor previously.
• and what we call the Fast Track fix, where we are raising those thresholds.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, Senator, are we on track to have all the dollars allocated? We are.
• That's a big one, but we would say we are on track.
• Everything overall in the construction, we're right on track.
• And this is where our contractors say we're expected, and we're on track.
• On track means we will have completion during March of 2027 is the end.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first approved the December 10 minutes and then received a DEQ base budget summary and agency overview. DEQ staff explained that the agency is largely federally and special funded, with major ongoing costs in salaries, operating expenses, grants, and continuing appropriations. Director Dave Glatt and accounting director Beth Jacobson highlighted core programs, the move to a new chemistry laboratory, the new state fuel inspection program, wastewater-related funding from HB 1577, and implementation of SB 2267 for on-site wastewater rules. They also noted the agency’s spending patterns, possible federal EPA cuts, and the likelihood of some fee adjustments or program changes if federal support declines. Members asked about DEQ’s travel, field offices, future staffing, and how the agency would respond to reduced federal regulation. DEQ said most staff are based in Bismarck, with field offices in Fargo, Sawyer, and Gwinner, and that travel is driven by inspections and spill response. Glatt said the agency would continue to rely on science and law, and that any future federal retrenchment could mean more state responsibility but likely not a wholesale increase in FTEs. The committee also discussed a feedlot enforcement case in the Minot area, with DEQ explaining its role in ensuring compliance, permitting, and animal-waste management standards. The Department of Health and Human Services then presented on FTE block grant reporting, TANF balances, child care transfers, and the Rural Health Transformation Program. Donna Ockland explained that no line-item transfers had occurred yet for the new rural health work, but about 33 positions were planned and some current staff time could be reimbursed through approved cost allocation. HHS also reviewed TANF’s frozen eligibility and block grant structure, the transfer of up to 30% of TANF funds to child care, and recent program changes that increased benefits and raised the income limit. Staff said the department is using TANF more strategically to support child care and other allowable uses, while still carrying over unused funds as many states do. Finally, Pat and HHS staff gave an update on the Rural Health Transformation Program, saying the first funding opportunity was being posted and that the state is on track to obligate the federal funds within the required timeline. They described priorities such as workforce retention, preceptor development, technical assistance for critical access hospitals, community wellness projects, and ambulance upgrades. Members asked about rural versus urban eligibility, immigrant recruitment, evaluation of year-two funding, and how the program would address varied local workforce needs. The meeting then shifted to an Office of Management and Budget update on the new State Hospital project, where Lindsay Ashley reported continued construction progress, updated cost information, and selected alternates, with photos and details showing work underway in multiple building sections.

Transcript Highlights:

• Public hearings with Track held as a presentation.
• I was outraged when I learned that Track I was outraged when I learned that Track Land<00:12:22.560
• Public hearings with Track held as a presentation.
• Public hearings with Track held as a presentation.
• Public hearings with Track held as a presentation.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And then there are a lot of additions for quantum, and so we'll just be tracking that and return on value
• So we'll just be tracking that and return on the value. Thank you. Excellent.
• So we'll just be tracking that and return on the value. Thank you. Excellent.
• On line 113, I mean, I'm tracking, and then we get to the end of the language, and it says that the funds
• On line 113, I mean, I'm tracking, and then we get to the end of the language, and it says that the funds

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there some sort of tracking that happens about whether our recommendations are brought forth in an
• sure that what's heard every interim has continued to be discussed, but I don't know if we formally track
• or tracking that says whether<00:40:35.920> or<00:40:36.000> not<00:40:36.280> any<
• know<00:41:18.520> if<00:41:18.600> we<00:41:18.720> formally<00:41:19.080> track
• that in a way know if we formally track that in a way that's<00:41:20.240> public-facing.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity met and first heard a presentation from Johnny Cole III, president and CEO of the African American Forum in Lexington. Cole described the organization’s 30-plus year history, its signature events and programs, and its mission to promote African American arts, culture, education, and community development. He said the group has reached more than 60,000 people through events and more than 90,000 students through its arts partnership work, and estimated its programs have generated about $4.5 million in local economic impact. He also outlined a proposed legacy project in Lexington’s First Council District that would include a facility, culinary kitchen, food court, mobile truck, and expanded communications and internship opportunities, and said the organization was seeking a $3 million state request to help purchase a building and expand its mission. The committee then discussed a juvenile justice funding proposal presented by Senator Catoria Herring. Herring said the bill would create a juvenile justice fund for prevention, early intervention, alternatives to detention, re-entry, and wraparound services, with money coming from state appropriations, gifts, grants, and federal funds. She said the proposal was based on her experience in juvenile justice and on concerns that the state has invested heavily in detention facilities but not enough in upstream services. She cited recent facility spending and said the bill would seek $9 million. Members asked how the fund would work, who could apply, and how it would be overseen; Herring said she envisioned a grant program open to local governments, law enforcement, nonprofits, and school districts, with reporting requirements and oversight through the juvenile justice system. No vote was taken, and the discussion ended with general support and a suggestion to adjust the request amount to a round $9 million figure.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would just suggest that you can pilot something statewide when you’re tracking individual students,
• We're able to monitor the spending of those funds and also track the outcomes.
• And that's tied to our program evaluation, that's tied to tracking of funds.
• The law says it should be, and it should allow us to track dollars at the district level. Mr.
• Teacher attendance: who keeps track of that, and how is that? How does that impact our students?

Transcript Highlights:

• So, y'all keep track of that, don't you, in terms? We do by school district.
• I do not think we track that.
• I don't have that number, but I can see if we track that information.
• They are required to track people at discharge that was something that was passed last session to track
• So we kind of track that and we categorize it into four different buckets. than we asked for priority

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They have a track record of having done similar adaptive reuse of older buildings throughout the Northeast
• They have a track record of having done similar. develop it themselves.
• They have a track record of having done similar adaptive reuse of older buildings throughout the Northeast
• there, I was trying to decide whether or not, but you convinced me we probably shouldn't ruin our track

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we also know people who are really in that space, so they're not tracking every, you know, whether
• hearing, and I was talking about EBT and SNAP, and I had asked the Department of Social Services, do we track
• And it was astonishing. ...is do we track how many people come off of those benefits?
• We don't actually track how many people are coming off of those benefits.

Summary: The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard several housing bills. AB 2270, by Assemblymember Arambula, would give farmworker housing projects scoring parity in the state low-income housing tax credit program so they are not disadvantaged by amenity-proximity criteria that do not fit rural agricultural areas. Supporters, including La Cooperativa Campesina, said the bill would help farmworker projects compete fairly for credits; there was no opposition, and the bill was later approved 11-0 and sent to Appropriations. The committee also considered AB 2552, which would clarify use of the state’s new CEQA vehicle miles traveled (VMT) mitigation bank for affordable housing near transit. The author and supporters from the California Building Industry Association and business groups said the bill would add guardrails so the program is cost-effective and usable, while Housing California, the Planning and Conservation League, and others opposed the least-cost requirement, arguing it could undercut the new mitigation bank before implementation. After discussion about balancing housing and environmental goals, the bill passed 11-1 to Appropriations. AB 2689 would require good cause for nonrenewal of certain state-subsidized housing tenancies when a household’s income exceeds 140% of area median income for two consecutive years, with notice requirements and protections if the tenant cannot afford market rent. Some members supported the bill as a way to free up scarce subsidized units and create a housing “ladder,” while others objected that it could punish people for increasing their income. The bill was amended and passed 11-1. The consent calendar items AB 2308, AB 2397, and AB 2512 were also approved unanimously.