Video & Transcript Research : 'pooled finance'
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ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Agriculture and Water Management Committee Jun 17th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- We have our finance, Juana. Nick is on research.
- Poole, yes, please go on. Chairman Halk, members of the committee, my name's Dr. Dwayne Poole.
- Pool, if you want to continue.
- Poole? Interested parties? All right.
- Poole? Interested parties? All right. Dr. Poole, interested parties.
Summary:
The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and opening remarks from NDSU President David Stewart, who emphasized NDSU’s land-grant mission of statewide service through teaching, research, and extension. He highlighted the university’s role in agriculture, water, soil health, and community outreach, and pointed to examples of research commercialization such as Lilac Agriculture’s work on nitrogen-fixing microbes for crops. He also said he is still early in his tenure and intends to spend time listening and learning across the state.
The committee then received a detailed presentation on a state irrigation and drainage study from Tom Bodine on behalf of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The study estimated that North Dakota could develop about 1.3 million additional irrigated acres, with major potential in counties such as McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McIntosh, Dunn, and Bottineau. Testimony stressed the economic benefits of irrigation for crop yields, value-added processing, dairy, and potato production, while members also discussed water availability, aquifers, downstream water use, and the need for more flexible permitting. The drainage portion of the study found significant economic benefits from legal drains, and staff explained that the impacts were calculated through increased productivity and related input purchases.
Greg Lardy then gave NDSU’s required agriculture update, saying agriculture accounts for more than $41 billion in annual economic activity, one in five jobs, and about 25 percent of state GDP. He reviewed the role of SBAR, the statewide research-extension network, new crop varieties, virtual fencing, AI and weather-network tools, and Extension’s county partnerships and youth programs. He also outlined NDSU’s priorities for the next session: restoring proposed budget cuts, increasing operating support, and addressing deferred maintenance. Members asked about storage shed construction, NDSU’s relationship with Grand Farm, and whether NDSU could help with water-related research tied to drainage and aquifers.
The committee also heard from the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute and a professor on water and data centers, who described graduate fellowships, a water workforce certificate program, and research on data center cooling, water use, and “Legendary Harvest” concepts that would reuse waste heat for greenhouse or aquaculture production. Questions focused on whether the cooling systems were closed-loop, who would own any related production facilities, and whether the project was still only a feasibility study. Finally, North Dakota AgTech described its NSF-funded “engine” project, saying it has brought millions in federal investment to the state, supported startups and on-farm trials, and is focused on commercialization, workforce development, and helping producers lower input costs and improve profitability.
ND
North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session
Legislative Task Force on Government Efficiency Mar 25th, 2026 at 10:00 am
Legislative Task Force on Government Efficiency
Transcript Highlights:
- The three are concessions, architect and construction-related vendor pools, and publication of legal
- or institution with the authority to conduct a solicitation to establish a pre-qualified consultant pool
- Qualified firms, this could have an adverse effect on our overall competition pool.
- We look forward to collaborating with DOT and state fleet regarding motor pool.
- Things like caseload, finances, the very basics: do they have a court, and who are the judges?
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- bit challenging as far as uh finances bit challenging as far as uh finances and<01:09:32.799>
- point senator amongst a larger pool point senator amongst a larger pool >> in<01:27:13.280
- Is it the age of the pool?
- we've gotten to this end of the pool we've gotten to this end of the pool compared<01:27:48.159>
- Is it the the the age of the pool?
Summary:
The joint informational briefing by the Health and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection committees focused on projected impacts to Hawaii consumers from federal changes affecting Med-QUEST and the ACA marketplace, including the loss of ACA premium tax credits, OBVA/HR1-related Medicaid changes, immigrant eligibility restrictions, and new Medicaid work/community engagement requirements. Committee members noted the meeting was being streamed live and emphasized the need to explain potential coverage losses affecting a significant share of the state population.
Med-QUEST administrators reported current enrollment at 390,766, about 27% of Hawaii’s population, and broke that down into major groups including roughly 128,000 ACA expansion adults and about 52,000 parent/caretaker relatives. They said the expansion adult population would be most affected by the new federal requirements, which will shorten renewal periods from 12 months to 6 months and impose community engagement rules beginning in late 2026 and 2027. They described the work requirement as 80 hours per month of work, community service, work program participation, or half-time education, with an income-based pathway tied to $580 per month at the federal minimum wage; they also noted a long list of exemptions, but said many details are still awaiting federal guidance and rulemaking.
The administrators said federal changes to immigrant eligibility would eliminate Medicaid coverage for certain noncitizen categories, with an estimated 1,200 to 2,400 people affected, though about 200 may remain covered through a state-funded program for otherwise eligible individuals. They also said marketplace subsidies would no longer be available for some immigrants under 100% of the federal poverty level starting January 1, 2026, with further restrictions expected in 2027. For Hawaii overall, they estimated the new Medicaid work and renewal rules could push an additional 19,000 to 38,000 people into uninsured status, with another estimated 6,000 at risk from the six-month renewal process alone. Members asked about how exemptions would be determined, especially for medically frail and seriously mentally ill individuals, and administrators said they were still awaiting detailed federal rules and were working on data-matching and verification processes to reduce coverage losses.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
FL House Floor Session - 2026-03-06 (10:00AM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Senate Bill 1112, a bill to be entitled an act relating to the Florida Labor Pool Act.
- SB 1112, relating to the Florida Labor Pool Act, strengthens protections to ensure labor pools treat
- SB 1112, relating to the Florida Labor Pool Act, strengthens protections to ensure labor pools treat
- of Commerce, encouraging their compliance with the provisions of the Labor Pool Act.
- Senate Bill 1112, a bill to be entitled an act relating to the Florida Labor Pool Act.
Summary:
The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several introductions and memorials, including a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with several bills substituted with House companions and adopted by voice vote or recorded vote. Early measures included a tax conformity bill tied to federal Internal Revenue Code changes, which passed 34-0, and a Medicaid/public assistance bill that drew extensive debate over work requirements, fraud reduction, behavioral health services, and SNAP/EBT reforms. Amendments offered by Senators Berman and Osgood to condition or soften the work and photo-ID provisions were rejected, and the underlying bill was placed on the third-reading calendar after lengthy questioning about implementation, exemptions, and eligibility effects.
The Senate also passed bills on computer science education and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry public-records exemption and registry update, designation of the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the legal-tender sunset for gold and silver, public-records protections for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, and local government budget transparency/spending measures. Most of these measures were adopted after minor amendments or technical substitutions, with votes generally ranging from 31-3 to 34-0. The chamber also recognized the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage.
Later, the Senate approved a digital voyeurism bill expanding the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy definition to include private fenced yards, and an insurance customer representative licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework and later qualify for licensure. The final major item was a medical freedom bill that would expand parental vaccine information requirements, add a conscience-based exemption to immunization mandates, allow behind-the-counter ivermectin for adults, and repeal the sunset on the mRNA mandate prohibition; two amendments clarifying anti-kickback rules and requiring vaccine information to include risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy were adopted, while questions from Senators Smith and Massullo focused on public-health impacts and the content of the required materials. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- And if you look at the pool of people that you have in your business, and you think they're not quite
- One, You know, with any pool of money, the bigger the pool, the less volatility, right?
- I have a lot Of confidence in the LFC, and actually the chair of the finance committee and our appropriations
- I'll just tell you that I've been speaking with the chair of finance, Senator Munoz, throughout the duration
- And the chair of finance believes strongly.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Nov 5th, 2025
Legislative Health & Human Services Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- When you look at the pool of our health insurance coverage, about 25% is private, and the rest of it
- For instance, Presbyterian Health Plan would like the ability to pool the report. of their members who
- New Mexico Orthopedics Associates does imaging, and we're pooling in those different imaging modalities
- extract because it provides a lot of the information that's already available, plus the ability to pool
- Pool a patient list. All right. Okay. Next slide, please.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
February 12, 2025 - 03:30 PM
Transcript Highlights:
- made a plan for maybe how do we move some of those outside of Leon County so that you get a bigger pool
- like Tampa or surrounding areas like that where we may have more applicants or a bigger applicant pool
- But that was one of our positions that we were able to increase as well as our finance and accounting
- Have you looked at a satellite branch somewhere else to attract from another pool of employees?
- That would simultaneously help us get a broader pool of applicants to help with the financial oversight
Summary:
The subcommittee met to review agency vacancy reports and agency-requested budget reductions, with Chair Lopez framing the discussion around stewardship of taxpayer dollars, agency efficiency, and whether long-vacant positions should be cut or repurposed. Members were given vacancy summaries and asked to focus on how agencies are functioning with current staffing, which positions are mission critical, and whether some vacancies reflect market pay issues, re-engineering of work, or true excess capacity. The chair also noted that agency heads had been asked to provide follow-up information on current openings, average vacancy duration, mission-critical roles, and reasons for vacancies.
The Department of Revenue was the first major agency reviewed because it had the largest number of vacancies. Its leadership said vacancies had improved from pandemic-era highs due to market pay adjustments, but that some areas—especially general tax and audit—still had long-term openings. The department explained that some positions are intentionally frozen while work is restructured, that it hires above minimum salary in some cases to stay competitive, and that it is using automation and process changes to reduce backlogs. Members raised concerns about vacancies outside Leon County, out-of-state auditor positions, salary compression, and whether the department should provide a list of frozen positions and the salaries actually needed to recruit.
The Department of Financial Services said its long vacancies were concentrated in risk management, law enforcement, and the general counsel’s office, where salaries and competition from private employers and other agencies make hiring difficult. DFS said it was using outside vendors in some areas, had reduced vacancies in its general counsel office significantly, and was willing to identify positions that could be cut, including some from treasury and OAT. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation reported progress in lowering vacancies through statewide recruiting, centralized legal hiring, automation in service operations, and leadership changes in alcoholic beverages and tobacco; it said one recommended cut could be achieved by combining two half-time positions. The Florida Lottery reported a low vacancy rate, said all positions were critical, and explained its longer onboarding time due to extensive background checks; members discussed sales reps, incentives, and the agency’s field-office structure. The Office of Financial Regulation said many of its vacancies were already in the hiring pipeline, with recent vacancies tied to promotions, a death, and internal moves, and noted that it often serves as a training ground for federal agencies. The Office of Insurance Regulation, which had a high vacancy rate concentrated in Leon County, said it had been reducing vacancies from a much higher level and was still working through hiring and administrative constraints.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- We are a finance agency. Uh, we don't own or build housing ourselves. We finance it.
- We're a somewhat Housing Finance Agency.
- We finance it. And uh housing ourselves. We finance it.
- It's rare the total financing package.
- you to the Minnesota Housing Finance you to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency<00:57:42.240>
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Housing Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Housing
Transcript Highlights:
- I know you talked a little bit about the financing piece in trying to help folks with the financing.
- CDAC manages an $88 million pool of loan capital, which we use to make early-stage project financing
- They don't need a penny of public capital financing.
- And second, housing finance and strategy board.
- Secondly, of course, financing. And Mr.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Housing opened its second hearing of the session with remarks from Chairs Haggerty and Cyr emphasizing that the hearing was a broad look at Massachusetts’ housing crisis rather than a single bill. They highlighted topics including zoning, permitting, rental assistance, public housing, homelessness prevention, and housing production. The first witness, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Augustus, reviewed implementation of the Affordable Homes Act and the state’s new housing plan, citing a 1.6% vacancy rate, a projected need for 222,000 new homes over 10 years, and ongoing efforts such as ADUs by right, fair housing enforcement, eviction record sealing, seasonal communities planning, and new funding for affordable housing, public housing, and the Momentum Fund. He also discussed infrastructure support for municipalities, technical assistance for ADUs, and concerns about possible federal funding cuts.
Committee members questioned the secretary about ADU financing and technical assistance, the likely unit yield from the Affordable Homes Act, infrastructure barriers in suburban and rural communities, public housing waitlist management, supportive housing, and federal budget risks. MassNAHRO then testified that public housing authorities are facing rising operating and capital costs, a statewide waitlist nearing 300,000, and uncertainty over federal Section 8 and HUD funding. Witnesses described recent state support for operating subsidies, capital improvements, vacancy turnover teams, and resident service coordinators, while warning that proposed federal cuts could sharply affect voucher issuance and agency operations.
CDAC’s executive director Roger Herzog described the agency’s role as a quasi-public source of early-stage financing and technical assistance for nonprofit housing developers, noting its loan capital, supportive housing bond programs, home modification loans, and preservation work under Chapter 40T. He said CDAC has helped produce or preserve more than 55,000 units and stressed the importance of patient capital and preservation tools. CHAPA CEO Rachel Heller urged the committee to focus on production, preservation, planning, and political will, supporting goals for affordability, supportive housing, and homeownership, and endorsing policy changes such as YIGBY, clearer site plan review rules, stronger fair housing funding, and more support for vouchers and public housing. MassHousing then outlined its financing role, including mortgage lending, down payment assistance, the Community Climate Bank, and the Momentum Fund, while noting that permitting delays, capital gaps, and possible federal changes could affect production. Members also asked about transparency, prevailing wage compliance, and a recent internal restructuring related to diversity and business engagement.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Trade, Workforce & Economic Developent Apr 30th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- But the challenges in developing condos really lie in raising capital and financing these projects.
- We might need to obtain higher interest equity, like mezzanine or preferred financing, and all.
- This comes at a higher cost of capital, and so that’s what it means to finance a condo project in today
- This bill increases the financial viability of the condominium projects by reducing financing costs.
- It affects our ability to finance these projects and to provide more product to the marketplace.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- balance it out because what's happening now is there's so few fire district firefighters, the risk pool
- So that left—so that's about 8,000 firefighters are protected in that reinsurance pool.
- What's not working is those pools are so small that if you have one claim, there's not enough.
- Having that company pull out and go into the high-risk pool is the worst option, so we need to come up
- The bigger the pool, the more stable.
Keywords:
corrections oversight, appropriation, independent office, public safety, funding, firefighters, insurance rates, workers' compensation, firefighter cancer reimbursement, rate deviations, cost analysis, premiums, border security, drug trafficking, human smuggling, law enforcement funding, Arizona, immigration, education reform, K-12
Summary:
The committee heard several appropriations and policy bills, with testimony often focused on public safety, education, and procurement. HB 263 would appropriate $1.5 million in FY2027 to the Independent Correctional Oversight Office; the sponsor and supportive testimony argued the office is needed to address serious problems in the corrections system, and the bill received a due pass recommendation, 17-1. HB 2993, as amended, would allow DPS to spend on legal services independent of the Attorney General and redirect $5 million from the Consumer Protection/Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund to the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission Fund; the Speaker framed it as supporting law enforcement and public safety, and it passed 17-0.
HB 2271 dealt with firefighter cancer coverage and insurance rates. The bill would allow an insurer covering firefighters and fire investigators to file a uniform rate deviation only if it is not reimbursed by the municipal firefighter cancer reimbursement fund. Testimony described the measure as a temporary shell pending a broader consensus agreement to bring fire districts into the reimbursement system; members stressed that firefighters should not see changes in claim handling, but several said the bill still needed work. It received a due pass recommendation on a 16-1-1 vote. HB 2416 would appropriate $20 million to DPS for local border support, including law enforcement positions, prosecution and detention costs, and equipment; sheriffs and the Arizona Sheriffs Association supported it as a continuation of existing funding for drug interdiction and border-related crime, and it passed 11-6-1.
The committee also advanced HB 2692, which revises public construction procurement rules and authorizes progressive design-build and one-step competition for certain federally funded projects. Construction and procurement stakeholders said the bill was the product of a long consensus process, while some members worried about taxpayer impacts and the move away from standard procurement; it passed 10-7-1. HB 2478, as amended, creates the Arizona Commission on Student Outcomes to study K-12 accountability, standards, graduation requirements, early childhood education, and a trade pathways diploma, funded by Classroom Site Fund dollars; members debated whether the work should instead be done by ADE or the State Board, and the bill passed 11-7. The committee also heard HB 4044, which would create a Public Safety Parity Fund to support DPS and corrections salaries using investment earnings from the Budget Stabilization Fund and proceeds from forfeited digital assets; the sponsor and a troopers association witness argued it would provide a stable long-term funding source to address chronic vacancies and pay gaps.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Appropriations and Budget Jan 29th, 2026 at 01:30 pm
Appropriations and Budget
Transcript Highlights:
- My CEO resigned two weeks ago, and Kathy has Kathy has a great background in the finances of the mental
- The finance systems are improving. Those are ongoing updates, cost allocation, grants management.
- We have finance. Could you elaborate on that? So, yes, we did have clinical staff.
- They usually create a pool and then that is distributed based on how many patients a provider sees.
- So if that's a $3 million pool, they just distribute $3 million to different providers based on what
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- professionals in osteopathic medicine and, at her clinic, along with taking time off at Deep Eddy Pool
- medical professionals in osteopathic medicine and at her clinic, along with taking time off at Deep Eddy Pool
- HB 4233 aims to clean up the Finance Code by aligning our money transmission license requirements and
- It moves a reference from Chapter 151 of the Finance Code to Chapter 152 of the Finance Code.
- It moves a reference of Chapter 151 of the finance code to Chapter 152 of the finance code.
Summary:
The Senate opened with an invocation by Senator West, approved the previous day’s journal, and then adopted several recognitions, including Senate Resolution 625 honoring the McLennan Community College Dance Team for winning two 2025 National Dance Alliance national titles. The chamber also recognized University of Texas Rio Grande Valley interns, the doctor of the day, and the San Antonio Coalition for Veterans and Families. The governor’s withdrawal of a Texas Lottery Commission nomination was received and the nomination was returned, and the Senate appointed numerous conference committees on pending bills.
The body then took up and passed several measures, often by suspending the rules and the constitutional three-day rule. Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23 were concurred in House amendments as part of property tax relief, with supporters emphasizing homeowner savings. House Bill 20 creating the Applied Sciences Pathway Program passed after a floor amendment and was described as a way to expand career and technical education and help students earn industry certificates in high-demand trades. House Bill 2594 passed to expand venue options for prosecuting certain theft and cybercrime cases, and House Concurrent Resolution 167 was adopted to correct a typo in House Bill 1314.
The Senate also concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 9, Senate Bill 40, Senate Joint Resolution 5, and Senate Bill 6. SB 9 and SJR 5 were presented as major bail-reform measures, with supporters saying they would strengthen public safety, clarify appeal procedures, and give judges and prosecutors more tools in serious cases; the debate included questions about records, counsel, and the standards for denying bail. SB 40 dealt with nonprofit bail-bond funding, and SB 6 addressed electricity and data-center growth. The chamber also passed House Bill 423 on digital asset service provider reporting and auditing, with amendments adding protections for cryptocurrency kiosks and a technical correction.
Additional bills passed included House Bill 4690 on motor fuel standards, House Bill 1094 on transportation protection agreements, Committee Substitute for House Bill 2731 on roadside vendors and solicitors in certain border counties, Committee Substitute for House Bill 127 on protecting higher education from foreign adversaries and trade secret theft, and House Bill 549 on airway clearance devices at public school campuses. The Senate granted or requested conference committees on a long list of other measures, including HB 4, HB 145, HB 493, HB 2974, HB 3071, HB 3372, HB 3556, and multiple Senate bills. The session ended with adjournment until the following Friday morning.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Appropriations - S/C on Article III Feb 26th, 2025
Appropriations - S/C on Article III
Transcript Highlights:
- In the latest national rankings, UT ranked 4th in the country. and research financed by the Department
- of Defense, sixth and research financed by the National Science Foundation, and first in Texas. and
- seventh in research financed by the Department of Energy.
- Admission to the program is highly competitive in the first- cohorts were selected from a pool of more
- This initiative will... will help expand the talent pool and support regional economic growth.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, and as you also heard, um data pool.
- of finance department at the Department of Education.
- I work for the Department of Education, Bureau of School Finance.
- Does the state tell me about the finances that go with this?
- the state tell me about the finances the state tell me about the finances that<02:37:36.479>
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
House - Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs Feb 4th, 2025
House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- the state were having issues accessing the direct legislative appropriations. at the Department of Finance
- we've also worked with the Office of the State Engineer, the Environment Department because they have pools
- MNERD has pools of money that they also distribute.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Joint Legislative Budget Commission Feb 5th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WE HAVE A LISA ASSISTANT SECRETARY FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION HERE
- McClure: AGENCY OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION WE HAVE THE ASSISTANT DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR HEALTH CARE FINANCE
- SMITH YOU ARE RECOGNIZED TO EXPLAIN THE AMENDMENT. >> THIS IS THE LOW INCOME POOL PROGRAM SUPPLEMENTAL
- FLORIDA KID CARE IS JOINTLY FINANCED WITH STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Banking and Finance Committee Apr 28th, 2025
Banking and Finance
Transcript Highlights:
- The Assembly Banking and Finance Committee is now called to order.
- Potential bankruptcy of the Department of Finance and Innovation? Do we know about that?
- The bill would include lawsuit financing in the definition of commercial loan.
- Litigation financing is the most significant development in modern civil litigation.
- It's a mouthful, but legal funding is different from litigation financing.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
JHA Public Hearing - Wed Mar 18, 2026 @ 2:00 PM HST
Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- Deputy Attorney General Poole.
- My name is Michelle Poole. I'm a Poepoe. My name is Michelle Poole.
- partial public financing Hawaii's partial public financing program<02:11:32.320>
hasn't <02:11 - . finance. finance.
- This moves on to Finance.
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 3123, which would treat free tuition or school-conditioned enrollment at private educational institutions as a conditional gift rather than a contractual obligation unless otherwise agreed in writing. The Office of the Governor supported the bill, and Kamehameha Schools and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools strongly backed it, saying it would protect donor intent, preserve school-ohana relationships, and help maintain tuition assistance and educational access for families. A committee member commented favorably on the unity among school organizations, and there were no objections raised before the committee moved on.
The committee then took up Senate Bill 2438, which creates a civil cause of action for interference with constitutional and statutory rights through threats, intimidation, or coercion, with private and government enforcement options and protections for constitutionally protected speech. Testifiers from the Community Alliance on Prisons and a know-your-rights educator supported the measure as a civil rights protection grounded in the Hawaii Constitution. No opposition testimony was presented during the hearing, and the measure appeared to receive general support from those who testified.
Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 3142, which establishes offenses for dangerous and habitual dangerous intoxication and allows civil protective custody and emergency examination in lieu of arrest in certain cases. The Attorney General, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Health, and Department of Human Services supported the bill as a treatment-oriented diversion tool for people who are dangerously intoxicated and at risk to themselves or the public. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the measure, warning it could expand police discretion, burden emergency rooms, and function as a loss of liberty without sufficient treatment resources, while committee members questioned whether the bill would simply cycle people through emergency rooms and back onto the street. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided; the chair said decision-making would occur at the end of the agenda.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Joint Legislative Budget Commission Feb 5th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- We have Lisa Saliba, Assistant Secretary for Finance and Administration, here to present.
- Department of Transportation, we have Lisa Saliba, Assistant Secretary for Finance and Administration
- Health Care Administration, we have Lynn Smith, who is the Assistant Deputy Secretary for Health Care Finance
- This is the Low-Income Pool Program supplemental payment, or LIP.
- Florida KidCare is jointly financed with state and federal funds.
Summary:
The Legislative Budget Commission met with a quorum present and considered 12 budget amendments, most of which were adopted without opposition. The first amendment transferred $8.2 million in Department of Corrections general revenue authority from salary incentives to contracted services to support the phased demobilization of Florida National Guard troops assisting with correctional staffing. Senator Pizzo questioned the length of the Guard’s deployment and urged a long-term staffing solution, while the department said the Guard presence was being reduced and that about 2,200 employees were in training. The Department of State received an additional $618,391 in federal grant authority for library grants and private cloud costs, and the Department of Transportation’s two amendments were zero-sum work program changes: one realigned funds to production-ready projects and another added three projects over $3 million each to the current-year work program.
The commission then approved several Agency for Health Care Administration amendments tied to Medicaid supplemental payment programs. These included funding for the Florida Cancer Hospital Program, indirect medical education payments, disproportionate share hospital payments for the state mental hospitals, the Low-Income Pool program, physician supplemental and public hospital payments, Florida KidCare, and Medicaid services realignment. Members asked about possible federal disallowances in the LIP and physician/public hospital programs, and agency staff said some disallowances were likely but the amount was not yet known. For KidCare and Medicaid, staff explained the changes were based on the December estimating conference, enrollment shifts, and updated actuarial assumptions, including changes to managed care regions and program design.
The final amendment restored budget authority for a hospital direct payment program after a prior payment, including a $24.3 million CMS-related amount and $3.2 million in administrative fees, was not processed before fiscal year-end and reverted. Senator Pizzo pressed the agency on how the payment was missed and whether any penalty applied; staff said the invoice was not received and processed in time and that communication issues contributed. After brief debate on each item, the commission adopted all amendments, with one recorded nay on the final item, and then adjourned.