Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to highlight a case.
• four cases in 2022, and we went up to 25 cases in 2024.
• And in 2025, we increased up to 25 cases, um, with a 23 conviction rate.
• We talked about increases in cases and an increase from from 4 to 30 cases is a lot, but in the ICAC
• And those 25 cases are without trying. Thank you. That's why there's so few cases.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In that case, what the...
• No, I do think that there are cases where there are negotiated rates between two parties.
• Change rates.
• rate change fee.
• The rate, the fee would be the rate plus the characteristics of the merchant transaction.

Bills: SB231, SB584, SB600, SB668, SB841, SB986, SB1003, SB1244, SB1625, SB1960, SB1963, SB1964, SB2026, SB2056, SB2368

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Transcript Highlights:

• rate of their contract amount.
• at the infant rate.
• Is the rate paid the same for whether it’s the CHW?” “We don’t dictate the rates for ECM.
• , and a high bound rate.
• So why is the rate different?

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:40:09.680> of disability waiver rate system was one of disability waiver rate system was
• kinds of items that can qualify for rate kinds of items that can qualify for rate exceptions.<00
• We increase substance use disorder rates by adding inflation to the rates for low and high intensity.
• it comes to getting the rates increased. it comes to getting the rates increased.
• for these rate exceptions.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Rates of burnout in health care fields were at record highs before the COVID pandemic.
• Forty percent of sex trafficking cases... involve youth.
• This bill seeks a reimbursement rate for home-based treatment at about $750 per infant.
• In most cases, this condition is not severe, and the symptoms resolve naturally.
• Requiring medical assistance to cover this service at a sustainable rate is critical.

Bills: HF2779, HF1645, HF1885, HF1289, HF1534, HF2707, HF1675, HF3046

Keywords: health care transparency, ownership disclosure, control reporting, health care consolidation, private equity, management services organization, MSO, provider organization, health insurer, pharmacy benefit manager, hospital system, affiliate reporting, financial disclosure, public reporting, market concentration, horizontal consolidation, vertical consolidation, health care ownership, corporate practice, health care regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• containing all of these articles in case containing all of these articles in case you<00:25:34.960
• and that, you know, instead of really a very small percent death rate, but a high death rate for people
• small percent death rate but a high<00:31:15.360> death<00:31:15.600> rate<00:31:15.840
• <01:29:20.400> of um that there was the failure rate of um that there was the failure rate
• So, um in case the public positive.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The New Hampshire House Special Committee on the COVID Response Efficacy met to continue its fact-finding review of the state’s pandemic response, with the chair restating the committee’s mission and focus on federal guidance, federal funding, emergency use authorization vaccination efforts, long COVID, patient rights, and vaccination policies. The chair said the committee had previously reviewed materials about the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear a COVID vaccine case and CDC internal emails about vaccine risks, and introduced additional research on CDC testing and communications failures. A large portion of the meeting was devoted to summarizing articles and a recent U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report titled *Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals*. The chair argued that CDC testing and guidance were flawed, citing delayed data publication, confusing guidance, a faulty early COVID test, missed opportunities to study silent spread, and alleged suppression of safety information. The Senate report was described as alleging that FDA and CDC officials knew their surveillance systems could mask vaccine safety signals, that officials discouraged internal analysis from being shared externally, and that newer analytical methods identified multiple statistically significant adverse-event signals. The chair also discussed the V-safe system, VAERS, and claims that federal officials downplayed or concealed adverse-event data. Members and the chair connected these federal issues to New Hampshire, noting changes in the state’s health care landscape since the pandemic, including more urgent care facilities and satellite ERs. The chair suggested New Hampshire should develop independent scientific assessment resources to validate federal information in future emergencies. Representative Wheeler noted that the materials would be entered into the committee record and made available on the House website. No votes were taken; the committee discussed the materials, invited further questions, and indicated that a proposed committee communication would be revisited later after additional supporting information is gathered, with a goal of issuing a statement by the end of June.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:10.800> uh steady even in a high interest rate uh steady even in a high interest rate
• It's a 0.16% loan loss rate, so extremely low.
• That's part of the reason why our loan loss rate is so low.
• That's part of the reason why our loan loss rate is so low.
• <00:14:20.880> of continuously funded at the rate of continuously funded at the rate of 750,000

Bills: HF770, HF857, HF38, HF1500, HF43

Keywords: HF770, Rural Finance Authority, RFA, capital investment, state bonds, general obligation bonds, bonding bill, agricultural loans, farm loans, beginning farmer, new farmer, seller-sponsored loans, loan restructuring, agricultural improvement loans, livestock expansion, modernization loans, rural development, Minnesota agriculture, farm credit, chapter 41B

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:12:02.560> by rate by rate by 0.75%<00:12:05.079> so<00:12:05.240> it<00:12:
• <00:12:22.160> uh you're just hitting that base rate uh you're just hitting that base rate
• <00:14:28.680> cut rate cut rate cut does<00:14:30.079> not<00:14:30.519> impact
• Considering that the additional local taxes on top of the state rate, the effective rate in the metro
• c> in<00:32:32.960> the the state rate the effective rate in the the state rate the effective

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 2437, the governor’s proposed tax bill, and first adopted the A25-Z42 amendment to put the bill in the desired shape. Commissioner Paul Marquardt of the Department of Revenue then presented the bill as part of Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan’s budget, describing it as a response to budget pressures that would make the tax system more fair and stable while supporting economic development and jobs. Marquardt walked through the bill’s major provisions. These included sustainable aviation fuel policy, repeal of K-12 education credit assignment, elimination of the political contribution refund, expansion of the research and development credit, short-line railroad infrastructure modernization, changes to the state airport fund levy, replacement of attachments and appearances with distribution systems, a narrow personal property tax exception for low-income housing tenants, reduced aquatic invasive species aid, and a 34% reduction in PILT payments. He then focused on the sales tax article, saying it would lower the statewide rate by 0.75% while expanding the base to selected professional services such as accounting, banking, brokerage, and legal services, with business-to-business transactions exempt. He said the proposal would be effective for sales and purchases after September 30, 2025, and estimated a first-year rate-cut impact of about $99 million versus $215 million from the service expansion, while arguing that most households would see a net tax cut. He also noted other changes such as landlord penalty adjustments, a 30% reduction in sustainable aviation fuel incentive payments, repeal of local government cannabis aid, and repeal of the tax filing modernization account. Public testimony began with Kyle Playford of the Financial Planning Association of Minnesota, who strongly opposed the proposed sales tax on professional services, especially financial planning. He argued that financial planning is an essential service for retirement, investment, and long-term financial security, and said the tax would raise costs for consumers, reduce access for middle-class families, small business owners, and retirees, and put Minnesota firms at a competitive disadvantage. The chair then indicated that additional public testimony would continue before member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• This discounted rate is upwards of 50% of what my cash pay rate may be.
• A rate.
• Part of that rate-setting standard is to get current data, to base that rate on current data, the most
• TDI, in setting this rate reduction, didn't consider 2023 and didn't consider 2024 in that rate reduction
• It was said that even TLTA has suggested a rate reduction, but their rate reduction that they proposed

Bills: HB345, HB721, HB2580, SB815, HB3057, HB4603, HB3233, SB495, HB3863, HB3914, HB4570, HB5099, HB5173, SB458

Keywords: insurance, appraisal process, disputed losses, residential property, policyholder rights, insurer obligations, natural disasters, appraisal expenses, umpire selection, policyholder, insurer, umpire, claims management, health care, cost disclosure, benefit plan, administrators, traumatic brain injury, health benefit plans, insurance coverage

Transcript Highlights:

• The details of the large load customer rate plan, which was established to ensure that those rates remain
• It's something that we debate and litigate in every rate case that comes up.
• We expect rate cases to be filed this year by several utilities, double-digit increases.
• You're already being blamed for their rates going up. Some of them have seen small rate increases.
• cases.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and options for traditional newspaper publication using the line rate and display rates.
• Unless you wanted a report on success rate or percentage. ...a report on success rate or percentages.
• health cases.
• The Supreme Court regularly reviews pending case reports, and it has reduced the time between case conferences
• Family law cases are the cases most likely to return for resolution of issues that arise after the initial

Summary: The task force reviewed survey results from state agencies on potential statutory revisions, with Levi reporting 70 proposals from 20 agencies and noting that about 33 might become agency pre-file bills. Members discussed the need to share the survey more broadly within higher education and to better coordinate issues involving IT and other cross-agency functions. The task force then heard from the Office of Management and Budget on three topics: concessions, architect/engineering pre-qualification, and legal notices. OMB said the concessions law is outdated and inconsistent with current practice, and suggested a collaborative rewrite to allow best-value evaluation, raise the threshold, and standardize solicitation templates. On architect/engineering pre-qualification, OMB proposed expanding authority beyond current state-agency limits and creating uniform templates. On legal notices, OMB proposed modernizing publication requirements, exploring online and abbreviated notices, and working with newspapers and other stakeholders on technology and accessibility improvements. Members asked about where concession revenues go, whether political subdivisions must follow the same rules, and how to move from discussion to action. The task force agreed to have OMB work with Legislative Council and affected stakeholders to develop bill drafts, and the motion passed unanimously. The University of North Dakota then presented a series of proposed revisions focused on public buildings and procurement. UND asked to rework the definition of construction so routine maintenance and one-for-one replacements over $250,000 would not automatically trigger public-improvement requirements, suggested raising the threshold to $500,000, and asked for more flexibility based on project complexity and risk. UND also proposed changes to public bid advertisements to reflect electronic bidding, revisions to construction manager-at-risk selection criteria, changes to architect/engineer procurement rules, an increase in the direct-hire design threshold, and a higher legislative-consent threshold for privately funded projects. The task force supported having UND work with counsel and OMB to develop bill drafts, and that motion also passed. The Department of Public Instruction concluded with proposed cleanup to credentialing and education statutes. DPI recommended reviewing its credential categories for relevance, possibly transferring credentialing authority to the Education Standards and Practices Board, removing outdated school safety patrol language, clarifying waiver provisions, and updating dyslexia screening reporting requirements so the statute reflects current practice. Members focused mainly on whether the dyslexia reporting requirement should remain, and DPI said the screening itself would continue even if reporting language were revised. No votes were taken on DPI’s suggestions, and the task force recessed after the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, a revenue-neutral rate.
• want to stress that this is not the case want to stress that this is not the case for<00:43:16.079
• Um, in the case of this tax expenditure, it's worth noting that reducing the tax rate would not necessarily
• <00:45:54.000> for marriage penalty, income tax rates for marriage penalty, income tax rates
• state sales tax rate from 6.875% state sales tax rate from 6.875% to<01:05:13.920> 6.866%

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• already subject to the pu's rate already subject to the pu's rate regulation<00:04:04.599> from
• small system by promising lower rates small system by promising lower rates and<00:04:51.560>
• <00:05:03.680> than are able to charge lower rates than are able to charge lower rates than
• <00:30:22.120> this<00:30:22.559> has<00:30:22.720> not cases this has not cases
• <00:35:10.359> $1.3 a case in the uh hinger case $1.3 a case in the uh hinger case $1.3 million

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• In this case, the big blue we look at.
• by case.
• <00:33:18.080> by<00:33:18.320> case pay the board members um uh case by case pay the
• The Superior Court costs us even for the most complicated cases about $1,500 a case.
• So, we've been high error rates.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting was a House budget briefing focused on the overall state budget and the first of three divisions. The presenter reviewed the size and structure of the budget, noting that the state had eliminated the interest and dividends tax and still balanced the budget. He explained the major spending categories in the general fund and total budget, emphasizing that health and human services and education remain the largest areas, while transportation is largely self-funded. He also walked through the revenue picture, including business taxes, insurance taxes, court fees, communications taxes, and Medicaid recoveries, and said the remaining interest and dividends tax revenue reflected late payments from prior assessments. Members asked about the size of the tax cut from eliminating the interest and dividends tax, federal funding stability, and why Medicaid was being reduced if federal support was expected to remain steady. The response was that the lost revenue would have been about $200 million absent repeal, and that the budget gap was addressed through many small cuts across departments. On federal funds, the presenter said most aid is tied to multi-year grants and that core programs such as Medicare and Medicaid were expected to remain relatively stable, though some federal reductions could occur. He also said some agency reductions came from eliminating long-vacant, funded positions and from expected lapses. The discussion then moved into Division One, which covers smaller and miscellaneous agencies. The division made cuts to the governor’s office, eliminated a temporary position at the Governor’s Commission on Disability, reduced Department of Information Technology spending through a back-of-budget cut, and found savings in Administrative Services. It also delayed maintenance at the Sununu Youth Services Center, stopped advertising for paid family medical leave, changed retiree health insurance funding, and consolidated several personnel-related boards into one. The division eliminated the Commission on Aging and the Office of the Child Advocate, made a temporary special education advocate position permanent, reduced the Secretary of State’s budget, kept municipal rooms-and-meals distributions flat, and made changes to the retirement system, including $55 million to improve Group 2 retirement benefits and a new retirement structure for future state hires. The judicial branch was also asked to find savings and received two additional judges because of expected caseload increases from other eliminations.

Transcript Highlights:

• First is the Liberty Electric rate case, docket DE 23-039.
• <04:23:32.680> cases recent examples from pending rate cases recent examples from pending
• rate case first is the Liberty electric rate case doc<04:23:36.520> at<04:23:36.680> De
• <04:24:21.000> case<04:24:21.199> more motion to dismissed the rate case more motion
• file the new rate case but when the file the new rate case but when the settlement<04:24:41.479>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In that case, we will move to a vote on the motion. We can do this by voice vote.
• In that case, can we proceed to have the full committee vote?
• Pay a reduced B&O tax rate of 0.9%.
• Okay, in that case, we'll turn to our third of the three and last.
• Okay, in that case, we'll turn to our third of the three and last.

Summary: The committee met on December 3, 2025, with a quorum present and approved the September 17 minutes. Members first voted to suspend the 2026 JLARC lodging tax expenditure report for one year, based on staff’s explanation that the report is self-reported, not verified, and less useful than State Auditor accountability audits; the motion passed. The committee also approved renaming the JLARC I-900 subcommittee to the “Committee to Hear SAO Performance Audits,” while keeping the opening script noting that the performance audit process exists under Initiative 900. The committee then heard follow-up updates on two prior performance audits. The Department of Health presented a draft strategic management plan in response to findings on hospital inspections, complaints, adverse event review, and hospital data access. JLARC staff reiterated that 72% of hospital inspections were late, that DOH did not verify third-party inspection standards or review adverse event reports, and that complaint data suggested possible language-access barriers. DOH said it concurred with the recommendations, had improved on-time inspection compliance to about 49%, planned annual updates starting in July 2026, and would work on accreditation oversight, complaint-language access, and data accessibility, though members pressed for firmer deadlines and questioned the three-year timeline for language access improvements. The Liquor and Cannabis Board also reported on its cannabis market study recommendation. JLARC staff said the agency’s data were incomplete and unreliable, limiting oversight of production, recalls, tax collection, and diversion. LCB said it had improved its current CCRS system but still relied on self-reported data, and it presented a decision package for a new traceability system estimated at about $9 million over three fiscal years. LCB described a plant-tagging and serialization approach tied to production, processing, testing, and retail, but acknowledged it did not currently have sufficient staff to fully implement the system without additional funding. The committee also received briefings on JLARC’s recommendation-tracking tools and the 2024 public records reporting summary, including a high-level review of agency response rates, request volumes, costs, and litigation. Finally, JLARC presented the proposed final report on the Office of Privacy and Data Protection, concluding that OPDP meets its statutory responsibilities and has high user satisfaction, but that its mandate should be updated to better match its current capacity and focus; the committee adopted the report for distribution. The meeting then moved into the 2025 tax preference performance reviews, where JLARC staff summarized nine reviews and noted that the Citizens Commission on Tax Preference and Performance Measurement endorsed all 17 legislative auditor recommendations, with comments on seven. Early reviews discussed included natural gas transportation fuel preferences, travel agent and tour operator B&O rates, nonprofit low-income housing development, multipurpose senior centers, disabled veteran adaptive housing, and trade convention attendance, with staff and commissioners generally recommending continuation of some preferences, modification of others, and improved objectives or performance measures where needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And in the court case in 2022, it was found that that wasn't the case.
• Our case managers... Our case managers are bachelor’s-level educated licensed social workers.
• abuse cases.
• Shared parenting in high-conflict cases is associated with higher rates of mental health problems, higher
• rates of trauma, higher rates of disciplinary problems, and Higher rates of trauma, higher rates of

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on a wide range of state, probate, and family bills, with chairs Edwards and Day outlining strict testimony limits and accepting written testimony. Early testimony focused on H. 1911/S. 1138, which would clarify that a durable power of attorney may create a trust if that authority is expressly granted; sponsors and elder law advocates said the bill would resolve uncertainty created by the Barbetti decision and align Massachusetts with other states. A major portion of the hearing centered on S. 1102, a proposal to establish medical panels in Probate and Family Court. Supporters, including attorneys, parents, physicians, and advocates, said neutral three-doctor panels would help judges resolve disputed medical issues in guardianship and custody cases involving children, elders, and people with disabilities. Testifiers described cases where medical treatment was blocked or contested by one parent or guardian, arguing the panels would provide impartial expertise and protect vulnerable people. The committee also heard support for bills addressing disability discrimination in family court, military parents’ custody rights, and a shared parenting bill, H. 1710, which drew strong opposition from domestic violence advocates and others who said a 50-50 presumption could harm survivors and children. The committee also took testimony on several probate and court-administration measures. Senator Lovely supported a bill on nominee trust partition, and Senator Comerford and probate officials backed legislation to codify additional registry staff positions and modernize registry operations. Other bills discussed included foster care liability insurance, with providers warning that rising premiums and loss of coverage could force program closures; health care proxy storage and activation; access to decedents’ email accounts; uniform trust decanting; the Uniform Voidable Transactions Act; heirs’ property partition protections; a constitutional right to health care; alimony-related reforms; child-centered family law; and a right of disposition for funeral arrangements. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee repeatedly invited written testimony and follow-up questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Not this negotiated rate that's lower than the Social Security Act, but the actual rate itself. ...what
• and the tax rate of the home state...
• To pay the difference between the state's overall tax rate and the tax rate of the home state of that
• We don't want to bring more cases.
• I sent the head of Texas EEOC letters and case law, begged them to take the case and fight alongside

Summary: The subcommittee heard testimony on a broad agenda of workforce, labor, and workers’ compensation bills. HB 4676 would require political subdivision workers’ compensation networks to follow the same notice, access, and complaint rules as certified TDI networks; supporters said public employees and first responders deserve equal access to care, while municipal risk pool representatives opposed added regulation and said existing 504 networks already perform well. HB 4479 would create a rural workforce development grant program at TWC to support college-and-career readiness and local workforce alignment, and HB 3844 would define “opportunity youth” in state law to improve data, coordination, and access to services for disconnected young Texans; both drew strong support from rural, education, and chamber witnesses. HB 5545 would clarify federal tax treatment for wage-replacement benefits in non-subscriber injury benefit plans, with proponents calling it a win for employers and injured workers. HB 5118 would direct TWC and DIR to study AI and automated employment decision tools in hiring, including bias and oversight concerns. HB 1667 would move existing PTSD workers’ compensation language into a broader Labor Code chapter so more first responders, including state and campus officers, could qualify for benefits; supporters called it a technical fix to extend coverage more evenly across agencies. The committee also heard several first-responder and workers’ compensation bills. HB 2369 would speed up claims handling for injured first responders by allowing a single medical evaluation, giving carriers 60 days to accept or deny a claim, and letting workers seek treatment while disputes proceed; law enforcement supporters said it would help injured officers return to work faster, while opponents warned it would revive extent-of-injury waiver problems and increase litigation. HB 4483 would reclassify certain workers’ compensation maintenance taxes as surcharges to reduce retaliatory taxes imposed by other states on Texas-domiciled carriers, and HB 875, as revised by committee substitute, would create a small-project exception to municipal workers’ compensation and bonding requirements for certain low-value construction contracts in small cities; both were presented as cost-saving measures for Texas employers and local governments. HB 4415 would extend anti-retaliation protections for workers’ compensation claimants from first responders to all public employees and expressly waive sovereign immunity for those claims, with supporters describing it as closing a loophole that leaves public workers without the same remedy available in the private sector. The committee also took testimony on HB 5400, which would expand remedies for sexual harassment victims by removing the requirement to first file an administrative charge, extending the filing deadline from 300 days to two years, clarifying retaliation, and eliminating current damages caps. Supporters, including employment lawyers and a parent of a victim, said the current deadlines and caps prevent many survivors from obtaining counsel or full relief, especially younger workers and those in small workplaces or franchises. Across the agenda, witnesses repeatedly emphasized access to care, fair treatment for injured workers, rural workforce development, and stronger protections for vulnerable employees. After each bill was laid out and testimony heard, the chair generally closed the public hearing and left the bill pending; no final votes were taken, and the subcommittee adjourned after completing the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• in valuations changes in interest rates in valuations changes in interest rates and<01:08:45.159
• I think in this case, as in other cases that we've come across, I think we have one further down our
• I think in this case, as in other cases that we've come across, I think we have one further down our
• I think in this case, as in other cases that we've come across, I think we have one further down our
• I think in this case, as in other cases that we've come across, I think we have one further down our

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not as involved with the rates, rate settings, or with premiums.
• Um whether or not the unemployment<02:12:41.840> rate unemployment rate unemployment rate itself
• . rate. rate.
• Because, like you said, if the unemployment rate is not actual employment rate or unemployment rate for
• actual employment rate or unemployment actual employment rate or unemployment rate<02:33:30.479>

Keywords: 1189, house, all