Video & Transcript Research : 'LA FIRST'

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MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Education Policy - 03/24/25

Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Uh, he lives in the LA area. Uh, he works for the LA Kings. Uh, it's an amazing story.
  • Uh he lives in the LA and a career.
  • Uh he works for the LA Kings. Uh area. Uh he works for the LA Kings.
  • First of all, it's um important today.
  • But first, I shaping our communities.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

WTL Public Hearing 02-05-2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • Aloha, Ernie La Order, Water Supply. My apologies for late testimony today.
  • <00:10:22.839> today<00:10:23.279> uh<00:10:23.480> Ernie<00:10:23.839> La
  • <00:10:24.160> order late testimony today uh Ernie La order late testimony today uh Ernie
  • La order water<00:10:24.720> supply<00:10:25.720> uh<00:10:25.839> we<00:10:25.959
  • time<00:26:37.520> we're<00:26:37.760> hearing<00:26:38.279> this is the first
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The committee heard several water, land, and natural resources measures. SB 5 would narrow the definition of historic property to properties eligible for the Hawaii Register of Historic Places or with important Native Hawaiian or ethnic cultural value. The State Historic Preservation Division said the bill would tighten the definition and could reduce or streamline reviews, while one testifier warned it could add another layer of review and delay. Support and opposition were both noted. SB 19 would appropriate funds to DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources to establish positions, and it drew strong support from DLNR and multiple ocean and reef advocates. SB 145, concerning declarations of water shortage and emergency, was supported by the Commission on Water Resource Management and the Board of Water Supply, which said rulemaking would improve transparency and public input. The chair also noted broader public concern about water use and pricing, especially on Maui. SB 44 would prohibit commercial sale of parrotfish caught by spearing and ban spearing them at night; DLNR supported the measure, while several fishers and gathering-rights advocates opposed it, arguing it would restrict traditional gathering and that resource management should focus on fish populations rather than methods. The committee noted 26 communications in support and opposition combined. SB 427 would bar the state from leasing or extending public land leases to parties in arrears, out of compliance with environmental obligations, or convicted of a crime, and would require gubernatorial certification for certain federal leases. DLNR said existing law and BLNR procedures already address compliance and cure periods, while supporters argued the bill would help ensure accountability for contaminated or poorly managed lands. The committee also began SB 457, dealing with submerged land reclamation and leasing of submerged/tidal lands; DLNR again said current statutes and BLNR protocols were already adequate, describing existing review and enforcement practices for shoreline structures and easements. No votes were taken in the portion provided.
CO

Colorado 2026 Regular Session

Colorado Senate 2026 Legislative Day 105 Apr 29th, 2026

Colorado Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • No, or first report of the first conference committee on House Bill 1410.
  • It's happened in LA. It's happened in Washington Post, the LA Times.
  • It's happened in LA. It's happened in Washington Post, the LA Times.
  • It's happened in LA. It's happened in Washington Post, the LA Times.
  • It's happened in LA. It's happened in Washington Post, the LA Times.
Keywords: 981, all
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • This was the first committee I asked for, and of course I served on another committee for a ton of years
  • My name is Representative de la Cruz. I represent House District 12.
  • I'm really excited about this first time to be a committee assistant.
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Monday, April 27, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • finished her first ever Boston Marathon. finished her first ever Boston Marathon.
  • Tessa threw out the ceremonial first Tessa threw out the ceremonial first pitches<00:07:22.800><
  • Local community businesses like First Local community businesses like First Service<00:17:49.679
  • First, it protects whi problems. First, it protects whi whistleblowers<03:41:38.479> privacy.
  • in community and rooted in Las Vegas. in community and rooted in Las Vegas.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

RM 329 Conference AM - Mon Apr 21, 2025

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I just want to thank, first of all, this is the first convening of the conference committee for the House
  • So first of all, let's just, I want to reference that we will be reconvening.
  • So first of all, let's just, I want to reference that we will be reconvening on all the agenda items
  • Members, first up on today's agenda is HB 226, HD3, SD1, relating to windshield tinting.
  • For this measure, it's myself, Co-Chair Grandinetti, and Members La Chica, Miyake, and Pierick.
Keywords: 910, house, all
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

FIN Info Briefing - Mon Jan 13, 2025 @ 9:00 AM HST

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • almost 30% of these students were first almost 30% of these students were first generation<00:17
  • operation already and as of this first operation already and as of this first quarter<00:57:37.280
  • quarter we will be opening the first quarter we will be opening the first clinical<00:57:40.079>
  • We totally agree that La Ho?
  • So for La Ho?
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The House Finance Committee held an informational briefing with the University of Hawaiʻi, led by new President Wendy Hensel and Vice President for Budget and Finance Calbert Young. Hensel outlined the university system’s scope, student demographics, research activity, and campus missions, emphasizing four strategic priorities: serving Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi, student success, workforce development, and economic diversification through innovation and research. She highlighted the system’s enrollment, research funding, and the roles of Mānoa, Hilo, West Oʻahu, the community colleges, and specialized institutions such as JABSOM and the Cancer Center. Young then reviewed the budget request, focusing largely on making prior one-time appropriations permanent and supporting recurring needs. Items included funding for Mānoa athletics, the Hawaiʻi Institute for Marine Biology, K-12 teacher education, Pamantasan Council support, Hilo programs, Windward’s mental health technician certificate, Maui’s practical nursing bridge program, and student support positions such as financial aid and admissions counselors. He also described workforce-related requests tied to nursing expansion at Mānoa and West Oʻahu, as well as facilities support at West Oʻahu. A major portion of the testimony addressed the university’s two Kakaʻako medical facilities. Young explained that declining tobacco settlement and cigarette tax revenues are no longer sufficient to cover debt service for JABSOM and the Cancer Center, so the governor’s budget includes general fund support to supplement those obligations. He also described a regents-approved request not included in the governor’s proposal: expanding the Hawaiʻi Promise financial aid program to the four-year campuses, estimated at about $11–12 million. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.
NV

Nevada 2025 Regular Session

Assembly Floor Session May 30th, 2025 at 11:30 am

Nevada Assembly Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Kasama, Koenig, La Rue Hatch, Marzola, Miller, Monroe-Moreno, Moore, Mosca, Nadeem, Nguyen, O'Neill,
  • Order of Business 9, Introduction, First Reading, and Reference of Bills.
  • Order of Business 9, introduction, first reading, and reference of bills.
  • Assembly Member La Rue Hatch, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of AB 596.
Keywords: 909, all
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Appropriations - S/C on Articles I, IV, & V Feb 24th, 2025

Appropriations - S/C on Articles I, IV, & V

Transcript Highlights:
  • First.
  • When I sat on the subcommittee last year for the first time, and I heard about this, my first... thought
  • So first is Social Security.
  • First time in 20 years. So thank you for that.
  • For First year with over 10,000 filers, first year with over 7,000 calls to our legal helpline, the first
Keywords: 1184, house, all
WY

Wyoming 2026 Regular Session

House Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee, March 2, 2026

Minerals, Business & Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • >> First<00:04:14.400> of<00:04:14.560> all, >> First of all, >> First
  • Uh, first we would go after the companies and hopefully they pay for it first.
  • That's why we they pay for it first.
  • Again, we were the first ones.
  • Again, we were the first ones.
Bills: HB0116, HB0056
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

House of Representatives May 11th, 2026

Louisiana House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • First of all, thank you, Mr. Good evening, everyone. First of all, thank you, Mr. President, Mr.
  • First in this order, Mr.
  • Is it going to be attempted first-degree murder? Because it looks like it's first-degree murder.
  • Is it going to be attempted first-degree murder? Because it looks like it's first-degree murder.
  • They would be charged with first-degree murder.
Bills: HR257, HR258, HR259, HR260, HR261, HR262, HR263, HCR105, HCR106, HR252, HR253, HR254, HR255, HR256, HCR103, HCR104, SB83, SB143, SB155, SB228, SB283, SB295, SB338, SB388, SB408, SB431, HR84, HR188, HR205, HB302, HB597, HB819, HB1257, HB1258, SCR24, SB45, SB58, SB71, SB81, SB92, SB100, SB109, SB141, SB156, SB181, SB203, SB204, SB205, SB207, SB213, SB214, SB216, SB229, SB257, SB274, SB290, SB304, SB374, SB379, SB396, SB410, SB425, SB427, SB429, SB479, SB522, SB357, SB406, HR171, HCR49, HCR65, HCR72, HR37, HCR64, HR170, HR191, HR206, HR207, HR208, HR217, HCR11, HCR53, HCR60, HCR66, HCR68, HR9, HCR27, HCR28, HCR50, HCR62, HCR67, HCR71, HCR78, HCR81, SCR19, SCR3, SCR6, SCR18, SCR11, SCR22, SCR2, SCR20, HCR6, HB64, HB68, HB92, HB130, HB258, HB633, HB801, HB61, HB98, HB102, HB139, HB142, HB170, HB185, HB194, HB199, HB231, HB247, HB294, HB336, HB474, HB661, HB842, HB852, HB301, HB359, HB657, HB675, HB680, HB727, HB79, HB251, HB625, HB769, HB775, HB783, HB895, HB1011, HB1057, HB1155, HB1186, HB1224, HB1245, HB1247, HB1253, HB1254, HB1255, HB1256, SB41, SB44, SB64, SB84, SB87, SB93, SB98, SB107, SB118, SB142, SB192, SB195, SB199, SB219, SB222, SB234, SB241, SB255, SB275, SB277, SB292, SB294, SB306, SB314, SB482, SB8, SB10, SB11, SB12, SB13, SB14, SB16, SB17, SB18, SB20, SB21, SB22, SB40, SB48, SB55, SB69, SB75, SB77, SB78, SB85, SB102, SB115, SB133, SB140, SB148, SB151, SB165, SB169, SB170, SB185, SB197, SB200, SB217, SB235, SB278, SB280, SB291, SB300, SB303, SB315, SB324, SB330, SB411, SB416, SB420, SB436, SB438, SB449, SB455, SB456, SB477, SB489, SB521, HB646, HB824, HB341, HB682, HB766, HB926, HB998, HB1051, HB1080, HB1201, HB1223, HB603, HB940, HB1191, SB47, HB901, HR20, HR74, HB284, HB306, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB582, HB605, HB614, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1240, SB82, SB89, SB149, SB382
Summary: The House convened with 93 members present, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then spent much of the morning recognizing guests and former members, including student groups, arts educators, rodeo queens, and Congressman Troy Carter, who urged members not to let partisan divisions harm Louisiana. Representative Newell also delivered a lengthy floor statement tying current voting-rights debates to civil rights concerns and warning against weakening protections for Black communities. The chamber then received Senate messages and committee reports, and several resolutions and bills were advanced or referred in routine order. A large portion of the meeting was devoted to House resolutions, many of them memorials or study requests. The House adopted resolutions supporting a physical therapy degree designation for federal loan purposes, honoring veterans who served in Honduras, extending a behavioral health courts study, seeking bridge-removal funding for U.S. 90 in St. Tammany Parish, urging DOTD studies on local traffic projects, requesting a study of rural economic development, supporting Camp Beauregard and the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, creating a permit-study committee, and asking for studies on autism services, school nurse orientation, opioid treatment in correctional settings, floodplain map updates, and care gaps for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One resolution on rent stabilization failed, and another on pregnancy-related emergency medication was returned to the calendar after questions about its implications. The chamber also concurred in or rejected several Senate amendments to House bills. Concurrences included bills on arrest warrant recall procedures, disturbing the peace near places of worship, rape and sex offense provisions, bridge naming, holiday rules, victim confidentiality, and the classic black license plate. The House rejected Senate amendments to HB 258 on dual office holding and dual employment. The most contentious item was HB 102, which would create second-degree cruelty to the elderly and persons with infirmities but was amended in the Senate to add broader first-degree murder provisions tied to firearms and public shootings; members raised concerns about self-defense, overcharging, capital punishment exposure, and fiscal impact on the public defender system. Despite those objections, supporters argued the changes would deter violent crime and protect the public, and the bill was ultimately supported in floor debate as amended.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

IC - Courts, Corrections and Justice May 27th, 2025

Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • And welcome to the first meeting of the Court's Corrections Justice Interim Committee.
  • Or is there other, do they have to go through the Navajo Nation first?
  • It's my first time here.
  • Um, so that would be my first question, Madam Chair. OK.
  • They're in the first. Preliminary committee.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • So first of all, that's when the first precedents began.
  • I think we should chill them first. Thank you.
  • So that's the first thing that's important.
  • If you can answer my question first. We don't.
  • Maybe if you can answer my question first.
Summary: The committee first heard SB 14, which would direct state agencies to reduce single-use plastics and improve waste diversion at state facilities by updating integrated waste management plans, increasing reusable foodware use, reducing paper purchasing, and requiring better employee education and recycling/composting practices. Supporters from the California Compost Coalition, Republic Services, Waste Management, and others said the bill would help build composting and recycling markets and let the state lead by example. Several groups that had opposed earlier versions said they were now neutral after amendments, including the removal of a 90% requirement. The bill was moved out on a due pass as amended recommendation. The committee then took up SB 326 on wildfire mitigation. The bill would create a framework for Cal Fire to evaluate the risk-reduction benefits of fuels management and landscape resilience investments, and it would accelerate implementation of Zone Zero defensible-space standards, including grants for local enforcement and broader application to rental and sale properties and post-fire reconstruction. Support came from Stanford climate researcher Michael Mastrandrea and several local government, insurance, and climate groups. With no opposition, the bill passed as amended to Appropriations. Next, SB 34 on port emissions and the South Coast Air Quality Management District drew extensive testimony. The author said the bill was narrowed by committee amendments to preserve the ports’ ability to reduce emissions while preventing cargo throughput caps and addressing concerns about automation, local control, and the timeline for port clean-air planning. Supporters included ILWU, business groups, and port-related stakeholders, while the South Coast AQMD and many environmental and community organizations opposed it, arguing it would weaken public-health protections and set a bad precedent. After lengthy debate, the committee approved the bill on a due pass as amended vote to Transportation, with some members voting no and others abstaining. The committee also heard SB 279, which would expand composting options for farmers and small community composters by allowing limited on-farm composting after large biomass events and increasing the amount small operations may process and sell. Supporters said the bill would help address agricultural waste, expand composting capacity, and reduce landfill disposal. Commercial composting representatives opposed it, warning that the bill could create regulatory inequities, strand recent investments in permitted facilities, and allow too much unregulated food waste. Despite those concerns, the bill passed to Appropriations on a due pass vote. The transcript also briefly referenced SB 613 on upstream methane emissions data, described as having no opposition and intended to improve tracking of imported oil and gas emissions.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • First, I want to say KT's underselling a little bit those events.
  • We roll out with first responders when a disaster hits.
  • My disasters look a lot different than like the fire in LA, right?
  • the first time.
  • But this first time, that wouldn't be the case.
Summary: The committee heard several bills related to public safety, emergency response, wildfire prevention, and environmental protection. AB 2152 by Assembly Member Mark Gonzalez would streamline CEQA litigation for new fire station projects and add best-practice requirements; supporters, including firefighters, said it would help communities and firefighter safety, while opponents argued the project labor agreement requirements would raise costs and limit participation for small and nonunion contractors. The bill passed to Appropriations. AB 2041 by Assembly Member Carrillo would expand reporting related to 911 dispatcher pre-arrival medical instructions; after amendments and stakeholder agreement, opposition groups said they would remove their opposition, and the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 2101 by Assembly Member Gipson would require human trafficking notices and training at disaster sites and for disaster response workers; supporters said it would protect vulnerable workers, while broadband, city, and county representatives raised implementation concerns, especially in rural disaster areas. It passed to Appropriations despite a no vote from Vice Chair Hadwick. The committee also considered AB 1805, which would require an audit and stronger oversight of the state’s Next Generation 911 project after concerns about major spending and delays. CalNENA supported the bill’s transparency and accountability provisions, and the measure passed to Appropriations. AB 1536 by Assembly Member Addis would tighten safety and public review requirements for offshore oil pipeline restarts and require decommissioning of certain spill-prone pipelines; environmental and coastal government groups supported it, while the Western States Petroleum Association warned it would threaten fuel supply and pipeline operations. The bill passed to Appropriations on a divided vote. AB 1964 would direct the State Fire Marshal to survey home hardening in fire-prone areas and estimate costs; it passed to Appropriations with broad support. AB 1960, also by Assembly Member Bennett, would use a portion of wildfire prevention grants to encourage community-level home hardening certification. The author said the bill would create incentives and broader public awareness, while the vice chair argued it would favor communities that can already afford hardening and divert resources from higher-need areas; the bill still passed to Appropriations. AB 1863 by Assembly Member DeMaio would clarify that people cannot be charged simply for calling 911 or when no services are rendered, while preserving fees for actual services and allowing billing for legitimate emergency response costs; it passed to the Assembly floor. The committee also took up consent item AB 2517, which passed to Appropriations. After add-on votes for absent members, the meeting adjourned.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • The $40 million figure is the same that was provided for the first year of implementing the screener,
  • exposed to curriculum for often the first time, depending on their home environments.
  • Due to the shame or failure, these experiences happen in the first week of school.
  • First, I want to start out by thanking you for your comments on special education today.
  • First, just want to start out by thanking you for your comments on special education today.
Keywords: 987, senate, all
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Financial Services Jun 21st, 2026 at 10:30 am

Joint Committee on Financial Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • So that's the first set of bills.
  • So that's the first set of bills.
  • I first testified on this issue in 2017. I testified then at...
  • I first testified on this issue in 2017. I testified then at...
  • My first job was with psychiatric consult services in nursing homes.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The committee held a hearing on a large group of behavioral health and insurance-related bills. Topics included expanding access to mental health services by allowing physician assistants to authorize Section 12 emergency holds and be recognized as licensed mental health professionals (H. 1131/S. 773); improving coverage for community behavioral health centers so commercial insurance matches MassHealth’s bundled outpatient and crisis services (H. 1276/S. 703); eliminating cost sharing for certain behavioral health services (S. 718); extending detox and clinical stabilization coverage from 14 to 30 days and adding transitional support services (H. 1319/S. 772); requiring coverage for dual-diagnosis treatment in psychiatric facilities (H. 1277/S. 771); and preserving access to treatment for serious mental illness through coverage of coordinated specialty care and assertive community treatment (H. 1135/S. 709). The committee also heard bills on preventive behavioral health services for children (H. 1228/S. 802) and post-pregnancy mental health care, including postpartum depression and pregnancy loss-related care (H. 1314/S. 823).
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Ways and Means May 11th, 2026

Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • That's the first type of staff augmentation we have.
  • So I'm first in line.
  • Bacala, he did say, bring it to the table first.”
  • So that's the first... Bundle.
  • How about when we first got our first $50 million? It's like, “Let's break ground.” Yes, sir.
Keywords: 965, house, all
Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held an informational hearing on the state capital outlay process, with Roger Husser and Matt Baker of the Division of Administration’s Office of Facilities Planning and Control (FPNC) presenting a detailed review of House Bill 2 and proposed improvements. They said FPNC administers about 54% of the bill, while other agencies administer the rest, and emphasized that the capital outlay program has improved significantly over the last few years, with project expenditures more than doubling due to better cash-flow management, staffing changes, and more efficient project administration. They also explained how the bill is structured by priorities, how the priority-one cash line of credit is capped and adjusted for construction inflation, and how the bill has grown into a much larger, longer-range plan than a true five-year program, especially on the non-state side. A major theme was that the bill contains too many dormant, legacy, and low-priority projects, which creates false expectations and ties up funding. Committee members pressed the presenters on culture change, third-party project management, staffing shortages, and the use of technology and statutory interpretation to speed projects without sacrificing compliance. Husser and Baker said they had reduced internal bureaucracy, used staff augmentation because of hiring difficulties, delegated smaller projects to agencies when appropriate, and improved cash-flow analysis so projects can move forward with less money up front. They also discussed overappropriations, dormant projects, and the need to reappropriate unused funds to projects that can actually spend them. The presenters offered several recommendations and considerations: limit the number and size of new projects, reduce scope creep, require more regular endorsement of long-running projects, consider caps on priority-five funding, impose time limits and reporting requirements on non-state grant projects, and possibly require non-state entities to escrow or otherwise demonstrate their match earlier. They also suggested bundling related projects together, expanding that approach beyond the current pilot, and improving transparency by showing full project funding history and the first year each project appeared in the bill. No votes were taken, and the meeting remained informational, with members generally supportive of the efficiency reforms while also raising concerns about false hope, dormant projects, and the need for clearer expectations and accountability.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
  • Up first, at the University of Hawaii.
  • c><00:28:13.679> um Uh up first we have um Uh up first we have um University<00:28:16.080>
  • I think you're up first.
  • Up first, the attorney general on Zoom. Up first, the attorney general on Zoom.
  • Up first, the attorney general.
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met on February 4 and began with announcements about committee protocol, including posting hearing notices and testimony earlier than required and using written HD1 drafts for more complex amendments. The chair also noted the new AV system and asked speakers to be clear because the microphones are sensitive. The committee then took up several University of Hawaiʻi-related measures, with most testimony coming from UH officials, state agencies, and advocacy groups, and no votes were taken in the portion provided. HB 1596, relating to student basic needs support at the University of Hawaiʻi, drew support from UH, the Oʻahu Youth Action Board, and an individual. UH said it stood on its written testimony and could answer questions. HB 1597, relating to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research, received support from UH/JABSOM, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Hawaii Medical Association, and others; the Attorney General’s Office offered a procedural reminder about statewide concern. HB 1970, funding the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center and the Hawaii Tumor Registry, was supported by UH, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Hawaii Medical Association, and others, with testimony emphasizing the registry’s role in cancer surveillance, prevention, and federal funding. The committee also heard HB 1598, creating a Hawaii Climate Institute. UH testified in support, citing worsening drought, heat, sea level rise, and extreme weather, and said the institute would hire climate modelers and faculty across several schools. Members questioned funding, and UH said it would seek state startup money, possible green-fee support, and federal grants, noting recent federal cuts and the need for permanent positions. HB 1989, on water retention, was supported by UH as a study to slow runoff and improve aquifer recharge. HB 1951, on biosecurity, drew support from UH, DLNR, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, students, and other organizations; testimony stressed invasive species threats, the need for biocontrol research and containment capacity, and possible sites for a statewide facility. HB 1952, funding agricultural research station improvements on Kauaʻi, was supported by UH, the Farm Bureau, and others, with testimony noting aging facilities and the need to modernize stations across the islands. Finally, HB 2005, relating to language access, received UH support, with a UH representative noting that credit programs may fit best in a credit-bearing academic program and that Outreach College could be an option for noncredit programs.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • First, I think it's important to talk about what not to do.
  • So the first step is what is the right answer?
  • It's not going to happen here and look at LA.
  • Or, there we go, structure density is the first factor.
  • Great, well this, the first thing I want to do is compliment.
Keywords: 988, house, all
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Ways and Means May 11th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • So I'm first in line.
  • Bacala, he did say, bring it to the table first.
  • So that's the first pilot that we have.
  • So that's the first pilot that we have.
  • How about when we first got our first $50 million, it's like, let's break ground. Yes, sir.
Summary: The committee met for an informational hearing focused largely on the state capital outlay process and House Bill 2. Roger Husser and Matt Baker of the Division of Administration/Facility Planning and Control described how the office prepares and administers the capital outlay bill, said the bill has grown substantially over five years, and argued that recent changes in culture, staffing, project management, cash-flow analysis, and use of third-party support have more than doubled project expenditures and improved delivery. Members asked about the use and cost of third-party project managers, delegation of smaller projects to agencies, hiring difficulties, and whether the changes represented better interpretation of existing law versus statutory changes. Husser said some statutes were amended, some internal customs were removed, and the office would provide a list of those changes. He also explained that the office is trying to move away from overly rigid practices and toward faster project completion while still following public-bid and oversight rules. A major portion of the discussion centered on the size and structure of the capital outlay bill, especially the gap between Priority 1 cash capacity and the much larger Priority 5 backlog. Husser said the current annual Priority 1 limit is tied to construction inflation and is about $574 million, with additional surplus funds also available, but that the bill contains far more Priority 5 funding than can realistically move in a five-year plan. He and members discussed dormant projects, scope creep, legacy projects that have sat in the bill for years, and the problem of false expectations for non-state entities. Proposed solutions included limiting Priority 5 to five times Priority 1, requiring annual re-endorsement by members, setting district or project caps for non-state projects, requiring time limits and reporting for grant-like non-state projects, placing matches in escrow, requiring design readiness before submission, and consolidating the many existing reporting requirements into one clearer report. Members also discussed bundling multiple projects under one agency project, which the House had begun piloting for LSU, UL Lafayette, Southern, and DOTD, and which Husser said could improve flexibility, reduce overappropriation, and better reflect actual spending. Baker then explained cash-flow management and the commitment process, saying FPC now analyzes projects annually to estimate what can actually be spent in the next fiscal year and uses commitments to allow projects to proceed when future-year funding is expected. He said overappropriations can result from poor cash-flow estimates, delays, dormant projects, or projects coming in under budget, and that the office is already reworking cash-flow assumptions and reappropriating savings where possible. Members also raised concerns about change orders and low bids; staff said project managers review change orders closely, require concurrence on non-state projects, and sometimes reduce scope to keep projects within budget. After FPC’s presentation, the committee heard the beginning of Louisiana Economic Development’s capital outlay discussion, where LED explained that its projects generally fall into three categories, including the Economic Development Awards Program and Site Readiness Program, both used to support targeted economic development and job creation.