Transcript Highlights:

• Have you spoken with some of the members of your caucus who were against some of the safe storage, mandatory
• reporting, and law enforcement?
• Have you spoken with some of the members of your caucus who were against some of the safe storage, mandatory
• reporting, and law enforcement?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• bill moves on to Appropriations, we will collaborate closely on further amendments that impose a mandatory
• It places mandatory mitigation measures with, I guess, what are now going to be in place of mandatory
• Aguiar-Curry, not only defined socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, but also resulted in a report
• Not only defined socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, but also resulted in a report that demonstrates

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Agriculture met as a subcommittee and heard several bills, with extensive discussion focused on balancing agricultural land preservation, water scarcity, renewable energy, and farm equity. AB 1156 by Assembly Member Wicks would update the solar use easement program to allow certain Williamson Act lands facing water constraints to be used for solar projects through a suspension rather than cancellation of contracts. Supporters said the bill could help landowners and local governments adapt to falling water supplies and meet clean energy goals, while opponents, including the Farm Bureau, warned it could weaken Williamson Act protections, expand solar development onto prime farmland, and eliminate cancellation fees that help preserve agricultural land. RCRC said its concerns had largely been addressed through amendments and moved from opposition to support once changes are in print, though committee members continued to raise concerns about prime farmland, community benefits, and definitions of commercial viability and water constraints. The bill passed the committee on a due-pass-as-amended motion, with a later roll call recording six votes in favor and one absent member voting aye. AB 524 by Assembly Member Wilson would create a new state land access program for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, using Proposition 4 funding to provide financial and technical assistance for land acquisition, protection, and long-term leases. Testimony emphasized the lack of secure land tenure for small and underserved farmers, the loss of farmland statewide, and the difficulty of investing in sustainable practices without stable access to land. Committee members strongly supported the measure, with several noting the importance of land access for family farms and equity in agriculture. The bill passed unanimously on an 8-0 vote. The committee also approved AB 675 by Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry, which would codify California’s Farm to School program in statute. Supporters said the program connects students to healthy local food, creates stable markets for farmers, and supports agricultural and nutrition education, while helping direct school meal dollars to California producers. Witnesses from the Center for Ecoliteracy and CAFF described the program’s statewide reach and benefits for small farms and high-need schools. The bill passed on an 8-0 vote. The committee also adopted the consent calendar, approving AB 1322 and AB 1505 on an 8-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Another important relationship is information reporting.
• Where it allows the businesses and the financials to actually report their information return reporting
• We'll ask for a report back. Thank you.
• This was really the core piece of our report.
• It's also important to know what the report is not.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• EVERY YEAR THEY ARE REQUIRED TO PUBLISH A REPORT WITH EIGHT ELEMENTS IN IT.
• >> Senator Brodeur: IT'S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE YOU CAN GET IT FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA DEBT REPORT.
• CHAIR HOOPER. >> Chair: YES BY YOUR VOTE SENATE BILL 1906 IS REPORTED FAVORABLY.
• DOES ANY SENATOR WISH TO BE REPORTED ON BILLS IN THE AGENDA TODAY?
• DOES ANY SENATOR WISH TO BE REPORTED ON BILLS IN THE AGENDA TODAY?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The OIG report concerns. Couple things.
• Sheil, please open the whole report. Mr.
• committee the whole report. committee the whole report. >> Thank<00:49:30.960> you.
• shall be from the records and reports shall be from the records and reports fund<03:57:15.199>
• <06:09:36.958> fees for mandatory fees for mandatory fees >> page<06:09:39.040> 167

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The committee and floor took up House Bill 1411, which concerned the Cover All Colorado program. Debate centered on whether removing the program’s cap would create an open-ended entitlement and add pressure to the state budget. Supporters and opponents argued over fiscal impacts, with several members saying the program had grown far beyond its original cost estimate and that the state needed to protect the budget and maintain a balanced plan. The bill was ultimately passed as amended. House Bill 1412 was then considered, authorizing the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to use statistical sampling and extrapolation to recover Medicaid overpayments in certain provider audits, including ABA therapy and non-emergency medical transportation. Sponsors said the measure would help recapture millions in overpayments tied to fraud, waste, and abuse, and noted safeguards such as strict benchmarks, internal audit review, and a third-party audit firm. An amendment striking the word “alleged” from the bill was adopted, and the bill passed as amended. House Bill 1413, which changes leave provisions for certain public servants, was also approved. The bill removes a statutory cap on how much sick leave state employees may earn, while leaving actual leave policies to departments and bargaining agreements, and increases annual military leave to align with federal law. Members described it as a modest employee-benefit measure in a year without across-the-board pay raises. The House also laid over House Bill 1410 until later in the day and received the committee of the whole report on a large slate of other bills. Later, Representative Richardson sought to reverse the committee’s action on an amendment to House Bill 1389, which involved the comprehensive human sexuality education grant fund, arguing the grant program should be repealed if it is no longer funded.

Transcript Highlights:

• disciplinary processes, the reporting disciplinary processes, the reporting requirements,<02:42:
• What's good, wrong, or bad with this report? They have the ability to say, this was a good report.
• <02:55:28.080> They wrong, or bad with this report? They wrong, or bad with this report?
• when you can tow a car, how to report when you can tow a car, how to report um,<03:10:29.600>
• Can I ask you to report? Smith. Can I ask you to report? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I always enjoy your reports.
• reports column.
• have that documented in our report.
• report, the draft report, is supposed to be published 14 days before submitting it to the President
• Slide 29 says final report.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then shifted to an update from Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith on early childhood education, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. They said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ABC as a large state program with about 23,800 funded slots and roughly $114 million in annual appropriations. Department officials said they are reviewing slot allocations because about 1,000 seats are funded but unfilled, while more than 2,000 families are on waiting lists, and they plan to reduce or reallocate slots from providers that have not filled them over several years. They also said they are examining whether income thresholds, curriculum expectations, daily rates, and summer programming should be updated, and members raised concerns about access, local control, transportation, and whether the program should better align with K-12 choice and school readiness goals. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical data and other information for future discussion. The committee then received a legal presentation from BLR attorney Taylor Lloyd on the constitutional and statutory framework for education adequacy in Arkansas. She reviewed the Dupree and Lake View cases, explaining that the state must maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools, and that adequacy and equity are distinct but related concepts. She emphasized that the General Assembly is responsible for defining adequacy, studying whether the system meets that standard, and reacting to the evidence, while the courts ultimately decide constitutional compliance. Lloyd also explained the current adequacy definition, the role of the matrix as a funding tool rather than a spending mandate, and the distinction between unrestricted foundation funding and restricted categorical funding. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum followed with a historical overview of how Arkansas responded to the court cases and developed the current adequacy process. She traced major legislative actions from the 1980s through the Lake View litigation, including the creation of funding formulas, categorical aid, isolated funding, declining enrollment funding, and the 2003-2004 adequacy study that led to the Continuing Adequacy Evaluation Act and the matrix used to set foundation funding. She also described later changes to the adequacy statute, the financial reporting requirements for districts, and the ongoing use of surveys, stakeholder testimony, and consultant studies in the biennial adequacy process. Members asked questions about whether private or homeschool programs could use public funds for expenses like utilities, whether stakeholders should include those groups, the difference between average daily membership and attendance, and whether school board members are surveyed; staff said those issues would need further research or were outside the scope of the presenters’ role.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is reported favorably.
• By your vote CS for SB 1140, is reported favorably.
• It goes into the crime of false reporting of crimes.
• I read this as the false reporting of a crime.
• And the FDA alleys uniform crime report state of the Florida saw 106,615 cases in its most recent reporting

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• report.
• adequacy report.
• reports column.
• It says final report.
• It says final report.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the previous minutes and then focused on an update from the Department of Education on early childhood programs, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ongoing work to review ABC slots, which have been flat for years at about 23,800 slots and roughly $114 million. They said about 1,000 slots statewide are currently unfilled despite a waiting list of more than 2,000 families, and the department is shifting toward paying based on enrollment rather than guaranteed slots. Members asked about school choice, income eligibility, year-round access, curriculum flexibility, transportation, and whether funding should be increased or rebalanced; the department said it is collecting data, may survey providers more formally, and is considering whether to modernize income thresholds, daily rates, and other program rules. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical information on income limits and other program details. The second major portion of the meeting was a legal presentation on the framework for Arkansas school adequacy by BLR education attorney Taylor Lloyd. She reviewed the constitutional basis for a “general, suitable, and efficient” public school system, the Dupree and Lake View cases, and the principle that adequacy and equity are different but related: adequacy asks what resources are needed, while equity asks whether those resources are distributed fairly. She explained that the General Assembly must define adequacy, study it, and react to evidence over time, and that the current adequacy definition includes curriculum and career/technical frameworks, the 38 mandatory Carnegie units, state testing standards, and sufficient funding. She also described the matrix as a funding tool, not a spending mandate, and noted that categorical funds are separate from the matrix. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum then gave the historical framework, tracing legislative responses from Dupree through Lake View and into the present. She highlighted major changes such as the creation of equalization funding, fiscal distress and academic distress laws, the adequacy study process, the Educational Adequacy Fund, facilities and transportation changes, declining enrollment and student growth funding, and later adjustments to teacher salaries, isolated funding, and categorical programs. She explained that the adequacy study has evolved through committee hearings, surveys, site visits, and outside consultants, and that recent changes include updates to accountability references and the addition or removal of certain funding categories. Members asked follow-up questions about how the matrix is used, whether homeschool or private-school funding raises comparable issues, whether stakeholders include private and homeschool participants, whether school board members should be surveyed, and whether the state should revisit average daily membership versus attendance-based funding. No votes were taken on the adequacy presentations, but the committee did agree to continue the early childhood discussion in a future subcommittee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, I have a report.
• It's not mandatory, right? You know, but... ...It's not mandatory, right?
• It's not mandatory.
• It is, "may report a violation to the governor." So, what kind of report?
• report.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• President, is it creates a mandatory reporting requirement for all instances of assault.
• <00:09:04.399> reporting is it creates a mandatory reporting is it creates a mandatory reporting
• report Senate floor amendment two. report Senate floor amendment two.
• Clerk, would you please report? Clerk, would you please report?
• report by January 1. report by January 1.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and a declared quorum. The chamber excused an absent senator, approved the prior journal, received House communication that the House had passed HB 168, 185, 249, and 455 and requested concurrence, and heard committee reports advancing SB 37 and SB 214 from Agriculture, SB 157 and SB 189 with a committee substitute from Banking and Insurance, and SJR 54 with a committee substitute from Families and Children. The Senate also introduced SB 226 on pre-need burial contracts and SR 113 honoring Robert Connley Young. The main floor debate centered on SB 101, an act relating to children, which would require a mandatory 12-month expulsion for students in grades 6-12 who assault a school employee, with exceptions for certain students with disabilities under an IEP and for incidents involving provocation by a school employee. The bill also creates a mandatory reporting requirement for assaults and penalties for intentionally failing to report them. The sponsor argued the measure responds to widespread, underreported assaults on teachers, citing 25,000 reported incidents since 2021 and sharing testimony from a teacher whose career ended after repeated assaults. Supporters said the bill would improve school safety, accountability, and classroom control, while opponents argued it is too harsh for children, could permanently remove students from school, and should leave more discretion to principals and districts. After debate, the Senate adopted Senate Committee Substitute 1 for SB 101 and then proceeded to final passage. Several senators spoke for and against the bill during roll-call explanation, with supporters emphasizing teacher safety, parental responsibility, and consequences for repeat offenders, and opponents warning about lost educational opportunities and the need for second chances. The transcript cuts off during the roll call, but the chamber had already adopted the committee substitute and moved to vote on SB 101 as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's my report. Thank you.
• The report is adopted. Congratulations. The report is adopted. Congratulations. Thank you.
• The report also states that a report of workers' compensation insurance policies must be a statewide
• conference committee reports for House Bill 3372, not to concur, but the committee report.
• The report is adopted. The report is adopted. Senator Zaffirini, you're recognized on House Bill 7.

Summary: The Senate opened with an invocation and then took up several conference committee matters and resolutions. It granted the House request for a conference committee on House Bill 46 and adopted a conference report on Senate Bill 37, which was described as higher education governance reform, including stronger board authority, changes to faculty senates, general education requirements, and a new ombudsman office. Senators also adopted a large package of resolutions and HCRs by voice vote. A major focus was Senate Bill 12, the “Parental Bill of Rights,” whose conference report was adopted after extended questioning. The bill was described as giving parents more access to school materials and grievance procedures, requiring parental consent for student clubs, and restricting school district employees from assisting with social transitioning or related gender-identity instruction. Senators raised concerns about effects on students already socially transitioned and on parental rights in medical or psychological decisions; the author said the House language was retained in key areas and that districts would need policies and parent notification. The report passed 20-11. The Senate then adopted a resolution allowing the conference committee on Senate Bill 1, the state budget for fiscal years 2026-2027, to go outside the bounds, and later adopted the budget conference report. Senators highlighted major funding for public education, property tax relief, public safety, health and human services, child care, water and transportation infrastructure, and the Texas Energy Fund. The budget discussion also covered higher education, mental health facilities, community attendant wages, rural hospitals, DFPS case management, child care assistance, and a study rider on TRS. The report passed unanimously, 30-0. Finally, the Senate suspended rules to take up Senate Bill 8 and adopted its conference report. The bill requires counties with jails or jail contracts to participate in the federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program, with sheriffs choosing among available models and counties receiving tiered grants to help cover costs. Supporters framed it as a public safety measure targeting criminal illegal aliens, while opponents questioned whether it would divert local resources and increase fear in immigrant communities. The report was adopted after debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• . report. report.
• . report. report.
• favorable committee report. report. report.
• . report. report.
• . report. report.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Friday, March 20, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with 38 members present and a quorum, then began with an invocation and several ceremonial introductions. The chamber recognized pioneering women of the Maryland State Police for Women’s History Month, including the original six female graduates and other firsts in the department, and also introduced the day’s doctor and a student intern. The Senate agreed to journalize the remarks honoring the Maryland State Police guests. The body then took up several Finance Committee bills, adopting committee amendments and favorable reports without objection on Senate Bills 385, 387, 389, 753, 469, and 608, each of which was ordered printed for third reading. SB 385 concerns immunization, screening, and preventive-service recommendations and pharmacist administration; SB 387 restricts predatory pricing and use of personal data by food retailers and delivery services; SB 389 makes transit-oriented development changes; SB 753 addresses financial exploitation protections for seniors and vulnerable adults; SB 469 authorizes a Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund affordability program; and SB 608 requires coverage for pharmacogenomic testing. Senate Bill 626, dealing with birth certificate sex designation changes and related identification documents, was briefly set aside at the request of a senator seeking possible amendments, with the presiding officer agreeing to hold it until the next session. Senate Bill 739, a climate change, homeowners insurance, and emergency management study bill, was also introduced with one amendment and sparked debate over its scope and funding, including discussion of a $150,000 Strategic Energy Investment Fund allocation and whether the study would examine the General Assembly’s own climate policies. The transcript ends during that discussion, before any final action on SB 739.

Transcript Highlights:

• Both of these oversights are unfair, and I simply ask the committee to please report this bill out favorably
• would like to go on the record in support of House Bill 2918, Senate Bill 1792, an act relative to mandatory
• So we just ask once again that this bill get reported favorably out of committee and hopefully passed
• This was filed first in 2017, went through a couple sessions, and got reported out favorably by this
• I reported favorably last session and I respectfully request a favorable report again.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Service held its fifth hearing of the 194th General Court on disability, line-of-duty, and health presumption bills. Committee members noted the hearing was livestreamed and accepted written testimony through June 16, 2025. The first panel, including the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, strongly supported H.2845, which would require restoration of sick, vacation, or personal time used while an injured officer or firefighter awaits a Chapter 41, Section 11F determination if the injury is later found work-related. Testimony said the current process often forces injured personnel to litigate to recover accrued time, and members described the bill as a fairness measure with no fiscal cost. Committee members asked about prior consideration and municipal positions, and one member shared a personal experience with a similar loss of accrued time. A second major panel from the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and sponsoring legislators supported several firefighter-related bills: H.2918/S.1792 on mandatory insurance coverage for firefighter cancer screenings; H.2962/S.1818 on Commonwealth fire department parity for military-base and Massport firefighters, including injury coverage and presumptions; and H.2860/S.1851 on maintaining physical examination records. Testimony emphasized the high cancer risk in the fire service, the importance of early detection, and the need to extend municipal-level protections to state and Massport firefighters. Committee members expressed strong support, discussed PFAS-related gear replacement and funding, and noted that similar bills have been before the committee for multiple sessions. The committee also heard H.4147, a retirement-related bill for a MassDOT employee seeking to transfer approximately five years of MBTA retirement contributions into the state system as a service buyback. The bill was described as having been filed in 2017 and reported favorably last session, but it stalled in Senate Ways and Means. Finally, Howard Levine testified remotely in support of a correctional officer disability pension bill, describing severe injuries from a 1990 inmate assault, multiple surgeries, early retirement, and a request to increase his pension to reflect a current lieutenant’s salary. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the meeting adjourned after testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what's missing from that report? report? report?
• Is that been reports these reports done. Is that accurate? accurate? accurate?
• annual report? annual report?
• . report. report.
• the report. the report.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are reviewing specific report today.
• However, the final report.
• in the report. in the report.
• So no mandatory participation. So no mandatory participation. Thank<00:31:24.480> you.
• Thank you so report uh is released.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, there's guidelines involved for reporting and all of that. Okay, yeah.
• staff, for that matter, are required to be mandatory reporters. ...Any provider of, I'm excluding a
• parent here, but a provider that is being paid with EFA funding should be a mandatory reporter of child
• reporters. ...are required to be mandatory reporters.
• If the proposed mandatory pre-approval process...

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee met to review a long agenda of agency rule changes, beginning with housekeeping on the order of business and then taking up rules from multiple state agencies. Early items included Department of Energy and Environment rules on landfill post-closure trust fund spending thresholds and liquefied petroleum gas standards, DFA’s odometer disclosure rule allowing electronic signatures and disclosures, and several Department of Health rules covering ionizing radiation, mobile home and recreational parks, lead-based paint, counseling licensure, hearing instrument dispensers, athletic training, dental specialties and compacts, nursing, pharmacy, physician assistants, medical compacts, speech-language pathology and audiology, radiologic technology, massage therapy, community health workers, doula certification, and cosmetology/body art. Most of these were described as technical updates, conformity with recent acts, federal standards, or compact participation, and nearly all were approved without objection after brief questions and, in many cases, no public comment. The committee also reviewed Department of Labor and Licensing rules on minimum wage/independent contractor standards, boiler rules, motor vehicle commission requirements for ATV/LSV dealers, professional wrestling regulation, appraiser qualifications, and military recruiting and retention programs. Testimony generally emphasized that the rules implemented recent legislation, updated fees or licensing standards, or streamlined existing processes. Members asked a few questions about fee structures, the rationale for regulating professional wrestling, and how the National Guard’s public-private partnership and incentive programs would work; the department said the recruiting incentives would be funded from existing appropriations and were intended to improve retention and force strength. These rules were also approved without objection. The most extensive discussion came on the Department of Education’s Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program rule. The department said the revisions, based on Act 920 of 2025, were intended to add guardrails, clarify allowable expenses, and speed approval of core educational purchases. Changes included defining core educational expenses, limiting certain sports-related spending, adding an intentional misuse standard, restricting phone purchases except for disability-related needs, setting a $1,000 threshold for additional review of technology purchases, capping carryover funds at $8,500, and creating a reconsideration process for denied expenses. Members raised concerns about safeguards, appeals, sports equipment, provider credentialing, rural vendor access, and whether the department would be flexible or overly restrictive. The department said it would review every request, provide written explanations for denials, allow appeals up to the State Board, and refer suspected fraud to prosecutors if necessary. After hearing from 13 members of the public, the committee continued to discuss the rule, but the transcript ends before any final vote on the EFA rule is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:14.000> sending of the money Ians reported sending of the money Ians reported sending
• <00:20:04.960> being younger adults to report being younger adults to report being victimized
• In Kentucky in 2024, the FBI data report In Kentucky in 2024, the FBI data report shows<00:20:14.960
• :20:18.480> crypto shows the consumers reported 132 crypto shows the consumers reported 132 crypto
• reported was over $1.7 million. reported was over $1.7 million.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:01 Discussion SB 157 00:23 Vote SB 157 05:22 Discussion SB 189 05:57 Vote SB 189 26:49, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 157, which would align Kentucky’s mortgage loan fee rules with federal standards by exempting certain first and second mortgages from the state’s total net income cap when they meet federal points-and-fees thresholds. The sponsor and Rocket Mortgage testified that the bill would make it easier for borrowers to buy down mortgage interest rates with discount points, helping affordability without changing borrower costs, while preserving the existing 4% cap for loans outside the federal standard. Members discussed how rate buydowns work in practice, and the bill passed with a favorable expression after a roll call vote. The committee then heard Senate Bill 189, as amended by a committee substitute, which would create a licensing and regulatory framework for virtual currency kiosks, or crypto ATMs, in Kentucky. The sponsor described widespread scam losses tied to these kiosks, especially among older adults, and said the bill would add consumer protections such as licensing, financial safeguards, transaction limits, refund or hold requirements, disclosures, receipts, and enforcement authority for the Department of Financial Institutions. He also said the substitute was based on other states’ models and that further changes might be needed, including possible floor amendments. AARP Kentucky testified in support of regulating crypto kiosks but said the committee substitute weakened consumer protections and urged stronger safeguards, including lower transaction limits, fee caps, identity verification, receipts, and scam warnings. AARP representatives cited data on scam complaints and losses in Kentucky and nationally, and said the point of transfer is the best place to prevent harm. Committee members generally agreed the issue was consumer protection, but one senator cautioned against overregulating personal financial choices and noted that scams exist in many forms. The discussion ended with acknowledgment that the bill would continue to be refined, including in coordination with the House and stakeholder groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the variance report.
• Committee, any questions on any of the projects that were reported? report on major projects.
• Each entity will get a report.
• Each entity will get a report.
• It's not mandatory. It's not mandatory, and, you know, that's a big caveat, right?

Summary: The committee approved the March 26 minutes and then received a quarterly update on major IT projects from NDIT. Staff reported the portfolio included 116 major projects totaling about $546 million, with the overall portfolio under budget but slightly behind schedule. They reviewed projects over the 20% variance threshold, including an Industrial Commission grants management system and DOT’s roadway pre-construction replacement, and then heard startup and closeout reports from HHS, OMB, DPI, and DOT. Several previously troubled projects were closed, including HHS bed management, vital records modernization, and DOT roadway capital planning; some projects finished under budget and ahead of schedule, while others were significantly behind schedule or over budget but were now closed or being remediated. The committee also reviewed NDIT’s annual report, including service-fund financials, peer-state rate comparisons, records management, and customer satisfaction efforts. Members asked about how service-fund revenue and grant administrative charges are accounted for, how chargebacks work, and whether NDIT tracks customer satisfaction scores. NDIT said it does track CSAT-type measures in some service areas and has survey data, but it is not planning another customer survey this summer. Members encouraged more regular reporting of customer satisfaction, service-level metrics, and performance data to help guide future improvements. A major portion of the meeting focused on the state’s mainframe modernization effort. NDIT said the overall effort is still targeting about 2030, with multiple HHS and DOT projects underway and a $15 million tech-debt appropriation already removing some components. Staff described the main obstacles as data cleanup, complex integrations, limited staff capacity, retirements, and vendor constraints, and said they are seeking a vendor with modernization support in the next contract cycle. Members pressed for clearer accountability and faster progress, and NDIT and HHS emphasized that they are working jointly but need continued support and better tools. The committee then heard a cybersecurity update on NDIT’s statewide services and maturity assessments. NDIT explained that it provides vulnerability scanning, endpoint protection, security awareness training, threat briefings, and penetration testing, and that these services are tied to a cybersecurity maturity assessment based on CIS controls. Members questioned the sharp drop in participation since 2020 and whether the self-assessment should be mandatory or tied more strongly to StageNet access or insurance incentives. NDIT said participation is voluntary, but Enderf is now requiring annual assessments to keep a 4% insurance discount, and members discussed whether stronger requirements or audit authority may be needed. The meeting ended as the committee began a follow-up discussion on BEAD broadband connection costs and why some locations are much more expensive to connect than others.

Transcript Highlights:

• for cost of confinement or detention, the chair moves that House Bill 1461 without amendments be reported
• The chair moves that House Bill 1760 without amendments be reported favorably to the full House with
• The chair moves that House Bill 1762 without amendments be reported favorably to the full House with
• The chair moves that House Bill 3773 without amendments be reported favorably to the full House with
• The state office, excuse me, the SCFO reports exclusively to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and

Bills: HB153