Transcript Highlights:

• And the system worked.
• And the system worked.
• And, working with your staff, Mr.
• I appreciate the opportunity to work with staff and work with all senators and stakeholders.
• They're able to take in suggestions and help us sift through what will work and what won't work.

Summary: The committee first heard the Pre-K-12 education budget proposal for fiscal year 2025-26 and voted to adopt it as the committee’s recommendation to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The proposed $34.7 billion budget includes increases for the FEFP, Family Empowerment Scholarships, VPK, school safety, the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, school hardening, Jewish day school security, and an education enrollment stabilization fund. Members asked no questions on the budget before it was advanced, and staff was authorized to make technical corrections. The committee then passed CS/SB 1402, which expands eligibility for dropout retrieval services to any individual who has withdrawn from high school and clarifies how school grades are calculated for virtual instruction providers that offer only dropout retrieval services. An amendment to clarify the grading calculation was adopted without objection, and the bill was reported favorably after a roll call vote. The committee also took up SPB 7030, a comprehensive scholarship-program bill sponsored by Senator Gates, which would separate Family Empowerment Scholarship funding as its own categorical, expand the education stabilization fund, create fall and spring application windows, require a single scholarship application and more documentation, assign student IDs, change payments to a monthly schedule, require background checks for paid instructional providers, mandate annual FTE audits by the Auditor General, and standardize reimbursement and eligibility procedures. After extensive discussion and public testimony, the bill was adopted as a committee bill and reported favorably, with Senator Osgood voting no. Finally, the committee considered CS/SB 508, which requires private schools participating in the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program to disclose in writing what accommodations, modifications, and services they will provide for students with existing plans such as IEPs, 504 plans, or ELL plans. An amendment was adopted to require public schools to consult with private schools about equitable services, and the bill was reported favorably. Public testimony included support from parent-choice advocates and concerns from private-school representatives about administrative burden and the scope of the required disclosures. The meeting concluded after the final roll call votes and adjournment motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• At that point, we, we work very diligently as fast as we can.
• Um, and if that doesn't work, then yes, they will then wait for a state bed.
• We track our minutes with clients and record.
• children, that the work done at adoption agencies helps women and children, that work done at maternity
• The, the TDLR tracks licenses across the state in, in this case, but they don't track continuing ed credits

Transcript Highlights:

• As we track that with the legislative forecast, we are, for the first time now, tracking a little bit
• now it's been tracking a little bit above.
• of where you're at is how this is working on it.
• They started that during spring work.
• They started that during spring work.

Summary: The Budget Section met to approve prior minutes and receive a series of budget, revenue, and program updates from OMB, the Tax Department, DOT, DMR, and DPI. OMB reported that general fund revenues through May were about $76 million below the legislative forecast, driven mainly by individual income tax and sales tax shortfalls, though the biennium is still projected to end with a positive balance. OMB also reviewed oil price and production assumptions, the budget stabilization fund transfer above its cap, Legacy Fund performance, federal grant applications, fiscal irregularities, tobacco settlement proceeds, budget guidelines for agencies, vacancy savings, and the DAPL settlement, noting that most of the settlement funds had been deposited but a small amount of accrued interest would require a future deficiency request. The committee then considered Emergency Commission requests. It approved requests for Public Service Commission abandoned mine lands federal authority, an Attorney General FTE and related funding for criminal investigator work tied to the Office of Guardianship and Conservatorship, and a DPI transfer for bridge software costs. After discussion, the committee also approved DPI’s request for a $500,000 transfer for the food vendor program, despite questions about the program’s savings and cash-flow structure. Later, the Tax Commissioner presented the primary residence credit program, reporting that current biennium costs are expected to exceed the appropriation by about $22 million and explaining how the credit interacts with homestead and disabled veteran credits and the 3% property tax levy cap. The Legacy and Budget Stabilization Fund Advisory Board reported strong returns for both funds, and DOT sought and received approval for two flexible fund highway projects on ND 49 and ND 31. DOT also updated members on Highway 85 construction and said remaining flex fund dollars were essentially fully allocated. DMR reported on the abandoned well plugging and site reclamation fund, noting North Dakota’s relatively small orphan well inventory, current and projected fund balances, rising remediation costs, and a possible need to adjust the fund cap in future sessions. Finally, DPI outlined the new integrated formula gap funding program, explaining that it compensates school districts that cannot reach the assumed 60-mill local contribution because of the 3% levy cap; the first year’s gap funding totaled about $1.8 million, with future costs expected to grow.

Transcript Highlights:

• I worked on that myself as board president.
• It's a—but it's working toward that.
• Those are some of the strategies that I've seen work and work well.
• These efforts are already working.
• I am working closely with them, as well as the program manager, Noah Lightman, to work with them and

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We hope we can work with you and grow.
• <00:16:05.199> Uh, tracks into that recreational area.
• Uh, tracks into that recreational area.
• <00:30:43.760> serious location, the site faced serious location, the site faced serious barriers
• And to the department's credit, they will work with the taxpayer to fix the balance due.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And right now, the data is not systematically tracked.
• I appreciate the work that you've done.
• I appreciate the work that you've done.
• in places where they do work.
• And I want to acknowledge all of your work, and the impressive work with working within communities and

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard a series of work-session presentations focused on transit-oriented development, commercial-to-residential redevelopment, building code implementation, housing market trends, and the Covenant Homeownership Program. The first presentation, from the Urban Institute, reviewed research on HB 1491 and TOD feasibility, arguing that Washington has made major progress but faces diverging conditions across transit areas. The presenter said rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and lower rents in some markets have made many projects less feasible, and recommended targeted infrastructure funding for lower-market communities, adjustments to MFTE and affordability requirements by local market conditions, more support for very low-income housing in high-market transit areas, minimum density standards near stations, expanded public land/joint development tools, and better tracking of TOD outcomes over time. Committee members asked about AMI calculations, immigration’s effect on construction labor, developer input, and whether a tracking mechanism had been removed from the bill. The Department of Commerce then outlined implementation of HB 1491 and demonstrated the new Washington Zoning Atlas, which is live and intended to help visualize zoning, overlays, and station-area conditions. Commerce said local governments will designate station areas, update zoning and MFTE policies, and handle anti-displacement measures, with Vancouver and Spokane first to implement and Puget Sound following later. Staff described a timeline for updated MFTE guidance, station-area implementation guidance, a TOD model ordinance, and later rulemaking on variances. The committee also heard from the Lieutenant Governor’s office on a report about converting commercial properties to housing, which found substantial potential for redevelopment on vacant or underused commercial land, especially near transit, but noted barriers such as ground-floor retail mandates, affordability requirements, infrastructure costs, private covenants, and slow implementation. The office urged by-right residential use on commercial land and faster rollout of new housing laws. The State Building Code Council updated the committee on its three-year code cycle and several legislatively directed actions, including minimum dwelling size, emergency shelters, and especially single-exit stairs and multiplex housing. Council staff said those code changes are nearing completion and will provide prescriptive solutions, while noting that elevator size and requirements were not changed and would require separate legislative direction if the committee wanted to revisit them. Members discussed the cost impacts of building and energy codes and the council said it is required to consider economic impacts and is increasingly looking at performance-based approaches. Later, the Washington Center for Real Estate Research presented its annual housing report, showing that higher mortgage rates have sharply reduced affordability, flattened house prices in many cities, and slowed single-family permitting and completions, while multifamily construction has recently cooled after a prior surge. Finally, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission reported strong first-year results for the Covenant Homeownership Program, which provides zero-interest down payment assistance to eligible first-time buyers with family ties to Washington before 1968; the program assisted 547 homebuyers in its first fiscal year, with more than $60 million loaned, and the agency said participation has continued to grow after income-limit changes enacted in 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• they needed online in a central location they needed online in a central location the<03:46:39.720
• thank the ranking member for working thank the ranking member for working with<03:47:22.399>
• <04:18:18.920> to oversight committee for working to oversight committee for working to partner
• <04:34:49.959> that made thus far and for the work that made thus far and for the work that
• for 6 years and then continue our work for 6 years and then continue our work with<07:10:02.320>

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

Transcript Highlights:

• These actors just keep moving around from location to location.
• /c><00:46:10.839> girls<00:46:11.160> from location to location the the girls from location
• > right<00:59:29.599> so this location not this location right so this location not this location
• We're happy to work with folks.
• /c> to get to work they work for a to get to work they work for a high-paying<03:09:22.960> job

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My work location is hybrid, this is mainly because I do not drive, therefore I need time to make transportation
• I am paid fairly for my work.
• Where do you work? I work like a cafe, and what do you do there?
• I work at CK Energy.'
• But we got other people who work upstairs and work in the community too.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I really appreciate you coming to work through this with us.
• I think that's a perfect example of incentivizing good work.
• I think that's a perfect example of incentivizing good work.
• I think that's a perfect example of incentivizing good work.
• I think that's a perfect example of incentivizing good work.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the January 21, 2025 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Minnesota Chamber Foundation on its report about Minnesota’s environmental permitting system. The presenters said the report was based on research by Barr Engineering and the Policy Navigation Group and argued that permitting delays can discourage investment and make Minnesota less competitive for manufacturing, mining, energy, clean tech, and other industrial projects. They highlighted that Tier 1 permits are generally issued quickly, but Tier 2 air and water permits often take much longer than the state’s 150-day goal, with some median timelines ranging from 419 to 771 days for Tier 2 air permits and similar delays for industrial water permits. The report also said Minnesota’s permit timelines were longer than peer states and estimated that reducing delays could increase annual output by $260 million to $910 million and support 960 to 3,400 additional full-time-equivalent jobs per year. Committee members asked about which businesses fall under Tier 2 permits, the economic impact of permitting delays, and whether the Chamber had discussed the report with the governor or MPCA. The presenters said Tier 2 permits typically involve higher-emitting facilities such as manufacturing, utilities, mining, and other industrial operations, and that the economic estimates were based on modeling rather than exact lost-job counts. They also noted that the governor had been briefed and that MPCA had been invited to the hearing but did not attend. The committee then took up House File 8, which Chair Heintzeman said is intended to improve permitting efficiency while maintaining environmental standards. He described provisions that would reduce the number of 60-day wetland application extensions, require MPCA to issue permitting efficiency reports twice a year, break out data on missed timelines by municipal versus industrial applicants, treat failure to meet the 150-day Tier 2 deadline as a final action subject to judicial review, and require quicker notice when applications are incomplete. He also outlined sections that would allow separate construction and operating permits, expand expedited permitting, and change environmental assessment worksheet petition rules. The bill was moved to be re-referred to the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, and the discussion began, but the transcript ends before any final vote on the bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• out if they're willing to work.
• Very easy to work with.
• I think it helps us keep track of it, see what's going on.
• Locations.
• So track it and basically make it go home.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Field work execution was phase two.
• So we're constantly working on that.
• We'll work on that.
• We are working toward that.
• , the work group identified opportunities to better align this work with trauma-informed practice and

Summary: The subcommittee heard two Department of Children and Families implementation updates on measures passed in prior sessions. First, DCF reviewed House Bill 633, which increased oversight of behavioral health managing entities through biennial independent audits, standardized claims-based reporting, and new monthly outcome dashboards. The department said it had awarded the inaugural audit to Ernst & Young, found no significant waste, fraud, or abuse, but identified process risks involving financial controls, claims validation, data access, and system access controls. DCF also described its transition to standardized behavioral health coding and said the new public dashboard of 11 measures is posted on its website, though members asked for easier access and for hard copies of the audit report. Members asked about how the department distinguishes Medicaid-covered services from department-funded services, how duplicate payment risks are being addressed, and whether the new reporting and audit requirements would improve oversight without disrupting services. DCF said it is the payer of last resort for uninsured or underinsured individuals, that some overlap with Medicaid is expected because Medicaid does not cover all behavioral health services, and that new claims edits and cross-checks are being built into the system. The department also said it had not found significant negative feedback from providers and that the new requirements are intended to improve transparency and accountability. DCF then updated the committee on Senate Bill 7012, covering human trafficking data collection, domestic violence center certification, limited background-screening exemptions, expanded recruitment for child welfare staff, subcontractor liability protections, a four-year treatment foster care pilot, case management efficiency recommendations, and a statewide study of residential bed capacity for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The department said several items are already complete or underway, including limited exemptions in the screening clearinghouse, while others are in procurement or rulemaking. It identified Circuits 4 and 12 as the treatment foster care pilot sites and said the pilot will launch in January 2026. Members questioned recruitment metrics, pilot timing, and report deadlines; the department said final reports are expected by January and that some dates were flexible because of procurement and implementation timelines. The meeting ended after the presentations and questions, and the subcommittee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work to gather this information.
• They can see the location.
• They used to be working for Love's.
• So, we're working.
• with Windstream, which is now Unity, working with AT&T, working with Stto's telecom.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to begin this work session of Division 3, House Finance Committee, and we'll open that work
• other various handouts that we work off of are working documents and are all online in two locations
• <00:02:41.560> of administrative services keeps track of administrative services keeps track
• the work that dcyf is is is working the work that dcyf is is is working toward<00:15:36.800>
• tracks.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Division 3 House Finance Committee opened a work session and announced scheduling updates, including a second Medicaid work session on March 5 at 9:00 a.m. and a reminder that recommendations or budget amendments must be moved to the full finance committee by the end of March. Members were told no motions, roll calls, or votes would be taken, and the chair also reviewed upcoming meeting dates and weather-related cancellation procedures. The day’s presentation was a budget work session on the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), with officials Marie Nunan and Nathan White introducing the agency’s budget materials and mission. DCYF’s presentation focused on its core mandates and recent operational changes. Officials described child protective services, juvenile justice services, and the Sununu Youth Services Center, then highlighted workforce improvements, including reduced vacancy rates for assessment caseworkers, juvenile justice officers, and youth counselors. They attributed the staffing gains to legislative pay raises, mass recruitment posting changes, a more stable and trauma-informed model at SYC, and broader flexibility after prior budget cuts and hiring freezes. Members asked about full-time versus part-time staffing, and DCYF said most positions discussed were full-time, with some harder-to-fill part-time youth counselor roles at SYC. The committee also discussed DCYF’s emphasis on serving families earlier through its Community Navigator hotline referrals and community-based voluntary services, which are intended to connect families to supports before abuse or neglect escalates. Officials said the Community Navigator program had received 807 referrals since August 2023. On juvenile justice, DCYF described its assessment and diversion process and said it had reduced juvenile probation involvement by 30% from 2019 to 2023; members were directed to slide 17 for 2024 data, and officials said the trend continued toward fewer in-home juvenile justice cases. The agency also reported progress in kinship care, saying initial out-of-home placements with kin now occur 74% of the time and that kinship placements are associated with more reunification. Officials said kinship caregivers are being licensed and paid similarly to foster parents, and that the legislature’s kinship law has helped. Finally, DCYF outlined transition-age youth supports, including the HOPE program, Youth Villages LifeSet, and housing vouchers. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've been working very closely with the retailers on, again, a nuanced approach to it, and it's working
• They shake their head and roll their eyes and that's fine, but your track record, the track record of
• It's, that's not the way it works under the bill.
• We're happy to work with you.
• has worked.

Bills: HB2015, HB2060, HB2062, HB2100, HB2118, HB2165, HB2258, HB2327, HB2397, HB2445, HB2460, HB2641, HB2745, HB2876, HB2917, HB4011, HB4049, HB4056, HB4087, HCR2013, HCR2016, HCR2040, HCR2044, HCR2048, HCR2056

Keywords: budget procedures, late filing penalty, accounting standards, financial reporting, state appropriations, abortion, educational institutions, health education, state aid, public schools, Buffalo Soldiers, monument, commemoration, Arizona, public funding, Wesley Bolin Plaza, military history, historical memorial, small land subdivision, land use

Summary: The committee approved the minutes from the prior meetings and then took up several measures, beginning with HCR 2013, which would proclaim June 2026 as Celebrate Life Month in Arizona. The resolution drew emotional testimony in support from Crystal Cooper and Bella Stockton, both of whom shared personal stories about living with spina bifida and argued for celebrating life and supporting people with disabilities. Senator Kennedy voted no, saying the resolution was symbolic and did not address practical supports such as paid family leave, health care, housing, and school meals. The committee ultimately gave HCR 2013 a due pass recommendation on a 4-1 vote, with two members not voting. The committee then advanced HB 2327, as amended, clarifying protections for eligible persons’ identifying information in county recorder records and explicitly excluding voter registration records from the confidentiality provisions. Representative Hendricks said the bill was intended to fix problems created by earlier language protecting elected officials and first responders. The committee also passed HB 2258, which adds La Paz County to the Tourism Advisory Council’s geographic area, with no opposition testimony. A longer debate followed on HB 2397, which expands HOA/condominium disclosure requirements for prospective buyers, including bylaws, declarations, plats, meeting minutes, and information about assessments and known defects. Representative Biasucci said the bill was about transparency for buyers, while the Arizona Association of Community Managers raised concerns about cost and the scope of the disclosure requirements; the Arizona Homeowners Coalition supported the bill but opposed an amendment that would require managers to be on site for capital projects. The committee adopted two Hoffman amendments and then gave HB 2397 a due pass as amended recommendation. The committee also passed HB 2015, which imposes penalties on state agencies that miss federal audit reporting deadlines, and HB 4049, which changes how the Attorney General represents DCS in cases alleging misconduct; both drew opposition over concerns about punitive penalties and existing conflict procedures. Later, the committee approved HB 4087, authorizing a memorial plaque for former legislator Barbara Love, and HB 2100, which allows counties to authorize certain small land subdivisions, despite objections that it could weaken water-supply protections. The committee then passed HB 2460, as amended, preempting local ordinances that penalize businesses for abandoned or stolen movable property such as shopping carts; supporters argued cities were charging victims of theft, while cities and towns said the bill would undercut local nuisance enforcement and shift costs to taxpayers. Finally, the committee began hearing HCR 2056, a proposed constitutional referral recognizing a right to refuse medical mandates, with Representative Cooper and supporters framing it as bodily autonomy and opponents warning it would weaken public health protections, especially in schools and during outbreaks.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've been amazed at how many states and organizations are tracking the creation and the work of the Texas
• I also work for the big boys. I've worked for Hearst, News Corp, Clear Channel.
• you're doing. work ahead.
• It's never been worked.
• When it comes to issues of remote work. I know y'all have been discussing remote work.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, it works for this family because the mom is already working full-time before applying.
• Work together to reinstill that.
• with genders that tend to that tracks with genders that tend to work<00:42:18.560> in<00:42:18.880
• work in each of those roles. Right? work in each of those roles. Right?
• c> or jobs that women's work a women work a or jobs that women's work a women work a lot<00:42:24.160

Bills: HF3432, HF3411

Keywords: resident tuition, employment, higher education, Minnesota, tuition rates, state universities, immigration status, immigration, postsecondary education, privacy, data access, federal officers, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We have work to do, as you just heard.
• So we'll be working on that.
• And that's a work in process. Okay.
• The way that we structure our work and target our work is through three action networks, which are co-led
• We're not tracking that. We're only tracking what it costs, not what it's saving.

Transcript Highlights:

• the general business plan of these work the general business plan of these work works<00:26:58.600
• > the<00:27:01.679> the works works really well uh the the works works really well uh the
• in order to do the work.
• <01:42:14.960> so<01:42:15.520> we<01:42:15.719> work RAC um so as far as tracking
• so we work RAC um so as far as tracking so we work with<01:42:16.639> uh<01:42:16.840> multiple

Bills: HF1621, HF1701, HF1796, HF1676, HF40, HF1428, HF1540

Keywords: HF1621, CelluComp, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, appropriation, grant, commercialization, fiber-based barrier packaging, packaging materials, PFAS, perfluoroalkyl substances, polyfluoroalkyl substances, plastic reduction, sustainable packaging, environmental health, materials innovation, bio-based packaging, food packaging, agriculture finance, one-time grant, state subsidy

Transcript Highlights:

• members for their support and their work members for their support and their work on<00:03:59.040
• <00:15:34.720> on thank you to everyone who's worked on thank you to everyone who's worked
• because I I don't work for any of them. because I I don't work for any of them.
• <00:48:11.680> location.
• Thank you for your work.

Keywords: 1183, house