Transcript Highlights:

• <00:06:44.040> It 2024's budget bill, nothing new here.
• It 2024's budget bill, nothing new here.
• <00:08:06.040> for requirement to pay cost allocation for requirement to pay cost allocation
• Um they for the state budget department.
• um state uh budget department. um state uh budget department.

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and first addressed an unintended consequence in the Joint Conference Committee report involving dual and concurrent enrollment funding. Staff explained that a dollar-for-dollar reduction tied to Senate File 81 would have fully funded public school dual/concurrent enrollment while leaving no funds for non-public school students. Senator Salazar moved to strike that provision, the motion was seconded, and it carried. Budget and Fiscal Administrator Don Richards then walked through the conference committee report and the major adopted amendments. He reviewed Senate and House amendments affecting items such as sign language interpreters, rural veterinary education, predator management authorization, petroglyphs and pictographs, senior services, community college funding, school district entitlement payments, the School Foundation Program reserve transfer, a tourism-related rodeo museum change, archaeological work on human remains, a jet airplane reduction, abortion-related language, livestock ear tags, provider rates for developmental disabilities, student-athlete endorsement restrictions, a forensic audit for the Wyoming Business Council, and the Yellowstone tree inscription. He also described several deleted sections and policy changes, including removal of spending-policy provisions, flex authority language, and other budget sections. Richards further summarized new or revised appropriations and conditions, including funding for local cybersecurity, stormwater fees, the Wyoming Natural Resource Trust Fund, lab services, IT modernization, Wyoming Public Television, matching funds, cloud services, and restored governor FTE requests. He noted a compromise on the outdoor trails matching program, a conditional $10 million University of Wyoming operational review appropriation tied to future cost savings, and a stablecoin appropriation. He also explained that the report retained the base-bill reversion language, discussed the remaining general fund balance and statutory reserve, and said the committee would circulate the amendment and signatures for floor action later that day. The meeting then adjourned without further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Obviously, for these 30-day sessions, they run pretty quickly, and other than passing a budget, which
• Chairman, House Bill 21 places a land grant and acequia infrastructure fund in the budget for all capital
• Chair, currently the Division allocates 9% of the estimated bonding capacity each year for water projects
• Chair, likewise the Division has allocated 4.5% for the Tribal Infrastructure Fund and 4.5% for the Colonial
• Chair, in that same process, House Bill 21 has the Division allocating 1.1% of the bonding capacity for

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The proposed budget totals $117.4 billion.
• The budget proposes $221 million.
• The budget for these agencies is mostly trust-funded, meaning that their budgets are funded by dedicated
• Governor DeSantis's Floridians First budget additionally allocates a total of $4.5 million in non-recurring
• The governor's budget does make some recommendations to the qualifications for the next budget year,

Summary: The committee convened with a quorum, welcomed new member Senator Ralph Massullo, and first took up confirmation of five appointees to water management district and basin board positions. Senator McLean moved favorable confirmation of Ted Everett, Jerome Pate, Michael Romano, Paul Bissfam, John Hall, and Virginia Johns, and the motion passed by roll call. The main agenda item was the Governor’s Florida First budget presentation for the environmental agencies. Kim Kramer and DEP Secretary Alexis Lambert outlined proposed environmental funding of about $5.8 billion, including more than $1.4 billion for water resources, $810 million for Everglades restoration, $408 million for water quality, $202 million for Resilient Florida, $75 million for beach renourishment, $150 million for Florida Forever, $70 million for state park infrastructure, and $221 million for hazardous waste cleanup. They also highlighted proposed funding for FWC operations, manatee care, python removal, oyster reef restoration, forestry and wildfire equipment, and citrus research and disease response. Members asked about Florida Forever funding, state park wastewater and septic needs, a cut to the Florida Wildlife Research Institute, and how beach renourishment is handled after storms. The committee then heard the general government budget presentation. Agencies highlighted included DBPR, Gaming Control, the Lottery, DMS, PERC, DFS, OIR, and Revenue. DBPR discussed funding for license processing, an animal abuse hotline, vehicle replacement, and IT recruitment; Gaming Control requested new law enforcement squads and a licensing/enforcement IT system; the Lottery emphasized marketing, retail engagement, IT, and retention funding; DMS proposed building, fleet, telecommunications, cybersecurity, and local government grant investments; PERC described workload growth after SB 256 and requested staffing, operations, and pay increases; OIR sought more staff for consumer protection and market oversight plus building renovations; DFS highlighted My Safe Florida Home funding, fire marshal and first responder support, financial investigations, and gold and silver legal tender implementation; and Revenue requested operational, IT, and fiscally constrained county funding. Members questioned DBPR about unfunded HOA fraud and condo transparency items, DMS about cybersecurity grants, and DFS about My Safe Florida Home funding levels, abandoned grants, and reduced program uptake. No further action was taken, and the committee adjourned without additional votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Property and vehicle insurance is allocated to the fire protection fund.
• and pull back on budget.
• And that's a huge swing of $1 billion in the budget.
• Budgets don't have to be cut.
• Anything below that can stay budgeted in your operating budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• The work that you do and the resources that you allocate are what make progress like this possible.
• We understand that the Governor's Office intends to begin allocating funds this fiscal year.
• So we're super excited and want to look at that for this upcoming budget.
• We'll push out there needing to be some potential budget impact in this next budget cycle, but you'll
• But this is going to consume really a bunch of our work with budget building.

Transcript Highlights:

• we uh we under-allocate. we uh we under-allocate.
• because we came in under budget. because we came in under budget.
• continues to have the structural budget deficit.
• continues to have the structural budget deficit.
• And we're how to allocate their money.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• terine at this point given um the budget terine at this point given um the budget constraints<00
• <00:32:07.000> recommendations of budget recommendations of budget recommendations okay<00
• it's currently proposed to be going, and that's uh for our illegal immigration allocation.
• it's currently proposed to be going, and that's uh for our illegal immigration allocation.
• <01:24:26.480> we veterans last session in the budget we veterans last session in the budget

Bills: HF10

Keywords: undocumented immigrants, state funding, MinnesotaCare, scholarship ineligibility, state assistance, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• >> THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BUDGET AND POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE WILL NOW COME TO ORDER FAITH PLEASE CALL
• AS YOU KNOW BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE PASSED THE RESPECTIVE BUDGET BILLS LAST WEEK AND THE BUDGET CONFERENCE
• EACH BUDGET SILO AND SELECT MEMBERS TO SERVE AS BUDGET CONFER EASE.
• ONCE THE SPEAKER AND SENATE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCE ALLOCATIONS AND BUDGET CONFEREES THE CONFERENCE PROCESS
• THE OTHER DOCUMENT IN THE PACKET IS THE BUDGET.

Transcript Highlights:

• uh walk us through sort of the budget uh walk us through sort of the budget overview<01:21:42.040
• ><01:22:09.280> committee's<01:22:09.719> budget this committee the committee's budget
• <01:25:50.880> in<01:25:51.000> more the budget in more the budget in more detail<01
• So let's dig into the base budget.
• <01:30:46.280> we so when we think about our budget we so when we think about our budget we

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the first meeting of the House Budget Review Subcommittee on
• The last thing I'll stop with is kind of additional budget requests.
• There was a small inflationary adjustment in the last budget.
• Uh, we would ask that that would budget.
• <00:24:35.440> and fully funded by federal allocation and fully funded by federal allocation

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met to begin hearing budget requests from Kentucky universities. Eastern Kentucky University President David McFaden highlighted EKU’s enrollment growth, its large population of Pell-eligible and first-generation students, and its role in producing graduates for Kentucky’s workforce, especially in health care, public safety, manufacturing, engineering, and aviation. He said EKU is seeking support for a Center for Health Innovation, including a doctor of osteopathic medicine program, with a $50 million accreditation escrow and startup funding that would be returned to the state after accreditation. He also described EKU’s health programs, which have strong pass rates and high in-state employment outcomes, and said the university wants continued asset preservation funding, inflationary operating support, and other recurring budget items. McFaden also outlined EKU’s aviation request, including $10 million for new aircraft and support for an enhanced air traffic control program created in response to a legislative study. He said the program would enroll cohorts of about 30 students, likely attract out-of-state students, and require a $5 million startup investment plus $1.5 million in annual recurring support. He added that EKU’s lab school is seeking a revised funding model tied to enrollment rather than a flat mandated amount. Committee members asked follow-up questions about the medical school escrow, aircraft needs, and program capacity, and McFaden clarified that the escrow would remain intact until accreditation and then be returned to the general fund. Kentucky State University President Kakpo then reviewed prior capital support that helped repair a dorm and several leaking roofs, and said the university is still addressing campus infrastructure problems. He said KSU’s main request is a new health sciences building to house its growing nursing program and language program, along with $40 million for additional dorm renovations and a carve-out for its aquaculture program. Kakpo said the aquaculture PhD proposal would be federally funded and could bring in more revenue, while the new building would help relieve overcrowding and support KSU’s research role. In response to questions, he said KSU’s campus housing capacity would be about 1,334 beds if all dorms were repaired, and that the university is rotating students through renovated buildings while trying to keep them on campus. Committee members also raised safety concerns about the December campus shooting at KSU. Kakpo said the incident was isolated, expressed sympathy for the families affected, and said the university has reviewed campus procedures, added police and security positions, and is strengthening safety processes. The meeting did not include any votes or formal actions; it was a budget presentation and question-and-answer session.

Transcript Highlights:

• You've got the capital budget statutes, the overview of the capital budget process, we throw in a docket
• . the document you got the capital budget the document you got the capital budget statutes<00:06:07.599
• <00:06:13.120> Bill the capital um budget for House Bill the capital um budget for House Bill
• capital budget during the process of building the operating budget.
• A decision was made to take them out of the capital budget and put it into the operating budget.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Public Works and Highways committee held a capital budget orientation led by Legislative Budget Assistant Office staff, who walked members through the budget materials, the capital budget process, and the committee’s compare sheet. The presentation explained that agencies begin developing capital requests nearly a year in advance, submit them by May 1, and that the governor’s recommended capital budget is a reduced version of the much larger agency wish list. Members were told the agencies initially requested about $1.1 billion in projects, the catalog was trimmed to just over $400 million in general fund projects, and the governor’s recommendation in the pink book totals about $143 million in general fund capital appropriations. The committee also reviewed the prior capital budget and related statutes and committee procedures. Several specific projects drew discussion. The Department of Education’s CTE projects were explained as having been shifted into the operating budget in the prior cycle and now returning to the capital budget recommendation; members asked whether there was a backup CTE project and whether local approval had been secured for the named project. The Cannon Mountain tramway request was highlighted as a $20 million recommendation, with the presenter explaining that an earlier $18 million appropriation would be lapsed back to the general fund to help balance the budget. The Department of Corrections’ new prison project was also discussed; members were told the state has already appropriated $50 million for planning and site evaluation, but the governor’s current capital budget does not include a new prison construction appropriation because the project is not yet ready for that phase and may need to be funded differently, possibly through a separate, staggered appropriation. State Treasurer Monica Mezzapelli then presented on debt affordability and the state’s borrowing capacity. She said the state’s credit position has improved, with the debt-to-revenue ratio falling from 8.2% in 2015 to 3.8% in 2024, and explained that RSA 6-C limits debt authorization to 10% of unrestricted prior-year revenue. She noted that the Treasury’s planning assumes $60 million in annual bond issuance, with the prison-related $40 million now expected to be issued in 2026 rather than 2025 because the project is not ready to spend the funds. She said the state can still borrow more, but additional debt service must be paid from operating funds, and recommended keeping capital bonding in the $120 million to $130 million range to preserve affordability and the state’s credit rating. Members asked for clarification on the CTE funding shift, the prison schedule, and the meaning of the large agency request totals. The chair and treasurer discussed the governor’s $143 million recommendation versus the committee’s usual target range, and the treasurer said $130 million would be more comfortable than $140 million, with $135 million described as a possible compromise. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion provided; the meeting was informational and ended with the presenters offering to answer follow-up questions as agencies come before the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• And every time we've done, every so, ever so many years, the National Guard Bureau does a new allocation
• And every time we've done, every so, ever so many years, the National Guard Bureau does a new allocation
• the Adjutant General, and others the opportunity to increase the force structure with the proper budgeting
• would cover what, but it doesn't mean tomorrow, if they were to grant it, there would be a huge new budget
• personal knowledge of the information given, often an official like the chief financial officer or budget

Summary: The Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee heard and passed two measures before receiving a staff presentation on the local bill process and local delegation meetings. HB 4007, by Rep. Snyder, would cap reimbursement for certain inmate emergency medical services in Martin County at 110% of the Medicare rate, with a higher cap if a provider shows it is operating at a loss. Snyder said the bill is intended to create predictability and save taxpayer dollars; members asked about fiscal effects and whether other counties could adopt similar language. Public testimony came in support from Martin County and related local officials, and the bill was reported favorably by a 17-0 vote. The committee also passed HM 4005, by Rep. Daly, which urges Congress to increase Florida National Guard force structure. Daly argued Florida’s troop allocation is outdated and inadequate for the state’s population and disaster demands, contributing to burnout and recruiting problems. Members asked about the basis for the current allocation, possible budget and infrastructure impacts, and the National Guard’s needs; there was no opposition or public testimony, and the memorial was reported favorably by a 17-0 vote. After the votes, Reps. Holcomb and Kendall gave a detailed presentation explaining how local bills differ from general laws, constitutional limits on local legislation, required local delegation meetings and notice, certification and economic impact forms, and amendment procedures. Members asked several process questions, including about multi-county delegations and Miami-Dade’s special status. The meeting ended with a few recognitions and adjournment before session.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a recap, in the current fiscal year budget, biennial budget, Morehead State University has received
• Moving into our capital budget request, Moving into our capital budget request, I've<00:05:59.840>
• ,<00:06:31.039> bianial<00:06:31.680> budget,<00:06:32.160> Morehead year budget
• , bianial budget, Morehead year budget, bianial budget, Morehead State<00:06:32.960> University
• The next slide, if you're going through our budget appropriation or budget unit in the biennial budget

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met to hear from Morehead State University President Jay Morgan, who outlined the university’s budget and capital priorities. He described Morehead as a Kentucky-serving, largely low-income student institution with an aging campus, and said the university’s long-term plan is to renovate existing facilities, decommission older buildings, and replace outdated space with more efficient construction. He thanked the General Assembly for prior support, especially asset preservation funding, fire and tornado insurance premium support, and a prior university inflationary adjustment. On the operating side, Morgan asked that insurance premium support continue, that the earlier inflationary adjustment roll forward, and that the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s request for a minimum distribution in the performance funding formula be supported. He noted Morehead has received little or no performance funding in recent years and said that if no additional formula funds are added, the university would prefer a line-item appropriation. On the capital side, he requested continued asset preservation funding and outlined several construction priorities: a new applied science building, a new agriculture science building, a new space science technology building, and a cost-share replacement for the aging Maze Hall residence hall, with the state covering $10 million of a $20 million project and Morehead matching the rest. Morgan also discussed the Craft Academy, saying the current appropriation supports 200 students and that the university would like to increase the line item to expand enrollment by about 20 students. In response to questions from Chairman Tipton, he said Morehead had previously explored but ultimately rejected a public-private partnership model for housing, preferring to own and control its residence halls to keep housing costs manageable for students. He also explained that the land surveying courses in the applied science proposal are a popular part of related programs and that Morehead’s space science program is a major research-and-contracts-driven operation with about 250 students, federal and private research ties, and graduates working both in Kentucky and elsewhere. The committee then approved the prior meeting minutes and discussed that upcoming postsecondary budget meetings would continue over the next several weeks to gather input on the new budget process.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most importantly, she said, it affects Minnesota Housing’s ability to allocate low-income housing tax
• final uh reconciliation of a budget final uh reconciliation of a budget package<00:47:18.000>
• the local jurisdictions already have their—and are allocating—their local affordable housing aid.
• the local jurisdictions already have their—and are allocating—their local affordable housing aid.
• were allocated just as like a whole?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Props 7 passed in 2015, and these two sources alone now make up almost 40% of our budget.
• The remainder is allocated between General Revenue and the TXDMV Fund. Mr.
• OK, so that's a budget that's put out by appropriations. Doesn't necessarily mean we have to.
• Do you do internal budgets to say, OK, we're going to do this to? Implement this program.
• You had to have had some kind of a budget, some form of a budget to be able to move this thing forward

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sometimes, as we think about budgets here, and you think about budgets and awards in your respective
• This request aims to restore previously allocated funds.
• The budget does include some funding for libraries, FYI.
• Art is cut so the war budget can swell.
• Over 85% of them have annual budgets of under $500,000.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on how recent federal actions are affecting arts, culture, humanities, libraries, museums, and the creative economy in California. Chair Ben Allen and Vice Chair Chris Ward opened by describing the hearing as a response to proposed and ongoing federal cuts to the NEA, NEH, IMLS, and public broadcasting, as well as grant terminations and leadership changes at cultural institutions. Several members emphasized the economic and civic importance of the arts, while one Republican member argued for greater ideological diversity in the arts and noted the loss of music programs in small schools. Testimony from Aaron Harky of Americans for the Arts and Jolie Fisher of SAG-AFTRA described the impact of federal policy on grants, jobs, and production. Harky said executive orders and the FY 2026 budget proposal threaten arts agencies and arts education, and that rescinded grants are causing hiring freezes, shutdowns, and losses for small organizations, especially in rural and underserved communities. Fisher focused on runaway film and television production, outdated tax rules, and the need for federal incentives, intellectual property protections, and action on AI and digital replicas. Members also discussed bipartisan support, the role of business and tourism partners, and the need to include more diverse voices in arts advocacy. The second panel featured Rick Noguchi of California Humanities, Greg Lucas of the State Library, and Danielle Purcell of the California Arts Council. Noguchi said NEH funding was cut immediately, putting California Humanities’ grantmaking and documentary programs at risk and prompting consideration of litigation and possible state support. Lucas reported that IMLS funding for California libraries was briefly canceled but partly restored, though a budget gap remains. Purcell said the California Arts Council is still awaiting federal award language for state partnership funds, but NEA grant terminations and the proposed elimination of federal cultural agencies create major uncertainty; she also said the council is assessing the damage and tracking impacts on grantees. Members asked about measuring outcomes, AI’s threat to creative work, documentary funding losses, and possible state and national strategies to protect cultural institutions and jobs.

Transcript Highlights:

• For those districts that are...” “...budget impacted that may not have a computer lab already.
• Between 2022 and 2023, the Legislature allocated $25 million to address the shortage.
• Between 2022 and 2023, the legislature allocated $25 million to address the shortage.
• We feel it in our lives, and when we have a static kind of allocation, but when that static allocation
• Yeah, thank you to our budget subcommittee chair.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard several education bills, with AB 887 by Assemblymember Berman proposing that every school district and charter school adopt a plan so all high schools offer at least one computer science course by 2029-30. Supporters, including a teacher and student, argued California is falling behind other states and that computer science is essential for student opportunity and workforce readiness. ACSA opposed the bill, citing the shortage of qualified computer science teachers and administrative burden. The bill passed the committee on a 6-0 vote and was sent to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 1390 by Assemblymember Solache, which would allow local and county school boards to raise trustee compensation above long-standing statutory minimums that have not changed in decades. Supporters said the current stipends are too low to make board service accessible to working families and younger community members. There was no opposition testimony, and the bill passed with five votes, with the roll left open for additional members. AB 865 by Assemblymember Gonzalez would create a $5 million, three-year grant program for dual-language immersion instructional materials, split between high-demand languages and other languages. Supporters said districts often lack standards-aligned materials in languages beyond Spanish, forcing teachers to create their own. The bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. AB 857 by Assemblymember Gibson, requiring annual cultural competency training for K-12 staff, also passed 5-1 after supporters linked it to the state reparations task force report and argued it would improve trust and student outcomes. The committee additionally approved AB 677 by Assemblymember Bryan, which would make it easier for unhoused students to access school-based vision and dental screenings by allowing directory information to be used for that purpose with an opt-out process; it passed 8-0. AB 903 by Assemblymember Avila Farias, directing the Department of Education to develop best practices on education technology and digital equity, passed after amendments and with some opponents indicating they would remove opposition once the amendments were in print. Finally, AB 917 by Assemblymember Avila Farias, extending permanent-status protections to certain educators in small districts and county programs, drew significant opposition from small districts and regional occupational programs over flexibility and funding concerns; the bill still passed 5-2 with the roll held open for additional votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• function of previous amounts allocated function of previous amounts allocated but<00:23:23.920><
• administration budgeted zero, The administration budgeted zero, counting<00:27:51.520> on<00:27
• capital budget for a similar project. capital budget for a similar project.
• This increase of capital budget.
• So, all for the big bill, the budget.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• those figures in their um Grant budgets those figures in their um Grant budgets and<00:18:33.679
• agency budgets um you'll see reviewing agency budgets um you'll see those<00:19:55.520> class
• So it really does work out well. as you know uh our our budget is not as you know uh our our budget is
• So our budget cost is $15 million with the state budget.
• That is our budgeted request that we submitted through the agency phase of the governor of the budget

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting featured presentations from the Department of Administrative Services and the Treasury Department on state revenue reporting and unclaimed property. State Comptroller Dana Call explained DAS’s role in compiling statewide revenue reports, including the annual revenue plan set through the budget process and the monthly revenue focus reports that track cash receipts. She noted that unrestricted general fund revenue is about $2 billion annually, while miscellaneous other revenue is a much smaller and less predictable category, averaging roughly $30 million to $32 million a year. She also described two more material internal revenue lines: statewide indirect cost recoveries and post-retirement benefit recoveries, which are billed to agencies and often tied to federal reimbursement rules. Members asked about the interest line in the revenue charts and about how the figures were presented, and Call clarified that the totals were in millions and that the interest item would be explained by the Treasurer. She also explained that the indirect cost and post-retirement recoveries are internal cost allocations that flow back into the unrestricted revenue pool and are reflected in agency budgets as interagency costs. Treasurer Monica Meissner then outlined Treasury Department functions, including bank deposits, statewide disbursements, banking relationships, investments, debt management, compliance, the FONA College Savings Program, the ABLE Plan, scholarship programs, and the abandoned property program. In discussing unclaimed property, she said holders report property after a five-year dormancy period, the state uses automated systems and outreach to locate owners, and claim activity has increased. In fiscal year 2024, the state returned about $12.2 million to citizens through roughly 12,000 claims; over the last 10 years, about $72.6 million has been returned. She also said the state escheated $19.9 million to the general fund and $1.8 million to counties last year, and explained that securities-related proceeds are harder to estimate because they depend on market conditions. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the 2026 Annual Budget Committee. This is a Joint Budget Subcommittee on Health.
• BY OTHER -- OUR OTHER ALTERNATE WHICH IS ASSEMBLYMEMBER YEGER WE HAVE I will now go over the Joint Budget
• First, the House budget proposed restoring the full 15 percent capital Medicaid reimbursement for the
• regarding Medicaid, at a time when Medicaid is the largest program in our state budget.
• regarding Medicaid, at a time when Medicaid is the largest program in our state budget.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Budget Subcommittee on Health convened as part of the 2026 Annual Budget Committee, with Senate and Assembly co-chairs introducing members, alternates, and the meeting rules. The chairs reviewed subcommittee procedures, including limits on alternates’ voting rights, no proxy participation, germane-topic restrictions, and the requirement that any report receive an affirmative majority vote from each house’s delegation. The co-chairs outlined the main health budget issues under discussion: the global cap, capital funding, hospital and safety-net hospital funding, early intervention, reproductive health, the Medical Indemnity Fund, aging issues, insurance prior authorization, EMS biomarkers, and nursing home funding. The chair emphasized the state’s responsibility to families affected by the Medical Indemnity Fund. Minority members raised support for restoring the full 15 percent capital Medicaid reimbursement for nursing homes, increasing aid for financially distressed hospitals, and addressing home care funding shortfalls. They also urged stronger measures against Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse, warning against budget gimmicks and emphasizing long-term fiscal sustainability, including careful use of any Medicaid savings tied to the federal 1331 health program. The meeting ended with members saying they would continue consultations with each other and staff to work toward a final, on-time budget.