Transcript Highlights:

• And that's what allows us to fund small public housing authorities in parts of the state. need to do.
• years so that like for a couple funding years so that you you you &gt;&gt; We<00:52:31.839><c> need<
• <00:59:26.079><c> needs</c><00:59:26.400><c> historically</c><00:59:26.880><c> and</c> funding needs
• historically and funding needs historically and currently. currently. currently. um<00:59:29.119><c>
• Um, now jumping back into just kind of historic funding needs for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• But the moment Governor Newsom signed that bill on July 12, 2019, the fund was on risk, and it needed
• The fund was on risk, and it needed to immediately get prepared.
• First, we want to provide an order of magnitude about how much capital and/or funding is needed for an
• I think we need to protect the wildfire fund from I think we need to protect the wildfire fund from subrogation
• The state needs durable funding to pay for wildfire costs that directly benefits victims.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Transcript Highlights:

• It's all other state funds, so non-general fund. LFC and HACC RECS.
• I can't speak for the AG, but I think we need to have some funding for this.
• This is a core function of state government, part of our justice system, and I think we need to fund
• It's really general fund because it's being diverted from the general fund into this fund.
• It's really general fund because it's being diverted from the general fund into this fund.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Anything below the line, we do not have funding this biennium to fund, and they would need to be deferred
• So it was interesting to me that we're talking about 14 years, but then we have funding needs beyond
• But with the funding gap, I think there is a need to make a decision on prioritization of the projects
• So then if you look at the total estimated funds needed, the completion is about $762 million.
• So then if you look at the total estimated funds needed, the completion is about $762 million.

Committee: Joint Water Topics Overview Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• In order for us to sustain these efforts, they need to be fully funded.
• We will need additional funding to update kindergarten through second grade and grades six through 12
• </c><01:32:03.000><c> additional</c><01:32:03.400><c> funding</c> five uh we will need additional funding
• five uh we will need additional funding to<01:32:03.880><c> update</c><01:32:04.239><c> kindergarten
• The funding formula has not kept up with these inflationary costs and needs of our students.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• In terms of this strategy that is due to the Legislature, we would need funding to bring on consultants
• In terms of this strategy that is due to the Legislature, we would need funding to bring on consultants
• Without a doubt, we need.
• So why do we need to have ongoing staffing and funding? Thank you.
• any General Fund obligations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, just this morning we're listening to all the requests of the needed funding, and then here
• Is this public benefit fund a fund that can be accessed by ...benefit fund, a fund that can be accessed
• This money could be used for that purpose, and we just need to let the secretary know she has the funding
• It's entirely general fund funded.
• It's entirely general fund funded.

Summary: The Department of Public Safety presented its FY27 budget request, emphasizing three priorities: improving community engagement through a redesigned website and outreach, expanding statewide data and intelligence integration through intelligence-led policing, and improving emergency response and officer safety through fleet replacement, a driving track, and a requested helicopter. DPS said much of its increase is driven by rising health care premiums, and it is also seeking special appropriations for fleet replacement, the website rebuild, and an Honor Guard program created after the 2022 helicopter crash that killed four public servants. Members asked about vacancies, fleet costs, cybersecurity compliance, the real-time crime center, EV fleet participation, and the Metro DPS facility. DPS said its vacancy rate is about 9%, its fleet replacement needs are driven by mileage and condition, it is compliant with federal CJIS standards even though DoIT has raised concerns, the real-time crime center would be built as a regional model to complement Albuquerque’s center, and the Metro facility is moving toward a January groundbreaking. Committee members also discussed several DPS-related capital and IT requests, including the intelligence-led policing data lake, recurring maintenance for critical systems, and a $5.6 million reauthorization for state crime lab DNA backlog work and a $900,000 reauthorization for fingerprinting equipment. DPS explained that the website request is high because the current site must be rebuilt from scratch to support missing-person alerts, memorial updates, ADA compliance, and better communication with law enforcement and the public. Members also raised concerns about speed enforcement, construction-zone cameras, and whether EVs are practical for patrol use; DPS said it is not pursuing speed cameras and is only partially participating in the state EV initiative because patrol needs make full electrification difficult. The committee then received an LFC quarterly update on non-recurring appropriations from the 2025 General Appropriation Act. LFC reported that of the $1.4 billion appropriated in Section 5, $164 million had been expended and $333 million encumbered, leaving $897.4 million unspent, which is a slower pace than the prior year. Staff highlighted a number of reauthorization requests and slow-moving projects across agencies, including AOC cybersecurity funding, DFA housing and public safety grants, DoIT cybersecurity and higher education funds, EDD economic development and energy programs, OSI mitigation and malpractice funds, EMNRD energy and geothermal grants, Health Care Authority behavioral health-related appropriations, DPS crime lab and fingerprinting funds, PED career technical education and special education initiatives, and higher education loan repayment and technology funds. Members questioned why some large appropriations had little or no spending, discussed the need to monitor reauthorizations more closely, and asked for follow-up on several specific line items and project balances.

Transcript Highlights:

• The funds are locked up. In fact, I've had very few people come and say we need more money.
• Like, we need funding for safe school revenue and we need dedicated funding for student support personnel
• Like, we need funding for safe school revenue and we need dedicated funding for student support personnel
• </c> think it's a both and um like we need think it's a both and um like we need funding<01:03:30.559
• funding for student need dedicated funding for student support<01:03:34.279><c> Personnel</c><01:03:

Bills: HF56 , HF780

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is not just the fund that we can just go and spend based off of, you know, the need.
• And so if you have a student with a higher need, they may generate more dollars for their funding.
• A $296,106 decrease was due to the removal of funds carried forward into 26, no longer needed for 27.
• They just right-size every year from LDOE, and that funding was carried forward and it's no longer needed
• And that net decrease is the removal of funds carried forward no longer needed for FY27. $102,415 is

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee met on March 17 to review the FY27 budgets for the Department of Education and several special schools and commissions. Fiscal staff outlined the Department of Education’s roughly $6.4 billion budget, noting that most funding goes to the Minimum Foundation Program and subgrantee assistance. Major changes discussed included the removal of one-time teacher pay stipends, increases for the LA GATOR scholarship program, and projected adjustments in early childhood funding. Members also reviewed the constitutional amendment proposal tied to using about $2 billion to pay down teacher retirement obligations and provide future teacher pay raises. Dr. Cade Brumley testified that Louisiana’s education outcomes have improved and answered questions on math performance, charter school funding, the LA GATOR scholarship, and the special education Choice program. Members pressed the department on the sustainability and balance of funding between LA GATOR and Choice, the number of applicants and current recipients, and outreach efforts. Brumley said charter schools are funded through the MFP like other public schools, that LA GATOR currently serves about 5,500 students with applications recently reaching about 17,000, and that the Choice program serves about 500 students with a waiting list of about 700 applicants. He also said the department would implement whatever funding levels the legislature approves. The committee then heard the special schools and commissions budget, including the Special School District, Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, Thrive Academy, École Pointe-au-Chien, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and BESE. Testimony focused on facility needs, enrollment, and program outcomes. LSU? No—LSM leaders described urgent roof and ceiling repairs estimated at about $800,000, while Thrive Academy highlighted student achievement, community service requirements, and economic impact. LPB said it is facing a federal funding loss of about $2.5 million and is responding with higher Passport fees, underwriting, and private fundraising. BESE’s small staff and administrative role were also explained, with members asking about board operations and the use of statutory dedication funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we need new funding for training, for ABOD screening, and to bolster our employment supports.
• But as we face this unprecedented need, we know that we will definitely need more funding in the future
• I also want to support the need to fund emergency food banks and CalFood funding.
• To truly serve our communities, we need funding.
• To truly serve our communities, we need funding.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services opened its first hearing of the year with a discussion centered on CalFresh, the Department of Social Services, and related anti-poverty and immigrant services programs. Chair Jackson framed the hearing as a response to the “historic and enormous challenges” created by H.R. 1, emphasizing that the committee’s goal was to minimize harm to vulnerable Californians. No votes were taken in the hearing. The first major topic was the impact of H.R. 1 on CalFresh eligibility and administration. CDSS estimated major federal funding reductions, with hundreds of thousands of Californians potentially losing benefits under new time limits and work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, and additional losses among certain non-citizen groups. County welfare directors, eligibility workers, SEIU, and other advocates argued that counties are underfunded and understaffed to implement the new rules, and urged release of the previously authorized $20 million General Fund, a county match waiver, and an additional ongoing workforce investment. LAO and the Department of Finance said they were reviewing the administration’s proposals and emphasized the need to use existing data, automation, and statutory direction to reduce administrative burden and improve implementation. A second panel addressed county administrative backfill and the broader fiscal effects of H.R. 1. CDSS explained that the law shifts more administrative costs to the state and counties beginning in federal fiscal year 2027 and could also create future state benefit costs tied to payment error rates. County and food bank representatives warned that many counties will struggle to absorb the higher match and that penalties tied to payment error rates could worsen budget pressure. Members pressed Finance and CDSS for clearer timelines, written responses, and more detailed workload assumptions, while Finance said it was still analyzing the federal guidance and county resource needs. The final major topic was the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and possible state responses for people losing federal CalFresh eligibility. CDSS said CFAP remains limited by statute and by the federal structure it currently uses, but that the planned expansion to Californians age 55 and older regardless of immigration status remains on track for October 1, 2027, subject to funding. Immigrant advocates urged the state to fold newly excluded humanitarian immigrants into CFAP and to invest in outreach and administration, while Western Center on Law and Poverty proposed a broader state-funded anti-hunger response for people cut off by H.R. 1. LAO noted that the CFAP expansion is difficult to estimate and that further policy and technical work would be needed to assess costs and implementation options.

Transcript Highlights:

• They either need it from, if they get an ASIC award, they need additional MHP funds, or they get resources
• To do all of this important work, HCD's funding mechanisms need to be updated.
• We need to be able to rely on these kinds of funds to make it possible for us to even consider whether
• I'd like to echo my colleagues' comments about the need for funding for housing programs, including the
• We appreciate the Senate's budget plan. ...colleagues' comments about the need for funding for housing

Transcript Highlights:

• If we need to refund some funds for a federal grant to the grantors, those types of things.
• So in order for the other funds to be used here, we would need a piece of legislation to pass.
• So in order for the other funds to be used here, we would need a piece of legislation to pass.
• And so there is funding available. There wasn't any need for the GR.
• And that's why And so there is funding available. There wasn't any need for the GR.

Summary: The Budget Committee heard the Department of Mental Health’s FY 2027 budget presentation, with Director Valerie Hoon outlining a $4.4 billion department budget, including $1.7 billion in general revenue, and describing the department’s roles in substance use, behavioral health, and developmental disabilities services. Early questioning focused on marijuana-related mental health impacts, but the main discussion centered on the department’s new decision items, funding sources, and expected wait lists. The director explained several increases tied to Medicaid growth, mental health youth services, outpatient competency restoration, crisis residential services, developmental disability waivers, and provider tax adjustments, along with offsets such as reduced wraparound funding at the Kansas City Assessment and Triage Center and cuts to some youth and self-directed DD services. A major portion of the hearing focused on competency restoration for people found unfit to stand trial and currently held in county jails. Members pressed the department on the cost, effectiveness, and legal implications of keeping people in jail while awaiting services, noting a reported wait list of roughly 524 to 538 individuals and average holds of about 14 months. The department said it currently has eight outpatient competency restoration beds in the community, is seeking funding for 50 additional outpatient slots, and also operates jail-based restoration for about 40 people at a time. Members repeatedly asked for breakdowns of violent versus nonviolent cases, success rates, cost per person, and the split between state and federal funding, while the department explained that Medicaid can cover only the treatment portion, not residential housing or other non-billable costs. The committee also discussed broader capacity constraints in state hospitals and developmental disability services. Hoon said Fulton, Center for Behavioral Medicine, and FTC North are full, with 183 vacancies across the department, and that the department is working on a new Kansas City hospital that would add 150 beds, though completion is now expected closer to 2029 or 2030. In the developmental disabilities section, the department warned that the governor’s recommendation would create wait lists for in-home waiver services and crisis residential services, and members questioned proposed reductions to self-directed services rates and other provider payments. No votes were taken, and the committee recessed before finishing the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, the people that are in these different water departments, these managers need funding to deal with
• But, you know, to me, we need to get back to a General Fund commitment to our men and women at Cal Fire
• That’s where we need to be. We need to scale up.
• of the wildlife coexistence and also mentioning that we also need funding for wolf management.
• of the wildlife coexistence and also mentioning that we also need funding for wolf management.

Summary: The subcommittee began by announcing a change in the agenda order, moving item 6 ahead of item 1 and then item 7, and noting there would be no votes taken on any items that day. Item 6 covered a proposed operational efficiencies control section for the Natural Resources Agency that would let multiple departments jointly fund landscape-scale or multi-jurisdictional projects and allow Finance to transfer climate bond funds to a lead state entity. The LAO said the proposal was reasonable but suggested the Legislature consider requiring summary notification on how it is used; Finance said it would consider that request. Item 7 focused on the 2026-27 biodiversity and nature-based solutions spending plan. Finance and the Wildlife Conservation Board described the climate bond funding for habitat restoration, wildlife crossings, public access, tribal nature-based solutions, and related work, including $111 million proposed for WCB and $30 million for Salton Sea habitat and public access projects. The LAO supported the overall approach but flagged the San Andreas Corridor Program as an area where the Legislature may want to specify geographic priorities. Members discussed the pace of Salton Sea work and whether the proposed projects would count toward disadvantaged community goals. Item 8 addressed Cal Fire’s aviation contract and staffing needs for wildfire response. Cal Fire said year-round fire activity, a larger and more complex aircraft fleet, and labor market pressures justified the proposed contract increase, including more mechanics, pilots, and maintenance support. The LAO recommended approval, saying the proposal addressed health and safety concerns. Members asked about contractor staffing, competition in the bidding process, and future technology for early fire detection and suppression. The committee then took up item 1 on golden mussel containment. Fish and Wildlife described the invasive species’ spread in the Delta, the task force and response framework, and a request for eight new positions funded by Prop. 4 to support control plans, outreach, monitoring, research, and coordination with partners and law enforcement. Members pressed the department on whether the state should fund more direct decontamination infrastructure and grants to local water managers, and on the realistic goal of containing the mussel. The chair and several members emphasized the urgency of the threat and requested an itemized breakdown of the $20 million request. The hearing then moved to a broader LAO overview of wildfire prevention and response funding, where the LAO summarized the state’s funding mix and warned that ongoing wildfire resilience funding will likely decline as one-time bond and GGRF funds are exhausted, prompting discussion of long-term funding options and the balance between prevention, suppression, and community hardening.

Transcript Highlights:

• balance to meet their fund balance needs.
• if If something happens and they need to pull down additional funds to maintain the unit value for a
• We won't need to ask for this specific pot of funding again in future years.
• The fund transfer needs to be at the beginning of the month, not the end of the month.
• Now, the special appropriations and the fund transfers are another thing that we need to look at.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Anything below the line, we do not have funding this biennium to fund, and they would need to be deferred
• needs for water projects for the next 14 years. ...this study and address anticipated funding needs
• So it was interesting to me that we're talking about 14 years, but then we have funding needs beyond
• So then if you look at the total estimated funds needed, the completion is about $762 million.
• So then if you look at the total estimated funds needed, the completion is about $762 million.

Summary: The Water Topics Overview Committee met with a quorum and received updates from the Department of Water Resources and the State Water Commission, followed by presentations from Deloitte on two legislative studies required by House Bill 1020. Director Reese Haas reviewed major project and budget updates, including the Northwest Area Water Supply and Southwest Pipeline projects, Resources Trust Fund balances, carryover spending, project prioritization, bid conditions, regional water system coverage, and department process improvements. Members also discussed how the commission prioritizes projects, maintenance expectations, and the impact of limited municipal water supply funding. No formal committee action was taken during the DWR update; the commission’s municipal funding decisions were described as pending its April 8 meeting. Deloitte then presented the cost-share policy study, which found that under current policy and forecasted revenues, North Dakota faces an estimated $1.3 billion shortfall over 14 years, with a near-term gap of about $1.8 billion through 2031. The firm outlined seven recommended options, including tighter definitions and a 25% cost share for eligible replacement projects, caps and financing strategies for the Mouse River and Red River Valley projects, aligning cost share with commission priority guidance, delaying lower-priority projects, using available lines of credit, and adjusting reimbursement timing for revolving loan funds. Committee members questioned inflation assumptions, affordability, user fees, and the use of legacy fund earnings for bonding, but no decisions were made. In the governance and finance study, Deloitte said final recommendations are still being refined, with a final report due May 29. The study examined the Southwest Pipeline, NAWS, and Red River Valley systems using governance and finance criteria such as decision authority, transparency, affordability, risk, and access to funding. For Southwest, Deloitte outlined options ranging from improved state-authority coordination to transferring ownership to the Southwest Water Authority; for NAWS, options focused on strengthening the authority’s role and potentially transitioning operations and maintenance; and for Red River, options ranged from enhanced facilitation to formal state oversight or state ownership. Members asked follow-up questions about ownership transfer, capital repayment streams, and why NAWS was not considered for transfer, and Deloitte said NAWS’s limited organizational maturity made that option less viable in the near term.

Transcript Highlights:

• for services, but does leave a funding need for the DD waiver program.
• for services, but does leave a funding need for the DD waiver program.
• And so we need to make sure that those programs are adequately funded.
• Fund.
• This appropriation is funded through general fund in the executive rec, but is funded through Kiki funding

Committees: Senate Senate Finance , Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• , and the information needed for monitoring, oversight, and allowing the funds to be released to states
• , and the information needed for monitoring, oversight, and allowing the funds to be released to states
• , and the information needed for monitoring, oversight, and allowing the funds to be released to states
• , and the information needed for monitoring, oversight, and allowing the funds to be released to states
• What maintains the smooth flow of the programs, the funds, and the information needed for monitoring,

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• They need to demonstrate to us how their HAP funds will directly impact homelessness metrics.
• They need to strategically pair those HAP funds with other local, state, and federal funds, funds such
• They need to fully obligate their rounds one through three funds.
• They need to have expended all their HAP round one funds.
• San Diego needs to have funds to reduce the number of encampments by more than 12.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on California’s homelessness funding, focusing on the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HAP) Grant and the Encampment Resolution Grant Program. HCD described new accountability requirements, including regional action plans, stronger reporting and expenditure conditions, housing-element compliance, encampment response plans, and public dashboards that track fiscal spending, service outcomes, and encampment resolution status. Officials said the goal is to use the data to identify underperforming grantees, provide technical assistance, and, if needed, withhold or reallocate funds. Local officials from San Diego, Fresno, and Santa Cruz said the programs have helped expand shelter, outreach, and permanent housing, and that state dollars have leveraged local and federal resources. Mayor Todd Gloria said San Diego has used HAP to expand shelter and safe sleeping options, reduce downtown encampments, and increase housing production, but argued the state’s new accountability website is too high-level and does not fully reflect countywide conditions, behavioral health outcomes, or the role of continuum-of-care partners. Fresno officials said HAP and other state funds helped the city add shelter beds and reduce homelessness, while Santa Cruz emphasized that state funding helped build local coordination and draw in federal vouchers. Members pressed the panel on whether HAP is actually reducing homelessness, what the best success metrics should be, and whether the state is getting full, usable data from grantees and subcontractors. Several members asked for more granular jurisdiction-level reporting, better tracking of nonprofit spending, and clearer measures beyond point-in-time counts and “people served.” HCD said it is still improving HMIS participation and data quality, but can already show outcomes such as exits to permanent housing and returns to homelessness. The hearing ended with broad agreement that transparency is important, but disagreement remained over the best measures of success and how much emphasis should be placed on housing, prevention, shelter, and treatment.

Transcript Highlights:

• from proposals funded with the general fund.
• by the general fund, loaning to the general fund.
• We have a lot of state funding for a lot of different things, and, of course, we have a lot of needs.
• That was a tool that came out of that one-time funding that is still existent today. ...should they need
• Those funds have depleted, as many funds across the state have depleted.

Transcript Highlights:

• The current funding process allows lawmakers to allocate resources based on the evolving needs of Florida's
• So the current funding process allows lawmakers to allocate resources based on the evolving needs of
• We need additional funds to target proven researchers and strategic areas like a healthy Florida, advancing
• We need additional funds to target proven researchers, facing Floridians.
• They'd have no idea what the bar was that they needed to achieve in order to be eligible for funding,

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on higher education funding, focusing on how Florida’s university system should be financed and whether a new funding model is needed. University system financial officers and Chancellor Ray Rodriguez discussed major cost drivers, including wages and benefits, utilities, maintenance, financial aid, research, and the effects of geography, institutional mission, and student mix. UF highlighted the cost of research and graduate programs; UCF and FAU pointed to growth, location, and cost of living; FAMU emphasized recruiting top-tier talent while relying on other revenue sources; and UNF noted the challenges of growth and long-term planning. Members also discussed the role of internal controls and audits in addressing excessive spending and questioned whether out-of-state tuition should be adjusted to help offset costs. On revenue sources beyond state appropriations and tuition, the panel described auxiliaries, restricted funds, capital projects, and component units such as foundations and health systems. Several universities noted that some revenues are restricted to specific purposes and cannot be used for general operations. FAMU explained that a large share of its capital project funding reflected active campus construction, while UF said its component-unit revenue is largely tied to UF Health. The Chancellor emphasized that the system’s low tuition and strong state support are central to Florida’s national standing, but also noted that some auxiliary revenues are pledged to debt and must be managed carefully. When discussing the current funding process, witnesses praised Florida’s performance-based funding model for aligning incentives with student success, transparency, and accountability. They also raised concerns about non-recurring appropriations, rising employee benefit costs, unfunded mandates, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of multi-year planning. Suggestions for improvement included more recurring funding, better coverage of mandated costs, greater flexibility in fee-setting, and possible weighting for mission, geography, and institutional type. The Chancellor said the Board of Governors is considering a “version 3.0” of performance-based funding that would benchmark institutions against peers and Carnegie classifications, but any changes would require legislative action. On out-of-state tuition, most universities said they would prefer local board flexibility, while the Chancellor cautioned that increasing out-of-state enrollment or fees could affect future state support and should be balanced carefully.