Transcript Highlights:

• We have done some infrastructure improvements in particular.
• And early on, you know, we consider the local government our partner for the road... of coordinating
• on, you know, we considered the local government our partner for the road to recovery because, again
• The one road in, one road out, which is extremely well known in Hawaii, but I'm seeing it pretty much
• The one road in, one road out, which is extremely well known in Hawaii, but I'm seeing it pretty much

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> language down the road. language down the road.
• And I live at 178 Pineh Hill Road, Hollis. So Pineh Hill Road being the street.
• And I live at 178 Pineh Hill Road, Hollis. So Pineh Hill Road being the street.
• And I live at 178 Pineh Hill Road, Hollis. So Pineh Hill Road being the street.
• So Pineh Hill Road being Road, Hollis. So Pineh Hill Road being the<01:56:23.920><c> street.

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Typically, the road authority is responsible for the installation of the signals and things, and then
• , utility extensions, road extensions, etc., to basically support development.
• </c><01:05:17.960><c> that</c> other infrastructure improvements that other infrastructure improvements
• </c><01:05:20.440><c> the</c> are necessary uh to improve the are necessary uh to improve the transportation
• </c> essentially to um uh the connecting road essentially to um uh the connecting road that<01:05:55.680

Committee: House Capital Investment

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• of the back of a truck, so you have 35 feet behind the truck when towing a travel trailer down the road
• rather than relying on measurements that do not reflect how these vehicles actually operate on the road
• This structural design improves stability, reduces sway, and allows for a tighter and more predictable
• allows Washington RV dealers to sell the same fifth-wheel models available elsewhere without changing road
• state in the country not currently measuring or allowing fifth-wheel trailers of this length on the road

Bills: HB2467 , HB2495 , HB2552

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: HB 2467, fifth-wheel travel trailer, fifth wheel trailer, travel trailer, RV, recreational vehicle, trailer length, vehicle length limits, oversize vehicle, truck and trailer, tractor-semitrailer, semi-trailer, kingpin, Washington RCW, Department of Transportation, WSDOT, highway safety, commercial trucking, towing, motor home

Transcript Highlights:

• neighborhoods and helping to improving neighborhoods and helping to improve<00:13:10.000><c> health<
• people driving on local roads.
• </c> experience for example in improving experience for example in improving septic<01:23:20.280><c>
• Class Five roads are better.
• Class Five roads are better.

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• off our roads, and all the above.
• They're in our backyards, in our front yards, lining the roads that I grew up on.
• They're in our backyards, in our front yards, lining the roads that I grew up on.
• There's really improvements for flow in the rivers, as I had mentioned.
• We cannot continue down this road that we've gone so many times before.

Summary: The committee heard several water, wildlife, and land-use bills. AB 2218 by Assembly Member Calóra would establish a state policy directing agencies to recognize and address water-related inequities affecting tribes; tribal supporters said it is a needed step toward restoring a voice at the table, while water agencies and local government groups opposed it as vague and potentially harmful to water supply reliability. The bill was amended in committee and moved forward on a vote, though it was left on call. AB 2032 by Assembly Member Ransom, the Golden Mussel Response Act, would speed agency response to the invasive golden mussel by streamlining permits and research; it drew broad support and no opposition, and passed the committee unanimously to Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. AB 1712 by Assembly Member Pacheco would let Santa Fe Springs sell its small, contaminated water system through a protest process instead of a municipal election; supporters said it would avoid major rate hikes and improve reliability, and it was moved to Appropriations, though the vote was left on call. The committee also considered AB 1722 by Assembly Member Hadwick, which would create a clearer self-defense exception under the California Endangered Species Act for people facing dangerous predators. The author and a sheriff described a fatal mountain lion attack and argued rural residents need certainty; Defenders of Wildlife withdrew opposition after committee amendments, and the bill advanced to Judiciary on a vote that was left on call. AB 1613 by Assembly Member Wilson would require an off-highway vehicle safety and stewardship certification course before operating OHVs on public lands starting in 2029. Supporters said it would reduce accidents and educate new riders, while Vice Chair Gonzalez raised concerns about fees, penalties, tourism, and impacts on low-income residents in his district; the bill passed on a split vote and was left on call. Later, AB 1808 by Assembly Member Carrillo would expand local permitting authority for Western Joshua tree projects and reduce or waive some fees for homeowners and public works. Supporters framed it as a way to balance conservation with housing and infrastructure needs, while environmental groups opposed changes they said would weaken avoidance and mitigation protections; the bill passed to Natural Resources and was left on call. AB 1894 by Assembly Member Rubio would address imported water deliveries and groundwater recharge in the context of golden mussel restrictions, with supporters arguing for a statewide, science-based approach that preserves water reliability; it advanced to Appropriations with no opposition. Throughout the hearing, members repeatedly emphasized the need to balance competing interests, especially around water reliability, tribal equity, public safety, and environmental protection.

Transcript Highlights:

• A car comes down a road going in a slow fashion because these are normally on back roads.
• The driver stops, may into the road.
• He's turned off the road. He's fashion. He's turned off the road.
• </c><01:04:14.319><c> I</c><01:04:14.559><c> turn</c> road. I see a deer in a field. I turn road.
• Continued improvement in wildlife management and habitat improvements will likely increase those revenue

Committee: House Fish and Game and Marine Resources

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The plans can always be improving.
• </c> The status of improvement was unknown. The status of improvement was unknown.
• And again, we don't care if it's state road, county roads, or private land. We're going to do it.
• Yeah, you mentioned maybe even shutting down some roads or contraflowing some road patterns.
• </c> contraflowing some some road patterns. contraflowing some some road patterns.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Public Safety held an informational briefing on hazard mitigation planning and recent tsunami and wildfire threats. Chair Dela Buladi opened by framing the meeting around the need for iterative disaster planning and lessons learned from events such as the Lahaina wildfires, the Puna Coast earthquake/tsunami, and recent wildfire activity. The committee heard first from Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Tomage Magno, who explained the federal and local hazard mitigation planning process, including the requirement for an active five-year mitigation plan to qualify for federal disaster funds. He described the plan as a living document built from prior plans, public and agency outreach, risk and capability assessments, and ongoing updates, with county departments, state agencies, and subject matter experts participating in the process. Magno outlined several FEMA-related mitigation funding programs, including flood mitigation assistance, post-fire assistance, pre-disaster mitigation, revolving loan funds, and dam safety grants. He emphasized that the Hawaii County plan was recently approved by FEMA, that the county council approves the plan, and that the county reviews it annually with a formal revision process beginning in the fourth year. Members asked about how the plan tracks project status, how priorities and funding changes are handled, and whether federal funding programs might be affected by HR1; Magno said the county is proceeding on the assumption that funding will remain available and noted some sources have been reestablished. He also said the county encourages council participation in meetings and planning. Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen then addressed the committee on DOT’s response to a recent tsunami threat, saying the agency had about four hours to prepare before the first wave arrival and was focused on its own operational response rather than the broader statewide planning process. In response to questions, he stated that FHWA funds cannot be used for evacuation routes, which is why prior legislative funding was important. Members also discussed specific mitigation projects such as fire breaks, bridge retrofits, and the Singing Bridge, with DOT noting that work is underway and that a replacement bridge upstream is being planned to carry traffic during repairs. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the informational briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill applies to on-road heavy-duty vehicles, off-road diesel equipment, and several equipment vehicles
• off-road, and including special equipment.
• There's roads and equipment and lay-down facilities.
• Of course, we work on things and improve things.
• CEQA helped improve a harmful project that would have worsened air quality.

Summary: The committee heard SB 1375 by Senator Cortese, which would streamline environmental review for certain transit and rail projects that have already undergone extensive prior review. Supporters, including VTA, San Jose transportation staff, BART, Caltrain, MTC, and Climate Reality Silicon Valley, said the bill would reduce duplicative analysis, save time and money, and help advance projects like the Diridon Station modernization in San Jose. Committee members emphasized the bill’s narrow scope and the added amendments requiring displacement planning, legal services for displaced residents, construction-impact mitigation, and natural resources planning. The bill was approved on a 5-0 vote and sent to Transportation as amended. The committee also took up SB 1031 on compostable plastics labeling and waste-stream impacts. The author and supporters such as Californians Against Waste argued the bill would reduce greenwashing, clarify labeling, cut contamination in compost and recycling streams, and direct OEHHA to study health and environmental effects. Opposition from manufacturers, BPI, retailers, and others focused on concerns that the bill would effectively ban compostable products in California, create costs, and fail to fix a separate federal/NOP labeling problem. After extensive discussion about composting capacity, labeling clarity, and costs, the bill passed 3-2 to Appropriations. SB 958 by Senator Weber Pierson addressed the Midway Rising redevelopment project in San Diego. The bill, as amended, would no longer create a full CEQA exemption but instead clarify CEQA treatment of building-height impacts in the project’s future EIR. Supporters said the project would deliver thousands of housing units, including affordable housing, along with parks, a new arena, and economic benefits on underused city land. The committee voiced support for the project’s housing and revitalization goals, and the bill passed 3-0 to Local Government as amended. The committee also heard SB 1075 on strengthening AB 617 community air protection plans, with environmental justice supporters backing stronger enforcement and local implementation while local governments, business groups, and air district representatives warned it could create uncertainty, raise costs, and function as a land-use mandate; the bill was held on a 2-2 vote after the author accepted several amendments and continued negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> To this day, if there's a vehicle that looks like a police vehicle and I'm on the road, I'm taking
• bridges and roads can prevent accidents and help communities respond to emergencies.
• And everywhere we went, it was water and sewer infrastructure and road infrastructure.
• </c><00:03:31.280><c> public</c> When it comes to improving public When it comes to improving public
• </c> sewer infrastructure and road sewer infrastructure and road infrastructure.<00:04:33.040><c> Um,

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bill 2284 is about results and accountability, using the dollars people already pay to get cleaner roads
• WPPA strongly supports improving air quality, and Washington ports have demonstrated leadership.
• Overall, we'd argue that the bill doesn't do a ton to improve air quality and is an end run around to
• Tires on the road, the actual contact and friction between tires and the road, is what is the most significant
• Tires on the road, the actual like contact and friction between tires and the road is what is the most

Summary: The committee heard testimony on three main bills. House Bill 2284 on reducing litter would remove a scheduled increase in plastic bag thickness, preserve the existing penalty on thicker bags, and create a litter solutions task force to use existing data and recommend further actions. Supporters from business, retail, agriculture, food industry, and the Department of Ecology said the bill takes a data-driven approach and could help reduce litter without imposing a full bag ban, while Ecology noted it already has a statewide litter study underway and raised cost and membership concerns. Opponents and other commenters generally favored the bill’s direction but emphasized the need for more study and careful implementation. No vote was taken. House Bill 1652 would require certain ocean-going vessels in Washington waters to use fuel with no more than 0.1% sulfur, with recordkeeping, Ecology oversight, penalties, and a substitute clarifying vessel coverage and exemptions. The prime sponsor and environmental and public health advocates said the bill would reduce air and water pollution from scrubbers and protect the Salish Sea, orcas, salmon, and nearby communities. Ports, shipping interests, and industry groups raised concerns that the bill could effectively discourage scrubbers, create burdens for irregular callers and cargo traffic, and affect port competitiveness, while some said the bill should be narrowed or further stakeholdered. The hearing also included discussion of a proposed substitute and possible impacts on vessels and port operations. House Bill 2367 would end special coal-related exemptions by limiting the cap-and-invest exemption to pre-2026 emissions, removing limits on additional greenhouse gas regulation for the coal plant, and repealing coal sales and use tax exemptions. Supporters said the bill would align state law with the planned closure of the Centralia coal plant, reinforce Washington’s climate policies, and remove outdated carve-outs. Business and petroleum representatives warned that if the plant were brought back into the cap-and-invest program, the allowance market could be affected and Ecology might need flexibility to adjust the program. The committee heard extensive testimony on all three bills but took no recorded votes or final action in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know in the road plan, you know, it may not be apples to apples, but in a road project, sometimes it'll
• take them a year and a half, two years just to get the design finished on a road. >> Right?
• >> So in the road project, sometimes we'll ask for, like Representative Bowling was saying, just give
• back home, it apples, but in in a road back home, it takes<00:20:49.760><c> you</c><00:20:49.840><c>
• ,</c> design finished on a on a road, design finished on a on a road, &gt;&gt; right?

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee heard testimony from the Energy and Environment Cabinet on the state-owned dam repair program and Kentucky’s electric grid resilience program. On dams, Commissioner Tony Hatton explained the legal definition and hazard classifications for Kentucky dams, noting there are 975 regulated dams statewide, including 76 state-owned dams, and that hazard ratings are based on potential loss of life or property damage if a dam fails. He described the cabinet’s screening criteria, including inundation mapping, engineering condition, and compliance status, and said the cabinet uses a design-bid-build procurement process to manage public funds responsibly. Hatton outlined current and planned dam projects funded from the prior biennium, including Willisburg Lake in Washington County, where work will address hydraulic capacity, unstable downstream slopes, and likely require a coffer dam, flood wall, auxiliary spillway, and raw water line replacement. He also said Big Bone Lake State Park Dam will be decommissioned, Clemens Lake Dam at Morehead State University is in design for a major rehabilitation, and additional projects include Marion County Sportsman’s Dam, Chenoa Lake Creek/Canning Creek Dam, and a rehabilitation study for the Mud River at Lake Malone. The cabinet also requested $500,000 for routine repairs and maintenance. Members questioned cost estimates, inflation, and whether it would be better to fund design separately; cabinet officials said estimates are current best engineering estimates, costs have generally stayed within about 10%, and the current funding flow requires all funds to be available before bidding. The committee then received a status update on the electric grid resilience program, a five-year federal formula grant under Section 40101(d) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Officials said Kentucky has received years one through three of funding, which has been allocated to state park facilities and municipal electric utilities, while years four and five have not yet been received and would go to distribution cooperatives and remaining municipal utilities. Projects discussed included upgrades at Ken Lake State Park and Kentucky Dam Village, plus municipal projects in Owensboro, Princeton, Williamstown, and Hopkinsville. The cabinet said the selected projects focus on hardening infrastructure, replacing poles, wires, conductors, and transformers, improving vegetation management, and adding or upgrading outage management systems. Officials reported that all projects are under contract and moving into subcontracting and construction, while the Department of Parks is finalizing an agreement with Western Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative for the park-related work.

Transcript Highlights:

• It improves the information on which these decisions are made by requiring CARB to analyze how major
• And that has significantly improved air quality.
• And that's because they want to improve our roads, as was mentioned.
• Repairs because of how lousy our roads are.
• and repair that we just heard about, how important our roads are.

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, reducing the number of uninsured drivers on the road is good for all Minnesotans.
• It creates safer roads and fewer tickets for uninsured driving, reduces the burden on police, the court
• Finally, reducing the number of uninsured drivers on the road is good for all Minnesotans.
• It creates safer roads and fewer tickets for uninsured driving, reduces the burden on police, the court
• making this one-time appropriation to the self-sustaining program would not only make Minnesota's roads

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• need to be made, but that would be on down the road and ultimately the responsibility of the regional
• We raised that dam and actually expanded the capacity, so that's an area of improvement.
• And so, you know, when animals are running across the road, somebody's mind prioritizes around.
• Yes, we need to improve our environmental conditions and we need to securitize our water supply.
• TIRCP is important for long-term capital projects that improve service quality and reliability.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the May Revision from the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office, focused on resources, environmental protection, energy, and related budget issues. Finance said the May Revision keeps the budget balanced in 2026-27 and 2027-28, narrows the structural deficit, and proposes major investments in natural resources, including Proposition 4 bond funding for the Golden Gate Fields acquisition, wildlife refuge and wetland projects, Fort Ord Dunes campground operations, Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, wildfire-human coexistence, and beverage container recycling. The LAO praised stronger-than-expected revenues but argued the state still has a structural deficit and is relying too heavily on reserves, recommending more reserve deposits and fewer new discretionary expenditures. Members questioned several proposals, especially the Golden Gate Fields purchase and the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program. Agency officials said the Golden Gate Fields site is a time-limited opportunity, would be remediated by the current owner, transferred to East Bay Regional Park District after closing, and restricted to park/open-space uses rather than commercial development. On Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, Finance and the Natural Resources Agency said the $25 million request would help launch year one of the program, support scientific monitoring, and maintain commitments to environmental flows and habitat restoration; the LAO said the request was premature because the Bay-Delta plan has not yet been formally adopted and the state’s total funding commitment remains unclear. Officials also discussed water storage, subsidence, and the need for ongoing investments in aquifer recharge, aqueduct repairs, and recycling. The committee also reviewed a proposed $1 million shift for the Coexisting with Wildlife Initiative. Fish and Wildlife and the Cattlemen’s Association said the money would support limited-term staffing, deterrence tools, and livestock-loss compensation, while acknowledging the amount is modest compared with the need. Members emphasized the growing human-wildlife conflict problem and the importance of nonlethal deterrence and public education. The discussion then turned to greenhouse gas reduction fund revenues and transit; members warned that lower auction revenues and possible CARB rule changes could leave little or nothing for Tier 3 programs such as transit, clean water, and air-quality programs. Finance and the LAO said the Legislature should plan for multiple revenue scenarios and consider whether the existing cap-and-invest spending framework still matches current revenue expectations and priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• that need to be done down the road?
• Where they set the boundaries, we still use county roads as a dividing point.
• avoid road restrictions.
• avoid road restrictions.
• avoid road restrictions.

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:

• The program must include proposed road and bridge construction work and other transportation facilities
• The work of the council is intended to identify ways to improve the transportation system and identify
• Ports adopt a harbor improvement plan and, as part of that plan, a freight development plan.
• These projects, the roads I'm talking about, don't meet the strategic corridor requirements.
• They are surface roads in communities. All right, all right. Um, I don't have any further...

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our energy partners to better manage the road network in the Bakken.
• We've improved profitability and sustainability of crop production across North Dakota.
• We estimate the conditions of the paved roads.
• We survey the counties about the gravel roads, and we come up with investment needs for the unpaved roads
• and transportation assistance, mostly road planning, safety, and operations.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first reviewed the 2024-25 tuition waiver report for the North Dakota University System. Staff explained that waivers were reported for degree-seeking students and broken out by residency, institution, and waiver type. Members asked about partial versus full waivers, institutional discretion, athletic waivers, and whether campuses have published guardrails or transparency requirements. Staff said most waivers are set by institutions, with some statutory and board-required categories, and that athletic waivers are a small share of total waiver dollars. The report showed total gross tuition of $354.5 million, tuition waived of $38.9 million, and 11,193 of 42,040 students receiving some waiver. Members also discussed how waivers affect net tuition revenue, housing and food collections, and whether campuses are using waivers strategically compared with scholarships and other funding sources. The committee then heard a presentation on tuition rates by campus and State Board policy. Staff explained the board’s tuition factors for resident, Minnesota reciprocity, contiguous-state/U.S. nonresident, and international students, and noted that campuses often seek exceptions based on program-specific competition and enrollment goals. Members asked whether rates are based on cost or competition, and staff said campuses typically bring forward estimates and market comparisons when requesting special rates. The presentation also reviewed general fund appropriations versus net tuition revenue by campus, and members discussed how local tuition decisions and waivers do not directly affect the state funding formula, though they do affect institutional revenue and reserves. Questions were also raised about the Higher Learning Commission’s financial composite indicator and how it differs from the more intuitive reserve and revenue figures. The committee next received a broad overview of non-higher-education entities affiliated with the State Board of Higher Education, beginning with NDSU agriculture-related units. Dr. Greg Lardy described the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, the NDSU Extension Service, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the branch research centers, emphasizing their statewide role in crop and livestock research, extension education, and county-based outreach. He outlined funding mixes for extension, the experiment station, and branch stations, noting that grants and contracts support both research and education, while the agronomy seed farm is self-funded through seed sales. Members asked about the new and vacant FTE pool, R1 research status, matching requirements for grants, and whether state appropriations count toward research expenditures. Dr. Lardy also highlighted major research impacts, including crop varieties, virtual fencing, AI-assisted weed control, and NDAWN weather data. The Northern Crops Institute and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute also presented. NCI described its role in market development, technical services, and education for regional agriculture, its governance through the Northern Crops Council, and its funding from state appropriations, other states, and earned revenue. Members asked about the source of out-of-state funding, intellectual property, and the institute’s international reach. UGPTI then outlined its transportation research, federal and state funding structure, and work on road and bridge condition assessments, travel demand modeling, and workforce training. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Road improvements, those two, you know, we both discussed those, so it's Senate at this point, and we'll
• Overpass and the one above that that said road improvement, we're doing the Senate position because those
• Clarendon Road, Senator position, Senate position. 0.05, Clarendon Road, third one down.
• Clarendon Road. A little more clarity here.
• ultimately end up being a city road.

Committee: House Conference Committee on Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> it's an engineering issue it's Road it's an engineering issue it's Road design<03:26:44.359><c>
• Road toll collections to DMV, so all of the road toll collections and the DMV road toll, essentially.
• or unnumbered state lower tier roads or unnumbered state roads<04:40:56.878><c> are</c><04:40:57.718
• </c> Revenue into Capital Improvement Revenue into Capital Improvement projects<04:52:08.400><c> and<
• roads.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Division 2 Finance Committee heard an overview and budget presentation from New Hampshire Fish and Game, led by new Executive Director Stephanie Simi and Business Division Chief Kathy Leonti. The agency described its mission to conserve and manage fish, wildlife, and marine resources, and emphasized growing pressures from disease, climate impacts, habitat change, and increased public demand. Simi said the department is largely funded by hunting and fishing license revenue and federal grants, is reviewing staffing and internal processes, and faces critical needs including permanent funding for environmental review staff, infrastructure and IT modernization, and possible service reductions if additional support is not found. Members asked about specific program and policy issues, including chronic wasting disease in deer, hemorrhagic disease in rabbits and hares, moose population decline, and a proposed bait-disease bill. The department said it is actively monitoring diseases and did not see a need for the bait bill at this time. Legislators also discussed the Hike Safe program, which the department said has grown from an expected $100,000 annually to more than $300,000, and a possible boating version of that program, which the department said remains under consideration but would involve complex logistics and multiple agencies. Questions were also raised about rescue costs, out-of-state hikers, and whether boat registrations could be used as a revenue source; Fish and Game said boat registration is handled by the Department of Safety, though the department receives $5 per registered boat for the public boat access program. The budget discussion focused on revenue projections, use of unrestricted Fish and Game funds, and dependence on federal reimbursements. Leonti said the department met the governor’s general fund target but not the Fish and Game fund target without using surplus unrestricted funds, leaving only about $100,000 in the fund by the end of the biennium. She said the budget uses more than $18 million in Fish and Game funds annually against about $14 million in unrestricted revenue, and that five of 193 full-time positions remain unfunded. The department warned that if federal grants were halted, it could cost about $5 million over five months and force the Fish and Game fund to cover the gap. Committee members also requested that future presentations be sent electronically in advance, and the department agreed to do so.