Transcript Highlights:

• contradictory to our system out there. contradictory to our system out there.
• c><00:54:03.760> um<00:54:04.079> by tracking people by county um by tracking people by
• You know, I'm not sure whether we can track a person once they fall off our system, so we know that they
• The counties may have other systems, such as case-management-type tracking cases that aren't held by
• system just in the seven county metro? system just in the seven county metro?

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Department of Human Services briefed the committee on how the federal HR1 law will affect Minnesota Medicaid and related programs. Budget Director Elise Bailey said the 900-page bill makes sweeping changes that will reduce coverage, increase administrative complexity for counties and tribal governments, raise uncompensated care for providers, and reduce federal funding. She reviewed current Medicaid spending and enrollment, emphasizing that the largest impacts will fall on the adult expansion group (adults ages 21-64 without children), which currently receives a 90% federal match. Bailey walked through several major provisions: work and community engagement requirements for the adult expansion group beginning January 1, 2027; six-month renewals for that same group; shorter retroactive coverage periods; new cost-sharing requirements for expansion enrollees above 100% of poverty; narrower Medicaid eligibility for certain lawful noncitizens; limits on provider taxes and state-directed payments; a reduced federal match for emergency medical assistance; and tighter federal rules on payment error penalties. She said many provisions require state law changes and additional federal guidance, and she cited research from Georgia suggesting work requirements increased administrative burden and caused coverage losses without increasing employment. The department estimated fiscal effects including reduced Medicaid spending in some areas but higher state costs in others, such as MinnesotaCare, emergency medical assistance, administrative systems, and provider uncompensated care. Bailey said the immigration-status changes would shift some people from Medical Assistance to MinnesotaCare, and that provider-tax and state-directed-payment changes could reduce future funding to hospitals and other providers. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided; the presentation was informational and the department indicated it would return with proposed state-law language as needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• state longitudinal data system.
• state longitudinal data system.
• Uh we currently are tracking<00:14:15.360> 22,046 tracking 22,046 tracking 22,046 unique<00:14
• These are the academic track students.
• Uh 53% a tracks they're following.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 210; 14 January, 2026: 3:30 PM, 925, all

Summary: MDES presented its FY27 budget request, describing the agency as a special fund workforce agency focused on helping Mississippians get jobs through employment services, labor market information, and unemployment insurance. Executive Director Bill Ashley said the revised request seeks level spending authority similar to FY26, with line-item changes driven mainly by higher salaries and fringe benefits and lower contractual services. He said MDES currently has 406 employees, 28 active recruitments, and six additional planned positions, for a requested total of 440 positions, down from 453 authorized last year. The request also includes $1.4 million for the State Longitudinal Data System and $400,000 for Accelerate Mississippi fiscal support. Committee members asked about the SLDS pass-through funding, whether it is recurring, and the staffing/pin changes; MDES explained the SLDS is a recurring annual pass-through and that the staffing request reflects turnover and recruitment needs rather than a net expansion. Accelerate Mississippi then outlined its FY27 request and program updates. Officials said the office is requesting level funding overall, with some salary adjustments tied to benefits and two new positions, including one for Talent Solutions and one systems administrator. They described workforce initiatives such as Encore, a recruiter/instructor program; Facet, a partnership with Northwest Mississippi Community College to strengthen instructor preparation; Power Path, a K-12 advanced manufacturing credential model; and expanded career coach activity, reporting 204 coaches serving 209 schools and more than 22,000 unique student interactions. They also reviewed funding streams for workforce enhancement training, Mississippi Works, Equip Mississippi, and ARPA, saying ARPA funds are on track to be fully spent by the September 30 reimbursement deadline and that monthly check-ins are being used to ensure funds are drawn down. Members asked about the budget changes, the use of contractual services, and the career coach program; the office said it was shifting some audit and monitoring costs to the funds being monitored and was not requesting an increase for career coach funding. The Mississippi community college presidents and the Community College Board also presented their budget priorities. They reported that Mississippi community colleges served 88,600 students in academic year 2023 and said the system’s graduation rate is about 42 percent, with a goal of reaching 55 percent. Their FY27 request includes a 6 percent salary increase for employees, increased basic operations funding, and continued support for CTE Advantage programs, totaling $61.5 million in general support. On facilities, they requested $150 million after receiving no facilities funding last year, citing roughly $413 million in identified needs across capital improvements, repairs and renovations, and pre-planning. The Community College Board requested restoration of $310,000 in general fund cuts and a new $2 million appropriation for adult education, noting that an estimated 300,000 to 330,000 Mississippians lack a high school diploma. No votes were taken during the presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• So as a system, it's installed offshore.
• It's the same system that will be installed in Fort Bragg.
• So really finding a way to fast-track that permitting, especially for solutions like ours, to fast-track
• to systems on a ship in the Pacific Ocean.
• And the system is storm resilient. a second just this month.

Summary: The Select Committee on Climate Innovation and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on emerging technologies for climate resilience and infrastructure. The first panel discussed the Calistoga Resiliency Center, a utility-driven microgrid that keeps the city powered during public safety power shutoffs using hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and liquid hydrogen storage. PG&E described microgrids as a resilience tool but emphasized that cost remains the main barrier to wider deployment. Energy Vault explained the project’s design, its ability to provide at least 48 hours of backup power on a small parcel of land, and its use of green hydrogen and battery storage to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. A Calistoga councilmember and NCPA representative also discussed the Lodi Energy Center hydrogen project, saying it could help decarbonize power generation and transportation, but that federal and state funding changes, tax credit timing, and other policy shifts have made the project difficult to advance. The Green Hydrogen Coalition supported the Calistoga model as a blueprint and urged policy changes to create demand and reduce barriers for renewable hydrogen, including addressing behind-the-meter rules and recognizing hydrogen in state energy planning. The second panel focused on water resilience and desalination, with the California Desal Association and Oneka Technologies discussing wave-powered desalination for the City of Fort Bragg. Cal Desal said California’s changing hydrology, reduced snowpack, and drought conditions make local water supply options increasingly important, but noted that conventional desalination is expensive and slow to permit. Oneka described its offshore, wave-powered system as a zero-electricity desalination technology that produces drinking water without greenhouse gas emissions and with limited land use, and said the Fort Bragg pilot is intended to demonstrate the technology under California conditions. The company and Cal Desal both stressed that permitting is a major obstacle, with the project requiring multiple agencies and a timeline far longer than in other jurisdictions. They also said the technology’s autonomous operation could improve water resilience because it does not depend on the electrical grid. The final panel featured the Climate Foundation’s marine permaculture proposal, which aims to restore kelp forests and support carbon removal and coastal food systems. The presenter said warming oceans and nutrient loss have devastated kelp forests along the California coast and argued that offshore platforms that raise and lower seaweed to access nutrients and sunlight could help regenerate ecosystems while producing food, feed, fertilizer, and carbon benefits. He said the technology has shown strong growth rates and storm resilience in other regions, but that California permitting remains a major hurdle, involving 17 state and federal agencies. He proposed a streamlined, code-based permitting approach for smaller projects and said the group is seeking matching funds to complete a first California pilot. Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly highlighted the tension between innovation and the high cost, complexity, and length of California’s permitting and funding processes.

Transcript Highlights:

• to track egregious misconduct by school employees.
• The bill also requires the statewide system to immediately notify the current employer when an employee
• We are our union of educators and classified... ...close any gaps that might exist for us to keep track
• Those who have substantiated findings are going to be tracked, and we can no longer so-called pass the
• What we've done with the database system is we've created pending status.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• were able to use the system.
• The SAVE system is a federal system. We have limited information and reporting related to that.
• SAVE system side.
• We look at what it costs to run the systems, the distribution systems, whether it is the electric system
• A 311 system, I'll touch upon... A 311 system, I'll touch upon.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing at UMass Amherst on Governor Healey’s fiscal year 2027 budget, focusing on energy/environment-related transportation issues and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The chairs and members opened with thanks to UMass, university leadership, court officers, and legislative staff, and Chancellor Javier Reyes highlighted UMass Amherst’s research, workforce, sustainability, and transportation contributions, including energy research, transit operations, and partnerships with MassDOT. The hearing then moved to MassDOT and MBTA testimony on the administration’s transportation funding package, including House 2, the FY26 Fair Share supplemental, and a proposed four-year Chapter 90 authorization. MassDOT officials described the budget as part of a broader multi-year transportation investment strategy, citing funding for operations, snow and ice removal, regional transit authorities, the MBTA, the Merit Rating Board, sustainable aviation fuel credits, micro-transit and last-mile grants, unpaved road improvements, bridge and pavement work, and housing-related transportation infrastructure. They emphasized workforce expansion, capital delivery capacity, safety improvements, and local aid, including the new lane-mile-based Chapter 90 formula intended to benefit rural communities. Officials also discussed major projects and programs such as Grant Central, culvert and unpaved road grants, work zone speed cameras, congestion hotspot fixes, the Sagamore and Bourne Bridge projects, and MBTA operating support and safety upgrades. Testimony from the MBTA and rail/transit staff focused on improved ridership, service frequency, accessibility, and safety, including progress on the Green Line Train Protection System, reduced delays, expanded bus and commuter rail service, and the South Coast rail extension. Regional transit authorities reported increased ridership and described new fare-free, connectivity, and community transit grants. Aeronautics testimony covered airport capital work, drone and data programs, sustainable aviation fuel efforts, and workforce development in aviation maintenance. Committee members then asked questions, especially about Western Massachusetts priorities, Chapter 90 funding, bridge repairs, snow and ice costs, Cape Cod bridges, Buzzard’s Bay rail, and Compass Rail/West-East Rail. Officials said several federal rail grants were moving forward, that Sagamore Bridge procurement would begin soon, and that the administration remained committed to pursuing federal funding and multi-year transportation investments.

Transcript Highlights:

• The system just cannot keep up with it.
• So we continue to track the case. So where is R.C. today?
• So we continue to track the case. So where is RC today?
• One part of the criminal justice system has an issue.
• And, I mean, our track record is...

Bills: SB100

Keywords: burglary, aggravated burglary, dwelling, criminal law, property rights, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the WHP, DCI, and warden's retirement system.
• Wyoming retirement system in this bill.
• <01:04:56.720> that any machine learning based system that any machine learning based system
• <01:06:32.960> for artificial intelligence systems for artificial intelligence systems for
• of artificial intelligence systems of artificial intelligence systems intended<01:06:51.359>

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Regarding Finding Five, when you implement the electronic GPS system, will that be a uniform system across
• You can set alerts in the system.
• Very customized, depending on what alerts you'd like to track.
• It's not a reservation system at this time. We did look at a reservation system.
• It's not a reservation system at this time. We did look at a reservation system.

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then heard audit reports from Tom Bullington. For the Department of Public Safety FY24 audit, two findings were presented: a duplicate vendor payment of nearly $3,700 that was later recouped, and a $2.5 million collateral deficiency tied to bank deposits that exceeded FDIC coverage because securities were not properly pledged to the State Police. Agency representatives from Arkansas State Police and the Department of Public Safety answered questions, and members discussed how the collateral requirement works before the report was filed without objection. The committee then reviewed the Department of Transformation and Shared Services FY24 audit, which contained five findings. These included an $800 career service overpayment caused by incorrect rehire data, delayed deactivation and inaccurate listing of fixed assets including stolen cameras, a double count of more than $940,000 in year-end cash records, $10.3 million in health claims that should have been recorded as fiscal year 2024 payables, and repeated deficiencies in vehicle mileage logs. Agency officials said the stolen cameras were recovered through restitution, and they described corrective steps for asset tracking, cash reporting, and vehicle logs. Members asked detailed questions about the vehicle log issues and the planned statewide GPS/telematics rollout. Shared Administrative Services said it is negotiating a vendor contract, expects to implement the system first in its own department, and aims to use GPS, geofencing, alerts, and WEX fuel-card data to improve oversight while preserving privacy. The committee also discussed possible future vehicle sharing across agencies, but no action was taken beyond filing the report. The meeting adjourned after announcing the next meeting date.

Transcript Highlights:

• We call those often net system revenue bonds.
• For system revenues, some examples are water and wastewater systems, hospitals, universities, electricity
• The net system revenue is typically water or sewer pledges.
• We require for certain net system revenue pledges that they have a debt service.
• Those are harder to track, but for the others, we do ask for and monitor it.

Transcript Highlights:

• that will speak to the Board of Finance's system.
• system, which will be critical for how we certify and track all of the projects and all of the funding
• One in particular is to be able to track a lot of the enrollment data.
• where we're tracking all of the inputs and we have a repository for that data.
• It's a communication module for whenever we get system and standard-based awards.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first proposal authorizes the use of an automated enforcement system on the state highway system
• workload for the California Highway Patrol. ...automated enforcement system on the state highway system
• and body-worn camera system to 5G.
• Essentially, standards for the Sacramento River system, the San Joaquin River system coming through the
• And the good news is we're tracking really close to that.

Summary: The hearing focused on the governor’s May Revision proposals for transportation, natural resources, climate, and related programs, with the Department of Finance and the LAO presenting competing views on the state’s fiscal condition. Finance said the budget remains balanced over two years, with major climate-bond, water, parks, transportation, DMV, and agriculture proposals, while the LAO argued the state still has a structural deficit and should reject or defer many new discretionary spending items, preserve reserves, and be cautious about ongoing commitments. The LAO specifically questioned the timing and scale of new spending for programs such as Clean California, Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, and the Golden Gate Fields acquisition, and urged more clarity on future obligations and revenue scenarios, including for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes proposal for Bay-Delta water quality implementation. Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Finance described it as an enforceable, science-based alternative to a more traditional regulatory approach, with the state’s $25 million request intended to support early implementation, monitoring, habitat restoration, and environmental flows. The LAO countered that the Water Board has not yet adopted the updated Bay-Delta plan, that the proposal may be premature, and that the Legislature should wait for more information on the state’s total funding commitment and the program’s long-term costs. Several members expressed support for the program as a way to reduce conflict and protect water reliability, while others echoed concerns about timing and fiscal exposure. The committee also examined the proposed $125 million Proposition 4 contribution toward acquiring the Golden Gate Fields property for a shoreline park and habitat project. State officials said the acquisition is a time-sensitive, once-in-a-generation opportunity, with an appraised value of $175 million and additional philanthropic and local funding expected to close the gap. Members questioned whether the project had gone through the usual competitive process, whether the site is the best use of scarce park bond dollars, and how public access, habitat, and disadvantaged-community priorities would be protected. The discussion ended without a vote, and the committee moved on to transportation items including Clean California litter abatement, the Games Route Network, homeless encampment coordinators, and DMV modernization and field office proposals, with LAO recommending rejection or delay on several of those requests as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it a mayor-council system? How does that work? Mr. Chairman, Mr.
• We have 600 miles of track and over 400 employees.
• We ensure that our trains are operating on the safest tracks.
• It needs to get off on an adjacent track. so it doesn't clog the main track and doesn't impede the flow
• BNSF has its own track, and we have our track that will bring the trains to the bridge. Okay.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we are tracking our progress of our strategic plan.
• It was the first pilot year of our new school accreditation system and process.
• So are we tracking that.
• To bring our educational system. To being an equitable system of education.
• We all come up in the system. We all are part of the educational system.

Transcript Highlights:

• that we have to be able to track students, their part to be able to track their progress.
• not just our statewide progress monitoring system, but progress monitoring systems districts have used
• for years that predated the statewide system.
• If the with this system in place over a number years that we can actually track the progress of it. >
• Are they still tracking on grade level?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our juvenile justice system from predators.
• To go track down these kids that are not just regular truant.
• What you're describing is not a problem with the court system or the juvenile justice system, but rather
• It's a record that goes on with your school system, but it doesn't put you in the criminal system and
• They're just choosing to do it at home instead of in a system.

Bills: HB2947, HB3276, HB3513

Keywords: truancy, school attendance, parent responsibility, education code, community service, criminal record nondisclosure, juvenile board, Moore County, appointments, juvenile justice, county legislation, 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• infrastructure and system management. infrastructure and system management.
• system like in<01:18:51.760> St.
• <01:18:55.840> that like designing the specific system that like designing the specific system
• We brought all the relevant agencies... to tr uh track the emissions also the to tr uh track the emissions
• We are not on track to a on track.

Bills: HF3556

Keywords: community solar, energy, solar power, renewable energy, Melissa Hortman, 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the February 26, 2026 minutes and then took up House File 3556, which would rename Minnesota’s community solar garden program the Melissa Hortman Community Solar Garden Program. The bill’s author described the measure as a tribute to Hortman’s leadership and her role in creating the program, noting its importance to Minnesota’s solar industry and the broader clean energy transition. The author moved HF 3556 to the general register, and the committee proceeded to testimony. Testifiers from the Public Utilities Commission, Department of Commerce, solar industry groups, clean energy organizations, and community solar advocates all supported the bill. They credited Hortman with authoring and advancing the 2013 legislation that created Minnesota’s community solar program and said it became a national model that expanded access to solar for renters, lower-income households, and others who could not install rooftop systems. Several witnesses highlighted the program’s growth, including more than 1 gigawatt of approved projects, strong participation by low- and moderate-income subscribers, and job creation and private investment in Minnesota. Witnesses also emphasized Hortman’s personal leadership style, describing her as prepared, persuasive, collaborative, and deeply committed to clean energy and public service. Some recounted personal interactions with her and said the name change would preserve her legacy and ensure future Minnesotans remember her impact. No vote on the bill itself was taken during the testimony shown, beyond the motion to send HF 3556 to the general register.

Transcript Highlights:

• we depend so heavily on our MARS system, which is a legacy data system.
• <00:18:37.460> [laughter] accounting system [laughter] accounting system [laughter] and<00
• working on standardizing their systems working on standardizing their systems from<00:43:05.920>
• We need a collaborative system that allows schools and counties to track and respond to lost instructional
• We need a collaborative system that allows schools and counties to track and respond to lost instructional

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Like the homeless management information system, or HMIS, that's a database tracking access, outcomes
• Like the homeless management information system, or HMIS, that's a database tracking access, outcomes
• lower overall public system costs. lower overall public system costs.
• or HMIS, that's a database system or HMIS, that's a database tracking<00:32:05.919> access,<00
• our fragile housing stability system. our fragile housing stability system.

Bills: HF3425, HF3424, HF1385

Keywords: supportive housing, grants, housing assistance, funding, Minnesota Statutes, eviction, rent, nonpayment of rent, landlord-tenant, residential tenant, notice to quit, unlawful detainer, housing, lease violation, late fees, rental assistance, legal aid, tenant rights, Minnesota Statutes 504B.321, pre-eviction notice

Transcript Highlights:

• that<00:04:25.400> is<00:04:25.720> not in a system a housing system that is not in
• a system a housing system that is not producing<00:04:26.520> the<00:04:26.680> housing
• This whole housing system is complex.
• This whole housing system is complex.
• these systems put entire these<00:45:29.040> failing<00:45:29.440> systems<00:45:29.839

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How are you tracking, say, Policy.
• To a single rating and ranking system that's agreed upon by all of those agencies.
• Cal ICH also manages the Homeless Data Integration System, or HDIS.
• It is the first statewide system of its kind in California and across the nation.
• This data allows us to track consistent, comparable metrics across 14,000...

Summary: The Assembly Subcommittee on State Administration held a budget hearing focused heavily on housing, homelessness, and related administrative proposals. HCD reported that California housing production has increased, with 2023 completions up 13% from 2022 and entitlement and construction timelines improving, while members and advocates criticized the Governor’s January budget for zeroing out or sharply reducing several housing programs. Public testimony urged funding for affordable housing production, preservation, youth housing, CalHome, LIHTC, HAP, and related programs, and several speakers argued the state should not pull back after recent progress. A major policy item was trailer bill language to allow HCD to access “excess equity” in existing affordable housing projects and recycle those funds into new or preserved housing. HCD and the LAO said the proposal could unlock tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, but members wanted guardrails and clearer statutory direction to ensure the funds stay within the intended housing purposes. The committee also discussed encampment resolution funding; HCD said the proposal would shift expenditure deadlines to the date of award rather than appropriation, while the LAO raised concerns about limited outcome data and urged the Legislature to use upcoming reporting before deciding on future funding. The hearing also covered HCD trailer bills to consolidate default reserve funds into a centralized continuously appropriated account and to clarify reporting requirements for early rounds of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program. HCD requested funding to implement chaptered legislation, including a new tribal housing program and reporting-related bills, and also sought extensions for certain reappropriations, including Homekey and REAP 2 deadlines. Public commenters and regional agencies supported flexibility for REAP 2 timing and other housing-related adjustments. Finally, the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency presented the Governor’s reorganization proposal to split the current agency into a Housing and Homelessness Agency and a Consumer Protection Agency. The administration said the change would improve focus, efficiency, and coordination, but the LAO and several members questioned whether it would truly save money or improve accountability, especially given the need for new leadership, possible staffing changes, and the fact that the plan had not yet been formally submitted for review. No votes were taken during the hearing.