Video & Transcript Research : 'Legislative Council'

Page 78 of 500
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • We have similar legislation which allows for...
  • The Massage Therapy Council is here to testify on behalf of the council.
  • Council that comes before us, we talk about fees.
  • Thank you, Council Member. My name is Stan Grodd.
  • I'm president of Taitao Council in Los Angeles.
Summary: The joint sunset oversight hearing reviewed five regulatory entities: the Board of Behavioral Sciences, the Board of Psychology, the Physician Assistant Board, the Podiatric Medical Board, and the California Massage Therapy Council. Across the hearing, each entity described recent accomplishments, licensing and enforcement workload, workforce shortages, and efforts to modernize processes. Common themes included streamlining licensure, expanding access to care, addressing telehealth or emerging technology, and balancing consumer protection with workforce needs. For the Board of Behavioral Sciences, members discussed workforce shortages in mental health, supervision barriers, telehealth confidentiality, AI in therapy, interstate compacts, school-based services, and military spouse licensure. The board said it has expanded outreach, improved licensing processes, and created temporary practice authority tracking, while also expressing concern about counseling compacts and emphasizing California-specific law, ethics, and cultural competency. Public commenters supported the board’s work and the possible move to a national MFT exam, while also urging more resources. The Board of Psychology highlighted fee adjustments, streamlined licensure pathways, enforcement process improvements, new CPD requirements, and proposed changes including a psychotherapist-client privilege exception for investigations. Committee members and public witnesses focused heavily on that privilege proposal, with some members opposing it as too broad and privacy-invasive, while the board argued it is needed to obtain records in bias and sexual misconduct cases. The board also discussed workforce shortages, processing improvements, and the use of inactive status for psychological associates. The Physician Assistant Board reported growth in the PA workforce and education programs, SB 697 implementation, and financial pressure from rising enforcement costs. The main policy debate centered on physician-to-PA ratios and practice agreements, with board representatives and many public commenters arguing that current restrictions limit access to care, especially in rural areas, while the California Medical Association defended the need for explicit ratios and agreements. The board also discussed AI, fee increases, and tracking temporary practice authority. The Podiatric Medical Board described licensing and renewal reforms, residency expansion, enforcement support, and budget constraints, while public testimony raised concerns about a proposed fee increase and about reimbursement parity and practice recognition for podiatrists. Finally, the California Massage Therapy Council defended the certification model over licensure, citing lower costs, local government collaboration, anti-trafficking work, and its role in vetting applications and disciplining bad actors; no formal votes or final actions were taken during this portion of the hearing.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Environment Committee Meeting - 2025-04-03

Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • This bill goes to the Met Council again. Part of it goes to DNR.
  • The community grant money here to the Met Council is in high demand.
  • Did the Met Council... Did the Met Council or the DNR do research on which trees to plant?
  • First of all, in terms of the Met Council, the reason that council was chosen is one of their responsibilities
  • Having the region completely dictated by the Met Council or DNR.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

SPEED Task Force (STF) - Mon Dec 15, 2025 @ 9:30 AM HST

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • . >> Good morning, Council Member Heather Kimell. I'm also alone.
  • This is Council Member Esther Kiaʻaina.
  • So the burial council processes are unchanged.
  • The burial council processes are unchanged.
  • Um and procedural for burial councils.
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The Speed Task Force met on December 15, 2025, with members participating in person and via Zoom. After roll call and introductions, the chair filed the previous meeting minutes without objection. The chair then gave a report on outreach presentations statewide about the task force’s permitting-simplification work, noting appearances before groups such as the Chinese Chamber, Small Business Regulatory Review Board, General Contractors Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Chamber, and the Land Use Commission. He also introduced the new task force coordinator, Reginald K. T. King, and outlined a January 6, 2026 process for member-submitted recommendations, including first-come consideration and structured debate. No public testimony or member questions were offered on these items. The task force heard a presentation from the Building Permit PIG. The presenter said the group reviewed 79 SWAT recommendation forms over seven meetings, with participation from 15 disciplines and about 270 hours of work. The group’s findings emphasized workforce shortages, inconsistent plan quality, limited departmental resources, and a lack of centralized tools for applicants to self-resolve issues. Recommendations focused on building a workforce pipeline, expanding training on codes and technology, and developing a universal platform, including AI-assisted review tools. The presenter also raised offsite construction, including factory-built, modular, tiny homes, and ADUs, as an area needing clearer state and county alignment to speed permit review and support housing needs. No public testimony or Q&A followed, and discussion and voting were deferred to the January 6, 2026 meeting. The task force then began the Chapter 6E Historic Preservation PIG presentation. The chair described historic preservation as a broad process covering research, protection, restoration, rehabilitation, and interpretation of significant properties, including burial sites and iwi kūpuna, and said Chapter 6E is intended to guide responsible development rather than stop it. The presentation explained SHPD’s role and the complexity of 6E review, including archaeological surveys, monitoring, and preservation plans. Early findings highlighted uncertainty in sensitivity determinations for iwi kūpuna and subsurface resources, repeated review of the same projects, and staffing and technical capacity shortages among SHPD and consultants. Public testimony was closed and no immediate Q&A was allowed; further discussion and voting on recommendations were scheduled for January 6, 2026.
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Apr 2nd, 2025

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:
  • Archer, the executive director of the Texas Legislative Council.
  • Yes, I'm Jeff Archer, uh, executive director of the Legislative Council.
  • I've got you here registered on behalf of the Legislative council for the bill.
  • Uh, the chair recognizes Jeff Archer on behalf of the Legislative council on the bill.
  • Sean Harrison from the Texas Legislative Council on the bill as well. Is that correct?
AR

Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA ADVISORY COUNCIL Jul 9th, 2026

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA ADVISORY COUNCIL

Transcript Highlights:
  • Chair, and thank you to our council members for coming today.
  • Also, having what we've noticed as we've gotten statutory authority for this council, more legislative
  • It is something that many of the legislators have asked us for.
  • They do have a spot on the council, but I'm not really engaged.
  • Bring a recommendation of any legislative changes. Okay.
Summary: The Arkansas Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Advisory Council met to introduce members, adopt its rules and procedures, approve prior minutes, and authorize the co-chairs to approve special expenses. The main discussion focused on updating the Arkansas State Plan for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, with David Cook of the Alzheimer’s Association outlining major changes in prevalence, caregiving burden, diagnostics, and treatment since the prior plan. He noted rising disease and caregiver numbers in Arkansas, the expansion of amyloid PET access, the growing use of blood-based biomarkers, and the availability of FDA-approved treatments such as Leqembi and Kisunla, while emphasizing that access, insurance coverage, and provider education remain major barriers. Members and presenters also discussed the need to better reach rural primary care providers, who may not be aware of new diagnostics and therapies, and the bottlenecks caused by limited specialists and infusion capacity. There was concern about overreliance on blood tests without confirmatory evaluation, and several members stressed the importance of collaboration, public education, and promoting brain health through exercise and diet. The council also heard about existing programs such as the dementia services coordinator, the BOLD grant, caregiver respite grants, workforce training, and a pilot dementia resource center with UAMS Centers on Aging. The council approved a new four-part outline for the next state plan: advancing risk reduction and brain health/early detection, strengthening family caregiver support, improving access to diagnostics and treatment, and supporting access and quality of care, including workforce and crisis response. Members also agreed to consider future agenda items on new treatments, brain health and lifestyle prevention, workforce training, and possible legislative changes to the enabling statute. The meeting ended with discussion of scheduling the next meeting, tentatively set for August 12 in Hot Springs, and adjournment.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Governmental Oversight and Accountability Apr 1st, 2025

Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Transcript Highlights:
  • The council is tasked with providing annual recommendations to the governor, The council is tasked with
  • This legislation is not about politics.
  • That's not the subject of the legislation before us.
  • That was previously created in a prior legislative session.
  • . ...covers a number of different areas and different types of councils.
Summary: The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability met with a quorum present and took up a full agenda of bills, many involving public records exemptions and government operations. Several measures were reported favorably, including SB 342 on an Agency for Health Care Administration public records exemption for employees facing threats; SB 7018 preserving a public records exemption tied to parental consent/judicial bypass records for minors seeking abortions; SB 626 lowering quorum requirements and allowing remote participation for the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys; SB 710 protecting personal information of Crime Stoppers employees, board members, volunteers, and their families; SB 300 extending clerk personal-information protections to appellate court clerks; and SB 302 creating a similar exemption for Judicial Qualifications Commission employees. The committee also approved SB 7010 and SB 7008, which preserve and narrow public records exemptions related to the Department of Financial Services as receiver for insolvent insurers and the financial technology sandbox, respectively. The committee also heard and advanced several policy bills. SB 820 codifies the Office of Faith and Community in the Executive Office of the Governor; Senator Polsky questioned whether the office was duplicative of existing services and raised concerns about religion in state governance, while supporters argued it complements existing networks and helps connect Floridians to services. SB 1144 codifies the Hope Florida program, with supporters describing it as a connector to community resources and critics again raising concerns about overlap, private donations, and accountability; both SB 820 and SB 1144 passed on largely party-line votes with Senator Polsky voting no. SB 804 would redesignate the SS American Victory as the state flagship, but Senator Rodriguez opposed giving up the current flagship designation for the Key West schooner, though the bill still passed favorably. SB 214 designates August 21 as Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day and passed without opposition. SB 1088 requires certain state customer-service phone lines to offer callback features, and SB 576 makes technical fixes to service-of-process law; both were reported favorably. Additional bills included SB 1524, a broad Department of State measure with a strike-all amendment that revises grant-review procedures, adds an America 250 funding focus, and changes commission-fee and oath requirements; Senator Arrington and Senator Polsky expressed concerns about reviewer qualifications, grant criteria, and the impact on arts and cultural programs, and both voted no while the bill still passed. SB 1640, on confidentiality of lethality assessment forms in domestic violence cases, was amended to allow disclosure to domestic violence centers while barring disclosure to state attorneys, and it passed favorably. SB 1160 expands health insurance premium benefits for certain officers catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty; supporters from the Fraternal Order of Police appeared in support, and the bill passed unanimously. The committee also confirmed eight appointments to the Florida Commission on Community Service, the Investment Advisory Council, the Public Employees Relations Commission, and the State Retirement Commission. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded on specific bills, and the committee adjourned.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee 3/11/26

Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Supreme Court Council was authorized by legislation back in May of 2024, and was established after
  • The Council membership was specified according to category as part of the legislation and as part of
  • c><00:03:02.920> by Court Council was authorized by Court Council was authorized by legislation
  • various groups on the council.
  • > would The legislate This legislation would The legislate This legislation would create<00:46
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • And the Inter-Agency Council, the Education and Energy Council, has been a big priority of mine.
  • And that's what the goal of the Interagency Council is.
  • And then, is the council already fully formed?
  • Well, the council is prescribed in statute, as there's ...a list of individuals that sit on the council
  • But I do know that the council has to meet.
Keywords: 988, house, all
Summary: The committee began with public comment and then heard an informational update on the administration’s Career Education Master Plan and the California Education Interagency Council. State agencies described efforts to better align workforce, higher education, and TK-12 systems through data sharing, dual enrollment, e-transcripts, career passports, and regional partnerships. Members asked about the council’s timeline, strategic plan, reporting requirements, and whether it would have authority to act; administration staff said the council is being stood up, its first meeting is due by the end of June, and a strategic plan is due by the end of November. Members also raised broader questions about the relationship of this work to the Master Plan for Higher Education and common course numbering. The committee then took up the Governor’s proposed $100 million one-time expansion of dual enrollment grants. Finance said the proposal would extend grants for middle college, early college, and CCAP programs, add eligibility for regional occupational centers, provide extra support for justice-involved youth, prioritize high-need LEAs, and allow funds for teacher professional development. The proposal would also reduce the minimum instructional day for certain dual enrollment students from 240 to 180 minutes to better align schedules and remove barriers. The LAO recommended rejecting the funding, arguing that dual enrollment is already growing and that the proposal does not address major fiscal barriers. The Chancellor’s Office and CDE supported the investment, emphasizing access, equity, and technical assistance, especially for rural and small districts. Members questioned instructional-minute changes, reporting on outcomes, adult learner access, and whether the funds would support ongoing or one-time costs. Next, the committee considered trailer bill language to align the definition of long-term English learners across data systems. Finance and CDE said the change would simplify identification by using a seven-year definition for LTELs and a six-year definition for students at risk of becoming LTELs, matching the dashboard and research on the typical time needed to reach English proficiency. Some members expressed concern that the proposal could delay intervention for students who have been English learners for four or five years and questioned why the issue was being handled through budget trailer bill language rather than policy legislation. After discussion, the committee voted on a motion to reject the proposal and refer it to the policy committee; the motion received two aye votes and the item was held open. Finally, the committee heard a proposal to extend the Supporting Inclusive Practices Project by one year, from June 30, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Finance said the extension would continue the existing project, while CDE raised concerns about the project’s contract structure, fiscal management, and scalability. A Marysville Joint Unified School District representative testified that SIP had helped the district bring preschool services back into district schools, expand inclusive practices, and reduce reliance on more restrictive placements. Members questioned why funds had not been fully encumbered and whether the project was best positioned to support statewide preschool inclusion goals, with CDE suggesting that existing infrastructure may already be better suited for that work.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • The council reaches back to 1974.
  • The council is not charged with reviewing decisions by judges.
  • Our council wants to make sure that the three of.
  • Us that are at the council remain there and are very happy.
  • For example, the district attorneys council, etc.
Keywords: 914, all
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Floor Session Mar 10th, 2025

California House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Legislative Caucus to support HR 14, recognizing Women's History Month.
  • As Chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus, it's a pleasure.
  • And on behalf of the Legislative Women's Caucus, we want to ring the bell.
  • Gloria is the first Latinx person elected to the Davis City Council.
  • Victoria Knapp is the chair of the Altadena Town Council.
Keywords: 988, house, all
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Judiciary Committee Jun 23rd, 2026

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • I served on the volunteer fire department board, our fire safe council, our town council, and it became
  • Morgan Larry Zobel, legislative advocate with the Judicial Council, here in respectful opposition to
  • Morgan Larry Zobel, legislative advocate with the Judicial Council, today here in respectful opposition
  • I just had a question for Judicial Council.
  • However, the bill still requires all 58 courts to report to the council; it's just that when the council
Keywords: 988, house, all
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Land & Resource Management Mar 27th, 2025

Land & Resource Management

Transcript Highlights:
  • City council.
  • Uh, we are appointed by city council, and, uh, you cannot go to city council for a final verdict.
  • Most boards and commissions in cities are are recommendation council to council committee to council
  • You actually can't go to city council.
  • I also serve as their legislative liaison.
Bills: HB24
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

IC - New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Sep 9th, 2025

New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • We have three or four legislators that we are just missing profoundly.
  • There are four members that are appointed by legislative leaders.
  • Projects are referred to us from councils of government, or we can come in and help a council of government
  • Council of Governments.
  • It was a standard piece of legislation.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

Senate Executive Departments and Administration (02/05/2025)

Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:17:13.199> and in to do what we do now on councils and in to do what we do now on councils
  • Regional Planning Council?
  • So there add to the council?
  • continue to strengthen this Council continue to strengthen this Council which<00:20:09.799> again
  • Jenny O Higgins I'm the legislative Jenny O Higgins I'm the legislative liaison<00:31:52.960> for<
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

Conference Committee on SF3045 5/9/25

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:12:55.839> The the Latino Affairs Council. The the Latino Affairs Council.
  • AsianPacific Council, the operating AsianPacific Council, the operating adjustment<00:13:05.680>
  • > Council<00:13:27.760> with<00:13:27.920> an the Indian Affairs Council with an
  • Senate pertaining to the legislative Senate pertaining to the legislative auditor.<00:21:54.640>
  • Lexi Stangle from Senate Council.
Keywords: 1183, house
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

High Subsidy Transit Routes report 2/18/26

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • It charges the council to report 2025.
  • <00:08:02.720> Contracted Council uh significantly. Contracted Council uh significantly.
  • <00:32:23.120> tell it the mech council members that tell it the mech council members that
  • lines for the Met Council specifically? lines for the Met Council specifically?
  • > is the governing body of the Met Council is the governing body of the Met Council is serves<
Keywords: 919, house, all
Summary: The committee heard a Met Council report from Charles Carlson on high-subsidy transit route analysis required by the transportation bill. Carlson explained that the study uses per-passenger operating subsidy, compares routes by type and service day, and is intended to help providers improve cost-effectiveness while recognizing transit’s importance for access, affordability, safety, and the region’s economy. He noted that routes more than 60% above peer averages are considered the highest-subsidy tier, and that the report also estimates the cost of Metro Mobility associated with those routes. Members asked several questions about why contracted service can cost less than directly operated service, whether contracting affects wages, union membership, or service quality, and why the Met Council targets about 20% of regular route service for contracting. Carlson said contracted service can be cheaper because of lower overhead and other market factors, that the council sets minimum wage and service-quality requirements in contracts, and that customers should not notice a quality difference. He also said the 20% target is meant to balance cost-effective service, geography, and a mix of providers, and that some routes may become more cost-effective with more frequent service depending on local demand. Carlson reported that in 2024, 206 of 264 routes met guidelines, 16 were in the lowest intervention tier, 14 in the middle tier, and 28 were in the highest-subsidy tier. He said the regional share of high-subsidy service was about 4.1%, but the share varied widely by provider, with some at 0% and others much higher. He estimated that discontinuing the highest-subsidy routes would save about $23 million annually and up to $72 million in capital costs. For Metro Mobility, he said the cost associated with trips tied to high-subsidy routes rose from about $368,000 in 2023 to about $6.1 million in 2024, largely because the mix of routes triggering federally mandated paratransit service changed, especially in the Shakopee area.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

JHA Public Hearing - Wed Mar 4, 2026 @ 2:00 PM HST

Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Council. Council.
  • . council. council.
  • > a<00:48:04.200> lot<00:48:04.400> more council building code council a lot more council
  • building code council. building code council.
  • proposed for the building council. proposed for the building council.
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills, with most measures drawing either support or comments rather than opposition. HB 2395, relating to taking marine deposits for research, education, management, or propagation, received support from the University of Hawaii and DLNR. HB 2585, relating to agricultural tourism, drew broad support for its intent to keep agritourism secondary to farming, but agencies and farm groups raised concerns about enforcement, county authority, and the rebuttable presumption language. Testifiers included OPSD, the Agribusiness Development Corporation, Hawaii Farm Bureau, a small farm operator, and others, with some urging clearer definitions, simpler registration, and protections for bona fide farms and hosted farm stays. HB 1728, on rainwater catchment systems, was supported in principle by DLNR, which cited drought conditions and said it deferred to counties and the Department of Health on safety and regulation. HB 1881, which would prohibit passenger ropeways on mountain lands, drew strong support from community testifiers who said it would help prevent development disguised as agritourism and protect forests and country lands. HB 1990, establishing penalties and possible foreclosure for unresolved zoning violations, received comments from the Attorney General recommending removal of AG references and more county-centered enforcement, while the Hawaii Association of Realtors warned the 30-day timeline could create problems for absent or unaware homeowners. The committee also heard HB 1712, which would expand and make permanent certain seats on the State Building Code Council. The Plumbers and Fitters union supported the bill, but BIA Hawaii requested amendments to add “licensed contractor” language, and architects and other professionals opposed the measure, arguing that increasing the council from 12 to 15 voting members would make it less efficient and harder to reach quorum. Finally, HB 2151, relating to hempcrete, was supported by a Kauai workforce development advocate and the Hawaii Farm Bureau, who said hempcrete could support agriculture, manufacturing, and affordable housing while reducing carbon and reliance on imported materials. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Rules and Administration - Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct - 04/24/25

Rules and Administration - Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct

Transcript Highlights:
  • Nothing in rule 55.2 legislation.
  • <00:07:45.039> is Even if the proposed legislation is Even if the proposed legislation is
  • That informs our work as legislators.
  • work um was prior to the legislation work um was prior to the legislation that<00:36:55.200>
  • Thank us legislators, senators at least.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
HI
Transcript Highlights:
  • Up next, we have Jason Chung from Military Affairs Council.
  • Military Affairs Council. Military Affairs Council.
  • Travis Council Organization in support.
  • First we have Travis Council of tandem.
  • <00:48:26.800> in Jason Chong, Military Affairs Council in Jason Chong, Military Affairs Council
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The joint Transportation and Public Safety hearing considered HCR 121/HR 117, which asks federal and state transportation and defense agencies to coordinate on expanding Kle Pass as an emergency exit route. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from state departments and community representatives, though one member raised equity concerns about other communities needing similar access solutions. Both committees recommended passage, and the resolutions were adopted in tandem. The Transportation Committee then heard a series of road safety and mobility resolutions. These included HCR 43 on studying highway patrol and speed cameras in speeding hotspots; HCR 52/HR 48 on a sidewalk between Iroquois Point and Ewa Beach; HCR 57/HR 53 on traffic calming around Piywa Street in Waipahu; HCR 112/HR 108 on a pedestrian-first policy; HCR 129/HR 125 on safety and congestion near Haiku Elementary; HCR 131/HR 127 on rural air service and short takeoff/landing aircraft; HCR 136/HR 130 on reflective gear for pedestrians at night; HCR 137/HR 131 on school crosswalk safety at Kipapa Elementary; HCR 177/HR 173 on a summer streets pilot; and HR 43 on an emergency access road on the YNI coast. Testimony was mixed but generally supportive of pedestrian and school safety measures, while some transportation and bicycling advocates opposed the reflective-gear resolution as placing too much responsibility on pedestrians rather than improving the built environment. During decision-making, the committee advanced all measures. HCR 43 was amended to specify the study should include district court impacts. HCR 131/HR 127 was amended to shift the rural air service study from the Legislative Reference Bureau to the Department of Transportation. HCR 136/HR 130 was amended to change the reflective-gear proposal from a requirement to an encouragement. HCR 137/HR 131 and HCR 45/HR 38 were also advanced with technical or clarifying amendments, and the remaining resolutions were passed as is. Several members noted reservations or no votes on the reflective-gear measure, but all recommendations were ultimately adopted and the committee adjourned.
ND
Transcript Highlights:
  • I want to thank Legislative Council and Alan Knutson for putting what I think is just a fantastic agenda
  • Is it going to be in council and requested from a task force or a legislator?
  • Members of the committee, I'm John Bjornson, Legislative Council director and aspiring king of the world
  • I made the suggestion that whoever is gathering the data work with Legislative Council, because wouldn't
  • that be an interesting coordination, where Legislative Management is directing Legislative Council,
Keywords: 908, all
Summary: The Leadership Division of the Budget Section approved the prior meeting minutes and then received an update from Senator Jonathan Sickler on the Cash Management Board’s interim work under House Bill 1278. He said the board has reviewed state cash, investments, and liquidity across agencies and concluded the state’s overall mix of long-term and short-term assets is appropriate, with about $35 billion in total liquid assets and investments and roughly 89% in longer-term investments. He highlighted process improvements already underway, including replacing more than 500 six-month CDs with a special-rate savings account to reduce administrative work, and said the board sees opportunities to improve forecasting, automation, and statewide coordination. Members asked about whether the CD change would increase returns, how the Legacy Fund transfer for the homestead tax relief bill affected earnings, and whether more state cash could be consolidated or better managed through BND; Sickler and BND staff said those issues are being studied and may lead to legislation for the 2027 session. Representative Nathan Toman then updated the committee on the Task Force on Government Efficiency. He said the group has focused less on cutting dollars and more on defining metrics and asking how the legislature knows whether programs are working. The task force is pushing a standard set of questions for new or expanding programs—who is affected, expected outcomes, alternatives, how success will be measured, and full funding—and OMB has agreed to require those answers in future budget requests. Members discussed possible use of dashboards, program evaluators, AI tools, and possible rule or statutory changes to require performance measurement. Toman said the task force will continue meeting with agencies such as the courts, university system, auditor, HHS, Commerce, and ITD to identify workflow bottlenecks and potential efficiencies. Phil Davis of Job Service North Dakota gave a workforce update, reporting that North Dakota’s unemployment rate is 2.5% and labor force participation is about 68.7%, both well above national performance. He described Job Service’s 15 workforce programs, including H-2A housing inspections for foreign agricultural workers, the job placement partnership program with DOCR, WOTC, and other federal and state workforce efforts. Davis said the agency served more than 11,000 individuals in 2025, operates nine workforce centers, and tracks outcomes through quarterly and annual reporting. In response to questions, he said job openings data reflect only positions in the system and may understate actual hiring needs, that child care and other assistance programs could be better tied to employment outcomes, and that the DOCR partnership has shown strong results with lower recidivism and higher earnings. He also said the H-2A inspection workload is growing quickly and additional staffing or less frequent federal inspection requirements could help. Allen Knutson then presented S&P Global’s updated revenue forecast. He said oil prices have risen sharply since the prior month’s outlook, improving the state’s near-term revenue picture, though the economy remains volatile and agriculture is facing weaker commodity prices. Based on the updated forecast, total major tax revenues for the current biennium are projected to be about $89 million above the legislative forecast, and the next biennium could be about $500 million higher, though that estimate is preliminary and may change. He also walked through an alternate oil-price scenario showing significantly higher oil and gas collections and a larger Strategic Investment Fund balance if prices remain elevated. Members asked whether another forecast should be requested once oil markets stabilize and about tribal allocation changes in the alternative scenario; Knutson said additional updates are possible through OMB and future forecast cycles.