Transcript Highlights:

• </c> a payment error rate of 24.66%. a payment error rate of 24.66%. the<04:04:44.640><c> District</c
• </c> they're already on cash welfare, right? they're already on cash welfare, right?
• Chairman, Representative, so the financial impacts for payment errors that go into effect once the payment
• </c><04:59:50.080><c> errors</c> financial impacts for payment errors financial impacts for payment errors
• </c> that goes into effect once the payment that goes into effect once the payment error<04:59:54.638

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• They did that, actually cashed it, actually went to the bank, and the bank found it.
• Someone who comes to us and says, hey, you know, I was late on my payment, I just didn’t get around to
• And I encourage all residents, especially when it comes to taxes and pertinent documents or payments,
• And I encourage all residents, especially when it comes to taxes and in pertinent documents or payments
• as valuations have changed, but a portion of our pension is funded through the penalties for late payment

Committee: House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• actually robust and not a money grab by private investors that are deeply interested in just absorbing cash
• actually robust and not a money grab by private investors that are deeply interested in just absorbing cash
• students who are acting through the fund get for their tuition reimbursement recovery or their loan payments
• fund is, you know, obviously there's the strategy that is being used, which is to stop additional payments
• puts a policy in place that, you know, makes sure that graduates can actually afford their debt payments

Summary: The joint Sunset Review Oversight Hearing focused on the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) and its reauthorization, operations, enforcement, fiscal condition, and student protections. Committee leaders and DCA officials praised the Bureau’s recent improvements in data systems, licensing, inspections, and enforcement, while noting the Bureau’s role has become more important as federal higher education oversight weakens. Bureau Chief Deborah Cochran said the agency has met its inspection mandate for the first time since the law was enacted, increased citations and disciplinary actions, reduced pending complaints, and used data tools to identify risk and monitor institutions more effectively. A major portion of the hearing centered on student harm, especially school closures, transcript access, predatory recruiting, and the Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF). Members asked how the Bureau protects students when schools close, whether bad actors can reopen under new entities, and whether enforcement tools are strong enough. Cochran said the Bureau can cite, fine, place schools on probation, revoke licenses, and order refunds, but it is seeking new authority to deny approval to operators who previously closed schools improperly or failed to refund students. She also said the Bureau is tracking ownership data and is concerned about institutions targeting immigrant and visa students. On STRF, Cochran explained that the fund is currently healthy, assessments are at zero because the balance is above the statutory target, and the Bureau paid about 1,100 claims totaling roughly $17 million over the last four years. Several members questioned the fairness of the assessment structure and discussed alternatives such as surety bonds, but the Bureau said STRF is working well and no change is needed at this time. Fee increases and the Bureau’s structural deficit were another major topic. Cochran said the Bureau reduced costs by eliminating positions, streamlining inspections, improving data analysis, and shifting some student-relief costs to STRF, but that legislative action is still needed to address the deficit. She said the proposed fees were based on workload analyses and that application fees generally match service costs, while annual fees are designed to cover most of the Bureau’s revenue needs. Some members and stakeholders criticized the proposed increases as too high, especially for out-of-state registration and campus fees, while others argued the Bureau needs sufficient resources to regulate effectively. Public commenters from private schools, Northeastern University, San Joaquin Valley College/Carrington College, and TICAS generally supported the Bureau’s mission and reauthorization, but urged changes such as risk-based oversight, better transcript protections, stronger limits on repeated provisional approvals, and more targeted fee and STRF reforms. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended with no formal action beyond discussion and receipt of testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so one example of that is obviously really reliable payment systems for contractors for projects
• So on the left-hand side, you can see we are trying to get to a goal of providing all of our payments
• for that was to bond the vehicle sales tax if it were to come back for that remaining $400 million payment
• A lot of times, the ports can bond dollars against the port priority dollars and then have some cash
• And then when...” ...support priority dollars, and then have some cash to work with.

Summary: The Senate Joint Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee received updates from the Department of Transportation and Development on its transformation efforts, including a new project delivery dashboard, key performance indicators, and litter abatement work. DOTD said the dashboard is now live and tied to daily field updates, and reported progress on its T4LA initiatives, including improved project transparency, customer service, and a new highway sponsorship litter program. Members praised the department’s work and asked about litter funding, with DOTD saying last year’s $14.7 million litter pickup effort included the legislature’s supplemental appropriation. The committee also heard detailed progress reports on LTIF 1.0 and 2.0, the Office of Highway Construction’s bridge bundling and roadway projects, the Calcasieu River Bridge project, and the Cameron Ferry. DOTD reported that LTIF 1.0 is about 80% complete and that LTIF 2.0 has encumbered nearly $150 million, with several projects ahead of schedule and some under budget. The Office of Highway Construction said 62 bridge projects are in the bundle, 11 are under construction, and emergency procurement has helped accelerate delivery. DOTD said the Calcasieu River Bridge remains on track for a mid-to-late April groundbreaking, with all federal permits in hand and right-of-way acquisition underway; it also reported that new Cameron Ferry boats are under construction and that a privatization proposal from Labmar Ferry Services will go to the Louisiana Transportation Authority. Members then reviewed the draft 2026-2027 highway priority program, which DOTD said includes $913 million for construction across 302 projects and about $1.2 billion total investment. The committee also received public comment on the statewide flood control program, which recommended six projects expected to reduce flood damage by more than $289 million, and on the airport construction and development priority program, which includes 31 air carrier projects and 99 general aviation projects. DOTD also noted no current projects for the rail infrastructure program but said it expects to request $13 million and has 19 projects in the queue, and it presented three port projects that are not yet funded but will be considered by the Louisiana Transportation Authority. The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and LSU’s Center for Analytics and Research presented data on impaired driving, saying impaired driving remains a major factor in fatalities and injuries, with alcohol and drugs together contributing to a large share of crashes and about $700 million in annual economic costs. Members discussed youth driving, marijuana, ignition interlock, DWI courts, and enforcement challenges on waterways; the presenters emphasized education, enforcement, and treatment as part of a broader safety strategy. No formal votes were taken during the meeting, and the committee adjourned after receiving the presentations and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Within the Department of Revenue, there's $75.2 million for payments to fiscally-constrained counties
• So back in the 2019-2020 budget is when the state engaged in something called DPP, the Directive Payment
• with HIV are starting to lose their benefits now because the DOH is cutting off premium assistance payments
• You know, outside of having cash or dollars in a trust fund today, we don't have much of an opportunity
• But outside of that, and outside of the state or the department using cash, it's probably not likely.

Transcript Highlights:

• We would ask that that tax be spread over the term of the lease and made in equal payments rather than
• That tax be spread over the term of the lease and made in equal payments rather than entirely up front
• So it's important to remember that this program is not a cash machine for cities.
• So it's important to remember that this program is not a cash machine for cities.
• For Bellevue's 14 new cameras scheduled for implementation later this year, our annual payment to the

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met for a work session and public hearing on February 19, 2026. In the work session, Switch Maritime presented a proposal for hydrogen fuel cell ferries for Washington State, including a budget proviso directing the Joint Transportation Committee to study hydrogen propulsion and a lease model for future Washington State Ferries procurement. The company described its Sea Change vessel, said the design could be adapted for Washington routes such as San Juan Islands–Anacortes, and emphasized that hydrogen fueling could be delivered through a mobile supply chain without new charging infrastructure. Senators asked about vessel flexibility, size, hydrogen availability, and terminal compatibility. The committee also received an update from WSDOT on the new public-private partnership program authorized in 2025. Staff said the agency is developing a four-phase implementation process, including consultant selection, a steering committee, a program manual, stakeholder engagement, and candidate project identification, with a report due to the transportation committees on September 1, 2026 and program launch targeted for January 1, 2027. The presentation stressed that the program manual will provide flexibility within the statute and that legislative input is being sought on engagement and project timing. The public hearing was on Senate Bill 6352, an omnibus transportation resources bill that revises and expands provisions from last year’s ESSB 5801. Staff outlined sections covering a mobile driver’s license and ID card program, a reduced-fee ID card for older drivers, changes to alternative fuel and aviation taxes and fees, revised sales tax distributions for ferry and multimodal funding, transit and bicycle education grants, fish passage permitting, clean energy siting on WSDOT right-of-way, toll notice procedures, older driver safety outreach, traffic safety camera revenue sharing, and a delay to the tow-truck indigent impound reimbursement program. The prime sponsor highlighted two priorities: digital driver’s licenses and dedicated ferry funding. Testimony was mixed. Supporters included airlines and aviation groups backing mobile ID and repeal of the luxury aircraft tax, transit and bicycle safety advocates supporting grant flexibility and continued bike education funding, and ferry advocates supporting dedicated ferry revenue. Local governments, including Bellevue, Kenmore, and Tacoma, raised concerns about the traffic camera revenue change, saying the shift from net to gross revenue would reduce local safety funding and could discourage new camera programs. The Association of Washington Cities also warned about unintended consequences in the fish passage and traffic camera provisions. RV dealers sought a delay to the luxury vehicle tax, and peer-to-peer car-sharing platform Turo asked for clarification on documentation requirements. The committee took no final vote and announced it would consider executive action the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> right for both the SNAP and for cash right for both the SNAP and for cash assistance<00:32:45.640
• I do have to use a manual override in order to get the cash system to work.
• This is a cost that is driven entirely by the state's payment error rate.
• It's important when we look at the payment error rate to note that payment errors really are not fraud
• ,</c> receive from the Great Start payments, receive from the Great Start payments, um,<02:51:02.640>

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Both of these species, as a little background, have the potential to be used as winter-hardy cash cover
• Both of these species, as a little background, have the potential to be used as winter-hardy cash cover
• These species, as a little background, have the potential to be used as winter-hardy cash cover crops
• Second, this is another crop that we can market to help our farm cash flow and support our family.
• She can make five of them cash flow.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, there are only two parameters: an estimate of how much cash you have on hand and also your
• Currently, there are only two parameters: an estimate of how much cash you have on hand and also your
• Our contracted actuaries develop a rate range that constitutes a reasonable range of payment rates.
• So happy to fall. ...kind of the estimate for maintaining the payments for dental for kids.
• It's incomprehensible that new lower payments have put us back about 30 years.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is an initial debt service payment from the General Fund for the authorization of $100 million
• There is a initial debt service payment There is a initial debt service payment from<00:02:47.320><c>
• We are seeing, you know, these companies swoop in, and they can purchase homes, you know, with a cash
• offer,</c><00:20:58.320><c> and</c><00:20:58.640><c> no,</c><00:20:59.040><c> you</c> know, with a cash
• offer, and no, you know, with a cash offer, and no, you know,<00:20:59.240><c> wave</c><00:20:59.480

Summary: The conference committee on House File 1141, the Omnibus Housing Finance and Policy Bill, reviewed the fiscal spreadsheet and policy language for the agreement. Staff explained the major funding items, including appropriations for greater Minnesota workforce housing, manufactured home park infrastructure grants, family homelessness prevention, supportive housing, a tenant hotline, and housing infrastructure bonds, along with a cancellation of unused Tyler settlement funds and a reallocation of Housing Development Fund earnings. Staff said the package was budget neutral over the forecast window. The policy walk-through also covered provisions on livestreaming Housing Finance Agency board meetings, limits on administrative retentions for new grant programs, restrictions and reporting on Housing Development Fund transfers and earnings, clarifying language for local public housing, an exemption related to lived-experience engagement, and access for legislative fiscal staff to agency accounting information. Members then considered several amendments. The A12 amendment, allowing certain local governments to invest long-term funds in housing-related investments, was adopted after a roll call showed support from all three caucuses. The A16 manufactured housing bill of rights amendment, which would have addressed park-owner practices, purchase opportunities, enforcement, and rent increases, was not adopted. The A18 amendment to allow additional flags in HOAs and other areas was also not adopted. The A17 amendment to limit private equity ownership of single-family homes to 100 units was not adopted. The A13 amendment to preempt local rent control was not adopted. Members on both sides said some of the rejected issues warranted further discussion in future sessions, while supporters argued they were needed to address housing affordability and ownership pressures. In closing discussion on the bill as a whole, members from both chambers praised the bipartisan process, the staff work, and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s collaboration. Supporters said the agreement would help build thousands of homes across the state, assist vulnerable Minnesotans, and improve transparency and accountability in housing programs. They also noted the bill’s mix of single-family, multifamily, manufactured housing, homelessness prevention, and policy reforms. The committee expressed intent to move the agreement forward to the House floor and ultimately to the governor.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was recognized that reform was needed, such as including payment plans, no jail time for minor traffic
• Prior to 2019, it was a huge cash cow.
• I feel that a lot of these municipalities, including my own city of O'Fallon, it's a cash cow.
• I feel that these, a lot of these municipalities, including my own city of O'Fowlin, it's a cash cow.
• This is overreaching and this is a cash cow bill.

Committee: House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 1087 from Senator Joe Nicola, which would update limited driving privileges and create a process to suspend licenses after repeated failures to appear or pay for minor moving traffic violations. Nicola said the bill was intended to improve public safety and municipal court compliance without restoring the pre-2015 system of fines and fees. Supporters, including officials from Independence, O’Fallon, and the Missouri Municipal League, argued that municipal court reform had sharply reduced citations and increased failure-to-appear rates, leaving courts with too little leverage to ensure compliance and creating safety problems for repeat offenders. They said the bill would preserve discretion, protect work and basic travel needs, and help law enforcement and courts address chronic noncompliance. Opponents, including the State Public Advocate, argued the bill would restore a cash-cow system, burden low-income residents, and create harsh consequences for missed notices or address problems. The hearing closed without a vote on SB 1087. The committee then moved into executive session and reconsidered House Bill 2288, ultimately voting to reconsider and then voting the bill due pass by a 10-5 margin. The committee also adopted a substitute and passed House Bill 3006 due pass by 13-1, passed House Bill 2289 due pass by 10-3 with one present, and passed House Bill 2906 due pass by 13-1 after adopting an amendment and rolling it into a substitute. Members discussed procedural issues about quorum and the reconsideration motion during the HB 2288 vote. Later, the committee heard House Bill 3491 from Representative Don Mayhew, which would codify English-language proficiency requirements for commercial driver’s license holders and impose penalties on drivers and motor carriers when those requirements are violated. Mayhew and a Lincoln County prosecutor described a recent Highway 61 incident involving a Minnesota CDL holder who could not communicate in English, could not identify his location, and was taken out of service after a Highway Patrol proficiency test. Supporters said the bill would mirror federal rules in state statute, improve safety, and hold both drivers and carriers accountable. Some members questioned whether the bill was redundant with federal law, whether it would be enforceable before an accident, and whether the language was too broad, especially the phrase about conversing with the general public. The prosecutor said the current tools are mostly reactive and that the bill would help remove dangerous drivers and penalize carriers, but no final action was taken on HB 3491 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh this is the cash bill. Uh repres now. Uh this is the cash bill.
• </c> ahead and uh vote on the cash bill, too. ahead and uh vote on the cash bill, too.
• We did not cut PILT payments at all, payment in lieu of taxes.
• </c> sustainable forest initiative payments sustainable forest initiative payments 10%<02:25:39.359><
• </c> payments at all payment in le of taxes. payments at all payment in le of taxes.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:11:34.719><c> disruptions,</c> bill navigates cash flow disruptions, bill navigates cash flow disruptions
• is uh scholarship cash fund is uh underutilized. underutilized. underutilized.
• My question is, you have the Universal High School Cash Fund for kids in high school.
• </c><02:04:18.639><c> fund</c> what was the court security cash fund what was the court security cash
• It creates a dedicated cash USC 872.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you look at the dips, those are really around COVID years, and that's when there was a lot of cash
• </c><00:42:36.880><c> We</c> cash kind of pushed into the economy.
• We cash kind of pushed into the economy.
• ,</c> Of, um, supplements and influx in cash, but I think we're starting to see more of those again.
• Jim Cash.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the September 16 minutes, and then received an update from Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark and staff on the Department of Insurance. Clark reviewed department activity, including growth in premium volume and licensing, consumer complaints and recoveries, and a rise in fraud referrals. She said the department has 66 open fraud cases and described common schemes such as staged auto accidents, inflated repair or cleanup charges, and roofing scams. She also said the department’s investigators often prepare strong cases but face reluctance from local prosecutors, especially in Fayette and Jefferson counties, to pursue them. Clark reported favorable workers’ compensation news, saying rates will decrease 9.7% next year for the 20th straight year. She contrasted that with a difficult property insurance market driven by storms, reinsurance costs, inflation, labor shortages, and litigation, but said Kentucky’s market remains relatively stable, citing the Kentucky Fair Plan’s small number of policies. She then warned of significant 2026 health insurance premium increases on the exchange: 16.1% for Molina, 23% for Anthem, and 37% for WCare, after CareSource withdrew. She said the rates were reviewed by actuaries and found fair, but that the biggest pressure point is the scheduled expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, which she said could leave about 90% of exchange enrollees facing a compounded increase. Members questioned Clark about fraud prosecution, the number of people in commercial versus public coverage, and the impact of expiring subsidies. Clark said the prosecution issue is mainly with Commonwealth attorneys and that rural counties are more cooperative than urban ones. She also said the health market is individually rated and that older enrollees would be hit harder, while the loss of tax credits could push some people out of the marketplace. One member asked about the attorney general’s recent opinion on SB 188, the PBM bill; staff said attorneys were still reviewing it. Clark closed by noting that Kentucky’s fraud and towing/storage legislation has become a model for other states.

Transcript Highlights:

• Under-the-table payments of cash salaries. We don't want that.
• Under the table payments of cash cash cash salaries. salaries. salaries.
• The contractor goes down the street, cashes the check at the person's bank, puts $5,000 cash in their
• The contractor goes down the street, cashes the check at the person's bank, puts $5,000 cash in their
• ,</c> puts $5,000 cash in their pocket, puts $5,000 cash in their pocket, then<04:18:03.080><c> goes<

Transcript Highlights:

• The Department of Human Services reported instances of improper benefit payments to employees from the
• DHS also had a $610,000 warrant that was cashed by someone other than the intended payee and had several
• The agency also made a duplicate payment to a vendor and did not properly approve overtime.

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING

Transcript Highlights:

• We were going to do that, but we are out of cash. All right, call the roll.
• will be the one time per quadriennium; what will be the difference in this and maybe just a bonus payment
• Is that Bonus payment or something is that... what's the big difference?

Bills: SB107 , HB158 , HB353 , HB354 , HB357 , HB181 , HB465 , HB526

Committee: Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund

Keywords: SSUT, simplified sellers use tax, sales tax distribution, municipal revenue, municipal population, annexation, deannexation, incorporation, boundary change, federal census, decennial census, Department of Revenue, local government finance, revenue sharing, municipal boundaries, population recalculation, probate judge, Boundary and Annexation Survey, Alabama municipalities, HB158

Transcript Highlights:

• And not just rural—you can see in Pulaski County, where they look to be having maybe a cash flow issue
• explain because the program last year had to have $120 million out of a one-time account to make it cash
• Last year had to have $120 million out of a one-time account to make it cash flow. Mr.
• unfortunately, this is one of the things that I think needs to be corrected because it's simply not cash
• I think needs to be corrected because it's simply not cash flowing right now.

Committee: All HOUSE RULES

Transcript Highlights:

• cash position?
• </c> airports um what what is your total cash airports um what what is your total cash position<02:07
• </c> but just do you have an overall cash but just do you have an overall cash position<02:07:20.360>
• In addition to the cash on hand, there's another 700 days of cash that we have with BNF in case there's
• </c><05:45:32.718><c> for</c> quarter payment for quarter payment for 2324<05:45:36.240><c> that</c><

Summary: The House Finance Committee held an informational briefing with the University of Hawaiʻi, led by new President Wendy Hensel and Vice President for Budget and Finance Calbert Young. Hensel outlined the university system’s scope, student demographics, research activity, and campus missions, emphasizing four strategic priorities: serving Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi, student success, workforce development, and economic diversification through innovation and research. She highlighted the system’s enrollment, research funding, and the roles of Mānoa, Hilo, West Oʻahu, the community colleges, and specialized institutions such as JABSOM and the Cancer Center. Young then reviewed the budget request, focusing largely on making prior one-time appropriations permanent and supporting recurring needs. Items included funding for Mānoa athletics, the Hawaiʻi Institute for Marine Biology, K-12 teacher education, Pamantasan Council support, Hilo programs, Windward’s mental health technician certificate, Maui’s practical nursing bridge program, and student support positions such as financial aid and admissions counselors. He also described workforce-related requests tied to nursing expansion at Mānoa and West Oʻahu, as well as facilities support at West Oʻahu. A major portion of the testimony addressed the university’s two Kakaʻako medical facilities. Young explained that declining tobacco settlement and cigarette tax revenues are no longer sufficient to cover debt service for JABSOM and the Cancer Center, so the governor’s budget includes general fund support to supplement those obligations. He also described a regents-approved request not included in the governor’s proposal: expanding the Hawaiʻi Promise financial aid program to the four-year campuses, estimated at about $11–12 million. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So large corporations and hedge funds can move quickly with cash-only offers out there.
• So large corporations and hedge funds can move quickly with cash-only offers, outbidding working families
• available and affordable homes in their neighborhoods were unable to do so as they lost out to all-cash
• I think that's something that doesn't serve... ...to provide cash-only offers and outbid Californians
• And to let everybody know what CalHFA actually is, it provides financing and down payment assistance

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation