Transcript Highlights:

• But I think all our cypress forests were cut down long ago. That's another topic.
• legislature or the treasurer would be able to purchase, say, doesn't want the best terms, but basically reserve
• , we have seen since the '70s what some would call a debasement of the dollar through our Federal Reserve
• But for example, in Arizona, they just created what's called a reserve fund, a Bitcoin and Digital Assets
• Reserve Fund, which is just a fund to reserve, you know, to save in for whatever reason.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met on April 27 and first took up House Bill 175 and its companion House Bill 165, both dealing with lottery proceeds for veterans. HB 175 was amended to create a Veterans Service Grant Board within the Department of Veterans Affairs and direct $500,000 annually from Louisiana Lottery net proceeds into a Veterans Service Grant Fund, with unused money returned to the lottery proceeds fund that supports the MFP. Supporters, including the bill sponsor, The Boot Louisiana, LDVA Secretary Charlton McGinley, and Bastion Veterans Organization, argued the grants would help veteran services, workforce placement, mental health, housing, entrepreneurship, and retention of veterans in Louisiana. Members raised concerns about drawing from lottery proceeds that traditionally support education, but the committee adopted amendments and reported HB 175 favorably as amended. HB 165, the constitutional amendment companion, was also amended for technical and ballot-language changes and then reported favorably as amended for voter consideration. The committee then considered House Bill 457, which would authorize the Louisiana Department of Health and the State Fire Marshal to set minimum housing standards for homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes. The sponsor said the bill responded to a state auditor recommendation and to unsafe conditions in some facilities; he also explained an amendment changing the Fire Marshal’s duties from mandatory to permissive to reduce fiscal impact and allow agencies flexibility. Some members questioned whether local standards already existed and how enforcement and funding would work, while others supported the need for statewide minimum standards for human housing. The committee adopted the amendment and reported HB 457 favorably as amended. House Bill 488, by Representative Brough, sought to create a Belle Chasse Bridge Merit-Based Special Fund using recurring severance tax revenues from Plaquemines Parish to help buy out the Belle Chasse toll bridge and end what the sponsor described as excessive tolls and fees. He and several local witnesses, including business owners, a YMCA representative, and a parish council member, testified that the tolling arrangement had harmed access, businesses, and quality of life. The committee adopted a technical amendment clarifying the revenue source and then reported HB 488 favorably as amended. House Bill 566, which would prohibit state funds from supporting net-zero greenhouse gas initiatives tied to the 2022 Louisiana Climate Action Plan, drew significant debate over whether it would interfere with agency funding and economic development efforts; the sponsor argued the plan lacked legislative approval and should be repudiated, while members urged caution and suggested hearing from affected agencies. The sponsor agreed to consider deferring the bill, and the committee did not advance it at that time. House Bill 603, a constitutional amendment authorizing investment of state funds in digital assets and precious metals, was discussed as a way to hedge inflation and preserve value; members asked about limits and safeguards, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then began hearing House Bill 763, a transparency measure creating a public database for settlement agreements involving state agencies.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I think all our cypress forests were cut down long ago. That's another topic.
• legislature or the treasurer would be able to purchase, say, doesn't want the best terms, but basically reserve
• know, we have seen since the 70s what some would call a debasement of the dollar through our Federal Reserve
• But for example, in Arizona, they just created what's called a reserve fund, a Bitcoin and Digital Assets
• Reserve Fund, which is just a fund to reserve, you know, to save in for whatever reason.

Bills: HB165, HB175, HB198, HB272, HB457, HB488, HB566, HB603, HB763, HB902, HB909, HB971, HB981, HB1066, HB1125, HB1154, HB1231

Keywords: HB165, lottery proceeds, Lottery Proceeds Fund, Veterans Service Grant Fund, constitutional amendment, veterans, military veterans, veterans' benefits, veterans services, family support, state lottery, education funding, Minimum Foundation Program, problem gambling, compulsive gaming, state treasurer, ballot proposition, constitutional referendum, lottery revenue, Louisiana resident veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• This budget maintains significant planned reserves of over $12 billion, including $7 billion in unallocated
• They may expend available reserves or carry forward balances from previous years' operational and programmatic
• appropriations. ...reserves or carry forward balances from previous years' operational and programmatic
• appropriations or other available reserves or balances from funds not appropriated from the general
• Chair McClure, my question is about the, if we allow the Board of Trustees to use or to expend our reserves

Summary: The House convened on the final day of session, observed a moment of silence for the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and for Representative Rosenwald’s father, then swore in and seated new members Boyles and Hodgers. The Speaker also outlined the chamber’s end-of-session priorities, including action on the budget and related conforming bills. The House then took up H.J.R. 5019, a constitutional amendment to expand Florida’s budget stabilization fund by raising the cap, requiring annual transfers, and allowing withdrawals for critical state needs. After sponsor explanations and questions about what would qualify as a critical need and how the fund might respond to possible federal funding cuts, the House adopted an amendment that added more flexibility for suspending transfers and withdrawals. The joint resolution then passed on final passage. Members next considered HB 7031, the tax package conference report. The bill repeals the business rent tax and aviation fuel tax, delays the natural gas fuel tax, creates or extends several sales tax exemptions and holidays, and makes changes affecting property taxes, local taxes, pari-mutuel taxes, and revenue distributions. Debate focused heavily on the new permanent exemption for ammunition and hunting-related items, the elimination of recurring housing trust fund and transit-related distributions, and the shift of some funding from recurring to nonrecurring status. Supporters argued the package provides tax relief and preserves annual budget flexibility, while opponents criticized the ammunition exemption and the reductions in recurring housing and transit support. The conference report was adopted and the bill passed. The House then passed HB 5017, which creates a debt reduction program funded by a recurring transfer from general revenue to retire state bonds early, and HB 5015, the state group insurance conforming bill, which directs DMS to develop a formulary management plan and codifies the administrative health insurance assessment. Finally, the chamber began explanation and questions on the General Appropriations Act conference report for fiscal year 2025-26, described as a $115.1 billion budget that is down from the current year and includes more than $12 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs summarized major budget areas, including K-12 education, health care, transportation and economic development, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and information technology, highlighting funding for school choice, Medicaid, housing, transportation infrastructure, Everglades restoration, workforce programs, cybersecurity, and technology modernization.

Transcript Highlights:

• c> property open for continue to be a property open for continue to be a working<00:33:41.360><c> Forest
• > open</c><00:33:42.679><c> to</c><00:33:42.799><c> Hunters</c><00:33:43.200><c> that</c> working Forest
• uh open to Hunters that working Forest uh open to Hunters that sort<00:33:43.440><c> of</c><00:33:43.559
• a very significant part of all of us in the North Country, and by all of us I mean fishing, game, Forest
• Very significant part of all of us in the North Country, and by all of us I mean fishing, game, Forest

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It demonstrated that catastrophic wildfires were no longer limited to remote forests.
• Number two, increase funding and pace of scale from the Resilient Forest and Fire Capacity Program.
• So I'll say it again: increase funding and pace of scale from the Resilient Forest and Fire Capacity
• very disappointed in our national administration that they're considering a 75% cut in our National Forest

Summary: The hearing focused on lessons from the 2017 Tubbs Fire and how Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, and local partners have changed wildfire prevention, recovery, and rebuilding practices since then. Assemblymembers emphasized that the region has become a model for the state, with a shift from suppression to prevention, and panelists described improvements in defensible space, home hardening, vegetation management, alerting, and community coordination. The discussion also highlighted the continuing importance of sharing Sonoma County’s experience with other wildfire-impacted communities across California and beyond. Fire officials and local leaders described specific prevention measures now in place, including Santa Rosa’s vegetation management ordinance, ignition-free/Zone Zero requirements in rebuilding, restrictions on certain mulches, removal of dead and dying trees near roads and defensible space zones, and expanded prescribed burning authority. They also stressed the importance of community organization through block captains, Firewise/COPE-style networks, and the Mark West Area Community Fund. Speakers said these networks helped residents navigate recovery, avoid fraud and bad contractors, coordinate with local agencies, and support neighbors, but they argued that such efforts need more formal structure and stable funding. Water and permitting officials discussed how the fires changed their work. Santa Rosa Water described new regional coordination, generator and backup power upgrades, emergency training, and lessons learned about wildfire-related contamination in water systems, including the need to restore pressure, flush, and test quickly after a fire. Permit Sonoma said rebuilding was balanced by streamlining permits while still requiring safer, more resilient construction, and noted that reduced fees and one-stop permitting helped speed recovery. United Policyholders described helping residents maximize insurance proceeds, organize information, and avoid scams, while warning that insurance availability and affordability remain major barriers and that insurers are increasingly rewarding risk-reduction measures. Across the panels, the main policy requests were for faster and more flexible grant processes, more stable long-term funding for prevention and community programs, stronger support for home hardening and defensible space, better training and tools for local governments and legislative staff, and continued attention to insurance and utility-related resilience. No formal votes or actions were taken in the transcript excerpt; the hearing was informational and ended with a transition toward public comment and further discussion of remaining statewide wildfire policy needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• California has not been managing our forests for decades.
• We stopped doing any kind of active California has not been managing our forests for decades.
• We stopped doing any kind of active, common-sense stewardship that keeps forests healthy and communities
• districts like mine to build mills, bioenergy facilities, and wood product factories to thin our forests

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have to protect our forest, and unfortunately, it's getting dry.
• They think when you cut a tree, it's an old-growth tree from Sherwood Forest, and we're trying to explain
• And we're there trying to explain to them sustainable forest so that we can continue to sell them products
• And we're there trying to explain to them sustainable forest so that we can continue to sell them products

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and welcomed a new member, then took up a series of agriculture-related bills, many focused on Louisiana seafood and producer protections. HB 121 by Rep. Domain would let the Department of Agriculture and Forestry seize and destroy adulterated imported seafood after a stop order, rather than relying on another agency to do it; the commissioner said the bill would improve enforcement without adding major cost, and it was reported favorably. HB 725, also by Rep. Domain, was amended to require retailers to keep invoices for imported seafood for six months so inspectors can verify country of origin and labeling; the committee adopted the technical amendment and reported the bill favorably. HB 367, dealing with Structural Pest Control Commission hearing notices, was described as a technical change to align notice procedures with the Administrative Procedure Act and was also reported favorably. HB 505, on certification cards for commercial applicators, pesticide salespersons, and agricultural consultants, was amended to keep unexpended pesticide fund money in the fund and streamline renewal timing; it too passed favorably. The committee then considered several measures aimed at protecting farmers from market losses. HB 344 by Rep. Coates raised the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund thresholds for suspending and restarting assessments, with the commissioner explaining that recent bankruptcies and broker failures had shown the need for a larger reserve; the bill was reported favorably. HB 370, a follow-up measure on the same fund, increased the assessment rate on agricultural commodities so the fund could grow faster, and it also passed without objection. HB 847, on Soil and Water Conservation Commission district supervisor elections, was amended to require certified nominating petitions, shift election administration to the Secretary of State, and remove outdated statewide election language; supporters said the change would modernize a system that had become costly and unwieldy, and the bill was reported favorably. HB 370 and HB 847 drew discussion about ballot access, election administration, and the nonpartisan nature of soil and water districts. The meeting also included a lengthy agriculture update from Commissioner Strain and a presentation from LSU Ag Center Dean Matt Lee. Strain discussed seafood imports, labeling enforcement, shrimp industry promotion, feral swine damage, fertilizer and diesel cost pressures, pesticide disposal, and export markets for rice and timber, emphasizing that Louisiana agriculture depends on testing, marketing, and international trade. Lee reported that LSU Ag Center research is ranked among the nation’s top agricultural programs, with major work in sugarcane variety development, and said the center’s research generates substantial economic returns for Louisiana producers. Several industry representatives, including Louisiana Farm Bureau and LSU Ag Center staff, spoke in support of the bills and the state’s agricultural programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Historically, blue lights have been reserved for law enforcement and first responder vehicles.
• Historically, blue lights have been reserved for law enforcement and first responder vehicles, although
• Forest over at the VA hospital and say, 'Hey, is this person practicing and licensed?'
• Forest over at the VA hospital and say, 'Hey, is this person practicing and licensed?'
• Forest over at the VA hospital and say, 'Hey, is this person practicing and licensed?'

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 758, which would establish a study committee on airport operation hours and possible noise abatement measures, including whether New Hampshire should prohibit departures between midnight and 6 a.m. The sponsor said the committee would examine the pros and cons and consult stakeholders. The Bureau of Aeronautics testified neutrally, noting that New Hampshire has 25 public airports, 12 with federal funding and grant assurances that may require them to remain open during those hours, and that cargo operations, including at Manchester, commonly occur overnight. Members also discussed existing noise abatement programs and how mitigation is determined by noise contours and FAA funding decisions. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing after testimony. The committee then heard House Bill 489, allowing voluntary emergency workers to use rear-facing blue lights on private vehicles when responding to emergencies. The sponsor said the bill corrects an oversight in existing law, would not cost the state or towns money, and would improve visibility and safety, especially in rural areas. Supportive testimony from a volunteer responder emphasized that blue lights help cut through fog, snow, and nighttime conditions, and that the bill would only add a single rear-facing blue light to existing red, amber, and white emergency lighting. The New Hampshire State Police opposed the bill, arguing that expanding blue lights to private vehicles would confuse the public and desensitize drivers to blue lights, which are associated with law enforcement. The hearing closed without action. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 533, which the sponsor and State Police clarified is actually two separate changes: one authorizing civilian automotive equipment inspectors to assist with vehicle inspection work, and another expanding language in motor carrier enforcement to include new entrant safety audits and compliance reviews. The State Police explained that civilian inspectors are hired and trained through the department and that any findings of state-law violations would be referred to troopers; they also said the new motor carrier language was requested to satisfy federal audit concerns about right of entry. The New Hampshire Motor Transport Association said it had no position if the civilian inspectors were not doing commercial truck inspections, but would oppose the bill if they were. Members asked about the difference between audits and compliance reviews, and the State Police said audits are for newer carriers and are non-enforcement, while compliance reviews look for violations. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 533. After a brief reset, the committee opened House Bill 594, which would repeal an alternate definition of “way” for the driving-after-suspension statute. The sponsor said the change was requested by the Department of Justice. Representative Erica Leon opposed the repeal, explaining that the prior language was intended to avoid criminalizing people who mow lawns or perform similar work near property edges while suspended, but she worried the repeal could create a loophole allowing driving on places like highway medians. Members questioned whether the issue was limited to mowing or broader vehicle use on property edges, and Leon said she would work with agencies to clarify the language so it protects lawful mowing without allowing misuse. No vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and establishes a more diverse community forest that's better able to withstand disease and forest
• forest that's better able to withstand forest that's better able to withstand disease<01:15:02.960><c
• > and</c><01:15:03.199><c> forest</c><01:15:03.600><c> pest.
• </c><01:15:04.320><c> It</c><01:15:04.560><c> specifies</c> disease and forest pest.
• It specifies disease and forest pest.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The chair also notes that, given the history of the bill, comments should be reserved so the time is
• The chair also says that, with the history of the bill, comments should be reserved and that time should
• The chair says the comments should be reserved for the sponsor.
• The chair says they want to make sure those comments are reserved and that time is for the sponsor.
• say, 'There it is—they're teaching my kids that America is hopelessly racist,' but that misses the forest

Bills: HF29, HF921, HF922, HF1048, HF1049

Keywords: railroad, infrastructure, transportation funding, environmental remediation, capital investment, HF921, tax increment financing, TIF, excess tax increment, school district aid, levy adjustment, property tax levy, education finance, Minnesota education aid, decertification, local government finance, school funding formula, state aid reduction, referendum equalization aid, debt service equalization

Transcript Highlights:

• doesn't look at, say, public safety risk or home risk and instead looks at acreage as a goal or a forest
• I think they just came out with an update to their action plan for the wildfire resilience and forest

Summary: The Senate Emergency Management Committee heard two main bills. AB 1934 by Assembly Member Bennett would create a voluntary home hardening certification program under the State Fire Marshal’s Wildfire Mitigation Advisory Committee. Supporters, including local governments, counties, fire-related organizations, and conservation groups, said the certificate could help guide future incentives for wildfire resilience and home hardening. Senators discussed how long certifications should last, whether recertification should be required, and how the program could align with local fire inspections and future state incentive funding. The bill was advanced to the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. The committee also heard AB 2411 by Assembly Member McKinner, which would create a process to train and deploy out-of-state law enforcement officers as temporary supplemental security for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The author, the Los Angeles mayor’s office, and the Los Angeles Police Protective League supported the bill, saying the Games will require far more officers than California can supply on its own and that out-of-state personnel should augment, not replace, California officers. Opposition from PORAC and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs focused on ensuring California POST standards, accountability, and proper training, while also raising concerns about recruitment, retention, and cost. Committee members generally supported the concept but emphasized that California officers should remain the primary source of personnel and that federal involvement should be limited; the bill was sent to the Senate Public Safety Committee. The committee also took up a consent calendar of additional measures, which were approved. After several roll calls and calls placed on absent members, both AB 1934 and AB 2411 ultimately passed the committee 9-0, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• record, my name is Davina Duerr from the 1st District, which is Woodinville, Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest
• Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and parts of unincorporated Snohomish County.

Bills: HB2096, HB2134, HB2323

Keywords: confidential identification, investigators, attorney general, security, law enforcement, transportation planning, greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled, regional planning organizations, environmental policy, blue envelope program, healthcare, patient privacy, state laws, medical records, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first meeting I went to was at Malls' board meeting at Forest Hill, Alabama, where there were discussions
• I live in the Talladega National Forest in a rural area, and in our area, we have a lot of people who

Bills: HB352, HB366, SB272, SB296

Keywords: HB352, cotton, cotton bale assessment, cotton levy, cotton producers, agriculture, forestry, Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, per bale fee, commodity assessment, producer referendum, cotton sales tax, Alabama Code 2-8-199, cotton commission, agricultural funding, HB366, Lakyn Canine Act, police dog, K9, K-9

Transcript Highlights:

• It holds $87,000 in reserve for future use.
• It holds $87,000 in reserve for future use.
• It holds $87,000 in reserve for future use.
• This is a generous surplus to hold in reserve without my amendment.
• Why do we hold a reserve is my question, and how much is fair to keep in reserve when towns like Royalton

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I don’t want to lose the forest for the trees.
• I don’t want to lose the forest for the trees.
• I don’t want to lose the forest for the trees.
• I don’t want to lose the forest for the trees.
• </c><04:31:09.319><c> for</c> Rochester I'm a licensed Forester for Rochester I'm a licensed Forester

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 153, which would require two or more law enforcement officers in each county to receive animal cruelty training through the police standards system. Representative Barbara Coma, the sponsor, said the bill was prompted by problems in animal cruelty cases, especially in rural areas without animal control officers, and she described it as a limited training measure. She said an amendment was forthcoming that would add an eight-hour approved course and a two-hour refresher every three years, and she emphasized that the trained officers would serve as resources rather than being required to take action themselves. Members asked about cost, due process, overlap with animal control officers, how trained officers would be identified and notified, and whether veterinarians could fill the role. Coma responded that the bill would not be a heavy financial lift, would not interfere with animal control officers, would apply to livestock as well as companion animals, and would still require law enforcement involvement because veterinarians cannot lawfully remove animals from property. She also said the training could improve due process by helping officers better understand when animal removal is appropriate and how cases should proceed. Sheriff William Wright, speaking for the New Hampshire Sheriffs Association, testified in opposition. He said training itself was acceptable, but the bill went beyond training by creating an obligation for sheriffs and state police to respond to and potentially investigate animal cruelty cases, which he argued would be ambiguous, unfunded, and burdensome for staffing and resources. He said some sheriff’s offices do not have investigative deputies and that the bill could create liability and uncertainty about who would lead investigations. In response to questions, he said the association would likely have no objection if the bill were limited to training, but it opposed the assistance/investigation mandate as written.

Transcript Highlights:

• doesn't look at, say, public safety risk or home risk and instead looks at acreage as a goal or a forest
• I think they just came out with an update to their action plan for the wildfire resilience and forest

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• fund and manage the acquisition and protection of salmon habitat, multi-benefit farmland, and upland forest
• For example, tribes have been an important partner in conserving upland headwater forests for protection

Bills: SB5919, SB5816

Keywords: fire safety, insurance incentives, best practices, community protection, voluntary measures, juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• fund and manage the acquisition and protection of salmon habitat, multi-benefit farmland, and upland forest
• For example, tribes have been an important partner in conserving upland headwater forests for protection

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard public testimony on Substitute Senate Bill 5971, which would create a green fertilizer incentive program to support low-carbon nitrogen fertilizer production in Washington. Committee staff and agency witnesses described the bill as implementing recommendations from a prior work group and said the Department of Agriculture and Ecology could develop the program, though Ecology recommended clarifying lifecycle emissions accounting, defining green fertilizer, and tying incentives to emissions reductions. Supporters, including a labor representative, Atlas Agro, NRDC, and TRIDEC, said the bill could reduce emissions, stabilize fertilizer prices for farmers, create jobs, and help Washington capture federal hydrogen tax credits. The committee also heard testimony on Substitute Senate Bill 6097, which would add federally recognized Indian tribes as eligible participants in the Conservation Futures Program; tribal, county, and land trust witnesses said the change would improve conservation partnerships, reduce transaction complexity, and better support stewardship of open space, farmland, and habitat. Public testimony tallies were read into the record for both bills, with strong support and opposition noted on each. After the hearings, the committee took up executive session on three bills. Senate Bill 5919, encouraging fire districts and insurers to create voluntary incentives for wildfire mitigation and agricultural activities, was moved out of committee with a due pass recommendation on a 10-0 vote with one excused. Senate Bill 5816, adding juice grapes as a covered agricultural product under the Agricultural Marketing and Fair Practices Act, was also reported out with a due pass recommendation on a 10-0 vote with one excused. The committee deferred action on engrossed substitute Senate Bill 5838, which concerns membership on the Board of Natural Resources and includes tribal representation; staff explained a proposed amendment would reduce tribal seats to one and alternate east-west representation by term. The chair announced the next day’s hearing would start at 9 a.m. and reminded members to submit any amendments by 6 p.m. that evening.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Julie Forester is an opponent of the bill wishes to appear in person.
• Julie Forester. I am here today is the Sarasota parent.

Transcript Highlights:

• to other LCIP properties as well, so there are groupings of properties to create large tracts of forested
• properties to create large tracks<00:08:53.440><c> of</c><00:08:54.440><c> uh</c><00:08:54.720><c> forested
• </c> tracks of uh forested tracks of uh forested lands<00:08:57.279><c> I</c><00:08:57.399><c> am</c>
• It's just, I think, state and federal forest has always been my understanding of it.
• I don't know if that was part of the negotiation when the White Mountain National Forest, for instance

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with testimony from Charlotte Harding of the Conservation Land Stewardship Program, who explained that the office protects the state’s interests in conservation lands by monitoring conservation easements and related stewardship obligations. She described the program’s funding sources: a land conservation endowment held at the State Treasury and administered by the Council on Resources and Development, plus transfers from Fish and Game for easements not covered by the endowment. Members discussed how the endowment is funded when new easements are created, the program’s staffing, the loss of a state vehicle, and the need to increase in-state travel so staff can use personal vehicles for field monitoring. Harding said the office has two full-time positions and a seasonal employee, that the work is mostly monitoring rather than hands-on land management, and that enforcement issues are referred to the grantee agencies or, if needed, to the Council on Resources and Development. She also noted that the office works directly with landowners to resolve smaller issues and that stewardship has become a greater focus in the conservation community because ongoing oversight requires funding. Members asked about examples of properties under the program, including LCIP lands such as Musquash Headwaters, Hidden Valley Boy Scout Camp, and Nash Stream, and the committee did not take a motion before moving on. The committee then heard from Paul Breen and Susie Anzelone of the Pease Development Authority regarding the Division of Ports and Harbors operating budget. They explained that the authority provides finance, legal, environmental, and engineering support to the division, which operates New Hampshire’s only deep-water berth at Market Street, as well as facilities in Hampton, Rye, the Portsmouth Fish Pier, and navigational waters in the Piscataqua and Great Bay. They described the authority’s history after the closure of Pease Air Force Base, the transfer of roughly 2,400 acres, and the creation of a self-sustaining enterprise fund tied to airport and port operations. They emphasized that the division does not draw on the general fund because revenues from wharfage, dockage, parking, registration, and mooring fees cover operating costs, with any surplus retained for capital improvements and replacement. Members questioned several budget lines, including a sharp increase in overtime and workers’ compensation. Breen said overtime is driven largely by security needs at the deep-water port and fluctuates with vessel traffic, such as salt shipments, while workers’ comp is a DAS-set cost and not something the division controls. He said the budget is conservative and that if revenues fall short, capital projects would be the first items scaled back. The discussion also covered fee-setting, with Breen saying rates are reviewed against the local market and infrastructure constraints, and that some smaller facility fees had recently been increased after being stagnant for years.