MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Improving Affordability through Tax Relief | Senator Karin Housley May 15th, 2026

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:

Senator, it's a pleasure to have you here. >> Thank you so much for inviting me back.
So, there was this insatiable appetite that the Democrats had when they took full control, House, Senate
Um, well, one of them that Senator Jasinski had, um, is the license tab fees.
, and governor, to just House, Senate, and governor, to just spend,<00:02:27.959><c> spend,</c><00:02
Senator, it's been a pleasure having you here. Thank you for the conversation.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Finance - 05/15/26

Finance

Transcript Highlights:

Senate Senator Pappas Senate floor.
Senator<00:08:35.719><c> Pappas.</c> Senator Pappas. Senator Pappas.
Chair and Senator Senator Xiong.
That's what our staff is planning on. Senator Dziedzic asked how much heads-up members would get.
Senator Champion asked whether the timing would affect the floor and whether staff would need to remain

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Advancing Gun and School Safety Measures | Senator Zaynab Mohamed May 15th, 2026

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:

Senator, thank you for being here. Thank you so much for having me.
Well, what they do doesn't take away what you guys did in the Senate.
The House is the Senate. We passed it.
You've called guys did in the Senate.
They have seen the bill pass in the Senate.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

VT

Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Session - 2026-05-15 - 10:00AM

Vermont Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:

Senator Baruth: Yes. Senator Ashe: No. Senator Benning: No. Senator Balint: Yes. Senator Bray: No.
Senator Hashim: Yes. Senator Hebert: Nay. Senator Ingalls: No. Senator Lyons: Yes.
Senator Baruth. Yes. Senator Bray. Yes. Senator Benson. No. Senator Balint. Yes. Senator Brennan.
Senator Hashim. Yes. Senator Ingram. Yay. Senator Chittenden. Yes. Senator Senator Chittenden. Yes.
Senator Sirotkin. Yes. Senator Watson. Yes. Senator White. Yes. Senator Westman. Senator White.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session - 05/15/26

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:

Senator >> uh Senator uh Senator Jasinski. >> Senator Lang votes I. >> Senator Lang votes I.
</c> >> Senator Pratt. Senator Pratt. >> Senator Pratt. Senator Pratt.
Our partisan Senate staff includes the incomparable Ryan Majaras and Tom Cheetah, and the partisan House
Senator Abler Senator Marty votes no. Senator Marty votes no. Senator Mann votes no.
Senator Senator<03:14:23.359><c> Weslin.</c> Senator Weslin. Senator Weslin.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Advancing Gun and School Safety Measures / Improving Affordability through Tax Relief May 15th, 2026

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:

This week on Senate Spotlight, a package on gun violence prevention and protection passes on the Senate
Senate Spotlight is produced by the Minnesota Senate and Senate Media Services.
</c> in the Senate. What about the house? in the Senate. What about the house?
</c> the floor in the Senate. We passed it. the floor in the Senate. We passed it.
They understand that the Senate.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Press Conference: Media Availability on Tab Fee and Bonding Bill Agreement - 05/14/26

Transcript Highlights:

Senator, a couple questions about that.
Senator, a couple questions about that.
Senator, a couple questions about that.
</c> That's the Senate Republicans. That's the Senate Republicans.
I work with Senator year to do that.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Legislators and reporters discussed the final contours of a Minnesota bonding and tax package centered on a $1.2 billion capital investment bill. Supporters said the bill would fund state and local infrastructure projects, maintain state assets, and include anti-fraud measures such as electronic verification for service providers and a 100% excess tax on fraud proceeds to prevent offenders from profiting. They also said the package would backfill road-and-bridge funding so the fee reduction would not reduce transportation dollars. A major point of emphasis was a temporary reduction in tab fees, described as a $254 million savings for taxpayers in 2027. Republicans said the reduction was a top priority and that it was secured through negotiations, though they acknowledged it is only a one-year reprieve unless changed in a future session. They estimated the average savings at about $145 on a $50,000 vehicle, with larger savings for households with multiple vehicles. They also noted that the first proposal had included both a depreciation change and a rate change, but only the rate cut remained in the final compromise. In response to questions, lawmakers said the tab fee cut was driven by constituent complaints and that they would try to extend it next year. They also discussed related transportation issues, including accelerating collection of an auto parts sales tax and concerns about greenhouse gas-related costs for roads and bridges. On other topics, one lawmaker said gun control proposals in the House were not part of these negotiations and urged continued movement on the broader package. No formal vote was taken in the exchange, but participants expressed confidence that the bonding portion of the deal was largely settled, while some details of the full package still needed to be finalized.

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Conference Committee on H.F. 4252 - Omnibus Higher Education Finance and Policy - 05/14/26

Transcript Highlights:

has recommended the two sides and staff has recommended the Senate<00:03:46.080><c> language</c><00:
Just cross-referencing some paragraphs, and staff recommends the Senate language on that difference.
These requirements have just been rewritten, not in table form, in the Senate language, and so staff
</c> form in the Senate language and so staff form in the Senate language and so staff to<00:12:52.320
Uh, it was a staff recommendation. Senator<01:30:13.440><c> Fate.</c> Senator Fate. Senator Fate.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The conference committee received a nonpartisan walkthrough of the House and Senate side-by-side for higher education-related legislation, with staff identifying Senate-only, House-only, identical, and technical-difference provisions. Topics included paid blood donation leave for Minnesota State employees, a revised higher education attainment goal, athletic fee restrictions, developmental course disclosures, American Indian Scholars Program eligibility, protections and definitions for pregnant and parenting students, online program management contracts, student aid reporting, work-study and dual training grants, private and out-of-state postsecondary education regulation, private career school licensing and data privacy, college savings plan changes, and several University of Minnesota-related provisions. House-only items also included an unemployment insurance aid adjustment, a $1.5 million ongoing appropriation for an identity verification system to combat enrollment fraud, and $5,000 for Bemidji State University reforestation; Senate-only items included Board of Regents appointment language, limits on for-profit control of medical school curriculum, and reporting on for-profit funding in medical education. After the walkthrough, the committee moved to adopt the same and similar provisions and direct staff to make technical corrections. A senator asked about proposed adjustments to the pregnant and parenting student language, and the chair said amendments would be considered after adopting the same and similar provisions. The motion to adopt prevailed. During public testimony, Sydney Spre of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees supported the Senate’s paid blood donation leave language, saying it would create parity for Minnesota State employees and encourage blood and plasma donation. Commissioner Dennis Olsen of the Office of Higher Education thanked the committee for adopting most of the agency’s proposed language and said he was available to help clarify remaining differences. In response to questions, he explained the Senate’s higher education attainment goal proposal, saying it would extend and broaden the existing goal, raise the target from 70% to 75%, expand the age range, and use additional metrics and partner agencies; he also said the overall attainment rate had been 63.5 under the prior goal. The transcript ends as the commissioner was being asked whether the proposal would require additional appropriations.

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Conference Committee on H.F. 4252 - Omnibus Higher Education finance and policy - 05/14/26

Transcript Highlights:

</c><00:30:08.640><c> nonpartisan</c><00:30:09.240><c> staff,</c> we got from Senate nonpartisan staff
, we got from Senate nonpartisan staff, that's<00:30:09.920><c> not</c><00:30:10.120><c> really</c><00
And I also want to thank the staff that really worked hard on both the House and Senate side that really
And I also want to thank the staff that really worked hard on both the House and Senate side that really
And I also want to thank the staff that really worked hard on both the House and Senate side that really

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The committee discussed a higher education attainment-goals bill and several related amendments. Members first reached agreement on funding changes: one amendment redirected money for fraud-prevention software for MnSCU and $5,000 for trees in Bemidji, and another moved $570,000 for workforce development-related funding. Members noted the use of general fund dollars to cover a FIG shortfall and expressed support for addressing fraud prevention while also saying MnSCU should be made whole in the next biennium. Both amendments were adopted. The main policy debate centered on an amendment updating the statewide attainment goal and related P-20 partnership language. Senator Um Ruebain proposed returning the attainment goal from 75 percent to 70 percent, and members discussed whether the bill’s expanded reporting and coordination duties would create costs for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Nonpartisan staff and Commissioner Olsen said the Office of Higher Education and the P-20 partnership expected no costs, while DCYF’s fiscal note assumed reporting and staffing costs. After discussion, DCYF indicated it would absorb the costs, but some members still objected to expanding the partnership and creating additional bureaucracy. Members also debated whether early childhood and K-12 subgoals should be included as part of the attainment-goals framework. Supporters said aligning early childhood, K-12, and higher education goals is necessary to improve postsecondary attainment, while opponents argued the committee should focus on existing higher education goals and basic K-12 achievement. The committee ultimately adopted the Senate language on the attainment-goals section as amended, including the change back to 70 percent and revisions directed by staff to ensure the correct references were updated. The A12 amendment on pregnant and parenting students was also adopted earlier in the meeting.

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Press Conference: Legislators Call for Home Care Nursing Compliance - 05/14/26

Transcript Highlights:

. >> [music] >> [music] >> [music] I'm Senator Liz Boldon.
I'll turn it over to Senator Klein. Thank you.
I'll turn it over to Senator Klein. Thank you.
</c> Thank<00:13:46.360><c> you,</c><00:13:46.680><c> Senator</c> Thank you, Senator Thank you, Senator
</c><00:16:11.200><c> before</c> and Senate before and Senate before the<00:16:12.560><c> deadline?

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Senators and House members held a press event in support of HF 4188, a bill addressing commercial insurance coverage for home care nursing for medically complex children who also receive medical assistance. Speakers said the issue arose after Medica and HealthPartners began imposing caps on coverage that had been provided for years under Minnesota law, and argued that the change would shift costs to Medicaid and taxpayers, create budget pressure, and force families to reduce other needed services. They emphasized that home care nursing is distinct from short-term home health visits and said the bill would prohibit quantity limits and clarify that insurers must continue covering authorized nursing care. Parents and family members described the impact on children who depend on continuous skilled nursing to remain safely at home, including one family whose child Nash has spent extensive time hospitalized and another speaker who said her niece Isabel’s care showed how many nurses, aides, and hospice workers are involved in these cases. Testimony stressed that the coverage caps could lead to more hospitalizations, ICU stays, and trauma for children and families, while costing more overall than home care. Several lawmakers, including Sen. Matt Klein and Rep. Robert Bierman, said the statute’s original intent was clear in 2010 and that the plans’ reinterpretation and the Commerce Department’s response should be corrected. Lawmakers said the Commerce and Consumer Protection Conference Committee has completed its work but is being kept open for the remaining days of session in hopes of resolving the issue this year. In response to questions, supporters said the bill is intended as a clarification rather than a new mandate, that it would simply bar caps on already-authorized home care nursing, and that they believe there is support to move it through the House and Senate before adjournment.

MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Press Conference: Media Availability on Budget Agreement - 05/14/26

Transcript Highlights:

</c> violence asking the Senate violence asking the Senate the<00:04:31.000><c> Minnesota</c><00:04:31.480
</c> the Minnesota Senate to act and we have. the Minnesota Senate to act and we have.
Senator, was there reluctance to lower the license tab fees even for you and all Senator Dibble thinks
Senator, was there reluctance to lower Senator, was there reluctance to lower the<00:08:57.080><c> license
And we've put it on the table in Senate.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: A Minnesota Senate leader discussed the end-of-session budget deal and said the Senate had passed a comprehensive budget that addresses several recent crises and federal policy changes. He highlighted funding to respond to gun violence, Metro Surge, and the effects of a federal Republican budget bill, saying the package includes retroactive medical assistance coverage, support to keep SNAP functioning, $10 million for food banks and shelves, rental assistance, and aid for counties and property taxpayers. He also said the Senate secured $205 million for HCMC, a $30 million uncompensated care pool for other distressed hospitals, and a $500 million health care stabilization reserve, along with a one-year license tab fee reduction and a $1.2 billion bonding bill. He said some priorities were left out or rejected in negotiations, including small business relief, low-income rent, energy assistance, rural EMS stabilization, a manufactured home bill of rights, a social media platform data collection tax, and proposals to block private equity from nursing homes and single-family homes. He also said the House Speaker had promised but not brought a gun vote to the floor, and he expressed disappointment that immigration-related action and some gun control measures did not advance further. He defended the rental assistance as available to Minnesotans regardless of documentation status and said it was not tied only to Operation Metro Surge. The leader also addressed concerns about payment withholding and program integrity in human services, saying the goal was to fight fraud without cutting services. He said hospitals seeking access to the stabilization reserve would need to show distress and financial need, and that both the governor and a legislative advisory committee would have to approve. He closed by saying the process had been difficult and too much negotiation had moved into backroom settings, but that the chambers were working toward an orderly conclusion and that he expected the remaining bills to be finalized and sent to the governor.

NY

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Standing Committee on Rules - 05/14/2026

Rules

Transcript Highlights:

First, I want to begin by thanking Senator Liu for standing here for me earlier in the week.
We have a one-bill agenda: 10, 324, Senator Serrano. An act making appropriations.
Sponsored by Senator Myrie, seconded by Senator Harckham, and all in favor.

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Rules committee met with a one-bill agenda: Senate Bill 10,324, sponsored by Senator Myrie and seconded by Senator Harckham, concerning appropriations. The chair also opened by thanking Senator Liu for standing in earlier in the week. The committee considered the bill and, after the motion was made and seconded, members voted in favor. No opposition or additional testimony was mentioned. The bill was reported straight to the floor for passage.

NY

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

New York State Senate Session - 05/14/2026

New York Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:

Baskin, Senator Comrie, Senator Bailey, Senator Sanders, Senator Bynoe.
Baskin, Senator Comrie, Senator Bailey, Senator Sanders, Senator Bynoe.
Baskin, Senator Comrie, Senator Bailey, Senator Sanders, Senator Bynoe.
Baskin, Senator Comrie, Senator Bailey, Senator Sanders, Senator Bynoe.
Baskin, Senator Comrie, Senator Bailey, Senator Sanders, Senator Bynoe.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with routine proceedings, approved the prior journal, and processed several messages from the Assembly, including motions to discharge and substitute identical Senate bills for Assembly bills on the calendars. The chamber also reconsidered and restored Senate Print 1788, an act amending the Real Property Tax Law, to the third reading calendar. The Rules Committee reported Senate Print 10324, the state budget appropriations bill, directly to third reading, and the Senate accepted the message of necessity and laid the bill aside before taking it up on the controversial calendar as a budget extender. A lengthy debate followed on the budget extender, with Senator O’Mara and others criticizing the continued delay in finalizing the state budget, the lack of public details, and the absence of a schedule for joint budget committee meetings. Senator Serrano responded that the extender was necessary to keep state government operating while final budget negotiations continued, but could not provide specifics on policy items such as Tier 6 pension changes, New York City aid, local government support, or school aid. The extender was ultimately passed 56-2, with Senators Rhoads and Weik voting no. The Senate then adopted several previously adopted resolutions, including a memorial resolution for former Congressman Eliot Engel and a resolution marking the fourth anniversary of the Tops Friendly Markets mass shooting in Buffalo. The Buffalo resolution prompted extensive remarks from multiple senators about racism, gun violence, community trauma, and the need for policy responses; it was adopted with broad support. The chamber also passed a series of bills on the third reading calendar covering highway, municipal, environmental, banking, veterans, education, public health, and public service matters, with most passing overwhelmingly and a few drawing minority opposition. Notable floor debate occurred on a study bill regarding battery energy storage systems, where senators raised concerns about fire safety and siting; the bill passed 45-13. The Senate adjourned to reconvene on Monday, May 18 at 11:00 a.m.

NY

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Standing Committee on Cities 1 - 05/14/2026

Cities 1

Transcript Highlights:

The first bill on our agenda is Senate Bill 1451A by Senator Kavanaugh.
The second bill on our agenda is Senate Bill 3884 by Senator Sepulveda.
The third bill on our agenda is Senate Bill 4272A by Senator Cabinon.
The third bill on our agenda is Senate Bill 4272A by Senator Cabinon.
The fourth bill on our agenda is Senate Bill 4793 by Senator Sanders.

Committee: Senate Cities 1

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Cities 1 met on May 14, 2026, with a quorum present and Chair Erik Bottcher presiding. The committee considered a series of bills affecting New York City and related tax, housing, and municipal issues. Early measures included a neighborhood small business rent increase exemption (S.1451A), notice to community boards before locating transitional housing (S.3884), a solar and energy storage tax abatement credit (S.4272A), towing protection enforcement (S.4793), safety policies and training for correction and health workers (S.543?), and a proposal to create the city of Staten Island (S.8578). Most of these bills were advanced to other committees after brief discussion and voice votes. The most extensive debate centered on S.8578, which would incorporate Staten Island as a separate city. Senator Lanza argued that Staten Island has long been neglected by New York City, cited past referendums and historical grievances, and urged the committee to let the bill continue through the process. Chair Bottcher and other members responded that Staten Island is an important part of New York City and discussed housing, transit, environmental preservation, and the City of Yes zoning changes; several members said they did not support secession but were open to continued conversation about Staten Island’s needs. After debate, the bill was defeated in committee. The committee also considered an artist housing preferences bill (S.9652), a facade-work tax abatement bill (S.9559), a parkland discontinuance measure (S.9987), and a credit/debit card surcharge prohibition bill (S.1005). S.9652, S.9559, S.9987, and S.1005 were reported out after voice votes. One homeless shelter placement bill (S.5554) failed. The meeting concluded after the final votes and adjournment.

FL