Transcript Highlights:

• It began increasing again in fiscal year 2023 and is projected to continue increasing through fiscal
• It began increasing again in fiscal year 2023 and is projected to continue increasing through fiscal
• The agency's FTE cap was increased.
• Recommendations include an increase of $46.1 million in general revenue funds for salary increases for
• Since July 2022, we have increased our JCOs by 200 employees, which has allowed us to increase our youth

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard a presentation from the Legislative Budget Board on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Article 5 budget. LBB recommended $3.7 billion in all funds for 2026-27, a 5.2 percent decrease from the base, while FTEs would rise by 856.7. Major items included funding for driver license services, DPS facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, border security, and rider changes. The committee also reviewed DPS exceptional items not included in the recommendation, including additional staffing, technology, and facility requests. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, criticizing long wait times, call abandonment, and repeated staffing increases without clear process improvements. LBB said the agency’s call-answer rate was about 9 percent in fiscal 2024, with average hold times around 34 minutes, later reduced to roughly 22-25 minutes. Senators questioned whether more FTEs alone would solve the problem and urged a broader efficiency study and better use of technology. DPS officials said they were pursuing process changes, including appointment-system upgrades, online pre-population of forms, and remote issuance options, while noting that Real ID requirements and population growth continue to drive demand. DPS leadership then outlined the agency’s priorities: completion of the Williamson County training academy, recruitment and retention of troopers, capital needs for vehicles and aircraft, and expanded responsibilities at the Capitol complex and the Alamo. Officials said the new trooper funding would help address staffing shortages, public safety, and border operations, and that overtime and deployment patterns had been adjusted to reduce burnout and improve flexibility. They also discussed Operation Lone Star, saying DPS spending is largely overtime, travel, and fuel, and that the agency continues to coordinate with federal partners while awaiting clarity on possible federal reimbursement for border security costs. Senators also raised concerns about oilfield theft, cartel activity, high-speed pursuits, bilingual pay, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and DPS said it would follow up on some of those issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• How to increase outcomes? You model? How to increase outcomes?
• per student increase. per student increase.
• They had a 10.4% increase. UofL. They had a 10.4% increase.
• uh dollar per student increase. uh dollar per student increase.
• below 2% increase per year. below 2% increase per year.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Postsecondary Education Committee held its first-ever meeting and first meeting of the session, with Chairman Tipton outlining committee procedures, attendance rules, and the process for submitting committee substitutes. After a roll call confirmed full attendance, the committee heard a presentation from Senator David Givens on the history and purpose of Kentucky’s performance-based funding model for postsecondary education. Givens said the model was created to replace an older “shares” approach that distributed funds based largely on prior-year allocations, and argued the new system better aligns funding with student success and the state’s long-term educational attainment goals. Council for Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson and CPE staff then explained the model in more detail. They said the system was designed to address long-standing funding disparities among institutions, reward outcomes such as degrees, credit-hour progression, and completion in high-demand fields, and support the state’s “60 by 30” goal of having 60% of Kentuckians hold a postsecondary credential by 2030. Thompson said Kentucky is now at 56.2% attainment, above the national average, and highlighted gains in graduation and retention rates, lower student borrowing, and improved completion outcomes. He also emphasized that the model is part of a broader strategy that includes affordability, adult learners, low-income students, and wrap-around support services. CPE staff described the work group process that developed and periodically revises the model, noting that the General Assembly created the framework in House Bill 303 and later enacted Senate Bill 153 and Senate Bill 191 to codify changes. They explained that in 2016 the legislature carved out about 5% of institutional budgets, roughly $43 million, to be redistributed through the new model, and that the model has been reviewed every three years with changes made each time. Recent revisions included increasing the student-success weight, adding a premium for low-income students, creating a premium for adult learners, and redefining underrepresented students as first-generation college students. No votes were taken at this meeting, and the committee adjourned after the informational presentation and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Item 3, 387,000 for increasing software costs is adopted.
• Under targeted salary increases, 87,000 for salary increases for actuarial andform review staff is adopted
• Item 2, 238,000 for staff salary increases is adopted.
• Item E, facility cost increases.
• Item C, increased mental health bed capacity.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Transcript Highlights:

• The increase is primarily related to expected increases in community-based restoration and diversion
• Last year, we increased this by 25.
• It does increase in the out years.
• “Increase in the out years.
• And that increases every day.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• rate would not reflect these increased rate would not reflect these increased costs<00:05:30.960
• making double-digit premium increases. making double-digit premium increases.
• will increase.
• from increasing from increasing um<01:37:46.560> by<01:37:47.320> 20%.
• > increase.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , an average increase of 68%.
• , an average increase of 68%.
• , an average increase of 68%.
• , an average increase of 68%.
• <00:46:32.200> barriers quality of care and increase barriers quality of care and increase

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• At the same time, significant increases in health care costs increase forecast spending, putting more
• It may also be related to increasing financial stress of households, as evidenced by recent increases
• This increase is projected earlier.
• increased by $1.9 billion. increased by $1.9 billion.
• > fund<00:25:24.880> spending increase projected general fund spending increase projected

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, every year we've seen an increase, which is pretty amazing.
• largemouth bass per year has increased largemouth bass per year has increased by<00:05:11.759>
• <00:05:20.639> The increase, which is pretty amazing.
• The increase, which is pretty amazing.
• Is there any factors that were specifically attributing to the increase in populations?

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• In the last 10 years, the amount has increased from 4,174. ...years, the amount has increased from $4,174.21
• to $5,406.69, or a 30% increase.
• -24 year, and also an increase in add-on FTE in 2023-24.
• is associated with the increase in the BSA that year.
• Those have increased over time.

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met for its first meeting of the 2025 session and received an overview of add-on weights in the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), followed by a Department of Education presentation on a legislatively required study of add-on weight funding and expenditures. The chair explained that add-on weights apply to acceleration and career programs such as AP, IB, ACE, CAPE, dual enrollment, early graduation, and certain small-district needs, and noted that add-on funding has grown substantially as the base student allocation increased. The chair also raised concerns that the department’s report did not clearly show whether districts’ reported costs included the full costs required by the proviso, and asked for more specificity on any recommended adjustment to the weights. Deputy Commissioner Suzanne Pridgen said the department surveyed districts on how they spent add-on revenue for fiscal years 2021-22 through 2023-24, with categories including teacher compensation, materials, equipment, professional development, exam fees, counseling, apprenticeship costs, and other expenditures. She said most add-on funds were spent on teacher bonuses and compensation, with AP, ACE, CAPE, and dual enrollment showing the largest increases in spending in 2023-24 due to higher FEFP funding; IB and early graduation were relatively flat. The department reported that add-on revenue covered between 41.8% and 79.2% of total program expenditures in 2023-24 and recommended adjusting add-on weights to better align with pre-2023-24 funding relationships, though no specific percentage was given during the meeting. Members asked about how “other” expenditures were categorized, whether teacher compensation included only statutory bonuses, how dual enrollment tuition and fees were counted, the small district factor, and whether the weights incentivize districts to offer advanced programs. The department clarified that teacher compensation in the study referred only to bonuses, that some “other” costs included charter school payments and dual enrollment tuition/fees, and that the small district factor is 1.0277, increasing base funding by 2.77% for fiscally constrained counties. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentation and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're increasing the total funds per FTE by 1.64%.
• We're increasing the base student allocation by $50.
• Overall, the HHS budget has increased by more than $2.1 billion, or 4.6%.
• when we get to the voucher program with that $700 million increase.
• We are increasing that allocation.

Summary: The Senate took up the 2026-2027 budget package, beginning with an overview of the $115 billion General Appropriations Bill (SB 2500/HB 500). Appropriations Chair Hooper said the budget is smaller than last year’s, maintains strong reserves, and includes a 3% pay raise for all state employees and 5% raises for state law enforcement, firefighters, correctional officers, and park rangers. Committee chairs then highlighted major spending in their areas, including $34.9 billion for Pre-K-12 education, $11.9 billion for higher education, a $2.1 billion-plus increase in health and human services, $7.9 billion for criminal and civil justice, $16.8 billion for transportation/tourism/economic development, and major environmental and regulatory investments such as Everglades restoration, water quality, and land acquisition. Members asked detailed questions about several items. Topics included the Emergency Management Trust Fund, arts and cultural grants, Florida Forever land acquisition versus conservation easements, teacher salaries and charter school funding, New College funding, ADAP/HIV drug assistance, Medicaid rate reductions for non-critical access hospitals, DOC operational deficits and inmate health/food costs, judicial staffing, and school enrollment supplements. Chairs explained that some reductions reflected shifts in how scholarship and categorical funds are tracked, that the ADAP appropriation would take effect immediately upon enactment but would only cover part of the year, and that hospital reductions were tied to a broader DPP funding increase. Questions also covered lottery staffing, concealed carry licensing workload, and whether vacant positions were being eliminated as part of budget right-sizing. After the budget discussion, the Senate substituted House bills for the Senate budget bills and adopted amendments placing the Senate language onto the House vehicles. The chamber then passed HB 500, HB 503, and HB 5201, and agreed to conference on each. It also passed SB 7028/HB 5205 on retirement, SB 2506 on fuel taxes, SB 2508 on the state agency law enforcement radio system, SB 2510/HB 5401 on court trust funds, SB 2512 on judgeships, SB 2514 on K-12 education, SB 2516 on higher education, and SB 2518 on health, with each bill passing by unanimous or near-unanimous votes and then being sent to conference or requested of the House for concurrence.

Transcript Highlights:

• So when the basic formula allowance increases, a handful of other categorical programs also increase.
• This would be an increase in 2027.
• This is an increase of This is an increase of 26,679,000<00:05:24.240> in<00:05:24.400>
• For charter schools, that 2.74% increase will feel like a 94% increase. Let me say it again.
• For charter schools, that 2.74% increase will feel like a 94% increase. Let me say it again.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That was the last tobacco tax increase.
• When any state passed legislation increasing the excise tax on tobacco?
• This tax was last increased in 2013.
• A 210% tax increase proposed in this bill creates financial A 210% tax increase proposed in this bill
• Revenue would increase, but only by about 2%, or $6.7 million.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a long hybrid hearing on a wide range of tax bills, with testimony covering cigarette and tobacco taxes, nicotine pouches, contractor rental equipment exemptions, aircraft sales tax exemptions, rolling stock, advanced sales tax payments, a gun and ammunition excise tax, a digital services tax, and a psilocybin cultivation/tax proposal. Committee chairs outlined the hearing process and noted that 39 House-filed sales and excise tax bills were being heard for required reporting by November 28. No votes were taken during the hearing. On tobacco-related bills, supporters including Senator Keenan, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and Tobacco Free Mass backed higher cigarette taxes and closing the synthetic nicotine loophole, arguing the measures would reduce youth initiation, encourage cessation, and offset health care costs. Retailers, wholesalers, and convenience-store groups opposed the increases, warning of smuggling, out-of-state purchasing, and harm to small businesses; premium cigar representatives argued cigars should be treated separately from cigarettes. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3067 and related bills concerning nicotine pouches, with public health advocates supporting taxation and industry witnesses urging a lower, more competitive rate. Several other bills drew sharply divided testimony. United Rentals supported H. 3065 to simplify contractor rental equipment exemption paperwork, while airport and aviation groups opposed bills to repeal the aircraft sales tax exemption, saying it would hurt airport competitiveness and jobs. The Transportation Association of Massachusetts backed rolling stock tax exemptions, saying the current tax discourages fleet investment and interstate commerce. Restaurant industry representatives supported repealing advanced sales tax payments and changing penalty rules, saying businesses were hit with retroactive penalties after unclear pandemic-era changes. On H. 3082, an excise tax on guns and ammunition, gun violence prevention advocates, Roca, and Giffords supported the bill as a dedicated funding source for prevention and survivor services, while sportsmen’s groups opposed it as unfair to lawful gun owners and harmful to conservation funding. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3208, a digital advertising services tax, with Representative Paulino supporting it as a way to capture revenue from online advertising and fund public needs, while the Chamber of Progress opposed it as costly and burdensome for small businesses and campaigns. Finally, multiple witnesses testified on H. 4050 regarding psilocybin cultivation and taxation: advocates from Mass Healing, Roca, the Reason Foundation, and individuals describing personal medical benefits urged a regulated, permit-based system, while the hearing ended after all signed-up speakers were heard and the chair adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• But every state agency votes on their increases.
• No increases beyond that. With that, Mr. Chairman, I would say... No increases beyond that.
• Are they trying to increase the size of Albuquerque?
• Are they trying to increase the size of Las Cruces?
• Chairman, has there been a cost increase?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So those requests had been $31 million in agency operating increases and $16 million in fee increases
• We agency spending in increase requests.
• Um fees which uh will will not increase.
• , uh those fee operating increases, uh those fee increases<00:09:17.680> I<00:09:17.920> just
• <00:09:48.959> funding because we are not increasing funding because we are not increasing

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It'll also increase The factor from its current 0.33 to 0.40, so increase the at-risk index, what is
• We're still dead last, despite a 60% increase in educational funding.
• Today I'm presenting House Bill 156, Increase Educational Salaries.
• That with salary increases on a regular basis.
• I believe it was one of the largest increases; the teacher pay increase was around 17%.

Transcript Highlights:

• a little, but it was increased.
• By increased government support.
• One other piece that we haven't really addressed is the increase in insurances—the federal increase—and
• So even with an increase, even with an increase of $100 a week, if someone is working 40 hours a week
• There are two major cost drivers to that increase... increase of about $291,000 to sustain state of New

Transcript Highlights:

• With the total of $100 of increase that we've seen between the January increase and the July increase
• And that's just what our weekly benefit amount increase.
• And we're seeing this slight increase.
• And we're also experiencing these increased outflows through the weekly benefit amount increases.
• We're expecting due to unemployment increases, unemployment benefits increases, and other factors that

Summary: The Commission on Unemployment Compensation met, established a quorum, and elected Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling as chair and Senator Mike Jones as vice chair. The commission also adopted its electronic meeting policy and heard introductions from new members, staff, and officials from the Secretary of Labor’s office and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). Secretary Jessica Lumen outlined the administration’s workforce and labor priorities, including supporting workers, employers, and program transparency, while members raised concerns about business climate, job losses, labor participation, and the implementation of paid family and medical leave. Staff provided legislative updates on recent unemployment-related bills. These included increases to the weekly unemployment benefit amount enacted in 2025 and 2026, a bill on labor dispute disqualification that changed how lockouts are treated for benefit eligibility, and a budget item providing $75,000 for actuarial support to the commission. The commission also discussed the 2025 work group on annual adjustments to weekly benefit amounts; staff reported that the work group did not complete its charge, and members agreed to revisit whether to reconstitute it at a future meeting. Delegate Martinez expressed support for continuing the work, and the chair said the issue would be taken up at the next meeting. Deputy Commissioner Joanna Darkus gave a detailed presentation on Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including current claims data, eligibility rules, employer tax structure, benefit levels, trust fund solvency, fraud prevention, and customer service operations. She reported that Virginia’s unemployment rate remains low, weekly claims are modest, the current weekly benefit range is $160 to $478, and the trust fund balance factor is projected at 50.9 percent, near the threshold for additional employer charges. Members asked about the taxable wage base, trust fund solvency, the effect of benefit increases, fraud controls, and the planned paid family and medical leave program. VEC said it is implementing that program through regulations, staffing, IT procurement, public listening sessions, and consultation with other states. A public commenter from the Virginia Poverty Law Center urged the commission to strengthen state investment in unemployment insurance and warned that federal support is uncertain. The commission then adjourned without taking further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• the personal needs allowance, which has not increased since 2008.
• Costs have risen over that time, and the asset limit must increase accordingly.
• Just a question that you said, the minimal increase for the state between, was it increasing the asset
• It's important that we get some kind of an increase.
• So there really has been no increase in the last 18 years.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing focused largely on senior long-term care issues, family caregiving, post-acute care access, and direct care workforce pay. Testimony strongly supported bills to raise the personal needs allowance for nursing home and rest home residents (including H. 1411, S. 482, and related bills), with speakers from Mass Senior Action, Dignity Alliance, nursing home residents, providers, and former state officials arguing that the current $72.80 monthly allowance has been unchanged since 2008 and is inadequate for basic items like clothing, toiletries, haircuts, and transportation. Witnesses also backed bills to increase MassHealth asset and income limits for seniors and to stop counting life insurance as cash, describing the current rules as outdated and harmful to low-income elders. The committee also heard testimony on bills allowing family members, including spouses and guardians, to be paid caregivers (H. 1394/S. 886), with supporters saying this would help families keep loved ones at home and reduce reliance on costly institutional care. Another set of bills (H. 1412/S. 903) drew support from a physician who said clearer MassHealth communication and improved post-acute care determination processes would help reduce delays and backlogs for patients awaiting skilled nursing, rehabilitation, or other post-acute placement. Several speakers emphasized that better home- and community-based care can prevent hospital readmissions and support independence. A major portion of the hearing focused on S. 877, which would establish an enhanced care worker minimum wage of $25 per hour, indexed to inflation, for certain home care and human services workers. Union representatives and direct care workers from SEIU Local 509, 1199 SEIU, and the AFL-CIO described severe staffing shortages, burnout, low wages, and high turnover across home care, mental health, disability services, and crisis response. They argued that higher pay is necessary to recruit and retain workers and to stabilize services for vulnerable residents. Committee members asked about costs, comparisons with other states, and whether non-wage incentives could help, but witnesses repeatedly said wages were the central issue. The hearing concluded after all registered testimony was heard, with the committee noting it would continue accepting written testimony and then adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• In this forecast, increases in wages and salaries, though, is not a main driver of the increase in individual
• Rather, that increase is driven by increases in non-wage income, principally capital gains distributions
• 13:01.520> increases<00:13:02.280> in increase is driven by increases in increase is driven
• The increase is due primarily to an increased forecast for investment income, the return the state earns
• <00:47:38.360> in and and the dramatic increases in and and the dramatic increases in productivity

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:06.800> here couple of uh small fee increases here couple of uh small fee increases
• employees, and judge health insurance increases and the Minnesota Justice Center lease increase.
• And this is not an increase. The increase is on the line above.
• Uh the increase is on the line increase.
• increases and article 3.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all