Transcript Highlights:

• And what we did yesterday, if the District Attorneys are here, the District Attorneys' Offices just go
• I am Chief Deputy District Attorney.
• I'm Marcus Montoya, a judicial district attorney also president of the New Mexico District Attorneys
• District Attorney, I do want to just say, and I know that as the District Attorney you're not responsible
• and District Attorney.

Transcript Highlights:

• Compared to district attorney offices in the same jurisdiction, public defender offices typically had
• This matters because virtually every case brought by the district attorney has to be matched by a public
• So these public defender-prosecutor disparities are even wider than simply comparing district attorney
• Because of the lack of attorneys, current caseloads are exploding and each of our six appellate districts
• Because of the lack of attorneys, current caseloads are exploding and each of our six appellate districts

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some counties where the District attorneys have been more measured in their approach.
• So looking at a caseload to increase by the thousands is what I've been told by the Assistant District
• So as my district attorney called me and said, your judicial officers are so good at doing that. courts
• Cindy Michigan, assistant director of Appellate Defenders Incorporated, serving the fourth district.
• I am a former staff attorney at the First District Appellate Project.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I serve as the Deputy District Attorney here at the First Judicial District Attorney's Office over the
• I am a Deputy District attorney in the 2nd Judicial District.
• Uh, contract attorneys that that assist us in that screening process, um, because particularly for the
• Assistant district attorney showed up. Case was. Gone away.
• Everybody, law enforcement, district attorneys, school systems, they have major trust he has major trust

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• So while we don't have the premium assistance, we do have co-pay assistance and deductible assistance
• And there are other programs that assist folks in financial need who need that type of premium assistance
• Because they're still facing the same attorney retention issue as state attorneys.
• There are Democrats in your district.
• I can tell you that people of State House District 62 and maybe 63 and 109 and some other districts,

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• General and the district attorney.
• Cartwright Act, which is currently only enforceable by the Attorney General and the district attorneys
• and the district attorney, explaining any proposed prosecution under the Cartwright Act, and allows
• and the district attorney explaining any proposed prosecution under the Cartwright Act and allows for
• We have Assistant City Attorney Kevin James, from the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney Feldstein-Soto

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so the state attorneys have come to us and said that they're losing attorneys at a clip that warranted
• facing the same attorney retention issue at state attorneys.
• We prioritize state attorneys.
• There are Democrats in your district.
• I can tell you that people of State House District 62 and maybe 63 and 109 and some other districts,

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Don Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. The chamber announced it would take up 11 budget conference committee reports, with no third-reading bills or special-order calendar items. Members were reminded that conference reports were subject to debate but not amendment, and that the required review periods had been satisfied. The first major action was on HB 7031E, the tax package. Representative Duggan explained that the conference report included a mix of retained, modified, and new tax provisions, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related changes, reductions in certain gaming and carbon-related taxes, changes to child care and documentary stamp tax credits, a new refund process for public works construction tax paid by universities and colleges, and other tax administration changes. Debate focused on the bill’s consumer impact, the reduction of the child tax credit from three years to one, the inclusion of firearm accessories in a sales tax holiday, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the homestead exemption provision for certain deployed diplomatic and foreign service personnel. Critics argued the package favored niche or corporate interests over broad affordability relief, while supporters said it provided targeted tax relief and reflected conference negotiations. The House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11. The House then began presenting the conference report for HB 501E, the state budget, which totaled $114.5 billion for fiscal year 2026-27 and was described as below the prior year’s spending level while maintaining reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major budget areas: pre-K-12 funding included an increase in FEFP, salary increases for veteran teachers, stabilization funding, and support for declining enrollment; higher education included full Bright Futures funding, workforce programs, college operating support, university initiatives, and school guardian expansion; IT funding focused on Palm, ACCESS, APD’s I-Connect replacement, corrections systems, emergency management systems, and cybersecurity grants; health care funding covered Medicaid, nursing home rates, waiver provider increases, ADAP funding and restructuring, child welfare, and behavioral health; transportation and economic development included housing, cultural grants, jobs and rural infrastructure, Visit Florida, Space Florida, highway patrol equipment, and local transportation projects; justice funding included correctional construction, juvenile justice facilities, law enforcement grants, and clerk and due process reimbursements; state administration included fire stations, constrained counties, building maintenance, and Safe Florida Home; and agriculture/natural resources funding emphasized Everglades restoration, water quality, land acquisition, Florida Forever, state parks, and citrus research. Members then began questioning the budget details, including school voucher accountability, school funding formulas, public defender parity, prison technology, wastewater monitoring in prisons, ADAP policy, SNAP fraud controls and AI-assisted verification, Florida Forever funding, school lunch funding, and coral reef restoration. No final vote on HB 501E appears in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Compared to district attorney offices in the same jurisdiction, public defenders' offices typically had
• This matters because virtually every case brought by the district attorney has to be matched by a public
• So these public defender-prosecutor disparities are even wider than simply comparing district attorney
• Because of the lack of attorneys, current caseloads are exploding and each of our six appellate districts
• My staff of 16 attorneys oversee the work of 260 panel attorneys.

Summary: The committee heard budget and workload presentations from the Office of the State Public Defender, legal aid organizations, and the Judicial Branch. OSPD requested permanent funding for positions that had been temporarily funded to implement the Racial Justice Act, explaining that the work has become ongoing and now includes additional Supreme Court briefing, habeas proceedings, investigations, expert analysis, and data requests. The State Public Defender also presented the AB 625 public defense workload report, which found statewide staffing shortages, caseloads above recommended standards, and major gaps in investigators and support staff. Senators asked about racial bias claims, the volume of data requests, and the impact of Prop. 36, and OSPD said it would provide additional written information. The legal aid panel asked for a $50 million increase to the Equal Access Fund, $20 million to restart homelessness prevention services, and $10 million for health care access work, while also supporting Access to Justice Commission requests for loan repayment assistance, immigrant family preparedness services, and innovation grants. Witnesses described legal aid as homelessness prevention and cited examples involving eviction defense, domestic violence survivors, and immigration detention cases. Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Sergio Tapia discussed eviction data, low tenant representation, and court pilots in Compton and at Stanley Mosk that combine mediation, rental assistance, and legal help. Senators asked for service maps, outreach materials, and more detail on funding needs and federal funding losses. For the Judicial Branch overview, the Judicial Council and trial court representatives supported the Governor’s proposed budget, including $70 million for trial court operations, $21.7 million for employee health and retirement costs, and funding for appellate counsel, case processing, and courthouse construction. They said rising costs, staffing retention, and interpreter shortages continue to strain the courts, and described efforts to reallocate interpreter funds and recruit hard-to-find languages such as Mixteco. Senators pressed the branch and the Department of Finance on courthouse facilities, noting that the long-term need is far larger than the current budget proposal; Finance said the branch’s facility needs were estimated at about $22.5 billion over 10 years to start 68 projects and $29.4 billion to complete the remaining projects. The committee requested follow-up information on facilities, judgeships, and interpreter needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• So while we don't have the premium assistance, we do have co-pay assistance and deductible assistance
• And there are other programs that assist folks in financial need who need that type of premium assistance
• The attorney requiring the Attorney General's Office to report what? Representative Hart-Lumman.
• Because they're still facing the same attorney retention issue as state attorneys.
• I can tell you that people of State House District 62 and maybe 63 and 109 and some other districts,

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Donnell C. Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. A quorum was announced, the journal was approved, and the Speaker said the chamber would take up 11 budget conference reports, with debate and final votes on each report. The first report considered was HB 7031E, the tax package, followed by HB 501E, the state budget appropriations bill. On HB 7031E, Chair Duggan explained that the conference report included a range of tax reductions and tax-related changes, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related provisions, reductions in certain taxes and fees, and new exemptions or administrative clarifications. He said the package also added items such as sales tax relief for certain university construction projects, a tennis admissions exemption, and changes to agricultural property tax treatment, and that the amendment reduced state and local tax revenues by $272.2 million. Members questioned the bill about the child care tax credit reduction from three years to one, the homestead exemption provision for certain diplomats and foreign service personnel, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the inclusion of firearm accessories and tennis tickets in sales tax holidays. After structured debate, the House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11. The House then began the conference report on HB 501E, the $114.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-2027, which was described as below the prior year’s spending level and leaving more than $14 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major allocations across education, higher education, IT, health care, transportation and economic development, justice, state administration, and agriculture/natural resources. Highlights included increased FEFP funding and veteran teacher raises, full funding for Bright Futures, major IT modernization projects, Medicaid and behavioral health funding, transportation and local infrastructure spending, correctional and law enforcement investments, fire station and emergency response funding, and large environmental and water-quality appropriations. Members asked detailed questions about school voucher fraud oversight, scholarship funding, teacher raises, preeminence funding, ADAP changes, SNAP data tools and error rates, Medicaid rate changes, prison wastewater monitoring, and other budget items, but the transcript ends during the budget questions before final action on HB 501E is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Special Assistant Attorney General for the North Dakota Fair Association.
• Assistant Attorney General for the North Dakota Fair Association.
• General's Office for all litigation matters and retain its current Special Assistant Attorney General
• would not be able to pick the assistant attorney general assigned to the board.
• And that the Attorney General's Office, General Counsel Division, currently did not have an assistant

Committee: Joint Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Summary: The committee convened, approved the prior meeting minutes, and received a memo summarizing major audit items. The State Auditor’s office and outside auditors then presented a series of audits, many of which were clean with unmodified opinions and no findings, including the Bank of North Dakota, the Guaranteed Student Loan Program, the Office of the Governor, the State Treasurer, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Quality, Lake Region State College, and the Office of the Governor. The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association audit was also clean overall, but it repeated findings about limited segregation of duties and auditor assistance in preparing financial statements, which the auditor said were expected to continue because of the organization’s small size. Committee members asked about out-of-state board addresses, and the association explained those members were North Dakota residents using South Dakota mailing addresses. Several audits did include findings. The Council on the Arts audit identified two issues: payroll charged to federal awards without supporting time records, and $12,825 in Cultural Endowment Fund spending that was not allowable under state law, including staff training, retreats, and executive director candidate travel. The Department of Public Instruction audit found unsupported scholarship applications in the paraprofessional-to-teacher program, but additional testing confirmed the funds were credited properly and students completed required school district work, so no improper payments were identified. The University of North Dakota audit found a lack of documentation and transparency in School of Law admissions decisions; the auditor said the law school used a holistic process but did not keep notes or evaluation tools to show why applicants were admitted, waitlisted, or denied. UND leadership said the school is in good standing with the American Bar Association and agreed better documentation is needed, and the auditor said the issue was the missing documentation, not ABA accreditation itself. The most extensive discussion centered on the North Dakota Racing Commission audit, which found four findings: overspending the promotion fund’s 25% operating cap, grant conditions not being met, improper breeder fund awards, and improper procurement. The auditor said promotion fund spending exceeded the cap by $327,447 and the fund balance dropped sharply over the audit period. Racing Commission director Bruce Johnson said the agency had become complacent, that grant requests were treated as routine, and that controls and documentation need to be tightened. He also explained that the breeder fund overpayments involved two horses whose ownership transfers were not properly documented before racing, and that the procurement issue stemmed from an advertising contract that proceeded without proper written procurement procedures after a misunderstanding with the State Procurement Office. The auditor said the Racing Commission will now be audited every two years because of the findings. The committee also received updates on Dakota College at Bottineau’s bank reconciliations, which Minot State University said had been brought current after an 18-month backlog, with only one account still needing cleanup; members asked for a written report on the corrective actions. The North Dakota Fair Foundation was reported to have dissolved, with remaining funds transferred to another nonprofit account for continued support of the state fair. Finally, the Department of Public Instruction provided an update on school meal debt, revising the earlier estimate to about $1.1 million based on incomplete district survey responses, and said the Anti-Lunch Shaming law likely increased meal debt because schools must feed students regardless of account balance. Members discussed the need for a more accurate year-end debt figure and possible future reporting at a later committee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• She was an assistant Commonwealth's attorney.
• But as I got into it, I realized that being a Commonwealth Attorney, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney,
• But as I got into it, I realized that being a Commonwealth's attorney, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney
• She also serves as assistant Commonwealth's attorney.
• She is, or was rather, an assistant commonwealth's attorney.

Committee: House Courts of Justice

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I serve as the Deputy District Attorney here at the First Judicial District Attorney's Office over the
• I am a Deputy District attorney in the 2nd Judicial District.
• Uh, contract attorneys that that assist us in that screening process, um, because particularly for the
• Assistant district attorney showed up. Case was. Gone away.
• Everybody, law enforcement, district attorneys, school systems, they have major trust he has major trust

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• for our district courts.
• The plaintiff's attorney is now speaking in this case.
• Well, last week I had somebody apply for a job as an assistant state attorney.
• I had 6 assists state attorneys up the last time that we just we had a one county and one circuit and
• attorneys are overburdened as well?

Transcript Highlights:

• Then Item Five discusses Riders 40 and 41 pertaining to targeted salary increases for assistant attorneys
• Item Seven is the OAG's victim assistance grants.
• **Senator Brent Webster**: I'm the first assistant attorney general. Thank you for having me today.
• I'm the Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice.
• We are going to be appealing the district court ruling.

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Special Assistant Attorney General for the North Dakota Fair Association.
• General's Office for all litigation matters and retain its current Special Assistant Attorney General
• would not be able to pick the assistant attorney general assigned to the board.
• And that the Attorney General's Office, General Counsel Division, currently did not have an assistant
• ’s attorney or a city attorney whenever the Attorney General feels like he or she might want to do that

Committee: Joint Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also saw a 100% recommendation rate from court staff, assistant judges, and other non-attorneys.
• court staff, assistant judges, and other<00:13:45.520><c> non-attorneys.
• For staff, this is court staff, assistant judges, and non-attorneys.
• , assistant judges, and non-attorneys. non-attorneys. non-attorneys.
• , and non-attorneys assistant judges, and non-attorneys recommended<01:21:01.440><c> retention.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As you know, the salaries for state prosecutors, including district attorneys, are set by current law
• The District Attorney and County Attorneys Association explained this issue to my staff and called it
• I'm the criminal district attorney in Kaufman County. Our population's under. 400,000.
• And again, as a district attorney, you get threats, you get lambasted in the media anytime anybody's
• Local supplement they give to their district attorney, so it didn't even come from his DA.

Bills: HB15 , HB171 , HB204

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Keywords: flood risk, campground, safety regulations, civil penalty, guest safety, Harris County, flood control, governance, expansion, public health, local governance, environmental management

Transcript Highlights:

• Paul Feeney, State Senator, I'm a local north of the district. Assistant Ways and Means and meets.
• One ADA's office lost 40 percent of their assistant district attorneys.
• District Attorney Sullivan, my jurisdiction is Hampshire and Franklin County.
• and the assistant district attorneys.
• That board is made up, by statute, of the Attorney General, two district attorneys, and four public members

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing was held in Clinton Town Hall as part of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means’ budget review, with local officials welcoming legislators and noting the long agenda of many panels. The main presentation was from Secretary Terrence Reedy of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, who outlined the Healey-Driscoll administration’s FY26 proposal for the secretariat, including a $1.7 billion budget and a 7% increase over FY25. He described investments in emergency preparedness, hate-crime prevention, reentry programming, technology modernization, internships, and public safety training, while also noting some reductions driven by resource constraints, including cuts to certain grant programs and administrative costs. Committee members also raised concerns about federal uncertainty and how it could affect state budgets and public safety planning. A major portion of the questioning focused on the Department of Correction. Secretary Reedy and Commissioner Sean Jenkins said the biggest challenges are staffing, officer wellness, facility safety, and contraband—especially K2. They described steps taken at MCI Souza and other facilities, including reducing population at the maximum-security unit, changing management, removing metal products and free weights, improving screening and roll calls, adding a rapid response team, and increasing investigative and technological efforts to combat K2. They also discussed the closure of MCI Concord, saying it was driven by high maintenance costs and staffing needs, and explained that savings are being used to improve staffing patterns and address deferred maintenance over time rather than producing immediate large budget reductions. Members also questioned the budget’s impact on police training and community policing. The administration defended the increase in police academy tuition from $3,200 to $6,000 as reflecting true training costs and said it would still be subsidized by the state, while acknowledging the burden on small municipalities. They said the MPTC is expanding regional training and considering proposals such as Greenfield Community College’s. On community policing, officials emphasized uniform statewide training, de-escalation, and communication skills. The State Police also announced an outside review of the academy by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and said the next class will be split into two smaller groups to improve oversight and allow quicker implementation of recommendations. Other topics included ICE and federal immigration enforcement, with Reedy saying state law prohibits Massachusetts law enforcement from acting in a civil immigration capacity and that no state dollars were used in the Tufts-related ICE operation mentioned by a member. Senators and representatives also raised the upcoming FIFA World Cup, warning that it will require significant public safety resources and likely federal funding. Additional discussion covered restorative justice and juvenile diversion, health care costs in DOC, electronic health records, and the need for more diverse and culturally competent public safety staffing. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• District Court; Judge Helen Gillmor, U.S.
• District Court; Chief Magistrate Judge Michael Seabright, U.S. District Court; Acting U.S.
• Gilmore US District Court Judge J Gilmore US District Court Judge J Michael<00:17:57.960><c> sebrite<
• acting us attorney Ken Mansfield acting us attorney Ken Sorenson<00:18:08.320><c> and</c><00:18:08.480
• </c><00:34:57.119><c> Court</c> Maui District Court Maui District Court the<00:34:58.599><c> trust</c

Keywords: State of the Judiciary Address by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald, 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• :07:56.440><c> and</c> Local Government Economic Assistance and Local Government Economic Assistance
• ><c> Office,</c> In the Attorney General's Office, In the Attorney General's Office, I'm<00:08:10.160
• </c><00:08:49.520><c> 2020</c><00:08:50.520><c> salary</c> County Attorneys 2020 salary County Attorneys
• and make districts ineligible for offers of assistance unless that report is submitted and the district
• 00:13:05.960><c> receiving</c> intent language that districts receiving intent language that districts

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:23 HB 503 Discussion 00:01:00 HB 503 Vote 00:02:17 HB 504 Discussion 00:02:53 HB 504 Vote 00:04:48 HB 500 Discussion 00:05:19 HB 500 Vote 00:29:18 HB 900 Discussion 00:32:02 HB 900 Vote 00:33:00, 958, all

Summary: The Kentucky Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee met with a quorum and first took up House Bill 503, the legislative branch budget, adopting a committee substitute and reporting it favorably. The chair said the Senate version fully funds defined calculations, provides 2% raises in each fiscal year for legislative employees, removes a paragraph on operating expense reductions, and includes $1 million in the first year for a judicial branch salary study. House Bill 504, the judicial branch budget, was then amended and reported favorably; changes included 2% annual raises for judicial employees, revised operating expense language, $1 million each year for county current services, retention of Boyle County fit-up language, reporting requirements for smaller capital projects, full funding for nine judges added in 2022, and removal of furlough prohibitions and certain budget implementation language. Both bills passed the committee unanimously with favorable expressions to the floor. The committee then considered House Bill 500, the executive branch budget, adopting a committee substitute before hearing a lengthy summary of major spending and policy changes. The chair described statewide 2% annual employee raises, agency base reductions with many exemptions, increased school safety and 911 funding, veterans and military funding, local government and severance-related changes, attorney general and auditor funding, pension and retirement system support, education funding changes including SEEK, postsecondary and scholarship provisions, public safety and corrections funding, and multiple capital projects. The chair also highlighted Medicaid-related provisions, including added waiver slots, increased state-directed payments, a 2.5% reduction in managed care vendor payments for plan years 2027 and 2028 with savings redirected to fee-for-service rates, and additional funding for behavioral health and public health programs. The bill was reported favorably after members explained their votes, with several noting they had only recently received the full 228-page bill and wanted more time for detailed review. Finally, the committee adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 900, an appropriation measure for government agencies, and reported it favorably. The chair said the bill remains a work in progress and that one-time funding requests from across the Commonwealth and across party lines would continue to be addressed as the process moves forward. All measures considered during the meeting passed the committee with unanimous or near-unanimous favorable votes, and the meeting adjourned after no further business.