Transcript Highlights:

• said</c> to gauge whether said employee or said to gauge whether said employee or said subordinate<00
• They're all government employees. Yes. Okay.
• <c> report</c><00:46:00.680><c> the</c> Also, the employee shall report the Also, the employee shall
• :06.560><c> medical</c> use of medical employees use of medical use of medical employees use of medical
• </c> to deal with employees who are impaired. to deal with employees who are impaired.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Friday, March 6, 2026, 960, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The estimated cost to increase all employees—excuse me, Madam Chairman—so they're taking the new employees
• There are two new employees, up to $300,000.
• Maybe just for staff: Are the existing employees, medical examiners, already above $300,000?
• They are non-employees as of yet. They're trying to recruit these people to the state.
• They're non-employees as of yet. They're trying to recruit these people to the state.

Committee: All JBC-PERSONNEL

Summary: The committee took up several budget and personnel items, first approving revised requests from the Auditor’s Office and the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. The Auditor’s request lowered its salary-and-match increases to 10 percent, with operations and UCP amounts reduced to $245,490 and $109,711. The Lieutenant Governor’s revised request kept positions at line-item maximums and sought $99,876 in regular salary and match appropriations, or 17.43 percent. Both items were approved without objection. The main discussion centered on a member amendment from Senator Rice to Senate Bill 30 affecting the Governor’s Office. The amendment would eliminate one senior advisor position, reduce authorized positions from 59 to 58, and cut salaries and matching funds by a total of $264,895. Senator Rice argued the reduction was warranted because of concerns about former Corrections Secretary Joe Profury’s handling of corrections-related matters, including the Franklin County land purchase, transparency issues, and his refusal to appear before Joint Performance Review. Several members questioned the relevance of the testimony and noted the Governor could still hire him in another role if she chose. After discussion, a roll call vote was taken and the amendment failed. The committee then approved two routine items: OPM’s request to reinstate a labor market rate at the crime lab so it can offer up to $300,000 to recruit two medical examiners, and Arkansas State University-Jonesboro’s request for 11 positions tied to the new veterinary medicine school. Both requests were approved, and the meeting adjourned after all agenda items were completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• First up, the committee has a vote on the gubernatorial reappointment of Jeff Seleck to the Public Employee
• On the gubernatorial reappointment of Jeff Seleck to the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho board
• move that we send the gubernatorial appointment for the reappointment of Jeff Seleck to the Public Employee
• It's just extraordinary, and I appreciate all of our employees and staff and all those who help.
• Chairman, Senator Zito, our four and a half full-time attorneys are full-time state employees.

Summary: The Senate Commerce Committee first approved the gubernatorial reappointment of Jeff Seleck to the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) board, voting to send the nomination to the Senate floor with a do pass recommendation. The committee then heard House Bill 544, which updates Idaho’s military leave statute for state employees serving in the Guard or Reserve. The bill increases military leave from 120 to 160 hours to align with federal guidance and cleans up conflicting statutory language. Representative Ted Hill and Idaho Army National Guard Lt. Col. Nate Peterson testified in support, and the committee voted to send the bill to the floor with a do pass recommendation. House Bill 642 was next, addressing PERSI death benefits for surviving spouses and dependent children of public safety officers killed as a result of catastrophic line-of-duty injuries. Senator Todd Lakey and firefighter representative Matt Smith explained that the bill clarifies and expands benefits, applies retroactively to July 1, 2021, and is funded by the public safety officer group rather than the general fund. The committee supported the measure and sent it to the floor with a do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 703, a DOPL cleanup and modernization bill that consolidates disciplinary procedures for licensed professions into a central code section while preserving profession-specific fines and fee schedules. After questions about legal counsel for the boards and a note that one surveyor-related fine had been inadvertently removed, the committee voted to send the bill to the 14th order for possible amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• hire in an open meeting, also if the elected official does not directly supervise or control that employee
• He says the city council maintains control over that employee and makes decisions regarding employment
• He adds that the city council should have authority to weigh in on employees just as much as the mayor
• Lance Sayers says city council should have authority to weigh in on employees just as much as the mayor
• Using the mowing example, he says the employee would work for him, and the employee’s mother could not

Committee: House State Affairs

Summary: The committee first removed RS 33446 from the agenda by unanimous consent because Representative McCann was not ready to present it. It then considered RS 33570, a revised candidate residency bill from Representative Raibold. He explained the changes were made in response to prior floor debate and discussions with Representative Scott, including an exemption from the fixed habitation requirement for active military service or a religious mission and an enactment date of January 1, 2027. The committee voted to introduce RS 33570 and send it directly to the second reading calendar. The main item was House Bill 686, sponsored by Representative Wheeler, which would create a narrow nepotism exemption for small cities under 10,000 residents. Wheeler said the bill would not repeal anti-nepotism, bribery, or corruption laws, but would allow hiring relatives only under strict conditions: the job must require specific qualifications, be posted for 45 days, involve documented good-faith recruitment of other applicants, be publicly disclosed, and be approved in an open council meeting, with the related official barred from supervising the employee. Members questioned how the public could challenge violations and whether the bill should expressly address interviewing applicants and firing authority; Wheeler said the bill’s guardrails were intended to cover those issues and was open to minor clarifying language. Testimony largely supported the bill from the perspective of small cities. Lance Sayers of the Association of Idaho Cities said the measure responded to repeated requests from dozens of cities and that city councils should have authority over these hires. Mayor Donald Powell of St. Anthony described examples where qualified relatives could not be hired even when no other applicants existed, and Mayor Robert Berlin of Roberts said small towns sometimes simply go without needed work because of the restriction. Supporters emphasized that the bill was aimed at very small communities with limited labor pools. The committee then voted to send HB 686 to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation, and the motion carried without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• for psychological or psychiatric examination, testing, or treatment conducted by a school district employee
• will call the roll. psychiatric examination, testing, or treatment conducted by a school district employee
• Districts will be required to provide employees with both written and electronic notice of the policies
• Districts will be required to provide employees with both written and electronic notice of the policies
• The bill does not affect What contractors or employees do on their own time.

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee considered and advanced several education-related measures. SB 57, on emergency safety accommodations for students with disabilities during drills or emergencies, was amended by a committee substitute requested by TEA to require accommodations be explicitly included in IEPs or Section 504 plans, documented and communicated to administrators, and to allow TEA rules on preparedness guidelines; it was reported favorably. The committee also reported SB 24, on adding study of communist regimes and ideologies to social studies standards, and SB 112, on parental rights and public education, both favorably. SB 204, requiring a parental rights handbook and trustee training, and SB 371, on parental approval for human sexuality instruction, were also advanced. SB 400, requiring parental consent for psychological or psychiatric examination, testing, or treatment by school employees, was reported favorably as substituted. Members discussed SB 609, which would require school districts and charter schools to comply with legally required policies, with questions about whether districts must still comply absent additional state resources; it was reported favorably with two members voting present-not-voting. SB 686, on student transfers between public schools, and SB 1447, on TEA standards for school use of electronic devices and software, were both reported favorably, with SB 686 noted as having a fiscal note. SCR 5, directing the Texas School for the Deaf to name a gymnasium after a former alumnus, was also advanced. The committee approved SJR 12, proposing a constitutional amendment affirming a parent’s right to direct a child’s education, on a 9-1 vote. It then considered SB 12, a broad bill on parental rights, public education, and restrictions on DEI-related duties and funding consequences for noncompliance. The committee substitute expanded the DEI definition, limited discipline to intentional or knowing violations, required notice to employees, restricted student clubs focused solely on sexual orientation or gender identity, clarified limits on DEI duties, required annual capacity reporting for transfer requests, refined grievance procedures, shortened the grievance filing window to six weeks, and added parent-notice provisions regarding special education, bilingual education, and uncertified teachers. After discussion on the grievance timeline and terminology in the DEI provisions, the substitute was adopted and SB 12 was reported favorably on an 8-2 vote. The committee then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other question I have: you mentioned about the employees—yeah, you said you had 352 employees now
• State employees, we got 352 state employees.
• yeah you said you had two 352 employees yeah you said you had two 352 employees<00:18:58.799><c> now
• :18.559><c> 352</c><00:19:19.520><c> state</c> state employees we got 352 state state employees we got
• :19:21.200><c> held</c> employees.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:09 Approval of Minutes 00:01:10 Welcome New Members 00:01:26 Information Items 00:01:49 COT Special Report 00:02:38 Review of Executive Branch Agency Plans 00:07:41 A. Department of Military Affairs 00:08:07 B. Department of Veterans’ Affairs 00:20:34 C. Kentucky Infrastructure Authority 00:25:54 D. Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet 00:35:05 E. Transportation Cabinet 00:55:53, 958, all

Summary: The Capital Planning Advisory Board met with a quorum, approved the May 21 minutes, and welcomed a new executive branch member, Secretary Keith Jackson of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. The board also received two informational items: agency responses to prior questions and amendments made to capital plans after the last meeting. It then heard the Commonwealth Office of Technology’s report on executive branch IT capital project scoring, which reviewed 16 IT requests totaling about $330.5 million. COOT said projects were ranked through an independent panel using standardized criteria focused on feasibility, statewide alignment, readiness, impact, and risk; the CIO recommended moving an enterprise application and artificial intelligence inventory system from rank 11 to rank 4 because of its enterprise-wide impact and connection to Senate Bill 4. The Department of Military Affairs presented its capital plan, describing 43 million in projects for the current period and 13 projects totaling $65 million for 2026–2028, with most funding coming from federal sources and restricted agency funds and no general fund request in the latter period. Its projects included maintenance pool adjustments, a statewide Army master plan, the Somerset readiness center, Shelbyville and Ashland armories, a future home for the Kentucky Army National Guard band, and other facility upgrades. Members asked about the Somerset project’s cost growth and federal delay; the department said the project remains in conceptual design, is awaiting federal MILCON action, and would require a state match of about $9.8 million against $29.6 million federal funding if it is approved. Members also asked about staffing levels, and the department said state employee and Title 32 numbers have been relatively steady, while technician positions have declined. The Department of Veterans Affairs outlined seven projects for 2026–2028, led by a Radcliff Veterans Center HVAC replacement that needs an estimated additional $16 million to finish phase two after phase one was already funded. Other requests included a maintenance pool increase, renovations and exterior upgrades at Eastern and Western Kentucky veterans facilities, a cooling tower replacement at Thompson Hood, and parking lot and lighting improvements. The department said some projects were already in the six-year plan and that the Radcliff phase two could be bid in June 2026 if funded. Members confirmed that a columbarium wall project at Grayson is federally funded. The Kentucky Infrastructure Authority presented its six-year capital plan, citing more than $3 billion in loan commitments since 1988 and over $5 billion in supported infrastructure projects. KIA requested $298.439 million in the first biennium, including $27.742 million in state match for federal clean water and drinking water revolving funds, $25 million for its state Infrastructure Revolving Fund, $185.697 million in federal capitalization grants, and $30 million in leverage bond authorization for each year of the two federally assisted loan programs. Members asked about drinking-water quality, and KIA said that function is handled by the Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Water, not KIA. KIA also said its loan rates currently range from 0.5% to 2.25%, averaging just under 1%, and that its revolving loan programs have had no defaults. The Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet began its presentation at the end of the transcript, with staff identifying themselves, but no project details or board action from that presentation were included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• were not full-time employees; they were contract employees, so they're not able to use the records that
• come with those employees at that time.
• Everyone has to be a full-time employee. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• You can't hire them as a contract employee, you know, on a part-time basis or a contract employee at
• The employee at the center at the facility has to be employed by the center by the facility.

Bills: SB1328 , SB1380 , SB1436 , SB1558 , SB1572 , SB1651 , SB1805 , SB1831 , SB1836 , SB2014 , SB2023 , SB2044 , SB2179 , SB933

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: parents' rights, healthcare consent, minors, medical records, protection, legal guardianship, Medicaid, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, eligibility verification, death records, Death Master File, vital statistics, disenrollment, recoupment, improper payments, benefits integrity, public assistance, income verification, residency verification, incarceration status

Transcript Highlights:

• The 3% employee contribution rate is not changed by this bill. I want to make sure that's clear.
• The 3% employee contribution rate is not changed by this bill.
• The 3% employee contribution rate is not changed by this bill. I want to make sure that's clear.
• The 3% employee contribution rate is not changed by this bill.
• The 3% employee contribution rate is not changed by this bill.

Committee: Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability met and first heard Senate Bill 774, which would extend workers’ compensation coverage for mental or nervous injuries, without a physical injury, to 911 public safety telecommunicators. The bill sponsor and multiple dispatchers, counselors, and association representatives testified in support, describing repeated exposure to traumatic calls, staffing shortages, and the need for mental health treatment and retention support. Senators praised dispatchers’ work and emphasized that they are first responders in practice. SB 774 was reported favorably by roll call vote, with one senator later recording an affirmative vote on the bill. The committee then considered SPB 7028, a retirement bill setting Florida Retirement System employer contribution rates beginning July 1, 2026, without changing the 3% employee contribution rate. It also allows certain elected officers to receive a DROP payout under specified conditions and provides an alternative cost-of-living adjustment for special risk retirees meeting service requirements. Firefighters, police, and sheriffs’ association representatives supported the measure as a recruitment and retention tool. The committee voted to submit SPB 7028 as a committee bill and reported it favorably. Finally, the committee took up SPB 7024 and SPB 7026, both government records exemption bills. SPB 7024 repeals the current public records/public meeting exemption for cybersecurity information and consolidates agency-specific cybersecurity exemptions into one agency-wide exemption. SPB 7026 does the same for trade secret records held by agencies. Neither bill drew questions or testimony, and both were submitted as committee bills and reported favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Aloysius is a current employee at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
• employee?
• The employee that caused the accident—what's the history on that?
• And why is DHS claiming that the employee would not be?
• And why is DHS claiming that they, the employee would not be?

Committee: All ALC-CLAIMS REVIEW/LITIGATION REPORTS OVERSIGHT

Summary: The committee first reviewed litigation reports from the Department of Labor and Licensing involving wage claims brought under the Arkansas Minimum Wage Act. Members questioned the department’s authority, jurisdiction, use of attorney fees and costs, and whether defendants had to be licensed. The department explained it has long enforced wage and overtime laws, that the claims were small-dollar cases handled by investigators and counsel, and that one case had been paid and dismissed while others were unresolved or had service issues. The committee voted to review or batch-file the labor cases after discussion. The University of Arkansas System then reported three pending lawsuits: an age- and race-discrimination claim by a tenured professor that was resolved early; an ADA/FMLA retaliation claim by a former employee that survived in part on a motion to dismiss and was moving into discovery; and a Section 1983 claim against a UAMS sergeant arising from a parking-ticket dispute, with the university explaining that only punitive damages could create personal exposure for the officer. The committee reviewed each report and voted to accept them. The Department of Finance and Administration presented a proposed tax settlement reducing a sales-and-use tax assessment from about $48,000 to $20,000 and waiving interest and penalties, which the committee approved for review. The Claims Commission then presented several claims: an unpaid salary differential for a Department of Health employee, reissued warrants, unpaid DHS bills, and multiple negotiated settlements involving ATRS, UAMS, Arkansas State Police, and ARDOT. Members approved or affirmed most of these items, including a $65,000 settlement in the Tetronics/ATRS matter, a $150,000 medical-negligence settlement, and several vehicle-accident settlements. The most extended debate involved a tax-delinquent property sale claim by Sharon Greer and relatives. The claimant argued they were not properly notified and sought the $4,200 excess from the 2009 sale. Land Commissioner counsel explained the excess had escheated to the county after the statutory claim period expired, while members debated sovereign immunity, standing, heirs, and whether the committee could or should award money anyway. The committee ultimately chose to hold the matter over for further review in a future joint session rather than decide it immediately. The committee also heard appeals from dismissed claims, including a UAMS medical-negligence claim, a land-sale notice claim, a pothole claim against ARDOT, and a judicial-immunity claim against the Court of Appeals; most dismissals were affirmed, and the Simpson matter was held over for additional review after the claimant testified.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the Office of the State Public Defender pay the same for parking as county employees.
• Balance to cover the cost of those employee premium increases.
• to be legislators and/or statewide elected officials, and not other employees.
• I don't... ...of employee versus another. I don't know. I don't know the answer to that now.
• It's going to be 10.8%, not the 14.4% that we're doing for state employees.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first received updates from LSO on the latest green sheet, including the revenue impact of House Bill 559, recent cash transfers, and the Idaho Budget Rescissions Act for FY 2026. Members then moved through a series of FY 2027 maintenance budgets, beginning with the legislative branch. The committee discussed the statewide 2% reduction layered on top of the governor’s recommendation, benefit-cost adjustments, and how those decisions were being built into the maintenance budgets. The legislative branch budget passed, followed by unanimous-consent adoption of related language. The committee next considered public safety, natural resources, health and human services, economic development, judicial branch, constitutional officers, and general government budgets. In each case, analysts explained how rescissions, ongoing base reductions, and statewide adjustments were incorporated. Several members objected to the across-the-board cuts, arguing they would reduce staffing or services in corrections, juvenile corrections, environmental quality, health and welfare, public defender services, crime victims compensation, tax administration, and treatment courts, while supporters said the committee needed a target and would revisit details in enhancement work groups. Most budget motions passed on divided votes and were forwarded with do-pass recommendations. The committee also adopted multiple sections of standard and nonstandard language, including cash transfers, reporting requirements, and agency-specific provisions. In Health and Human Services, members debated language requiring reporting on large acquisitions and transfers, and in Economic Development and General Government they adopted language affecting the State Public Defender, the Department of Insurance, and group insurance premiums. The meeting ended while the committee was still working through a disputed general government language item about funding employee health insurance premiums from reserve accounts, with members debating whether the language should reference specific reserve funds or broader reserve funding and whether the proposal was properly within JFAC’s scope.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you look at the cost of what employees put in versus the cost of the plan, our state employees
• I think our employees can handle it.
• I think our employees can handle it.
• And increasing employee premiums, we know we don't pay our state employees enough.
• And increasing employee premiums, we know we don't pay our state employees enough.

Summary: The joint appropriations committee met on April 28 to review the FY 2027 budget package, including the general appropriations feed bills (HB 4138 and SB 1831) and related budget reconciliation measures. Staff described the budget as including about $17.96 billion in general fund appropriations, a one-time transfer of state monies to increase revenues, a 5% lump-sum reduction to most agencies’ discretionary general fund budgets, and several one-time restorations or continuations for items such as school facilities, child care, child safety, corrections stipends, and public safety operating costs. Members spent much of the meeting debating how the across-the-board cuts would be implemented, which programs might be affected, and how fund sweeps from prior-year appropriations and special funds would work, including questions about universities, public safety, rural hospitals, transportation grants, the Corporation Commission, and health insurance costs for state employees and troopers. A major point of discussion was the impact on universities and higher education. Arizona Board of Regents representatives said the proposed reductions and fund sweeps would affect already obligated dollars, research, staffing, and student aid programs, and could force difficult decisions about programs such as the Promise Program, Teachers Academy, and other pass-through funds. Committee members also raised concerns about whether the cuts could lead to tuition increases or reductions in services, while majority members emphasized that agencies and the executive branch should decide how to absorb the reductions. Another major topic was health care and the state employee health plan: staff explained that the budget includes a $228 million general fund infusion to stabilize the plan, while a separate reconciliation bill would raise employee premiums over three years. Members also discussed whether the budget’s changes to AHCCCS/Access and hospital eligibility rules could increase costs for hospitals and reduce coverage. Public testimony largely opposed the budget. Speakers from Opportunity Arizona, the Arizona Board of Regents, and local governments argued that the proposal would shift costs onto working families, reduce support for education, housing, SNAP, health care, and rural infrastructure, and protect tax benefits for data centers and higher-income taxpayers. A mayor from Globe asked for state help after severe flooding damaged roads, water lines, and homes, while a motorcycle safety advocate asked the committee to review a DPS motorcycle safety fund appropriation. Committee members and staff repeatedly clarified that some items discussed were one-time appropriations not continued into FY 2027, that some fund sweeps were from unspent or unencumbered balances, and that the committee planned to take a mass roll-call vote on the budget bills at the end of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• that state employees<00:06:54.919><c> would</c><00:06:55.120><c> not</c><00:06:55.400><c> be</c><00:
• working right employees would not be um working right so<00:06:57.879><c> we</c><00:06:58.000><c> do
• </c><00:07:02.639><c> because</c><00:07:03.319><c> those</c> day offer state employees because those
• I think this measure will enhance our ability to attract and retain good quality employees.
• I think this measure will enhance our ability to attract and retain good quality employees.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Labor and Technology, Transportation, and Culture and the Arts heard testimony on Senate Bill 396 and Senate Bill 47, then later the Labor and Technology committee took up Senate Bill 136 and Senate Bill 1523. SB 396 drew support from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and others, with a question raised about implementation costs; the director said costs would depend on the scope of the benefit package and the transportation mode involved. The committees recommended passing SB 396 with technical amendments and added appropriation language with a blank amount, and the motion was adopted by recorded votes in both committees. SB 47, which would designate the Lunar New Year as a state holiday, received support from the Office of Collective Bargaining and several individuals, including Charlene Chun, who spoke about family traditions and cultural recognition. Members asked about the cost and whether the day would be a paid day off for state employees; the response was that observance would be subject to collective bargaining. The committees moved SB 47 forward with amendments, noting the collective bargaining and cost issues, and adopted the recommendation by vote. In the Labor and Technology committee, SB 136 on the Iron Workers Stabilization Fund drew strong support from iron workers and related supporters, who argued the bill was about safety, training, and keeping dismantling work within the ironworkers’ trade. Several other unions, including operating engineers, carpenters, laborers, and plumbers and fitters, opposed the bill as too broad and potentially infringing on their jurisdiction. The measure was not decided in the portion provided, but members discussed possible amendments and jurisdictional concerns. SB 1523, which would expand private-sector collective bargaining rights under the Hawaii Employment Relations Act to include independent contractors and others under NLRB jurisdiction, received broad labor support, including from IATSE, AFL-CIO, Hawaii Nurses Association, Unite Here Local 5, and many individual testifiers. Supporters framed it as protecting workers’ rights and strengthening labor protections, while the Hawaii Labor Relations Board warned it could significantly increase workload and require more staffing, space, and operating resources; the board estimated the bill could expand its caseload substantially and suggested an appropriation would likely be needed. The committee then moved on to the next measure, SB 1440, before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• belongings without the supervision of a cleared employee.
• So the employee has not been cleared yet. And I'm just curious to know, like, is that smart?
• And I think the goal behind that is when an employee begins working at an assisted living, I think this
• The individual is only allowed to work under another employee who has a cleared criminal history and
• So when we're out surveying, we see employees and we always check the status of their background checks

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 50 employees, and seasonal workers.
• Because of that, they have to pay $300 per employee per quarter to the state?
• We understand when employers, or I'm sorry, employees...
• so they won't pay for that employee.
• coverage for their full-time employees.

Summary: The subcommittee heard a lengthy Department of Health Care Services presentation on the governor’s Medi-Cal budget, including a $229.1 billion total-funds proposal, projected Medi-Cal enrollment declines as redeterminations continue, and several major cost drivers such as managed care growth, Medicare-related costs, pharmacy spending, and changes tied to federal policy. Members focused heavily on the elimination of Prop. 56 dental supplemental payments beginning July 1, 2026, questioning the likely impact on provider participation and utilization. DHCS said it is completing the required rate reduction/access analysis for CMS, has been holding stakeholder meetings and issuing provider bulletins, but could not yet quantify the real-world effect. The committee also discussed a $50 million savings proposal tied to new hospice utilization management authority and asked about possible effects on emergency dental care and provider participation. The hearing then moved through the November 2025 family health estimate and several county and program administration issues, including CCS, GHPP, and Every Woman Counts. DHCS said family health costs are rising despite slight caseload declines because of higher utilization and medical costs, and members raised concerns about CCS website accessibility, county administrative funding, and the transition of youth aging out of CCS. The department said most CCS beneficiaries are also on Medi-Cal, that counties have long raised funding concerns, and that it had clarified use of maintenance-and-operations dollars to address some county workload issues. Members also asked about Every Woman Counts potentially seeing higher demand as Medi-Cal changes take effect; DHCS said that is possible and that the program has multiple funding sources including General Fund. A major portion of the hearing focused on provider taxes and federal changes under H.R. 1, especially the Medi-Cal managed care organization tax and the hospital quality assurance fee. DHCS explained that H.R. 1 restricts new or increased health care-related taxes, phases down allowable tax levels over time, and tightens “generally redistributive” rules, which could sharply reduce the state’s ability to use the MCO tax for Medi-Cal financing. Members asked whether the Legislature could amend Prop. 35 or whether voters would need to act; DHCS said a three-fourths legislative amendment may be possible if it aligns with the measure’s purpose, but the department is still evaluating options. The committee also discussed hospital financing, with DHCS describing recent increases in state-directed payments and the effect of H.R. 1 in capping those payments at Medicare levels, and the LAO noting the tradeoff between preserving provider taxes and maintaining Medi-Cal funding. The subcommittee also reviewed a series of DHCS budget change proposals and trailer bill items, including managed care final-rule implementation, managed care operations, a hospital value strategy, a one-year extension of skilled nursing facility financing, long-term care payment transparency, and interoperability/prior authorization requirements. Members repeatedly questioned the use of limited-term versus permanent positions, the overlap among proposals, and the timing of new financing reforms. DHCS said the SNF extension would preserve current workforce standards, sanctions, growth limits, and the SNF quality assurance fee while the department develops a broader 2027-28 redesign. No votes were taken; items were repeatedly held open for later action. Covered California then presented on the expiration of the federal enhanced premium tax credit and the resulting affordability crisis. The agency said Californians will lose about $2.5 billion in premium assistance for 2026, average premiums could nearly double for many enrollees, and as many as 400,000 people could eventually leave marketplace coverage. Open enrollment ended with 1.9 million sign-ups, down 3% from the prior year, with especially steep declines among middle-income consumers and increased movement into bronze plans. Covered California said the state’s $190 million affordability subsidy is helping lower-income enrollees retain coverage, but cannot fully replace the lost federal assistance. Members also asked about the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund, repayment of loans from that fund, the status of federal review of California’s essential health benefits benchmark, and implementation of the new gender-affirming care benefit under AB 144.

Transcript Highlights:

• It helps employers who benefit when their employees have reliable transportation to work.
• ,</c><00:31:11.880><c> which</c> immediately becoming an employee, which immediately becoming an employee
• ><c> and</c><00:41:21.280><c> have</c> approximately 250 employees and have approximately 250 employees
• I'm here to and retain our employees.
• </c> employees, and grow. employees, and grow.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And word is spreading across state employees very quickly.
• And word is spreading across state employees very quickly.
• only has 600 employees.
• only has 600 employees.
• Health care costs for employees are rising.

Bills: SB6061 , SB6234 , SB6170 , SB6176 , SB6182 , SB6335 , SB5647 , SB6047 , HB2367 , HB2606 , SB5998 , SB6005 , SB6003 , SB6129 , SB6225 , SB6228 , SB6231

Keywords: tourism, self-supported assessment, funding, statewide promotion, economic development, sewage, grinder pumps, residential buildings, regulation, construction, contracting rules, state highway construction, procurement limits, state regulations, infrastructure funding, vehicle registration, enforcement, renewal, transportation, state law

Summary: The Senate met on February 23, 2026, opened with the usual roll call, pledge, prayer, and approval of the previous journal. Members then adopted Senate Resolution 8698 recognizing piano teachers, with several senators sharing personal remarks about their own teachers and the role of music education in families and communities. Guests from the Washington State Music Teachers Association and the National Guild of Piano Teachers were recognized in the gallery. The chamber then moved into budget debate, considering a series of amendments to the operating budget. Several proposals focused on housing costs, local planning, utility rates, and state spending restraint. Amendment 0772, which would have created a housing-related task force and increased funding, was rejected after debate over housing affordability and regulatory costs. Amendment 0785, restoring growth management planning funding for local governments, was also rejected. Amendment 0791, directing the Department of Commerce to study the effects of climate and clean energy laws on utility costs, and Amendment 0769, related to grid capacity and clean energy investments, were both adopted. Other amendments drew sharper partisan debate. Amendment 0798, which would have reduced the Supreme Court from nine justices to five and redirected savings to public defense, failed. Amendments 0794 and 0795, seeking funding for ballot measure costs tied to initiatives, also failed. Amendment 0799, intended to redirect Pacific Tower lease savings to developmental disability services, was rejected after discussion of the building’s current public uses. Amendment 0773, capping state spending growth and tying it to median wage growth, failed on a roll call vote, while Amendment 0777, addressing concurrent use of paid family and medical leave and sick leave by state employees, also failed after extended debate. Later, Amendment 0776 on tort liability reporting was adopted, as were Amendment 0758 creating a DSHS work group on community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and Amendment 0786 was introduced to reduce cash and food assistance work-related funding, with debate beginning before the transcript ends.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and these employees would not be state employees.
• , and these employees would not be state employees.
• , and these employees would not be state employees.
• It's heavily influenced by the state government, but the employees are not state employees.
• But the employees are not state employees. You don't go through the state HR office.

Summary: The meeting focused on finalizing recommendations from the Delaware Nuclear Energy Task Force, with most of the discussion centered on how the state should organize itself to evaluate and potentially pursue nuclear power. Public commenters strongly supported nuclear energy, emphasizing energy reliability, economic competitiveness, data center demand, and the need for Delaware to act quickly. Several speakers argued that Delaware is falling behind neighboring states and should not delay if it wants to attract developers and preserve access to federal tax incentives. Members then worked through revisions to the recommendations, especially the section on state actions moving forward. There was broad agreement that Delaware needs a clearly empowered leadership structure, but disagreement over the best form: a cabinet-level energy agency, an expanded existing agency such as DENREC, a dedicated coordinator, an expanded Sustainable Energy Utility, or a separate quasi-independent authority. Some members favored a nimble, one-off entity with bonding and financing authority; others cautioned against creating a new body outside state government and stressed the need for coordination with existing agencies, public oversight, and cost discipline. The group also discussed adding responsibilities such as site identification, public engagement, coordination with PJM and federal agencies, and financing tools, while removing or folding in items that seemed duplicative or too broad. The committee also revised earlier modules to broaden the focus from small modular reactors to nuclear power more generally, while keeping the task force’s original SMR work in view. Members agreed to keep recommendations on state and local regulatory readiness, financial mechanisms, permitting coordination, and public engagement, and to add a recommendation for Delaware to participate as an observer in the Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative through NASEO and NARUC. The committee approved the revised Module Four recommendations by vote, with one abstention from Tom Noyes. Minutes from the prior meeting were also approved with minor corrections.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is relating to revolving door restrictions for state employees.
• </c> restrictions for state employees. restrictions for state employees.
• ><c> from</c> Prohibits new state employees from Prohibits new state employees from taking<00:01:12.560
• :01:18.000><c> of</c> Prohibits former permanent employees of Prohibits former permanent employees of
• Establishes an impass public employees.

Committee: Senate Labor and Technology

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Labor and Technology Committee heard testimony on several measures. SB 2245 would tighten revolving-door restrictions for state employees by barring new employees from acting on matters they worked on before state service and imposing a 12-month post-employment restriction for certain former Governor and Lieutenant Governor staff; the Ethics Commission and League of Women Voters supported it, and the committee later passed it as is. SB 99 would allow certain retirees to return to work as school resource officers or investigators without losing retirement benefits; the Attorney General supported the investigator portion, ERS and other agencies offered comments and suggested amendments, and the committee passed the bill with amendments, including changes from the Attorney General, ERS, and the Department of Law Enforcement, plus a far-future effective date. SB 2304, which would expand identity theft law to cover AI/deepfake or materially deceptive media impersonation, drew opposition from the Attorney General and Honolulu Prosecutor over prosecution burdens and First Amendment concerns, while some prosecutors and others supported it; the committee deferred the bill. SB 2115, dealing with collective bargaining impasse procedures for repricing public employee classes, drew opposition from human resources officials who said arbitrators lack the technical expertise needed, while unions and HGA supported the measure; the committee deferred decision-making to a later hearing. The committee also heard SB 1036, a net neutrality bill that would bar broadband providers from blocking, prioritizing, or zero-rating traffic. Supporters argued Hawaii needs stronger consumer protections, while the Hawaii Broadband Office said it saw no current problem in Hawaii and warned the bill could affect federal BEAD funding unless exempted; the committee deferred the measure. SB 1163 would prohibit the sale of geolocation and browser data and data collected through microphone-based background apps; Consumer Protection supported the intent but urged a broader privacy framework, and the Honolulu Prosecutor sought an exemption for lawful law-enforcement investigations, which the committee later accepted along with Hawaiian Telecom’s proposed amendments before passing the bill with amendments. SB 2076 would update publicity-rights law to address AI/deepfake uses of a person’s likeness; testimony supported the goal and amendments from the Recording Industry Association of America, and the committee passed the bill with amendments, including replacing references to AI/deepfake with “digital replica.” After hearing testimony, the committee recessed briefly to obtain quorum and then reconvened for decision-making. It adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass SB 2245 as is, passed SB 99 with amendments, deferred SB 2304, deferred SB 2115 to a later hearing, deferred SB 1036, passed SB 1163 with amendments, and passed SB 2076 with amendments. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• or recruit hundreds of employees here.
• But 80% of Florida manufacturing establishments have 20 or fewer employees.
• 2,000 in South Sarasota County and 3,500 employees across the state, so it is a large company.
• Most of them 20 employees or less, if I believe, Kevin, and 3,000 are in the Tampa Bay area.
• Most of them 20 employees or less, if I believe, Kevin, and 3,000 are in the Tampa Bay area.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Tourism

Summary: The Commerce and Tourism Committee met to hear an overview of its jurisdiction and then focused primarily on Florida manufacturing. Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly described manufacturing as central to a more resilient, diversified economy, citing the 2023 Florida Manufacturing Report and noting strong growth in manufacturing businesses, jobs, exports, and workforce programs. He emphasized that most Florida manufacturers are small businesses, that the sector is increasingly STEM- and technology-driven, and that the state’s main challenge is workforce aging and the need to retain trained talent. Members also discussed how to better expose students and parents to manufacturing careers, improve startup access to capital, and strengthen regional manufacturing corridors and transportation links. Kevin Carr of FloridaMakes said Florida is on track to become a top-five manufacturing state, but warned that productivity, technology adoption, and workforce shortages remain key issues. He said a proposed manufacturing bill would create a chief manufacturing officer and help address workforce, technology, and market-visibility challenges. Bain Beecher of PGT Innovations described the company’s growth and community role, but highlighted obstacles such as affordable housing, insurance costs, permitting delays, supply-chain disruptions, and limited awareness of manufacturing careers among students and parents. Andrew Kosowski of Veterans Metal focused on small- and medium-sized manufacturers, citing labor shortages, the cost of adopting new technology, regulatory burdens, and cybersecurity compliance as major pressures, and urged support for the draft manufacturing bill. Brian Giuliani of the Port of Tampa Bay outlined the port’s cargo mix, infrastructure investments, and role in moving fuel, construction materials, and manufactured goods, saying the port’s expansion and transloading plans could better connect Florida manufacturers to suppliers and markets. Committee members repeatedly stressed the need to promote manufacturing careers earlier in school, improve public perception of the industry, and reduce barriers to investment. No formal vote was taken during the discussion, but the panelists broadly supported the draft manufacturing legislation and the committee’s focus on manufacturing policy.

Transcript Highlights:

• This will help us evaluate all our employees on an electronic basis.
• This will help us evaluate all our employees on an electronic basis.
• It will encourage conversation throughout the rating period with employees.
• We can start an employee any day during the pay period.
• And in the environment of employees today, I understand that.

Committee: All ALC-REVIEW

Summary: The subcommittee reviewed multiple methods of finance and construction items, including projects for Arkansas State University, Black River Technical College, UAMS, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and UCA. The UAPB Allied Health and Sciences Building appeared both as a method of finance and as an alternative delivery construction project, with East Harding Construction selected and AMR Architects as designer. Members approved the methods of finance, the alternative delivery project, and several discretionary grants, including Department of Health grants for a heart attack center designation and community health worker training, and DHS grants related to homeless services, behavioral health transition support, and an enabling technology pilot. The committee then reviewed service contracts, including RFQs, construction-related contracts, intergovernmental agreements, and a large number of out-of-state and in-state contracts. Testimony focused heavily on DHS staffing and state hospital contracts, the Arkansas State Police seatbelt survey, AEDC’s lithium supply chain analysis, and Shared Administrative Services’ new SuccessFactors performance-management contract. Members asked detailed questions about contract nursing costs, turnover, hiring timelines, and whether some contracts were being renewed or amended beyond their original projected costs. DHS and Veterans Affairs officials explained staffing shortages, retention incentives, and the use of contract labor as a supplement to state employees. Several contracts drew scrutiny and were held for further review. Representative Wardlaw raised concerns about projected costs and repeated amendments on the Department of Education security contract and on DHS staffing contracts, arguing that some had exceeded their original projected totals. The committee voted to hold contracts 5, 7, and 8 until Friday, while adopting the remaining contracts. The meeting ended after informational reports on service contract amendments without material change, executed contracts, and emergency procurements were presented, with no further business before adjournment.