Transcript Highlights:

• The third thing I want to just point out quickly is we would not have the $10 billion to spend if the
• We appreciate the Prop 4 spending plan and the allocation for water recycling.
• And we're also in support of the Prop 4 spending plan. Thank you.
• I'm very appreciative of the Prop 4 spending plan.
• In AB 105, the Prop. 4 spending plan, including specifically Sections 73 and 74, also the adjustments

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee held an informational hearing on the September budget package, which included SB 105 and a series of trailer bills covering health, human services, education, resources, child care, transportation, labor, public safety, housing, revenue, background checks, collective bargaining, and a special election. The Department of Finance described the package as largely technical and clarifying, but also responsive to state and federal changes, especially H.R. 1. Key items included roughly $3.3 billion in Proposition 4 climate and environmental spending, $540 million in discretionary greenhouse gas reduction funds, and major responses to H.R. 1 such as CalFresh error-rate mitigation, food bank support, and Medicaid-related changes. Other notable provisions included vaccine policy flexibility, an Abortion Access Fund, a gender-affirming care program, community college basic-needs and aid changes, CEQA and coastal permit exemptions tied to the 2028 Olympics, invasive mussel prevention funding, a civic media program, labor and pension-related provisions, and special election administration changes. Members raised questions and concerns about several parts of the package. There was support for climate, water, transit, offshore wind, food security, and health investments, but also significant criticism of the lack of cleanup language for SB 131 and its advanced manufacturing exemptions, with multiple members saying promised fixes had not materialized and expressing concerns about tribal consultation, labor standards, and environmental protections. Members also questioned the scale and timing of some Proposition 4 allocations, including fairground upgrades, regional conveyance, and a UC Davis alternative protein research center. The Department of Finance said some programs would roll out over time and that certain funding levels reflected current implementation capacity. The hearing also featured discussion of Bay Area transit financing, with Finance saying SB 105 directs the department and CalSTA to examine loan or other financing options rather than immediately providing loans. Members and public commenters also discussed the state’s response to H.R. 1, with advocates supporting food bank, health care, and immunization provisions while warning of ongoing harm to immigrants, foster youth, and other vulnerable groups. Public testimony broadly supported the health, food, water, offshore wind, and golden mussel provisions, while many speakers echoed legislative concerns about SB 131 and urged cleanup action in the next session. No votes were taken because the hearing was informational only, though the chair noted votes on the bills were expected later that night or the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Spend about $800 on that, and I'm glad it's there. But this toll road has been a disaster.
• Well, you're limiting the state dollars.
• The teachers spend more time with these students than anyone else.”
• Sure. we're going to be spending $400,000 in SGS. That's what it says. Sure.
• And so it's a very limited bill.

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

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

Transcript Highlights:

• And he's at that limit.
• Lottery Operator Contract and Retailer Commission Strategy at the 24-25 spending level.
• are limited scope and with clearly defined goals, is that?
• I would call COVID funding, but it's very, very small amounts that we're spending down.
• the federal funds, one year to spend the match.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And camp a little more than spend time on a board. So that was the purpose of that bill. Good bill.
• minutes and questions would be limited.
• What are they spending it on? Is this an issue already? And that's why they have an F grade?
• Because they have the money and aren't spending it appropriately.
• This is what we need to spend to improve our system.

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 953, which the chair described as protecting environmental funds and, through a committee substitute, adding provisions from House Bill 1885 and Senate Bill 1397. Members discussed changes to the Clean Water Commission conflict-of-interest rules and a water-storage/right-to-return-flows provision for Corps of Engineers reservoirs. The committee also adopted an amendment from House Bill 1376 that would exempt certain agricultural nonpoint sources and agricultural stormwater discharges from permitting requirements, prompting debate over potential effects on accountability and future litigation. After roll call, the committee voted 6-5-1 to report the House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 953 do pass. The committee then heard House Bill 3193, a plastic waste reduction bill for Missouri state parks and historic sites. The sponsor and supporters said the bill would phase out certain single-use plastics in parks, including Styrofoam, plastic bags, and plastic water bottles, while allowing exceptions where needed. Supporters included environmental advocates, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition, and Missouri beverage industry representatives who emphasized litter reduction, microplastics, tourism impacts, and the need for reasonable alternatives. Some members raised concerns about disability access and the need for substitutes such as bendy straws or reusable containers, but the hearing concluded without opposition testimony. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 3320, the Drinking Water Transparency and Accountability Act. The sponsor said the bill would require DNR to assign A-F grades to community water systems based on compliance, finances, operations, and infrastructure, post the grades publicly, and impose stronger oversight on systems graded D or F, including limits on new debt and restrictions on using water revenues for unrelated purposes. Supporters said the bill would improve transparency and help communities understand system problems earlier, while opponents from municipal utilities and water associations argued that current consumer confidence reports already provide the information, that a single letter grade oversimplifies a technical field, and that the bill could create confusion or unfairly damage trust. The committee heard both support and opposition, plus informational testimony, and then adjourned without taking final action on HB 3320.

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 13 of Article 7 creates a four-year limitation.
• Any SFIA payments have been adjusted to that limit.
• Regarding income limitations.
• This provision only includes the increase for the income limits.
• And I'm proud that we limited property tax shifts in this bill.

Bills: HF2730, HF2257, HF2768, HF1932, HF2437

Keywords: local government debt, municipal bonds, county bonds, capital improvements, public financing, bond issuance, public hearing, notice period, bond guarantee, Minnesota Public Facilities Authority, volume cap, private activity bonds, housing finance, residential rental bonds, LIHTC, low-income housing tax credits, redevelopment, courthouse financing, jail financing, law enforcement center

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, there's a limit of spending up to $1 million.
• We're going to spend $70 million to provide a convenience, or...
• So, the intent is not to save it all, but to spend it at a slower pace.
• And they've been just spending out of it at leisure.
• That is a lot of money that we're spending, that we could be spending on housing.

Transcript Highlights:

• rather than adding new anchoring limitation areas.
• adding more that are different, that limit to 30 days.
• We agree that time limits is a good option here.
• The professors, well, this doesn't limit them.
• Florida should be able to spend its money where it wants to.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:29:30.040> building that we would be spending building that we would be spending building
• A local sales tax is the only limits.
• <00:59:06.840> by be removed and we would be limited by be removed and we would be limited
• The to the bond repayment limited.
• going to be rightfully spent spending going to be rightfully spent spending that<01:14:32.160>

Bills: HF4094, HF3390, HF3813, HF3583, HF3751, HF4324, HF4789, HF3596, HF4033, HF4424, HF4053

Keywords: Crosby, local sales tax, bonding authority, community projects, voter approval, Owatonna, use tax, special law, community center, municipal finance, capital project, sales and use tax, local option tax, city tax, public facility, general election, bond referendum, debt limit, levy limit, Minnesota local government

Transcript Highlights:

• Therefore, in 2024, the legislature carved out a limited exemption from counting electric sales to cryptobased
• legislature carved out a limited legislature carved out a limited exemption<00:02:53.680> from
• having to spend to find technology<00:27:05.120> to<00:27:05.279> give<00:27:05.440>
• > rebates<00:27:06.320> to<00:27:06.640> spend<00:27:06.880> in technology to
• give rebates to spend in technology to give rebates to spend in areas<00:27:07.440> that<00:27

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 3296, as amended, was heard in committee and laid over. The bill would extend an existing exemption in Minnesota’s energy conservation/efficiency program calculations so that certain data centers, like crypto-based data mining operations, would not be counted in a utility’s gross annual retail sales if the new load increases the utility’s base load by 40% or more. Representative Gilman and testifier David Meyer of Glenco Light and Power argued the change is needed because large data loads can make the 1.5% annual savings target effectively unattainable for smaller municipal utilities, and they said the added revenue from the facility has helped lower rates for other customers. Ken Sulum of the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association supported the bill, describing it as narrowly drafted to address mid-sized data centers that do not fit other relief provisions but still create local utility problems. Sarah Wolf of Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light opposed the exemption, arguing that energy efficiency remains important amid rising demand and grid stress from data centers, and that large users should continue contributing to efficiency efforts rather than being exempted. Members raised questions about whether the facility had a long-term contract, whether the customer was helping lower rates, and how much savings were being passed on to ratepayers. Meyer said the customer had a three-year agreement extended another three years, the infrastructure costs were borne by the customer, and the facility’s revenue has allowed Glenco to reduce rates by about half a cent per kilowatt hour through a $40,000 monthly buy-down of its power cost adjustment. Some members expressed concern that data centers should continue to improve efficiency over time, while others noted the bill’s focus on smaller utilities facing disproportionate impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then this year we used $275,000 of those funds and next year we are projected to spend about $438,000
• And do I have a time limit? We'll see how it's going.
• Madam Chair: Thank you for that, and I am going to put a time limit on now.
• So I think it is something to still spend time looking at.
• So representative, I will not put a time limit on yet, but if we go crazy, I will.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you look down on lines 9 and 10, it shows you the total spend at our target and that the difference
• between that spend and our target is zero.
• The House food security item is a total spend of one.
• Section 10 limits or caps the family's copayment for the CCAP program.
• The difficult position the committee faces in balancing priorities with a very limited budget.

Bills: HF2436

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras

Transcript Highlights:

• IS FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE IN A PRACTICAL MARKET-BASED WAY WITHOUT SETTING PRICES OR LIMITING
• IT IGNORES THE FACT THAT DRUGS ARE NOT THE DRIVER OF HEALTHCARE SPEND.
• NO CONSUMER SPENDING THAT MUCH TIME PERIOD OF 22 MILLION PEOPLE THERE WERE 112 COMPLAINTS ABOUT DRUG
• THANK YOU FOR SPENDING TIME WITH ME ON THIS.
• I'D LIKE TO START BY THANKING ALL THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR SPENDING TIME WITH ME, REPRESENTATIVE) I

Transcript Highlights:

• If you don't mind, I'm going to spend a few minutes really just talking about officer wellness, and I
• That limited time frame really hurt that, and this bill pushed that forward.
• We're asking that the state then pick up the funding for that, so that the very limited dollars that
• That money is incredibly limited these days.
• I'm sorry, you know, you kill a police officer and you should spend the rest of your life in prison with

Summary: The committee heard presentations on domestic security and public safety priorities from Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison and Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Rebel. Sheriff Harrison outlined Florida Sheriffs Association priorities, including reclassifying xylazine as a Schedule I controlled substance with a veterinary-use exemption, expanding enforcement of pretrial release violations beyond domestic violence cases, providing tuition-waiver benefits for sheriff’s office personnel, advancing the Jason Rainer Act to increase penalties for violent offenses against law enforcement, extending sex-offender residency restrictions, improving access to mental-health-related databases, and continuing support for fusion centers and Florida model jail standards. Members asked questions about xylazine’s veterinary use, canine detection, and public records burdens on small agencies; no votes were taken on these items. Chief Rebel focused on the Florida Police Chiefs Association’s role in disaster response, officer training, and wellness. He described the association’s coordination through the state EOC and regional deployments during hurricanes, then emphasized officer suicide and the need for statewide wellness resources, peer support, and accessible behavioral health care for first responders. He also referenced prior PTSD benefits legislation and urged continued support for the PCIS program and other wellness initiatives. Committee members discussed related resources such as dispatcher support, the Restore program at UCF, hyperbaric chamber treatment for PTSD, and canine support organizations. On domestic security funding, Rebel said FPCA does not have a specific bill package but wants to preserve the Domestic Security Oversight Council and regional task forces, protect limited SHISGAP funding for new projects, and shift ongoing successful programs to state funding. He also supported fixing the long-gun carry loophole, continuing the Jason Rainer Act effort, allowing ethical law-enforcement use of AI with human review, addressing monetization of public records and body-camera footage, and maintaining the ability to investigate anonymous complaints. The committee adjourned after discussion; no formal action or votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• all over the state are actually spending all over the state are actually spending um<00:22:58.760
• <00:25:33.600> at kind of either cut or reduce spending at kind of either cut or reduce spending
• said there is a link between spending said there is a link between spending per<00:36:09.200>
• <01:33:39.920> the yes because it's going to limit the yes because it's going to limit the
• Allin spends north of $3.6 billion a Allin spends north of $3.6 billion a year<04:03:11.080> on

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up HB 651, a school-funding bill that would raise the base cost of an adequate education and increase differentiated aid for students in poverty, English language learners, and special education. The chair opened with housekeeping notices about parking and eating in committee spaces, and noted a revised fiscal note would be distributed. Representative David Luneau presented the bill as part of a broader package of public school funding measures, explaining that HB 651 builds on HB 550 and is intended to respond to court rulings and the ongoing school-funding litigation by adjusting both the base adequacy amount and equity-based funding factors. Luneau said the bill would raise the state’s adequacy grant from about $4,100 to $7,351 per student and increase differentiated aid, while also updating statutory language so future recalculations include the court-identified resource elements. He argued the measure is about fairness and shifting more of the burden from local property taxpayers to the state, not about increasing overall education spending. He reviewed fiscal-note figures indicating the bill would add roughly $576 million to the state share of school funding, bringing the total state share to about $1.65 billion, and said the note also mentions possible effects on charter schools and vouchers. Committee members asked about the evidence supporting higher costs for low-income and English learner students, how long ESL funding should continue, why free-and-reduced-lunch aid remains higher than special education aid, whether the formula is based on enrollment or average daily membership, and whether the bill is truly equitable across districts of different sizes and needs. Luneau and later witness Zach Shen of the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project said the bill is supported by research and court findings, that the current formula relies heavily on local property taxes, and that shifting more funding to the state would reduce property-tax pressure and help address disparities among districts. Shen also cited broad public support for the related HB 550 testimony and said HB 651 is intended as a step toward a more equitable funding system. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I know I've got slides up and we're on limited time.
• slides up and we're on limited time. slides up and we're on limited time.
• Uh, what do we spend on out-of-state travel? What do we spend on in-state travel?
• Um, what do we spend on food, lodging, and other stuff?
• Uh about at on $7.5 million of spending.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Cabinet for Health and Family Services 00:00:30 Kentucky Department of Education 00:27:10 Education and Labor Cabinet 00:31:35 Auditor of Public Accounts 00:36:55, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for a budget-only discussion with no bills scheduled for a vote. Members first welcomed a group of high school guests, then heard from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services on funding issues for child advocacy centers, domestic violence centers, rape crisis centers, and SNAP. DCBS Commissioner Lisa Dennis and budget director Misty Sammons said the victim-services programs were included in the current baseline budget, but it was too early in the budget process to know final funding levels. They said earlier reports of major cuts were based on a misunderstanding, that conversations with the agencies were ongoing, and that they would provide the committee with the agency’s base-budget information. A member also asked about domestic violence shelter funding, and the cabinet explained that prior one-time money had been used to replace lost federal Victims of Crime Act funds. On SNAP, the cabinet said Kentucky does not expect to need additional money for benefit costs because the payment error rate is about 4%, below the threshold that would trigger added state costs. However, they said the federal HR1 change shifting SNAP administrative costs from a 50/50 state-federal split to 75% state and 25% federal will require additional funding to operate the program. Members praised the eligibility and family support staff for keeping error rates low and asked to be notified quickly if more implementation support is needed. Representative Bojanowski asked whether a specific SNAP administrative cost figure was already in House Bill 500; the cabinet said it was not, and that such an item would be an additional budget request not included in the bill. The committee then heard from the Department for Medicaid Services. Commissioner Lisa Lee and Senior Deputy Commissioner Veronica Judy Cecil described Medicaid fraud-and-abuse monitoring, including a new CMS file and guidance on concurrent enrollment across states. They said DMS refers suspected fraud or abuse to the Attorney General’s office and that the relationship is working well. When asked about using AI, they said the department is not yet using AI but does use internal algorithms to flag potential fraud, waste, and abuse. Finally, Eric Lowry of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services discussed fiscal note processing, saying House Bill 2 is a complex Medicaid bill and that the cabinet is working to set up a meeting with the sponsor; he said the cabinet is responding and hopes to meet on Monday. The committee also briefly heard from the Kentucky Department of Education, where Matt Ross said the existing $7.4 million for school-based mental health services is already in the base budget and that no additional language is needed in House Bill 500 to distribute it, though KDE has requested additional funding to raise the overall appropriation to $18 million.

Transcript Highlights:

• Young people in secure confinement at Echo Glen have limited programming opportunities.
• And young people in secure confinement at Echo Glen have limited programming opportunities.
• And as a result, we've been forced to limit our activity in that program.
• We looked at whether the preference was associated with other capital spending.
• Going forward, the exemption is now limited to new construction.

Summary: The committee met on July 15, 2026, but initially lacked a quorum, so it could not adopt prior minutes. Chair Jerry Pollett welcomed new member Senator Victoria Hunt and new JLARC staff, and noted national recognition for recent JLARC reports. The meeting then moved into a series of preliminary audit presentations and an agency strategic management update, with committee members asking questions after each item. JLARC presented a preliminary audit of DCYF’s Juvenile Rehabilitation programs. Staff concluded that crowding, staffing shortages, weak risk assessments, and inconsistent programming combine to create unsafe conditions. The report found that most youth are housed in two large secure facilities operating near or above capacity, incidents rise as population rises, 47% of frontline staff leave within a year, current assessment tools are not valid for the population, and program access depends more on facility than individual need. JLARC made one recommendation to the legislature to address crowding and seven to DCYF, including improving retention, training, incident response procedures, validated assessments, program alignment, and data quality. DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter said the agency agreed overcrowding is a serious problem, described ongoing efforts to improve staffing and safety, and said a detailed response would be provided later. Committee members raised concerns about education access, retaliation against staff or youth who participated in the audit, and whether JR-25 has helped or worsened conditions. JLARC then presented a preliminary audit of Labor and Industries’ enforcement of farm worker labor laws. The audit found that L&I generally meets inspection timelines for health and safety complaints, but not for wage and hour or retaliation complaints, where delays are driven largely by time before assignment to an investigator. Staff said complaint volume exceeds capacity, though the agency has added staff, created screening processes, and reorganized workloads, and 2026 legislation now allows prioritization of complaints and broader investigations. JLARC recommended that L&I report back in December 2026 and December 2027 on backlog reduction and implementation of the new law. An L&I representative said the agency is hiring additional staff and will provide a formal response later. The committee also received a JLARC overview and Department of Health strategic management plan update on hospital data reporting, inspections, complaints, and adverse event reporting. DOH reported measurable progress on inspection compliance, new staffing and licensing systems, translated complaint forms, and plans for future work on language access, adverse event reporting, and financial data dashboards. After lunch, JLARC began its 2026 tax preference performance reviews. The first review covered the Main Street tax credit, which JLARC said has helped increase the number of Main Street communities and businesses, with positive growth near designated districts; JLARC recommended continuing the preference and improving business-count data. The second review covered the equitable access to credit program, which JLARC said appears to support underserved communities by funding loans through CDFIs; JLARC recommended continuing the preference beyond its 2027 expiration. The committee began questions on the program mechanics and the role of the Community Reinvestment Act, and the presentation was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:20:09.880> time months uh uh to really uh spend time months uh uh to really uh spend time
• <00:25:11.640> almost relationship so we're spending almost relationship so we're spending
• This data is limited, restricted funds.
• by prescriptive, time-limited funding when compared with spending on health care and medical care. active
• <01:37:06.280> of<01:37:06.800> about overall 340b spending of about overall 340b spending

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee convened for its first meeting of the 2025 session, with Chair Melissa Wiklund outlining the new co-chair arrangement, rotating gavel, committee size of 12, and the seven-vote threshold needed to move bills and motions. Members and staff introduced themselves, including several new senators, committee administrators, counsel, fiscal staff, researchers, and new pages. The committee then began its agenda with an overview of the Minnesota Department of Health from Deputy Commissioner Wendy Underwood. Underwood described MDH’s mission and structure, emphasizing public health’s focus on prevention, population health, and the social and economic factors that drive health outcomes. She highlighted the state’s health disparities, the department’s five bureaus, and major work areas including infectious disease response, newborn screening, environmental health, chronic disease prevention, health regulation, health equity, and operations. She also discussed the Center for Health Care Affordability, saying the department has been meeting with stakeholders and has hired a director to begin work on advisory bodies and community engagement around rising health care costs. Members asked questions about physician shortages, burnout, administrative burden, and health care bureaucracy. Senator Grunhagen argued that excessive paperwork and micromanagement are worsening access and workforce shortages, while Senator Abeler asked for data on whether past disparity programs have been effective and whether some efforts should be consolidated. Underwood said MDH has rural health programs, workforce supports such as loan forgiveness, and research on administrative costs and low-value services, and she noted the department has published legislative reports with more data to come. The chair then moved the committee to a broader discussion of public health system development in Minnesota, introducing City of Bloomington officials to present on a recent report.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will have a one-minute per testifier time limit.
• <00:11:18.920> for<00:11:19.320> our time limit for our time limit for our testimony
• I believe roughly about $79 million that we were going to spend in 26.
• <00:53:51.760> that should look at but until you spend that should look at but until you spend
• Chair's recommendations passed with... including but not limited to loans including but not limited to

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Housing and Public Safety/Water and Land hearing first took up HB 1096, which would repeal statutory tenant-selection preferences for disabled veterans and spouses of deceased veterans in state low-income housing. HPHA testified in support, saying the change was a housekeeping measure because the same preferences already exist in administrative rules and could be adjusted later to align with other local preferences, while also noting the federal VASH program provides stronger veteran housing support. Several members questioned why the preference should be removed at all, emphasizing that veterans have long been underserved and asking for a stronger justification; the committees ultimately deferred HB 1096. The later Housing/Hawaiian Affairs agenda heard HB 606 HD1, a measure to extend Act 279 funding and related exemptions for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Supporters argued the bill would give DHHL more time to use the $600 million appropriation to acquire land, work with developers, and address a wait list of about 29,000 applicants, while also helping restore Hawaiian communities and reduce the Hawaiian diaspora. Opponents focused on accountability and oversight, saying DHHL needs clearer plans, measurable goals, and stronger safeguards before receiving more money, and warning that prior spending and strategic-plan changes had reduced the number of applicants served. The committee also heard testimony that the bill would help DHHL fulfill long-standing obligations to Native Hawaiians and that the housing need affects the broader state, not only Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's because this bill, while it adjusts Minnesota care and the health care access fund and spends
• DHS in this bill has an increase in spending authority from the Health Care Access Fund, totaling $74.7
• foreign medical schools and provide for the practice of medicine under a limited license.
• Now I spend all my time on the couch.
• They have that data, so quite frankly, that means that it would not be limited to children.

Bills: HF2435

Keywords: healthcare, dementia services, public health funding, opioid prevention, women's health, community health boards, mental health

Transcript Highlights:

• It's, it's not like limited in statute to Habitat.
• Um, it was limited to.
• Our agency in particular, has a very limited role in that aspect.
• Texans believe in limited government and local decision making.
• It's limited.