Transcript Highlights:

• This budget addresses that.
• We honored that and put it in the budget.
• So we're accounting for that in this budget.
• needed to implement the FY 2027 budget.
• And that's what this budget does.

Summary: House Republican caucus met on April 29 to review the FY 2027 budget package and several related “budget implementation” bills, with Chairman Livingston noting that HB 2415 was being held. Staff and members walked through HB 4138, the General Appropriations Act (“feed bill”), which appropriates about $17.96 billion from the general fund and includes one-time fund transfers, 5% lump-sum reductions for most agencies, funding for the state health insurance plan, school facilities, child care, correctional officer stipends, public safety, and other prior-year items. Members emphasized that the budget reflected House and Senate negotiations after the governor left budget talks, and Republican leaders framed it as a package that lowers taxes, shrinks government, and funds priorities such as K-12, child care, foster care, and public safety. The caucus then reviewed a series of mostly standard budget bills: HB 4139 on gaming/racing assessments; HB 4140 on federal monies, the budget stabilization fund, and ACE initiative savings reporting; HB 4141 on capital outlay, highway construction, airport funding, and rural transportation match funds; HB 4142 on commerce and lottery distributions; HB 4143 on corrections reporting; HB 4144 on environmental provisions and water-related fund uses; HB 4145 on state employee health insurance premiums and DES reforms; HB 4146 on higher education funding provisions; HB 4147 on SNAP administration and error-rate reduction; HB 4148 on K-12 inflation adjustments, school facilities, and ASDB property-sale oversight; HB 4150 on county expenditure flexibility and state office rent rates; HB 4151 on the Department of Revenue’s integrated tax system funding and related charges; HB 4152 on tax conformity, deductions, and repeal of several renewable-energy tax preferences and the Rio Nuevo diversion; and HB 4153 on transportation reporting. Discussion repeatedly centered on health plan solvency, SNAP/ACCESS eligibility and fraud controls, school funding, rural transportation, and tax conformity and relief. The caucus also took up several blue-sheet bills: HB 2035 on extended-family placement notifications in child welfare cases; HB 2170 restricting certain PRC-controlled companies from state IT contracts; HB 2249 expanding Parents’ Bill of Rights provisions; HB 2573 on DUI interlock/restricted-license rules and psychotherapy definitions; and HB 2873, which was amended to allow withdrawal of referendum petitions before ballot qualification. HB 2415 was held. The Speaker closed by praising the caucus for its budget work, saying the package delivers tax relief, protects vulnerable populations and public safety, and reflects months of Republican negotiations, and the meeting adjourned to the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that is the amendment. Chair: Questions on the amendment?
• That's all the public testimony I have on this amendment. We are in debate on the amendment.
• Those opposed to the amendment? Show the amendment favorable.
• This is a strike-all amendment.
• This is not responsible budgeting and it's not how budgeting works.

Transcript Highlights:

• We, your Committee on Joint Budget, to whom was referred Senate Bill 29, recommend due pass as amended
• We, your Committee on Joint Budget, to whom was referred Senate Bill 51, recommend due pass as amended
• All right, we have Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3. Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3.
• Amendment is adopted. Please send to engrossing. Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 10.
• House Bill 1060 by joint budget.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• amendment say I. amendment say I.
• amendment 0720. amendment 0720.
• and amendment. and amendment.
• amendment? amendment?
• amendment? amendment?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Duggan: Questions on the amendment? Is there public testimony on the amendment?
• Would that not impact what their budget is?
• of need and not on budgets of have.
• on their budgets.
• , we have to deal with budgets too.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the legislative budget assistant for the Office of Legislative Budget Assistant.
• Chris is the Deputy LBA responsible for revenues and capital budget, the preparation of the capital budget
• We do the budget.
• budget assistant office of legislative budget assistant uh<00:06:54.120> just<00:06:54.280>
• budgets.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to prioritize motans, budget.
• Oh, I mean just look down the budget bills. Go over the budget bills. Uh, energy.
• Oh, I mean just look down the budget bills. Go over the budget bills. Uh, energy.
• Oh, I mean just look down the budget bills. Go over the budget bills. Uh, energy.
• Oh, I mean just look down the budget bills. Go over the budget bills. Uh, energy.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Gomez moves the D1 amendment to your amendment.
• Chair Gomez moves the D1 amendment to your amendment.
• Chair Gomez moves the D1 amendment to your amendment.
• Chair Gomez moves the D1 amendment to your amendment.
• This constitutional amendment takes away the ability of Minnesotans to influence the tax and budget decisions

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• amendment? amendment? Representative<00:53:06.960> Takayyama.
• . amendment. amendment.
• We will be taking up the state executive budget. members to support this floor amendment. members to
• amended pass final reading. amended pass final reading.
• the budget. the budget.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, thank you to our budget chair.
• if these amendments are adopted.
• We did not look at the, again, CARB doesn't play a role in the budget process and dedicating budget funds
• We did not look at the, again, the CARB doesn't play a role in the budget process and dedicating budget
• You are not in charge of the budget.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• WE DID AMEND THAT.
• THERE WAS AN AMENDMENT TO THAT AMENDMENT THAT I THOUGHT WAS A STANDALONE AMENDMENT SO FORGIVE ME.
• THAT IS THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT. >> Chair Trumbull: ARE THERE QUESTIONS TO THE AMENDMENT?
• I HAVE NO APPEARANCE FORMS ON THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT. IS THERE DEBATE ON THIS AMENDMENT?
• ONTO AMENDMENT NUMBER THREE WHICH IS A STANDALONE AMENDMENT BARCODE 1450 RECOGNIZED TO EXPLAIN THE AMENDMENT

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to the budget yesterday.
• course of the first year of the budget course of the first year of the budget based<00:21:56.360
• So do we have the actual amendment before us that we can begin the discussion of the whole amendment?
• Now line 18 is a new amendment, and amendment number 1304 is in your packet on page 18, I believe.
• 1 for many budgets.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Representative Sweeney present and defend the budget amendment legalizing video lottery terminals (VLTs) and setting a 30% tax rate, with 65% of the tax going to the state and 35% to charities. He argued the lower rate was needed to encourage operators of historic horse racing (HHR) machines to convert to VLTs, saying the higher 45% rate would discourage adoption. He walked through revenue projections for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, estimating significant increases in state and charity revenue as machines transition over time, and said the amendment was designed to expand charitable gaming revenue overall. Several members questioned the assumptions behind his projections and the basis for his analysis, including why his independent research differed from the governor’s and Lottery Commission’s estimates. Sweeney said his figures were based on research into other states and conversations over many years, and he maintained that a 45% tax would likely result in no VLT adoption. Members also debated whether the transition costs for operators would be quickly recouped and whether the state’s share should be larger. One member emphasized that the committee was effectively choosing between a lower operator share and a higher state share, while Sweeney argued the 30% structure would produce revenue for everyone. The committee then moved to other revenue items on the tracking sheet. It voted 7-0 to accept the Lottery Commission’s revised base revenue estimates. Members also discussed an amendment to repeal the local option requirement for Kino games, which would expand Kino availability and was estimated to generate additional lottery profit in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. That amendment drew opposition from members who said local control was an important part of the original Kino policy and that removing it would override municipal decisions. The committee also noted that the VLT/HHR revenue item had already been adopted and was being revisited only to confirm the associated revenue estimates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Any other discussion on the amendment? Okay. Any other discussion on the amendment?
• Chairman, I want to propose another potential amendment to the budget. ...amendment to the budget on
• And I'm sorry, that would fall under the institution budget, not the university system budget.
• It's included in the amendment, yep, it is.
• I know that an amendment was brought in on that.

Bills: SB2003

Keywords: higher education, student loans, scholarships, capital projects, workforce development, funding, North Dakota university system, 908, all

Summary: The committee first reconsidered Senate Bill 2003 in the higher education budget and adopted several changes. It removed $3 million for enterprise resource planning, struck $2 million for a grant program for students who are pregnant or recently gave birth, and then added $3 million back into workforce education and innovative grants, restoring that line to $12 million. Members also discussed a possible purchase of the 19th Avenue building in Fargo for the State School of Science, but the motion was withdrawn for later consideration. Other higher ed items were briefly noted, including tribally controlled community colleges and a state magazine funding line, but no final action was taken on the building proposal during this segment. The committee then moved to Senate Bill 2018, the Commerce budget, and reviewed a long list of funding items. It restored a vacant workforce FTE, increased tourism marketing to $10 million and Find the Good Life to $5 million, raised Operation Intern by $1 million, removed a $100,000 infrastructure study, increased autonomous agriculture grants to $15 million, and set the Regional Workforce Impact Program at $10 million. It also kept or adjusted several other items, including the uncrewed aerial vehicle replacement program, the global talent office, tribally controlled community colleges, Native American small business grants, and technical skills training grants. A major new provision would transfer $50 million total, split between SIF and Bank of North Dakota profits, to the Theodore Roosevelt Library Museum Endowment Fund, matching a private fundraising challenge; members expressed both support and concern, and said they would revisit it later. The committee also discussed language to allow commercialization of Vantis and to permit the Turtle Mountain gaming compact proposal to move forward with required federal approvals, while clarifying that a previously discussed $100,000 study had been removed. Commerce officials said the workforce language was intended to centralize data and strategy, and they noted Operation Intern would need an emergency clause because applications begin in May. No final vote on the Commerce budget was taken in this segment, and the chair said the committee would return later to finish both budgets.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a language change in the budget. It's a language change in the budget.
• That's all in the budget.
• an amendment and we'll concur with that. an amendment and we'll concur with that.
• It's been a great budget.
• <00:11:28.640> Um budget." So, that's kind of a first. Um budget."

Bills: SB342, SB342, SB159

Keywords: land bank, land bank authority, local land bank authority, Alabama Land Bank Authority, tax delinquent property, tax sale, tax lien, redemption period, quiet title, blight remediation, vacant property, foreclosure, ad valorem tax, property tax exemption, intergovernmental agreement, county government, municipal government, redevelopment, brownfields, floodplain management

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Amendments are received. >> Amendments offered for the following third reading calendar by Senator
• >> HERE WE ARE ON OUR FIFTH BUDGET EXTENDER, THREE WEEKS Late on the budget now.
• And, you know, budgets, as you know, all of these budgets are a lot of work.
• AND, YOU KNOW, BUDGETS AS YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE BUDGETS ARE A LOT OF WORK.
• >> HERE WE ARE ON OUR FIFTH BUDGET EXTENDER, THREE WEEKS LATE ON THE BUDGET TO DATE.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with routine formalities, approved the journal, welcomed a SkillsUSA student delegation, and then moved into budget and policy business. The chamber accepted a Rules Committee report and took up a supplemental budget extender, Senate Print 9963, which would extend state operations through April 22 and authorize $12.7 billion, including about $5.1 billion in new funding for Medicaid, payroll, and school aid. Senator O’Mara questioned the delay in the budget, the lack of public detail, and unresolved issues such as CLCPA changes, auto insurance, and SEQR reforms; the sponsor said negotiations were ongoing and that school aid would likely build on the executive budget. The extender passed 57-1, with Senator Weik voting no. The Senate then adopted Senate Resolution 1887, sponsored by Senator Brisport, memorializing the Governor to proclaim April 2026 as Arab American Heritage Month. Senators Brisport, Fahy, Salazar, and Gounardes spoke in support, emphasizing Arab Americans’ cultural, civic, and economic contributions in New York and condemning anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias. The resolution was adopted by voice vote and opened for co-sponsorship. The chamber next considered several bills on the calendar, including a bill by Senator Cleare to prohibit state-chartered financial institutions from investing in private correctional facilities. Supporters framed it as a moral response to private prisons and rising federal use of detention facilities, while opponents argued it would overregulate state-chartered banks and affect private investment decisions. The bill passed 36-22. The Senate also passed a bill by Senator Krueger raising the nonprofit lobbying disclosure threshold from $5,000 to $10,000, after debate over transparency and whether the change would reduce oversight; it passed 35-23. Finally, the Senate passed Senator May’s bill on advanced transmission technologies and utility planning, after extensive debate over ratepayer costs, battery storage, and data center growth; supporters said it could lower energy costs through more efficient grid use, while opponents said it would raise rates and duplicate existing studies. The bill passed after being restored to the non-controversial calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• I move third reading Amendment No. 1 to House Bill 1. House Bill 1. House budget bill 1.
• So this is a savings to the state if we pass this budget amendment. Thank you, Representative.
• So this is a savings to the state if we pass this budget amendment. Thank you, Representative.
• if we pass this budget amendment. if we pass this budget amendment.
• Uh, body, I move amendment number 29 to the budget bill and ask for your favorable consideration.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the Medicaid budget. the Medicaid budget.
• <00:15:15.360> Does amend on the amendment 1482s? Does amend on the amendment 1482s?
• The amendment passes. We have two other amendments.
• We're now on the underlying bill as amended, with Amendment 1495 as well as Amendment 1580.
• So, I support the<00:48:12.880> amendment. the amendment. the amendment.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also authorizes the board to amend the portion of the proposed budget related to the clerk's
• The Administrative Commission may adopt the budget proposed by the clerk or supervisor, the budget amended
• The Administrative Commission may adopt the budget proposed by the clerk or supervisor, the budget amended
• There's one delete-all amendment, and there's one amendment to the delete-all amendment.
• Show the amendment to the amendment adopted. So we're now back on the amendment as amended.

Summary: The committee first heard SB 1134, which would extend the use of qualified private providers in the building permit process to residential solar energy systems and certain single-trade inspections, and would allow computer-based plan review tools. The sponsor said the bill is intended to reduce long solar permitting delays and lower costs. A late amendment clarifying the word “application” was adopted, and after some discussion about local permitting problems and the need to work with municipalities, CS/SB 1134 was reported favorably, with Senator Pizzo voting no. The committee then took up SB 784, dealing with issuance of addresses and parcel identification numbers for plats. The bill sets a 14-day timeframe, and an amendment was adopted that would allow use of a private provider if the deadline is missed and would limit fee collection if verification is not completed. Members discussed whether the bill should include more flexibility and whether private providers are appropriate for this function, but the committee ultimately reported CS/SB 784 favorably. SB 1738, allowing counties that previously opted out of transportation concurrency to opt back in while maintaining current levels of service, was also reported favorably without significant opposition. Next, SB 1080 on local government land regulation was presented as a measure to speed up development permit and order approvals, limit repeated information requests, prevent hearing delays, and impose penalties for noncompliance. Local government testimony argued it would rush planning and weaken public input, while supporters called it common-sense streamlining. After debate, the bill was reported favorably, with several no votes. SB 1260, which clarifies county constitutional officer budget procedures and creates an appeal process for clerks and supervisors of elections similar to that used by sheriffs, was also reported favorably after members raised concerns about county budget timelines. Finally, the committee considered SB 420, as amended by a strike-all, which would prohibit counties and municipalities from adopting or funding DEI-related ordinances, programs, or policies, while carving out compliance with state and federal law and defining DEI-related terms. The amendment removed retroactivity and delayed the effective date, but members from both parties raised concerns about vague definitions, impacts on women- and minority-owned business programs, local commemorations, and the loss of attorney’s fees for prevailing counties. Public testimony was sharply divided, with many speakers opposing the bill as an attack on local control and inclusion, and a few supporting it as a merit-based standard. The amendment was adopted, but the bill drew extensive opposition in debate and was not yet reported in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can choose to concur in a Senate amendment, amend their amendment, or refuse to concur in their amendment
• Representative Miller offered the following amendment to amendment with title amendment.
• Representative Miller offered the following amendment to amendment with title amendment.
• amendment to the Senate amendment.
• Other amendments to the amendment? Further questions? Other amendments to the amendment?

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then moved into returning messages from the Senate. Early action focused on CS/CS/HB 1503 on computer science education and certification, which would add computer science and artificial intelligence content in high school and create a K-12 teacher certificate program; after adopting a House amendment restoring certificate language and adjusting implementation timing, the House concurred in the Senate amendment and passed the bill 105-0. The chamber then took up CS/CS/HB 1085 on local government cybersecurity, adopting a House amendment to allow local governments to buy into the cyber grant program and add a five-year sunset, then concurring in the Senate amendment shifting grant administration back to the Florida Digital Service; the bill passed 104-1. The House refused to concur in Senate amendments to CS/HB 351 on concurrent legislative jurisdiction over U.S. military installations and HB 6011 on reporting gifts or honoraria, sending both back to the Senate. It also refused to concur in the Senate amendment to CS/HB 851 on professional learning for instructional and school administrative personnel, saying the Senate version expanded the bill beyond its original autism-focused scope. After a recess, the House unveiled Speaker Daniel Perez’s portrait and heard extended remarks praising his leadership, institutional reforms, and the work of House staff and members. In the second returning-message list, the House debated CS/CS/HB 1471 on systems of law and terrorist organizations. The Senate amendment clarified the definition of “promote,” refined notice and timeline provisions for terrorist organization designations, and kept references to Sharia law as an example in the foreign religious law section. Supporters argued the bill was aimed at conduct beyond speech and was intended to protect the Constitution and public safety; opponents warned it would chill free speech, target Muslim Floridians, and give the governor and cabinet unprecedented power without adequate due process. After lengthy debate, the House concurred and passed the bill 80-25. The House then took up CS/CS/HB 1473, a public records bill tied to HB 1471, and moved to concur in a technical Senate amendment aligning the records exemption with the revised structure of HB 1471.

Transcript Highlights:

• that are cost neutral in this budget and the next in the tail budget.
• Chair, if I can move the A5 amendment. amendment. amendment.
• budget and the next in the tail budget. budget and the next in the tail budget.
• to move the amendment? to move the amendment?
• Please describe the amendment A5. Please describe the amendment. amendment. amendment.

Keywords: 1183, house