Transcript Highlights:

• We did lose some training grants that were then reinstated.
• Again, this is the total loss of terminated grants.
• this five years of grant.
• This is a multidisciplinary, cross-campus grant, and the aim of this grant is to identify biomarkers
• And again, they are specific to grants.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to share a few examples of recent grant wins. In December, the U.S.
• This piece of legislation also provided appropriations to the Capital Investment Grant Program...
• This reauthorization would allow for nearly 100 new grants to be made.
• by Grant Central, that we fully called a fully integrated application. ...part managed by Grant Central
• It's not an existing grant or expansion of a grant.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 4987, the administration’s transportation bond bill centered on Chapter 90 roadway funding and related capital programs. Administration officials described the bill as a roughly $5.5 billion package that would continue $300 million per year for Chapter 90 over four years, with part of the funding distributed by the traditional formula and an additional $100 million based solely on road miles to better support rural and smaller communities. They also highlighted authorizations for municipal pavement work, Shared Streets and Spaces grants, accelerated bridge and pavement repairs, MBTA rail modernization and reliability, housing-related transportation improvements, and a new DCR-focused PRISM program for parkways and related infrastructure. Officials emphasized that the bill is financed through the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and Fair Share revenues, and said it would help municipalities plan more predictably, speed project delivery, and support housing, safety, and climate goals. Committee members and witnesses discussed the bill’s broader scope beyond traditional Chapter 90, especially the $200 million for transportation projects that support housing development and the $200 million for MBTA modernization and rail reliability. Members asked about the rationale for a four-year authorization amid fiscal uncertainty, federal funding volatility, and the status of commuter rail electrification. Administration officials responded that the capital authorization is backed by dedicated transportation revenues rather than the operating budget, and said multi-year certainty helps cities and towns make better long-term repair decisions. They also said the MBTA’s rail modernization funds would support locomotive procurements, including battery-electric and Tier 4 diesel locomotives, as part of a longer-term regional rail and electrification strategy. Municipal officials and regional advocates strongly supported the bill. The Massachusetts Municipal Association, along with town and city officials from Sherborn, Conway, and Yarmouth, said the increased Chapter 90 funding and road-mile-based distribution are especially important for small and rural communities with limited local revenue capacity, and that multi-year funding would let them bundle projects, bid at better prices, and address backlogs more proactively. A Better City and MAPC also supported the bill but urged the committee to treat it like a traditional bond bill by adding policy provisions and considering new transportation revenue tools, such as TNC fee changes, road pricing, parking taxes, and other mechanisms. The committee took no vote during the hearing and adjourned after testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's a grant basically.
• First is the Oklahoma arts sector APA grant.
• That grant program would have been suspended.
• We would have suspended our classroom supply grants.
• This is a supplemental grant we have to provide cost to help.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> The money actually came to us as a grant >> The money actually came to us as a grant
• is there's a federal grant that comes down. down. down.
• The balance by federal grant, correct?
• grants? grants?
• this that we can allocate this on this that we can allocate this on this contract<01:23:00.400><

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the September 19 meeting minutes and then took up a deferred University of Kentucky personal services contract amendment for guardianship services. UK officials explained that the contract covers court-appointed guardians for patients who cannot make medical decisions and are not eligible for state guardianship, with the work funded by UK Medical Center agency dollars rather than the general fund. Members questioned the large increase in the not-to-exceed amount, the number of cases, the hourly billing structure, and whether there are safeguards to prevent unnecessary costs or reimbursement issues if a patient later has resources. UK said the increase reflects shifting work from a prior firm, anticipated new cases, a move from a monthly fee to hourly billing, and the need for a second firm because one prior attorney died and another firm has had difficulty appearing in court promptly. The committee ultimately approved the contract, while Senator Thomas said he would vote aye but urged future review of attorney fee limits and broader guardianship statutes, which he described as outdated and inconsistent. The committee then deferred three Office of Energy Policy memorandum of agreement items to the November 2025 meeting without objection. After that, it approved the remaining agenda items, including the contract lists and deferred items not separately selected for review. The final major item was a University of Kentucky personal services contract related to fundraising and philanthropic outreach. UK representatives said the contract supports marketing and donor engagement efforts to grow the university’s endowment pipeline and philanthropic support. The transcript cuts off before the committee finished its questions or took final action on that item.

Transcript Highlights:

• The P.E.D. allocated 11.6 million, is that correct? I think you have a new number in your slide.
• Here you can see the grants that have been awarded.
• Actual requests for reimbursement rather than how LEAs budgeted their CTE grant funding.
• Grant funds are often allocated into items that help teachers maintain the status quo rather than pushing
• Salaries and benefits represent a huge component of grants that may be.

Transcript Highlights:

• at the bottom explains that for fiscal year 23-24, the Legislature provided funding for agencies to grant
• The purpose of the discretionary pay was to grant special pay adjustments for hard-to-fill and retain
• The governor's budget creates a new scholarship funding allocation and amends the educational enrollment
• stabilization program to be used exclusively to fully fund this new allocation.
• This approach provides the additional funds for the scholarship funding allocation if the appropriate

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met for two workshops. The first focused on vacant positions in the Division of Early Learning and the Department of Education. Committee members reviewed vacancy reports, including long-vacant positions and positions that had received discretionary pay adjustments. Division and department officials said many vacancies were being filled, advertised, or under review, but acknowledged persistent recruitment and retention problems, especially for engineering, legal, finance, IT, and other specialized roles. Members questioned whether some long-vacant positions were still necessary, whether overtime and workload were being affected, and whether outside contracting, cross-training, combining positions, or eliminating some vacancies could help. Officials said they were considering those options and noted that hiring has become slower and more difficult since the pandemic, with lower applicant volume and more competition from other agencies and private employers. The second workshop addressed draft legislation related to school choice scholarships and the FEFP. The chair said the committee’s prior hearings raised concerns about student identification numbers, cross-checking between districts and scholarship organizations, duplicated FTE reporting, delayed district payments, scholarship payment timing, and inconsistent data sources. She said the proposed language is intended to standardize scholarship processing and improve accuracy and efficiency while preserving the long-standing FEFP principle that funds follow the student. She also said funding scholarship students below the line would not solve the identified problems and could create disparities. The draft would align processing for the Family Empowerment Scholarship and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship programs and would reduce add-on weights by 50% while keeping the current policy structure. No votes were taken. The chair invited further comments and said the draft budget and legislation would continue to be refined before rollout. The meeting adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• But perhaps a couple extra grant dollars and grant funding might be what pushes them over the edge and
• Is not the subrecipient for FEMA AB 38 grants.
• It's just how can we share grant data with...
• of the grant program.
• or not, are operating their grant programs.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• increment of increase may be allocated increment of increase may be allocated by<00:04:16.639>
• Subdivision two is the nonpublic school grants. authority. And section 11 is school authority.
• Subdivision two is the nonpublic school grants.
• non-public school grants non-public school grants and<00:15:32.800> uh<00:15:32.959> that's
• <00:47:49.760> or original 8020 site allocation or original 8020 site allocation or something

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Manufactured Home Park Community Redevelopment Program, the infrastructure grants part of that program
• Section 15 of this page would modify a 2023 appropriation for a grant to the Midwest Community Development
• Because of the timing of our funding process, we would be able to allocate these resources within this
• It's often out the door within days of its quarterly allocation.
• also support increased investments in the Challenge Fund and the Greater Minnesota Infrastructure Grant

Transcript Highlights:

• But perhaps a couple extra grant dollars and grant funding might be what pushes them over the edge and
• However, these were one-time funding allocations.
• It's just how can we share grant data with folks who aren't part of the grant management process?
• of the grant program.
• or not, are operating their grant programs.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation held an oversight hearing on home hardening and defensible space as wildfire mitigation strategies. The chair opened by stressing that California has reached a tipping point, with repeated community-scale wildfire losses, rising insurance costs, and growing utility wildfire mitigation expenses. The hearing was organized around four panels: what home hardening and defensible space are, community risk reduction and coordination, evaluation of current defensible space programs and proposed investments, and the future of home hardening and the California Wildfire Mitigation Program. The first panel featured IBHS, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and local wildfire mitigation advocates. IBHS described wildfire spread through embers, flames, and radiant heat, emphasizing that structure separation, removing combustible materials within the first five feet of a home, and combining multiple mitigation measures significantly reduce loss. It highlighted its Wildfire Prepared Home and Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood standards, including an “essential” and “enhanced” level, and said California is ahead of other states but still needs scalable, standardized, and sustainably funded mitigation. The LAO outlined key policy questions for the Legislature, including the state’s role, intergovernmental coordination, cost-effectiveness, program design, measurement of success, long-term sustainability, and barriers to implementation. The chair and panelists discussed estimated costs, including roughly $15,000 for a basic retrofit and about $50,000 for more extensive ignition-resistant construction, and whether state funding should focus on the most cost-effective initial measures. The second panel focused on scaling adoption through local coordination, education, financing, and community-based programs. Megafire Action argued that home hardening is a market adoption problem and said the state should not try to pay for every home, but instead target high-leverage interventions across the “customer journey,” including education, financing, trusted certification, and neighborhood network effects. Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council described free home assessments, small retrofit grants, Firewise community support, and the importance of neighborhood-level action, local capacity, and cultural change. Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority described its locally funded model, grant program, public education efforts, and an Ember Ready program that helps residents navigate home hardening and Zone Zero compliance. The chair repeatedly emphasized the need for a coordinated statewide marketing campaign, stronger incentives, better insurance discounts, and more use of local, utility, federal, and private funding sources. The third and fourth panels addressed Cal Fire’s defensible space inspection program, the proposed defensible space financial assistance program, and broader state investments. Cal Fire said homes lacking compliant defensible space are far more likely to be damaged or destroyed and requested ongoing funding and staffing to stabilize inspections statewide; the LAO suggested the Legislature consider alternative funding sources such as GGRF or a reinstated SRA fee. Cal Fire and the State Fire Marshal explained that Zone Zero sets a minimum standard, local governments cannot go below it, and grant prioritization will favor jurisdictions that submit inspections. Cal Fire also said the new defensible space financial assistance program would focus on ember-resistant zone-zero work and, in the Southern California counties covered by the legislation, would assist about 3,125 homes at an estimated $8,000 per home. In the final panel, the State Fire Marshal described California’s layered strategy of parcel-level home hardening, defensible space, and neighborhood-scale mitigation, along with technical support, financial assistance, and incentives such as insurance discounts and builder marketing. The overall theme was that California must move from isolated efforts to a coordinated, science-based, and scalable statewide approach to reduce wildfire losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it used to allocate that out?
• So I just want to make sure everyone knows: we didn't under-allocate $8 million.
• We didn't over-allocate $8 million.
• And so the IT pool is allocated to WOTEC for a number of different projects.
• We've been told we have up to $16 million allocated within that IT pool.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The committee heard a State Auditor’s Office performance audit on OSPI’s school apportionment system, which distributes K-12 funding to districts. Auditors said the system and its underlying 2008-era infrastructure are outdated, unstable, inefficient, and at high risk of errors or failure. They also found weak controls over data input, documentation, oversight, and monitoring, with heavy reliance on a small number of staff and vendor knowledge. In limited testing of three districts, the system calculated 2023–24 funding correctly, but auditors identified small discrepancies between state budget inputs and underlying statutory language and said broader system risks remain unresolved. JLARC members asked about the scope of the district testing, whether smaller districts face greater risk, the meaning of the funding discrepancies, and whether the system could support a future change to a simpler per-student funding formula. Auditors said the discrepancies were small but could compound into millions statewide, and that the audit did not evaluate broader policy questions or alternative system owners. They recommended OSPI modernize or replace the system and address current control weaknesses while the new platform is developed. OSPI officials largely agreed that the current platform needs replacement and said a feasibility study completed in 2024 found the system at catastrophic risk of failure. They clarified that the Legislature had approved up to $16 million in the state IT pool for the project, but that funding is released through gated oversight and not all of it had yet been appropriated for the current biennium. OSPI disputed the auditor’s characterization of some rounding and budget-law issues, saying the calculations were consistent with agency rules and legislative inputs, and explained that some manual workarounds are used to handle newer statutory requirements. One member of the public testified in support of modernizing the system and strengthening controls. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It grants tax abatement in exchange for providing a mix of affordable units in a development.
• If they meet the requirements, we can grant a tax exemption.
• Remember, 2024 was before any of the measures local governments were funded through the grant program
• We had a grant when 5290 first passed. We don't have one right now.
• The CLT uses grants and donations to lower the initial purchase price of a home.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard presentations on a range of housing finance, permitting, and affordability tools. Chattanooga described its affordable housing PILOT program, which uses a per-unit property tax abatement tied to the rent loss from providing affordable units, with a 15-year term and annual compliance monitoring. Committee members asked about the program’s structure, whether it had been used elsewhere, and who was participating; the presenter said the first mixed-income project would bring 278 units with 42 affordable units and that the model was attracting private market-rate developers. Shoreline then described its MFTE and inclusionary zoning approach, emphasizing that longer tax exemption periods and station-area zoning changes had helped spur development, with most current pipeline projects concentrated near light rail stations. The committee also heard from the Municipal Research Services Center and the Department of Commerce on tax increment financing, proportional impact fees, and permit timelines. Commerce explained that TIF can fund public improvements such as roads, utilities, broadband, and some affordable housing or child care facilities, while proportional impact fee guidance is intended to help jurisdictions charge fees more closely aligned with actual project impacts. On permit timelines, Commerce presented its first annual report under recent law changes, using 2024 as a baseline year and noting that reported timelines were generally longer than statutory goals; members asked about outliers, paper versus electronic processing, and whether back-and-forth between applicants and staff was driving delays. Commerce said it would follow up with more data, including on CHIP funding and permit reform practices. Several local governments then shared permitting process improvements. Auburn reported relatively short review cycles and described its move to fully electronic permitting, internal performance standards, and a stock plan program that speeds review for repeated home designs. Bellevue described an AI permitting pilot with a local startup to help with pre-application questions, document triage, and plan review, aiming to reduce incomplete applications and revision cycles. Seattle presented a pilot for accessory dwelling unit co-development in which a mission-driven partner would help homeowners split lots, finance, build, and manage ADUs, with the homeowner eventually buying out the partner and retaining ownership; committee members asked about rent setting, management fees, and default risk, and staff said they would follow up. The committee also heard brief overviews of community land trusts and limited equity cooperatives as permanent affordability models, with presenters urging continued state and local funding support and policy recognition for these approaches.

Transcript Highlights:

• Aliens granted the satisfaction to keep an entrant or an individual who lawfully resides.
• for the academic year are ineligible to receive a Pell grant authorizes workforce Pell grants which
• However, no exceptions can be can expire or be granted later than December 31st. 2028.
• So you have it for the direct grants? Yes.
• Counties are already at capacity within their CalFresh allocations.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And, of course, the fund could also receive appropriations, gifts, grants, or other forms of financial
• equally distributing funding across the Commonwealth, something that does not always happen when grants
• so well, but at least we'll have the fairness of having a plan, a formula, a strategy on how we allocate
• so well, but at least we'll have the fairness of having a plan, a formula, a strategy on how we allocate
• these resources and A plan, a formula, a strategy on how we allocate these resources, and not just doing

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate met on the FY27 budget and began with several ceremonial introductions and brief amendment withdrawals. Senator Collins withdrew amendments related to restoring DCF social worker funding and educator pay. The chamber then ruled a package of tax-related amendments offered by Senator Tarr out of order on constitutional grounds, finding they would create money-bill provisions that must originate in the House; the Senate upheld that ruling by a vote of 35-4. Senator Tarr later offered amendments on a gas tax suspension and related tax relief themes, but those were not adopted. The Senate considered and rejected several other amendments, including proposals on commemorating Commonwealth history, naming a bridge, repeat offenders, and no-cost calls. One amendment by Senator Fattman to extend domestic violence leave protections to contract employees was adopted unanimously, with 39 votes in favor and none opposed. The chamber also adopted an amendment creating a special commission to study the adequacy, reliability, and distribution of unrestricted general government aid (UGA), after extended debate about inequities in municipal aid and local budget pressures. Members from across the chamber supported the commission, while some emphasized that adequacy of funding, not just redistribution, remains a concern. The Senate then took up Chapter 90, passing the municipal roads and bridges bill to be engrossed. It also adopted a community programming amendment and a Senate Ways and Means amendment, then adopted the Ways and Means budget amendment as amended and ordered the underlying FY27 appropriations bill to a third reading. After lengthy closing remarks from the Ways and Means chair, minority leader, and the Senate President praising the budget process and highlighting investments in local aid, education, public safety, and other priorities, the Senate voted 40-0 to pass the FY27 budget bill to be engrossed. The chamber then adopted an order to reconvene the following Tuesday at 11 a.m. and adjourned in memory of Trooper Kevin Thomas Traynor.

Transcript Highlights:

• State Libraries, the rebuilding of the Hana Public Library; and inserting a provision that funds allocated
• to all departments will funds allocated to all departments will not<00:20:03.400> be<00:20:03.520
• special fund, water and land development special fund, and dam appurtenance improvement and removal grant
• and dam appurtenance improvement and and dam appurtenance improvement and removal<00:24:36.000> grant
• removal grant program. removal grant program. Any<00:24:38.680> discussion?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees met in decision-making sessions and considered a long list of Senate bills, with no oral testimony taken. Several measures were advanced unamended, including SB 2178 on industrial hemp, SB 2277 on hospital price transparency, SB 2387 on digital financial asset transaction kiosks, SB 2688 on compassionate release, SB 3132 on syndromic surveillance data reporting, SB 3219 on housing infrastructure growth bonds, and others. Many bills were also advanced with technical or substantive amendments, including SB 2114 on collective bargaining grievance rights, SB 2601 on procurement penalties, SB 2698 on cruise ships/transportation, SB 2757 on digital asset charters, SB 2948 on insurance fraud, SB 2002 on water governance, SB 2022 on state water code penalties, SB 2190 on inclusionary zoning, SB 3294 on wrongful imprisonment compensation, and SB 17, SB 2407, SB 2811, SB 2907, SB 2930, SB 3084, SB 3103, and SB 2808 in the later agenda segment. The committee also discussed SB 2080, relating to the psychology interjurisdictional compact, where one senator objected to interstate compacts as opening local jobs to out-of-state professionals; despite that objection, the measure was adopted. SB 3133 on preventive medicine drew amendment discussion to remove unnecessary language about committee members not being state employees and to delete an immunity subsection, while preserving ethics-code coverage and provider immunity. SB 3000 on insurance was amended to remove a savings clause, and SB 2921 on fund transfers received extensive amendments removing or revising numerous special funds and revolving accounts across agencies. Most votes were unanimous or near-unanimous, often with members present voting aye or with reservations. A few measures drew recorded no votes or reservations, including SB 2080, SB 3133, SB 2921, and SB 2401, where one member voted with reservations and the committee report was to reflect the Attorney General’s comments. In each case, the committee adopted the recommendation and moved the bills forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• This slide presents the overview of the 2025 NRAP allocation.
• that final allocation plan that I<00:19:04.640> was<00:19:04.720> just<00:19:04.880>
• Flood<00:28:10.399> hazard<00:28:10.880> mitigation<00:28:11.520> grants.
• <00:28:11.919> The Flood hazard mitigation grants. The Flood hazard mitigation grants.
• These are um regional grant programs.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So House File 3079 relates to an appropriation, a grant to the City of Minneapolis, that was included
• As you can see on line 1.9, the line that's being struck says the grant must be paid by July 15, 2023
• must be paid being struck says the grant must be paid by<00:01:47.079> July<00:01:47.360>
• the kind of activities under the grant the kind of activities under the grant to<00:02:39.120>
• leading legislation that will grant leading legislation that will grant striking<00:13:01.600>

Bills: HF3023, HF3078, HF107, HF2171, HF3079, HF689, HF1316

Keywords: unemployment benefits, iron ore mining, economic support, workforce development, Minnesota, unemployment insurance, deferred resignation, employment, worker rights, benefits eligibility, Ellsworth Independent School District, ISD 514, school construction, school renovation, sales tax exemption, use tax refund, construction materials, HVAC replacement, boiler replacement, window replacement

Transcript Highlights:

• This appropriation creates two types of grants.
• So that's for the project grant.
• In terms of how we're going to allocate this across the state...
• that can be granted to any one project.
• That is going to be one of the requirements before we issue a grant.

Transcript Highlights:

• of unused allocations in that credit. of unused allocations in that credit.
• , it's structured in this case as a grant, it's structured in this case as a grant, but<00:14:21.079
• Section 8 provides a $100,000 grant to the city of South St. Paul.
• And so, this was a grant to make up for that. Thank you.
• a grant to to make up for that. a grant to to make up for that.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have grants.
• allocation so this allocation predates allocation so this allocation predates um<00:59:16.160>
• So we have one small local planning grant that's an ongoing grant that we don't receive very many, if
• <01:07:21.359> um of that we had state funded grants um of that we had state funded grants
• <01:07:49.680> for<01:07:50.039> those into more grants for those into more grants

Keywords: 1183, house