Transcript Highlights:

• We did that knowing that fiscal year 2024 was the first full fiscal year that we would be collecting
• As we navigate a challenging fiscal environment, we remain firmly...
• It is actually closing this for the T for the next fiscal year.
• It's got its start in prior fiscal years as a smaller pot of money.
• It's transparent to the voters.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 55, the governor’s FY25 supplemental budget proposal to spend about $1.3 billion in surplus Fair Share revenue. House and Senate chairs framed the bill as a one-time opportunity to invest fairly in education and transportation, while also noting the need to protect the state’s long-term fiscal balance. Administration officials said the proposal should be considered alongside the FY26 budget and related bills, since the governor’s broader Fair Share plan aims for roughly an even split between education and transportation over time. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler outlined the administration’s priorities. Transportation funding would go mainly to the MBTA and related reserves, including money for the Federal Transit Administration reserve, MBTA stabilization reserve, low-income fares, winter resilience, RTA workforce support, MassDOT workforce and project delivery, and micro-transit grants. Education funding would support universal preschool expansion, early education and care capacity, early literacy tutoring, adult basic education and ESOL, early college and career technical education, MyCAP expansion, and special education circuit breaker funding. The administration emphasized that many of these investments are one-time or multi-year measures designed to address current needs without creating unsustainable recurring costs. Committee members raised concerns about regional equity, especially the large share of transportation money going to the MBTA versus regional transit authorities and rural areas. Several members asked for more detail on how the proposal would benefit Western Massachusetts and other non-MBTA regions, and whether micro-transit and Chapter 90-related investments would be sufficient. Education questions focused on special education reimbursement shortfalls, federal funding cuts to school districts, and how CTE and vocational investments would align students with workforce needs. The administration said it would provide additional data on MBTA versus RTA investment and explained that the special education circuit breaker and transportation reimbursement changes were intended to improve predictability and relief for districts. After the administration panel, Jessica Tang of AFT Massachusetts testified in support of using Fair Share funds to protect public education amid federal uncertainty and cuts. She argued that schools are facing a fiscal cliff, that vulnerable students would be hit hardest by funding losses, and that the Fair Share revenue should be used to preserve services and support students’ needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't view this as being as transparent with voters as we should be.
• I don't view this as being as transparent with voters as we should be.
• <01:07:46.559> with view this as being as transparent with view this as being as transparent
• Madam Chair and committee members, a fiscal note has not been requested on this bill.
• Arneson that would provide the amount for fiscal year 2027. Do you want to walk through it?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We welcome the transparency. We're happy to do that.
• We welcome the transparency. We're happy to do that.
• We welcome the transparency. We're happy to do that.
• We welcome the transparency. We're happy to do that.
• We welcome the transparency. We're happy to do that.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:10 HB 2 Discussion 00:01:00 HB 2 Vote 00:04:00 HB 544 Discussion 00:05:05 HB 544 Vote 00:06:15 HB 552 Discussion 00:07:00 HB 552 Vote 00:08:40 HB 605 Discussion 00:09:35 HB 605 Vote 00:11:35 HB 606 Discussion 00:12:10 HB 606 Vote 00:15:40 HB 695 Discussion 00:16:25 HB 695 Vote 00:34:05, 958, all

Summary: The Appropriations and Revenue Committee took up several House bills and committee substitutes. House Bill 2, as amended by Senate Committee Substitute 1, was described by Rep. T.J. Roberts as restoring a tax exemption enacted in 2024 by providing refunds with interest to those improperly taxed and creating a cause of action; the substitute also aligned state filing deadlines for certain flood-disaster counties with the federal November 15 deadline. The committee adopted the substitute and then passed the bill with favorable expression. The committee also adopted a title amendment for House Bill 544, which Rep. Jason Petrie said was part of the state’s flood-relief discussion and would allow the guard cap to be used over the biennium rather than annually, effectively increasing the cap from $50 million per year to $100 million over two years; the measure passed with favorable expression. House Bill 552, handled by Rep. Josh Bray after Rep. Kim King’s absence, was described as simplifying tourist commission appointments. The committee substitute added creation of the Kentucky-Ireland Trade Commission and changed marina licensing agreements by exempting private contractors from the model procurement code. The committee adopted the substitute, approved a title amendment, and passed the bill with favorable expression. House Bill 605, sponsored by Rep. Kim King, clarified which grants qualify for a grant program and allowed cities or counties to apply on behalf of water districts or other entities not directly affiliated with them; Rebecca Hearts of Grant Ready Kentucky said the program had matched $103 million of the $200 million allocation, generating about $469.98 million in total project value. The committee adopted the title amendment and passed the bill with favorable expression. House Bill 606, by Rep. Wade Williams, added a capital-oversight reporting requirement for school district general obligation bonds that had been omitted from prior legislation. The committee substitute also made several budget and program adjustments, including moving Regional Training Center funds, accelerating funding for the Grand Lyric Theater, correcting water funding language, removing Odyssey Inc. language from a treatment-related item, fixing a double appropriation to LifeWorks Transition Academy, clarifying carry-forward language, allowing SRO reimbursements for public and non-public schools, and authorizing an additional $10 million in agency bonds for Western Kentucky University athletic facilities. The committee adopted the substitute, approved a title amendment, and passed the bill with favorable expression. The committee then spent the most time on House Bill 695, a Medicaid-related bill. Rep. Adam Bowling said the bill was intended to stabilize Medicaid, create oversight and advisory mechanisms, and address growth in the program. Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander and Medicaid CFO Steve Beckle said they were generally supportive of the transparency and reporting changes but flagged risks, including federal compliance concerns, budget growth from changing the drug rebate treatment, administrative costs tied to MCO rebidding and a managed long-term services study, and some data-collection challenges. Representatives from the Kentucky Association of Healthcare Facilities opposed the section calling for a managed long-term care reimbursement study, arguing it would be costly, duplicative, and likely ineffective, and they warned against managed care models for long-term care. Despite the concerns, the committee adopted the committee substitute by voice vote and moved the bill forward with favorable expression.

Transcript Highlights:

• Net is based on a non-transparent number.
• Net is based on a non-transparent number.
• It simply redistributes them in less transparent ways.
• That there's no transparency for patients, right?
• There's no transparency there.

Bills: HB591, HB765, HB826, HB870, HB938, HB1151, HB1162, HB1176, HB1196, HB1236, HB1241

Keywords: family leave, insurance, paid leave, employment benefits, caregiver support, liability insurance, coverage defenses, direct action, judgment enforcement, legal procedures, insurance referrals, compensation, non-licensed agents, consumer protection, insurance products, HB 870, Act 907, Louisiana insurance, health insurance, prescription drugs

Transcript Highlights:

• provide guidance to first responders, and to establish data reporting requirements to improve transparency
• And without transparency, taxpayers cannot see where their dollars are going or why costs keep rising
• It provides transparency so policymakers and the public can understand what is driving costs.
• SB 1284 responds with a simple solution: transparency and accountability.
• SB 1284 is a measured step, because without transparency, nothing changes.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on access to care, public health, and oversight. SB 989 would streamline Care Court referrals by allowing first responders to ask county behavioral health agencies to review and file petitions; supporters, including firefighters and mental health advocates, said it would reduce barriers, while opponents argued Care Court is coercive, costly, and not yet proven effective. SB 1089, as amended, would direct CalRx/HHS to help distribute GLP-1 medications more affordably; the author described personal experience with the drugs and supporters emphasized prevention and chronic disease management, while members asked about distribution, liability, and age limits. SB 1309 would eliminate cost sharing for medically necessary lung cancer follow-up care after abnormal screenings; cancer survivors and clinicians strongly supported it, while health plans and insurers opposed it, saying the bill could raise premiums and did not address low initial screening rates. The committee also heard SB 1284, which would require DHCS to publish an annual report identifying large employers with workers enrolled in Medi-Cal and estimating taxpayer costs; supporters framed it as transparency and corporate accountability, while the chair and others linked it to broader budget and fairness concerns. SCR 7, urging permanent standard time, was presented as a public health measure to reduce sleep disruption and related harms, and it passed with support from the California Medical Association. The committee also took up SB 995, which would create a statewide inspection and enforcement framework for large involuntary residential facilities, including private immigration detention centers and some youth facilities; supporters cited unsafe and inhumane conditions, while probation officials objected to overlap with existing oversight for secure youth treatment facilities. The committee approved the measures it heard, with roll calls showing SB 989, SB 1089, SB 1309, SB 1284, SCR 7, and SB 995 all advancing out of committee, along with consent items and add-on votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2019, I reauthorized 312s with the transparency aspects in them.”
• Slide 9 just shows the applications that the office has received by fiscal year.
• Slide 12 shows, for fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 up to April 4th, the number of applications
• That's significant, but we lack transparency on how those funds are used.
• The advantage to having a bill like this that really focuses on helping us to create transparency is

Bills: SB913, SB1086, SB1087, SB1143, SB1534, SB1553, SB1718, SB1754, SB2004, SB2322, SB2448

Keywords: hotel occupancy tax, municipal revenue, tax code, local government funding, Texas legislation, county taxation, economic development, hotel industry, local government, counties, taxation, tourism, workforce development, youth programs, employment, education, technical training, health physics, higher education, nuclear energy

Summary: The committee heard a series of bills, mostly related to economic development, tax incentives, and workforce programs. Senate Bill 1534 would direct a study by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission on health physics education and workforce needs; resource witnesses from the Workforce Commission and Coordinating Board testified, and the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 1553 would authorize Kerr County to impose a hotel occupancy tax for tourism-related uses, and Senate Bills 1086 and 1087 would authorize similar county hotel taxes for Children’s County and Mason County; all three bills received supportive testimony and were left pending. The committee also heard Senate Bill 1754, which would prohibit county and local tax abatements for renewable energy facilities selling power wholesale, with testimony sharply divided between landowners and policy groups opposing renewable subsidies and industry representatives and some senators arguing the bill would harm clean energy investment and local decision-making; the bill was left pending. The committee then heard Senate Bill 2322, which would exempt dispatchable electric generation facilities from the JEDI program’s compelling-factor test so they could qualify for school district tax incentives; testimony was mixed, and the bill was left pending. Later, the committee heard Senate Bill 1718, which would add the NRA annual meeting to the state’s major events reimbursement program. The bill’s sponsor and NRA representatives argued the event brings substantial tourism and economic activity, while opponents said it would use taxpayer funds to subsidize an organization that opposes gun safety measures; the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 2004 would add the Arlington Grand Prix to the major events reimbursement program, with the committee substitute exempting it from the usual competitive site-selection requirement because of timing; testimony from the event organizers and Arlington tourism officials was supportive, and the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 2448 would create a rural workforce development grant program at the Texas Workforce Commission to support college-and-career readiness and technical assistance in rural communities; witnesses from Texas 2036, Collegiate Edgination, and a rural school district supported it, and it was left pending. Finally, Senate Bill 913 would repeal a special requirement that Alpine dedicate at least 50% of its hotel occupancy tax to advertising and promotion, and Senate Bill 1143 would require more coordination and reporting for youth workforce programs serving disconnected young Texans; both bills received supportive testimony and were left pending. At the end of the hearing, Senator Johnson moved that the committee stand in recess, subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• Higher Education estimated in the fiscal Higher Education estimated in the fiscal note<00:09:15.120
• million one-time appropriation in fiscal million one-time appropriation in fiscal year<00:15:35.360
• <00:15:57.360> year on campus initiative from fiscal year on campus initiative from fiscal
• know what that fiscal impact is, because the fiscal notes have not yet been completed.
• a completed fiscal note. university estimated in the fiscal note university estimated in the fiscal

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• responsibility and government fiscal responsibility and government transparency,<00:57:02.079> which
• The fiscal note gives us an idea.
• Transparency builds trust. agency form. Transparency builds trust.
• Fairness and fiscal discipline.
• finan fiscal impact. finan fiscal impact.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• there is a fiscal note in the packet. there is a fiscal note in the packet.
• We do have a fiscal note.
• We do have a fiscal note.
• to see if we think we may need a fiscal to see if we think we may need a fiscal note<01:23:20.880
• Smith, we don't anticipate a fiscal cost. I'm sorry, Mr.

Bills: HF1606, HF3733, HF743, HF2627, HF4071

Keywords: nudification technology, image rights, privacy protection, sexual exploitation, cybersecurity, recreational camping, utility fees, electricity charges, consumer protection, energy policy, health insurance, insulin, step therapy, diabetes, patient care, prescription drugs, pet shops, animal welfare, dog sales, cat sales

Transcript Highlights:

• SO FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR WE ARE APPROPRIATING 131 MILLION.
• SO FOR IV AND V THEIR CONTRACT IS 3.3 MILLION FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR.
• YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR OR TOTAL PROGRAM COST? OKAY.
• I KNOW YOU'RE ASKING SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR.
• IS HARD TO QUANTIFY A FISCAL IMPACT ON IT.

Transcript Highlights:

• So folks have some transparency there.
• So folks have some transparency there.
• So folks have some transparency there.
• It's transparent pricing.
• That’ll be transparent.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• universal program beginning in fiscal universal program beginning in fiscal year year year 2027.
• Regarding the fiscal note, the fiscal note was written prior to the amendment to 115.
• Regarding the fiscal note, the fiscal<01:32:56.480> note<01:32:56.719> was<01:32:56.960
• <02:33:04.720> The report to ensure transparency. The report to ensure transparency.
• It's not transparent. information. It's not transparent.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's uh we're waiting for our fiscal analyst, Mr. Raymond, to come down.
• The fiscal note's being passed out, folks. In talking with General Ellison, knowingly or...
• amount of the fiscal note. amount of the fiscal note. Thank<00:18:21.679> you.
• amendment is to bring more transparency amendment is to bring more transparency to<00:20:48.120>
• And especially as we're dealing with this fraud crisis here in Minnesota, I think transparency is an

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I present AB 739, which aims to provide transparency to homeowners on fees charged by managing agents
• This bill requires our state housing agency to create a fiscal analysis and requires a financial plan
• My concern is with the fiscal impact of the ban established by this bill.
• As someone who prides myself on my fiscal responsibility, I also caution against the comments of our
• Speaker, that we were able to very clearly and transparently say what we are intending to be able to

Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum, offered a prayer and Pledge of Allegiance, and then took up a long third-reading file with several guest introductions and ceremonial resolutions. Early floor action included AB 713, allowing undocumented students equal access to campus jobs at UC, CSU, and community colleges, and AB 1049, streamlining California Food Assistance Program applications for low-income immigrant families; both passed. The body also defeated an amendment to AB 1421, a bill to begin studying a statewide mileage-based road user charge, before passing the measure. AB 1171, modernizing part-time community college faculty health insurance access, also passed with strong support. The Assembly then approved a series of policy bills on animals, domestic violence, telehealth for autism services, forestry, false lien filings, tianeptine restrictions, housing, common interest development fee transparency, prison sexual abuse accountability, PBM reporting, foster youth benefits protections, illegal dumping and abandoned RV removal, condo financing/liquidated damages, public contracting, pension-related study language, climate resiliency research funding, and a disposable vape reduction measure. Most passed with broad margins; AB 762 on vapor inhalation devices drew the most debate, with supporters emphasizing landfill fires and public health and opponents warning about revenue losses and illicit-market growth, but it still passed. AB 1406 on condo development financing drew extensive discussion about housing affordability and consumer protections before passing. The chamber also adopted three resolutions: ACR 120 declaring January 2026 Positive Parenting Awareness Month, ACR 121 designating January 2026 National Mentoring Month, and ACR 122 designating Anesthesiologist Week. Later, the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments on AB 1485, extending welfare-tax exemption treatment to federally recognized tribes holding land for conservation, and adopted the consent calendar, which included several additional bills and SCR 6. The session ended with adjournment until February 2, 2016, after which several members recorded vote changes from the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's more transparency.
• We're um there's more transparency.
• <04:26:34.000> and transparency and transparency and accountability.<04:26:35.840> Most
• Transparency and know this.
• governance structure, and fiscal goals. governance structure, and fiscal goals.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 47, sponsored by Senator Regina Birdsell at the request of the Insurance Department. The bill would clarify that a birth mother’s health insurance is the primary policy for a newborn’s care unless the mother has no coverage or no employer-sponsored coverage. Birdsell and Insurance Commissioner DJ Benton Court said the measure simply codifies the department’s long-standing interpretation of existing law. Representative Miles asked whether the coverage would extend to a grandchild if a young woman on her parents’ plan had a baby, and Birdsell said it would. The hearing on SB 47 was then closed. The committee next heard Senate Bill 121, introduced by Grant Bosi for Senator Kevin Avard. The bill requires insurers to notify the Insurance Department when they stop writing an entire line of business or, in some cases, when they change Medicare Advantage offerings. Benton Court said the bill was prompted by disruption in the Medicare Advantage market, where consumers and the department were confused by carriers exiting, changing plans, or narrowing offerings. He said the department does not regulate Medicare Advantage itself, but does license the carriers, and the notice requirement would help the department advise consumers; he also said noncompliance could affect a carrier’s license and could lead to fines. Members discussed the notice period, and the department and AHIP indicated support for changing it from 120 days to 90 days to align with federal timing. The hearing was closed with plans to work on an amendment in subcommittee. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 247, introduced by Representative Brian Cole, which would prohibit network exclusion for pharmacies that refuse to dispense prescriptions when PBM reimbursement is below acquisition cost. Cole said the bill is meant to stop pharmacies from being forced to sell at a loss. Members questioned whether pharmacies voluntarily enter PBM contracts, whether the bill would raise consumer prices, and whether it would mainly affect independent pharmacies. Cole and others said the issue has changed over time because PBMs now control a much larger share of the market, and that the bill would let pharmacies refuse loss-making fills and direct patients to mail order instead. The discussion also noted that the bill excludes Medicare and Medicaid and that the current proposal does not create a middle-ground option for patients to pay a premium at the counter.

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the fiscal note Should we do it? What's the fiscal note on<01:20:09.760> this?
• note don't see a fiscal a current fiscal note don't see a fiscal a current fiscal note posted.<01
• <01:42:11.200> transparency<01:42:11.960> portal, and adds a fiscal transparency portal
• , and adds a fiscal transparency portal, which<01:42:12.480> I<01:42:12.560> know<01:42
• >> some specific comments on fiscal >> some specific comments on fiscal transparency

Bills: HF3919, HF1335, HF3864, HF3916, HF3728

Keywords: veterans benefits, Secret War, Laos veterans, eligibility process, burial fees, veteran designation, electronic license, driver's license, digital credential, transportation, data privacy, authentication, license plates, vehicle registration, validation stickers, Minnesota statutes, transportation policy, aeronautics, transponder, aircraft safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Look, uh it alleges one fiscal note.
• through. one of the tricks on fiscal notes when one of the tricks on fiscal notes when they<00:51:09.760
• <00:51:21.359> note on the 11th of February the fiscal note on the 11th of February the fiscal
• a $5 million fiscal note, yet Mr.
• a $5 million fiscal note, yet Mr.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened with a brief update and prayer for Oscar, a person known to members, noting he was making slow but encouraging progress and awaiting transfer to rehab. The hearing then began on House Bill 518, which would require the commissioner of DHS to provide a detailed annual report of DCYF costs. Representative Erica Leyon, the sponsor, said the bill was intended to improve transparency, clarify how DCYF resources and shared services are used, and help future discussions about staffing, funding, and whether DCYF should remain within DHHS or become a separate department. She said the department could likely comply without additional cost and was open to adjusting the reporting date, with the department preferring December 31 instead of September 1. Committee members and the DCYF director, Marie Nunan, discussed whether the bill was duplicative of existing reporting and whether it should also include federal funding mandates. Nunan said DCYF already has many policies and reports, but does not currently produce one consolidated DCYF-specific report in this form; she also said the department believed it had the capacity to file the report and was not taking a position on the bill. Several members questioned whether the measure was necessary, while others supported transparency but suggested the information was already available or could be obtained without legislation. In executive session, the committee voted 15-1 to retain HB 518, meaning it will not advance to the calendar at this time. The committee then opened House Bill 775, sponsored by Representative Jod Nelson, concerning supervised visitation centers. Nelson introduced Dr. Scott Hampton, who testified that supervised visitation is important for child safety, domestic violence prevention, and family preservation. Hampton described the history of visitation centers in New Hampshire, saying funding cuts had reduced the number of centers over time and that prior legislation had failed due to budget reductions. He argued that supervised exchanges can reduce risks such as abuse, abduction, and homicide, and said the service can prevent harm without adding cost by avoiding more serious incidents. The hearing on HB 775 was still underway at the end of the transcript, with no vote or final action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• This will be transparent for our hospitals, transparent for insurers, most importantly transparent for
• The hospital fiscal year begins in 2027, October 1st of this year.
• for the Green Mountain Care Board to start implementing reference-based pricing for hospitals in fiscal
• Uh, then the interactive transparent... performance.
• Fiscal year 2027 transportation program. H9. Sorry about that.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We heard from the Joint Fiscal Office and also Legislative Council. The committee vote was 5-0.
• We heard from the Joint Fiscal Office and also Legislative Council. The committee vote was 5-0.
• We took testimony from the Joint Fiscal Office and we voted 7-0.
• <00:13:11.200> um<00:13:11.600> the<00:13:11.839> joint<00:13:12.160> fiscal
• testimony from um the joint fiscal testimony from um the joint fiscal office<00:13:13.120> and

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think it's just a very transparent way to do business. Yeah, that makes sense to me.
• Overall, I'm in favor of it because it's about transparency and accountability.
• This is a great common-sense protection, in my opinion, except I think transparency and accountability
• ... ...protection, in my opinion, except I think transparency and accountability in terms of $1,000,
• It has to be totally transparent and totally in a separate account.

Keywords: 959, house, all