Transcript Highlights:

• She had the brilliance and drive to do anything she dreamed.
• She had the brilliance and drive to do anything she dreamed.
• She had the brilliance and drive to do anything she dreamed.
• She had the brilliance and drive to do anything she dreamed.
• She had the brilliance and drive to do anything she dreamed.

Bills: HB3123 , HR980 , HB1458 , HR658 , HR988 , HB3497

Keywords: veterans, benefits, death, pension, family payments, estate, wildfires, natural disaster, California, anniversary, emergency response, rebuilding, first responders, community support, education, assistance programs, independent study, Department of Veterans Affairs, nonprofit, National Nonprofit Day

Transcript Highlights:

• motor vehicle insurance, owners must limit the mileage driven each year and maintain a separate daily driving
• But if you look at the time they're actually driving compared to all of us who are out there driving
• But for this study to be meaningful, it must drive action.
• Since now we're not going to be giving people penalties that go on their driving record, I just want
• And we can't identify who was actually driving the car.

Summary: The committee first took up SB 712, which would expand California’s smog-check exemption for classic vehicles by adding model years 1976 through 1986 in phases, with a sunset in 2032. The author and supporters, including lowrider advocates and the Specialty Equipment Market Association, argued the bill would preserve car culture, support a small class of rarely driven collector vehicles, and reduce burdens on owners who struggle to find equipment for older smog tests. Opponents, including air district officials, the American Lung Association, and other environmental groups, warned the bill would weaken an important emissions-control program and increase pollution. After discussion, the committee adopted the motion to do pass as amended to Appropriations on a roll call vote of 10-0, with the roll held open for additional votes. The committee then heard SB 800, which requires Caltrans, working with local governments, to assess mitigation measures for suicide prevention on locally owned overpasses crossing state highways. The bill was presented as a response to recent tragedies in Rancho Cucamonga and was supported by local officials, health organizations, and suicide-prevention advocates, who said the measure would help identify high-risk locations and lead to life-saving interventions. There was no registered opposition. The committee members expressed support, and SB 800 was passed to Appropriations on a unanimous roll call vote, with the roll held open. Next, the committee considered SB 30, which would prohibit California public entities from selling, donating, or transferring decommissioned diesel locomotives and railroad equipment with Tier 1 or older engines unless the engine is removed, while allowing Tier 2 and newer transfers under certain conditions. The author and supporters framed the bill as a climate and public-health measure to prevent older, dirtier locomotives from continuing to pollute elsewhere, while transit agencies opposed it, arguing it could limit useful transfers of equipment that still supports passenger service and could be better handled through case-by-case air-quality review. After debate, the committee voted 6-4 to pass SB 30 as amended to Appropriations, with the roll held open for later additions. The committee also heard SB 791, which replaces the flat dealer document processing charge cap with a 1% fee capped at $350, along with new disclosure requirements. Dealers and industry groups supported the bill as a way to recover costs and improve transparency, while consumer advocates opposed it as an unjustified increase that would burden buyers. The committee approved SB 791 on a 8-? roll call vote and held the roll open. The meeting then moved on to SB 34, a port-air-quality bill presented by Senator Richardson, but the transcript ends during testimony and debate on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Too often, they go on to kill; many keep driving even after they kill, and some go on to kill again.
• Officials may call driving a privilege, but they treat it as a right, often failing to take drivers’
• In fact, 70% of people with a suspended license continue to drive, which means that these dangerous,
• In fact, 70% of people with a suspended license continue to drive, which means that these dangerous,
• Instead, they drive mistrust and divisions and then, in turn, will increase the crime rates.

Summary: The committee heard AB 82, which would expand privacy and safety protections for patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care. The author and supporters said the bill is needed because of rising harassment, doxing, and threats, and because sensitive health data could be used by hostile actors; opponents argued it would create constitutional problems, enable abuse of safe-at-home protections, and improperly shield providers and records from scrutiny. Public testimony was heavily divided, with many advocates in support and many privacy, civil liberties, and anti-trafficking or sex-based policy groups in opposition. The bill was moved on a due pass recommendation and remained on call. The committee then heard AB 331, which would clarify that county election certification is a ministerial duty, prohibit misleading ballot return envelopes, and require voter information guides to be delivered to jails in an acceptable format. The Department of Justice and several good-government groups supported the measure, the Secretary of State had no position after amendments, and a committee member noted ongoing concerns but supported it after the changes. The bill passed on a do pass recommendation to Appropriations and was placed on call. AB 1178 followed, proposing to protect undercover peace officers’ names, images, and likenesses in public records while preserving disclosure of sustained misconduct records. Law enforcement and public safety groups supported the bill as a needed safety measure, while journalists, transparency advocates, and civil liberties groups opposed it, saying existing law already protects officers and the new language could lead to overbroad withholding. After discussion about the scope of undercover status and the need for judicial discretion, the bill passed as amended to Appropriations. The committee also adopted a consent calendar. Later, AB 981 was heard, creating a five-county pilot program requiring intelligent speed assistance devices for certain reckless driving convictions. Supporters, including traffic safety advocates and crash victims, said the bill could reduce repeat speeding and save lives; opponents raised concerns about cost, installer oversight, liability for automakers, and the breadth of the pilot. The bill passed as amended to Appropriations. AB 22, which would repeal Proposition 57 and restrict release of sexually violent predators and certain sex offenders, drew strong opposition from youth justice, public defender, and civil liberties groups who said it would be unconstitutional and harmful; the chair recommended no, no motion was made, and the bill was held. Finally, AB 897, a squatter-removal bill, was presented with the author arguing it would protect property owners through a faster due-process process; the transcript cuts off during early support testimony and does not show a final action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is just a correction: it's drive, not lane, for Boatree.
• 1205 River Road in New Castle for establishing and maintaining a law enforcement firing range and driving
• Section 98 Section 98 prohibits DelDOT from reopening Wakefield Drive in Newark through Old Baltimore
• Bowtree Lane is now Bowtree Drive, so we will make those updates.
• Section 116, for Bowtree Drive, says this section of roadway within the jurisdictional limits of the

Committee: Joint Capital Improvement

Summary: The committee met for a fiscal year 2027 capital budget writing session with all 12 members present. It first reviewed and approved the DNREC Resource Conservation and Development drainage project list, which would add projects across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties and bring the total eligible projects to 1,561. Members offered personal remarks thanking retiring conservation district staff, especially Kevin Donnelly, for years of work on drainage and water issues. The committee then reviewed DelDOT Rule 12 changes, including annual date updates and a reduction in the inflation markup applied to older estimates, and approved the rule as amended. The committee next adopted DelDOT Appendix A and the FY27 paving and rehabilitation list, including the subdivision street management fund and various road resurfacing projects. DelDOT explained that paving projects are for state-of-good-repair work and that major changes from corridor studies would be handled separately. The committee also approved DelDOT epilogue changes, including updates to authorization amounts, a $25 million increase for toll infrastructure work, changes to subdivision street paving language, and an increase in the subdivision street paving management fund to $30 million. Several sections were placed on hold for later updates. The committee then moved through boilerplate epilogue sections in the bond bill, approving a wide range of provisions affecting conservation districts, housing, economic development, corrections, DNREC, public safety, transportation, agriculture, fire prevention, education, and other agencies. Many sections were adopted in groups, while some were held for later revisions or deleted as no longer needed. The session included updates to school capital rules, transportation restrictions and reporting requirements, DNREC conservation and land-use provisions, and funding and administrative authorities across multiple agencies. The committee broke for lunch after approving the education-related sections through 147, with additional sections still pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• state are employed directly in or in a supporting industry of the restaurant industry, an undeniable driving
• ride-sharing services that have really helped Massachusetts have one of the lowest rates of drunk driving
• They saw no meaningful increase in traffic-related fatalities, traffic incidents, drunk driving, or any
• We actually were the key driving force in making sure that the towns that we were in all had some sort
• supplier activities without the same regulatory constraints and are in a significant position of power to drive

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure

Summary: The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure held a hearing on alcohol licensing, sales, and consumption issues affecting bars, restaurants, package stores, and local communities. The chair outlined hybrid hearing procedures, including three-minute testimony limits and instructions for written testimony. The committee heard a local bill for Milford, H. 4169, authorizing an additional off-premises all-alcohol license for Charlie’s Mini Mart, with the understanding that the existing wine and malt license would be surrendered if the new license is granted. A major topic was the long-running debate over happy hour. The Massachusetts Restaurant Association opposed bills such as S. 217, H. 349, and H. 443, arguing that discounted alcohol would intensify competition, create pressure on restaurants to participate, and potentially raise liquor liability and insurance costs. In contrast, Senator Julian Cyr testified in support of repealing the happy hour ban through a local-option framework, saying the bill includes safeguards such as no discounts after 10 p.m., fixed pricing during promotions, and advance posting requirements, and that it could help downtowns and seasonal businesses without creating a public health risk. The Massachusetts Package Stores Association testified on a broad package of bills, opposing measures to reinstate happy hour, allow supplier control over retail shelf space (H. 350), impose a transfer fee on licenses (H. 351), authorize alcohol coupons or discounts (H. 381 and S. 219), and permit Thanksgiving alcohol sales (H. 428). It supported bills requiring beverage alcohol training for off-premise licensees (H. 344), restricting self-checkout for alcohol (H. 366), changing Section 15 grocery-store license rules (S. 213), and several other regulatory changes. The Distilled Spirits Council supported H. 350 on private label spirits, while acknowledging concerns about disclosure and preferential treatment; package store witnesses defended private labels as lawful products they create with manufacturers, and the council argued the bill should address consumer confusion and unfair competitive advantages. The hearing concluded with Chair Chan announcing committee poll results on other bills, including a number of favorable reports and study orders, and the committee then voted to close the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• not know if I'm going to come back from a taco shop that was across the street because it was just a drive-by
• Back from the taco shop that was across the street because it was just a drive-by, walking outside of
• my campus to even prepare to go to lunch and have to lay on the floor because there's now a drive-by
• One cousin just graduated, standing outside, drive-by. It wasn't even two days after graduation.
• I got in the car and started driving to Lindsay, where I grew up, and that's where the incident had happened

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and pledge, then handled routine procedural business including re-referrals of several Senate bills, removal of AB 1156 from the inactive file, and withdrawal of ACR 210 to the second reading file. The chamber also heard multiple guest introductions, including family members of members and two CIF Scholar Athletes of the Year, Ryan Liu and Mona Sugawara, before moving to the daily file and consent calendar. The main floor item was ACR 191, which designated June 5 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in California. Assemblymember Stephanie and several colleagues spoke in strong support, sharing personal and district-level experiences with gun violence, highlighting the impact on children, schools, graduations, and communities, and urging continued state and federal action. Speakers emphasized prevention, safe storage, community violence intervention, and the need to resist complacency; the resolution was adopted by voice vote after 55 co-authors were added. On the consent calendar, ACR 206 and several Senate concurrent resolutions were adopted, with ACR 206 passing 60-0. The Assembly also heard an adjournment in memory for Michael George Savan, a longtime Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department commander, Marine Corps Reservist, and former Lomita mayor and councilmember. The house then announced the next session schedule and adjourned until Monday, June 8 at 1 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• I can remember going to restaurants in that area from Baton Rouge driving down there.
• So I look forward to once again being able to drive down to that area and visit some of the best restaurants
• So the little area that goes up Breakwater Drive, that little piece is in the process.
• The little area that goes up Breakwater Drive, that little piece is in the process of being surveyed
• So the little area that goes up Breakwater Drive, that little piece is in the process of being surveyed

Summary: The Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs met on March 26 at 9:07 a.m., approved the prior session minutes, and then heard a series of local government and district-creation bills. Members and witnesses repeatedly emphasized regional cooperation, economic revitalization, and neighborhood security. The committee also welcomed several new members and staff before moving into the agenda. HB 892 by Rep. Hilferty would create the West End Economic Development District spanning Orleans and Jefferson Parishes to support redevelopment of the former Fitzgerald’s/Bruning’s site; the bill was backed by local officials, and members noted a survey-related legal description would be added later. HB 681 would raise the Lakeview Crime Prevention District’s maximum fee authority from $150 to $250, subject to district approval. HB 99 (Fair Day Downtown Entertainment District) was amended to revise board appointments, add sheriff’s patrol/arrest authority, and adjust board terms, then advanced favorably. HB 138/139 created or updated crime prevention districts in East Baton Rouge Parish, including Parkwood Terrace, Victoria Farms, and Parkview Oaks, with changes to fee-setting authority, boundary descriptions, and board composition; these bills were also moved forward. The committee also advanced HB 213, a cleanup bill for the Baton Rouge Downtown Development District that restructures the board to include property owners and lessees and adds powers and duties; members praised the district’s work downtown. HB 247 would create the Allen Parish Economic Development District and abolish the Allen Parish Tourist Commission, but an amendment preserved tourism-related functions, and the bill was supported by the Louisiana Travel Association. HB 122 created the Spring Lake Subdivision Improvement District with an election-based fee increase up to $325, and HB 462 changed the board composition of the Capital Area Road and Bridge District to add legislative members for oversight. Several other bills were deferred, including HB 788, HB 200, HB 12, and HB 239.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other thing I like in the bill is that the bill drives that money to the workforce.
• It audits; it drives the money to the workforce.
• elimination, additional certification and verification processes, add administrative complexity, and drive
• creating more touch points, again, we are creating more opportunity for errors, which will likely drive
• creating more touch points, again, we are creating more opportunity for errors, which will likely drive

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• And it drives up artificially the cost of health care.
• Drives up artificially the cost of health care, and that appears the following year in the form of higher
• It's driving up the cost of health care, and we owe it to our membership.
• Is the result for the patient, other than the fact that they're charging more, which can drive up...
• The result for the patient, other than the fact that they're charging more, which can drive up costs

Committee: Senate Commerce and Human Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• by... ...Jacksonville, Florida, and I have represented people who have been injured by companies driving
• Once they pick you up, they're driving better.
• common sense that when they're rushing, several cars rushing to pick somebody up, they're going to be driving
• Once they pick you up, they're driving better.
• common sense that when they're rushing, several cars rushing to pick somebody up, they're going to be driving

Bills: S0326 , S0598 , S0632 , S0786 , S1110 , S1256 , S1380 , S1588 , S7042 , S7044

Committee: Senate Banking and Insurance

Summary: The Banking and Insurance Committee met with a quorum present and temporarily postponed SB 7042 on legal tender and SB 1380 before taking up the remaining agenda. The committee first reported favorably C.S. for SB 326, which modernizes Florida’s curator statute in probate law by clarifying when curators may be appointed, what they may do, and what oversight applies. It then reported favorably SB 1256, which standardizes PBM pharmacy audits by requiring uniform audit standards, scope, frequency, penalties, and due process protections for pharmacies; testimony from pharmacists emphasized concerns about conflicts of interest, excessive audits, and disproportionate penalties, while preserving fraud investigations. The committee also reported favorably C.S. for SB 598 on funeral and cemetery services after adopting an amendment that removed provisions on civil damages caps and phasing out direct disposers; the bill updates licensure and contract rules and addresses unclaimed remains. SB 632, which sets insurance requirements for transportation network companies during the period after a ride is accepted but before pickup, was reported favorably despite opposition from an attorney who argued the existing coverage framework should not be reduced. C.S. for SB 786, creating a nonjudicial process to close out undisputed trusts and discharge trustees, was also reported favorably. The committee then took up SB 1110, a major bill expanding Medicaid and private insurance coverage for medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics, including activity limbs, and requiring annual reporting. After adopting an amendment clarifying eligible recipients, the committee heard extensive emotional testimony from amputees, parents, and advocates describing the medical, developmental, and financial importance of prosthetic coverage, and members spoke in strong support before the bill was reported favorably. Later, the committee considered SB 1588, which implements last session’s legal tender law by refining definitions, narrowing custodian provisions, eliminating unnecessary examination requirements, and repealing the sunset clause; members raised questions about verification and anti-money-laundering concerns, but the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee approved SPB 7044 as a committee bill to expand public records exemptions to records relating to newly regulated custodians of gold and silver. The meeting concluded with senators recording additional affirmative votes on selected bills and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• at these one-time holdbacks and the ongoing, I keep having this question about policy and policy driving
• budget, not budget driving the policy kind of questions here.
• that global cut across everything, and I'm just concerned that we're losing sight that policy should drive
• And we still leave in place the policies that are driving it.
• And we still leave in place the policies that are driving it.

Committee: Senate Agricultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is driving part of why we're saying that our GDP is slightly weaker over the near term.
• So what's really driving the numbers that you're seeing here is what's happening in expenditure growth
• from the policy areas, it's really statewide issues, human services, and natural resources that are driving
• the balance forward from 25-26, which quite a number of strategic actions by the Legislature helped drive
• The population growth, you have more people, more material goods, more activity that's going to drive

Summary: The Legislative Budget Commission met with a quorum present to hear the constitutionally required Long-Range Financial Outlook and consider a series of budget amendments. Amy Baker of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research presented the outlook, describing Florida’s continued population growth, strong wage growth, an aging population, housing-market softening, and low consumer sentiment. She said the general revenue forecast was largely unchanged from March, but the state’s funds available had improved because of legislative actions in 2025 that increased the balance forward. She also noted strong reserves, a projected current-year Medicaid deficit of about $125 million, and a three-year outlook that remains positive in the first year but turns negative in years two and three. She highlighted the risk of co-occurring catastrophic events, using a normalized Great Miami Hurricane scenario to illustrate potential state losses. The outlook was adopted after brief comments from House and Senate members emphasizing fiscal restraint and efficiency. The commission then approved multiple budget amendments, mostly without objection. The Agency for Health Care Administration received amendments to realign funding for Florida KidCare based on estimating conference results, to provide $85 million in budget authority for disproportionate share hospital payments, and to adjust Medicaid and long-term care appropriations, including placing surplus funds into reserve. The Department of Health received $6.3 million in additional authority for newborn screening. The Department of Corrections and the Department of Management Services each received $2.2 million in Private Inmate Welfare Trust Fund authority for repair invoices and pending projects. The Department of State was authorized to release $2.5 million in nonrecurring general revenue for cultural and museum grants and America 250 commemorative grants. The Department of Transportation received approval for a project roll-forward and for work program changes, including advancing I-95 widening in Duval County and the I-4 corridor in Polk and Osceola counties. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, you don't need a CDL to drive a 12-passenger van.
• about the hardship licenses that we learned a little bit more about from Aaliyah, to allow folks to drive
• previous life with federal probation... my previous life with federal probation is typically data drives
• case when I was before, that's the key point. but that's the key point, and I think that should help drive
• Using that information to drive funding, decision-making, and resources and how they're allocated.

Transcript Highlights:

• OF THE FEW SYSTEMS I THINK DO A SIGNIFICANT AND LEAD THE NATION IN HOW WE USE DATA AND RESEARCH TO DRIVE
• NEED TO CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A UNIFIED MODEL THAT ALLOWS US TO USE DATA AND INFORMATION TO DRIVE
• NEW SYSTEM AND IT WAS ABOUT HAVING DATA, INFORMATION, AND ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY MODEL SO WE COULD DRIVE
• WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS BEING A SCHOOL SYSTEM I WANT TO DRIVE HOME THE POINT THAT IT IS AN LEA LOCAL
• BECAUSE TRULY I THINK A LOT OF US KNOW SOMETHING THAT BECOMES A DRIVING FORCE AND I COME AS A TEACHER

Transcript Highlights:

• What lane you have to drive in, whether you use a blinker or not.
• </c><00:25:18.240><c> market,</c> protects farmers driving to market, protects farmers driving to market
• In driving from my home to St. Paul, I would cross 14 cities and townships.
• In driving from my home to St. Paul, I would cross 14 cities and townships.
• Paul, I In driving from my home to St.

Bills: HF3351

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Keywords: firearms, guns, gun control, gun safety, local control, home rule, preemption, municipal regulation, county regulation, city ordinances, zoning, firearm dealers, gun dealers, ammunition, carry permits, permit to carry, pistols, Saturday night special, metal-penetrating bullets, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Second, this is an incentive bill to drive high-quality projects.
• It does not impose any requirements on individual driving or charging behavior.
• That's exactly the opposite of where we think we should be driving.
• We're trying to figure out ways to drive down costs for working people.
• We're trying to figure out ways to drive down costs for working people.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Summary: The committee heard several energy, water, and utility bills. SB 919 by Senator Grayson would extend the biomethane monetary incentive program through 2030 and authorize additional funding to support renewable natural gas projects by reducing interconnection costs. Supporters said high interconnection costs and the current tax treatment are major barriers to methane reduction projects; opponents, including TURN and environmental groups, raised ratepayer cost concerns and objected to rate-basing and additional public funding. The author said amended language would remove the rate-basing provisions and instead urge the CPUC to act quickly on its pending decision. SB 931 by Senator Laird would reauthorize the Community Impact Mitigation Program for the Diablo Canyon plant through 2030 to continue funding local emergency preparedness, fire protection, public safety, and school district costs. The County of San Luis Obispo and labor groups supported the bill, while TURN opposed it as a statewide ratepayer subsidy that could be funded from existing PG&E revenues instead of higher rates. Members discussed the bill in the context of the 2022 Diablo Canyon extension deal and the possibility of a future longer extension. SB 1215 by Senator Cortese would direct the CPUC to set deployment targets for EV charging in multifamily housing and evaluate progress, with amendments aimed at affordability and limiting system upgrade costs. Supporters said renters are largely locked out of home charging and that prior utility programs proved cost-effective; no opposition testified. SB 1359 by Senator Stern would require more deliberate CPUC review before major gas system investments, emphasizing electrification and non-pipeline alternatives. Gas utilities and several industry groups opposed it, arguing it could undermine the obligation to serve, create safety and reliability risks, and change the regulatory compact. The committee also heard SB 1125 by Senator Menjivar, presented by Senator Gonzalez, which would establish a statewide low-income water rate assistance program upon appropriation. Water agencies, environmental groups, and local governments supported the measure, while one member expressed concern that it lacked a funding source and could not overcome Proposition 218 limits; the bill was moved to Appropriations and the roll was left open. Finally, SB 1098 by Senator Perez would restrict the use of long-running memorandum and balancing accounts by investor-owned utilities, require exceptional circumstances for new accounts, and add sunset and cost-sharing requirements. Consumer advocates and large energy users supported tighter oversight, while the utilities and business groups opposed the bill as too rigid and potentially harmful to flexibility for wildfire, emergency, and safety-related costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that commercial driving licenses? Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• The first is to drive demand.
• What, that's a drive. Okay, that makes good sense because that would be a really long drive.
• It's a pretty long drive from Las Cruces.
• Across the U.S., but our main drive is really looking at economic development.

Committee: House Economic & Rural Development & Policy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, but I will say too that we are a drive destination for places like Boston, um, greater New York.
• </c><00:22:11.520><c> drive</c> too that we are a drive drive too that we are a drive drive destination
• Um, we have people that just drive around, you know, and circumvent things that we have that we don't
• Um we have people that just drive ramps.
• Um, drive-bys would be difficult. Our conservation officers now—we’re still under manned on that.

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on SB 63, a bill described by Senator Tim Lang and other supporters as a technical correction to the rooms and meals tax distribution formula. Lang said the bill would clarify that the Division of Travel and Tourism’s 3.15% promotional allocation is taken from gross rooms-and-meals revenue before the 30% municipal reimbursement fund is calculated, which he argued restores the intended 2009/2021 structure and avoids an unintended loss to tourism marketing. Committee members raised questions about whether the bill actually changes section one or instead addresses DRA’s interpretation, and whether the measure could be affected by the budget process or HB 2. Jessica Keeler of Ski New Hampshire testified in strong support, saying the bill would preserve the promotional budget formula that had been in place since 2009 and that the 2019 revision effectively reduced the promotional allocation by placing the municipal share first. She said tourism promotion has helped increase visitation, revenues, and jobs, and warned that without a fix, the joint promotional program and other tourism efforts could be cut in future budgets. She also said the bill would not change the current year’s tourism budget but would matter for future cycles. Mike Summers of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association also supported SB 63, calling it a correction to the 2021 changes and arguing that state tourism marketing is essential because small businesses cannot reach distant markets on their own. He said the industry has benefited from state promotion, especially after COVID, but is now facing softer occupancy rates, lower Canadian visitation, and financial strain from debt and operating costs. Summers said the industry cannot make up for major tourism budget cuts on its own and urged maintaining or increasing travel and tourism funding. No vote or final action was taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you look at those two lines that it was right next to each other, that really kind of drives the
• the program and if we looked at drives the program and if we looked at our<00:37:20.680><c> loss</c>
• So I know you gave us some suggestions about trying to drive Aon to a quicker solution.
• Aon to suggestions about trying to drive Aon to a<01:04:50.279><c> a</c><01:04:50.400><c> quicker</c
• this are the market and that are driving this are the market and Global<01:17:20.800><c> losses</c><

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I have concerns about young people driving unaccompanied.
• Cooper, and I think 15 is too young to drive. I do.
• In 2023, there were 8,657 distracted driving crashes with 62 fatal crashes.
• The reality is that right now, when you look on the freeway and you see people driving and they're driving
• I've seen millions of Instagram where they're driving and recording.