Transcript Highlights:

• COVERED BY THAT, THE AGENCY IS PROPOSING TO ISSUE ONE-TIME PAYMENT BASED ON THE RATE INCREASES THAT CALCULATE
• IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOP CHART IS THE NUMBER OF INTEREST LETTERS SENT, I.E.
• ARE THERE ANY CONCRETE PLANS TO MODIFY HOW THE WAITLIST IS CALCULATED OR REPORTED TO US? >> Mr.
• IT'S VERY INTERESTING. THIS IS THE SLIDE. HOLD ON. THIS IS THE SLIDE.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's big interest in some of our major employers here, with the shipyard as well as the Department
• No, he doesn’t have to explain because what I calculate, so the current salary is what?
• explain because what I what I calculate explain because what I what I calculate so<01:25:14.600>
• I know, but that number comes from a calculation. What percent did you want for fringe then?
• <01:59:50.560> is<01:59:50.760> 75,000 calculation is 75,000 calculation is 75,000 maybe

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• era tax breaks and special interest era tax breaks and special interest giveaways<02:31:01.200><
• It is time to put the interests of long.
• I interests of Washington bureaucrats.
• U these the workers's best interest.
• <04:46:11.440> These unreasonable pay calculations. These unreasonable pay calculations.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 06 a.m. adds that applicable tax credits may be included in the fund and adds an entity that is interested
• I think the sponsor, as we understand it, was trying to simplify divorce calculation and the distribution
• I think it's interesting that the House Dems voted unanimously to pass this out.
• We're going to use those existing laws, and we're going to calculate when that child care obligation
• So this is interesting.

Bills: HB2041, HB2144, HB2239, HB2321, HB2371, HB2594, HB2661, HB2662, HB2793, HB2968, HB2995

Keywords: child neglect, financial resources, behavioral health, Christian Science treatment, parental rights, child support, preborn children, retroactive support, medical expenses, child welfare, child care, grant program, low-income, early learning, infrastructure, economic growth, security freeze, credit reporting, dependent children, parental notification

Transcript Highlights:

• As a former investigator on child death cases, I thought it was kind of interesting that nine days later
• The Flood Infrastructure Fund supports drainage infrastructure through grants and zero-interest loans
• In contrast, existing statewide law governing expedited release already balances the interests of both
• If the... ...if the PUC does the calculation, then all of these things happen.
• Do you always calculate compensation? How’s that work?

Bills: SB863, SB1190, SB1261, SB1413, SB1624, SB1662, SB1663, SB1855, SB1967, SB2124, SB2204, SB1623

Keywords: Edwards Aquifer, water conservation, reclaimed water, aquifer storage, environmental protection, water loss, municipally owned utilities, Texas Water Development Board, administrative penalties, water audit, water infrastructure, water supply, state water plan, water management strategies, water financing, municipal bonds, revenue bonds, public debt, obligations, TWDB

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs heard several water-related bills, with testimony focused on drinking water quality, groundwater contamination notice, flood infrastructure funding, water rights conservation, and utility service areas. SB 1662 would limit TCEQ’s advance notice to public water systems to no more than 24 hours before testing after a consumer complaint, to reduce the chance of temporary treatment affecting results. SB 1663 would allow TCEQ to notify private well owners, groundwater conservation districts, and nearby residents by direct means about known groundwater contamination, rather than relying mainly on first-class mail and annual reporting. SB 2124 would move the deadline for publishing the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee’s annual report from April 1 to June 1. Witnesses on the first two bills described long-running water quality problems and delayed notice in their communities and supported the measures. No opposition was recorded, and each bill was left pending for a later vote. The committee also heard SB 1967, which would expand eligibility for Flood Infrastructure Fund financing to multipurpose projects that both reduce flooding and create water supply. Senator Hinojosa and Hidalgo County representatives described the Delta Reclamation Project as a shovel-ready example that would capture flood and drainage water, treat it, and produce new potable supply while also providing detention and flood mitigation. A Sierra Club witness also supported the bill, saying such projects could help manage floodwaters and reduce polluted discharges to bays and estuaries. The bill was left pending. A lengthy and divided discussion followed on SB 1413, which would expand the streamlined expedited release process for landowners seeking removal from a water or sewer CCN in additional counties. Senator Nichols said the bill was a property-rights measure aimed at legacy monopolies and bad actors who use CCNs to hold landowners hostage, while supporters described cases where developers could not get timely service, including fire flow, or were asked to fund infrastructure without reasonable recoupment. Opponents from rural water corporations and utility associations argued the bill would undermine investment in water infrastructure, strand debt, and weaken the return on planned expansion. PUC and TCEQ resource witnesses explained that compensation is handled case by case through appraisal and can include stranded costs, planning, design, construction, and some legal fees, but members noted the statute is unclear and discussed possible committee substitute language. Public testimony was closed with the bill left pending. Later, SB 1624 would allow the Texas Water Trust within the Texas Water Bank to hold donated water rights for conservation purposes and protect them from use-it-or-lose-it cancellation, and SB 863 would address Edwards Aquifer utilities that straddle the aquifer boundary by allowing them to continue using Edwards water within their certificated areas under specified conditions. Both bills were laid out, received no public opposition in the hearing, and were left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• instead of being tainted by the disproportionate influence of wealth, wealthy donors, and special interest
• :04:48.880> donors<00:04:49.240> and<00:04:49.440> special<00:04:49.759> interest
• Don wealthy donors and special interest Don wealthy donors and special interest groups<00:04:51.360
• c> this<00:14:33.720> bill<00:14:34.279> this<00:14:34.480> bill as we calculated
• this bill this bill as we calculated this bill this bill actually<00:14:35.600> would<00:14:36.320

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several election-related bills first. SB 51, a comprehensive public financing bill for candidates, drew strong support in testimony but also concerns from the Campaign Spending Commission that the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund has only about $2.2 million, far short of what would be needed, and that the program could not realistically start in 2026 because of staffing and system changes; the commission asked for a start date no earlier than 2028. SB 118, which would create a full-time investigator position at the Campaign Spending Commission, was supported by the commission, which said it has lacked staff growth since 1995 and that an investigator is needed to handle investigations instead of having the commission’s attorney do that work. SB 255, a housekeeping bill on excess cash campaign contributions, was supported by the commission and several county officials and would require excess cash contributions over the limit to be returned within 30 days or turned over to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund. SB 345, which would expand the current partial public financing program, was supported by the commission but drew questions because it would still allow private fundraising; the commission said that under its assumptions the bill would provide more total public funds than SB 51, with a maximum of a little over $20 million versus a little over $15 million for SB 51. Testimony counts were reported as 125 support/48 oppose for SB 51, 26 support/0 oppose for SB 118, 30 support/49 oppose for SB 255, and 30 support/49 oppose for SB 345. The committee then discussed SB 176 on recount thresholds. The Office of Elections said it would stand on written testimony, and the East Hawaii Republican Party was listed but not present. The Office of Elections explained in response to questions that the bill’s recount trigger would be based on the final election-day count, not the early 6 a.m. tabulation, because the initial count is not complete until later in the day and cured ballots are counted later; the office said it does not want to begin recounts before all election-day ballots are counted. The reported testimony count was 4 support, 50 oppose, and 2 comments. Finally, the committee heard SB 260, the Judiciary’s biennial budget bill. Judiciary staff requested about $6.17 million in FY 2026 and $6.25 million in FY 2027 for operations, 17 permanent positions and one temporary position, plus $11.9 million for capital improvements. The Judiciary said the request would support specialty courts such as Women’s Court, Truancy Court, and DWI Court, a new Wahiawa District Court unit, an additional district court judge in Kona, cybersecurity, the Criminal Justice Research Institute, and facility projects including South Kohala design work and a Kauai chiller replacement. Civil legal services providers, including Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, the Legal Clinic, Kuikahi Mediation Center, the Domestic Violence Action Center, the Hawaii State Bar Association, and the Hawaii Access to Justice Commission, all supported the bill but asked for an additional $1 million for the civil legal services line item, saying demand is high and the funding is spread across more providers than before. The Judiciary clarified that some of its requested positions would support Wahiawa and Women’s Court, and that the civil legal services funding goes to organizations serving low-income residents on issues such as immigration, domestic violence, evictions, and foreclosures. The committee also briefly took up SB 279 on fentanyl possession thresholds, where the prosecuting attorney’s office supported the bill and said fentanyl is already driving overdose deaths and that the proposed thresholds target distribution-level quantities rather than personal use.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of our members calculated that electric savings would reach $3.2 million using the same number of
• One of our members calculated that electric savings would reach $3.2 million using the same number of
• <00:15:29.720> of<00:15:29.839> our<00:15:30.000> members<00:15:30.839> calculated
• <00:15:31.839> that one of our members calculated that one of our members calculated that
• in being able our members are interested in being able to<00:35:01.079> provide<00:35:01.960>

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 9 was heard as a proposal to alter Minnesota energy policy by creating exemptions and “off-ramps” from the state’s 2023 clean energy requirements. The bill would expand hydroelectric power’s eligibility, end the moratorium on new nuclear plants, delay certain carbon-free energy compliance requirements for utilities that do not meet a retail rate benchmark, restrict demolition of fossil fuel plants under that same benchmark, support carbon capture and sequestration, and expand the sales tax exemption for residential natural gas and electricity used as primary heat year-round. The author moved the A1 amendment, which clarified that the carbon capture policy language does not create a state funding obligation; the committee took up the amendment with no discussion and proceeded to a vote, though the result was not stated in the transcript. The bill was then referred to the Committee on Taxes. The author and supporters argued the bill is needed to improve reliability and affordability, especially during extreme cold, and said current mandates are forcing coal retirements faster than replacement generation can be built. They cited MISO and NERC reliability concerns, Xcel’s proposed rate increases, and the need for an “all-of-the-above” energy approach that includes nuclear and hydro. Supporters also said the bill would help keep energy costs down for families and businesses and would allow Minnesota to use existing generation assets longer if rate targets are not met. Testimony from the Minnesota Rural Electric Association and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce supported the bill’s emphasis on reliability, affordability, nuclear power, hydroelectric power, and carbon capture. The Chamber said Minnesota’s electricity costs have become less competitive for businesses and argued that stable, affordable power is essential for economic growth and future technologies such as AI. The Minnesota Utility Investors also supported allowing new nuclear and all hydro power to be considered. In contrast, the Prairie Island Indian Community opposed lifting the nuclear moratorium without a viable long-term waste solution, describing its long history living near the Prairie Island nuclear plant and spent fuel storage and urging continued consultation on the issue. Xcel Energy said it supports low rates and sees nuclear as one option, but emphasized that any support for lifting the moratorium depends on full participation by the Prairie Island Indian Community and that decisions about retiring fossil plants should remain within the existing Public Utilities Commission resource planning process.

Transcript Highlights:

• For those who are interested in watching that... What we may need to do at a budget level.
• For those who are interested in watching that panel, it'll take place at 10 a.m. at the San Luis Obispo
• We start to do those calculations based on actual past operating expenditures.
• So I just would urge another look at what you're using to calculate the minimum expenditure levels.
• So we've had quite a bit of interest in our Innovation Partnership Fund.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the policy has been left absolutely untouched because, again, I find it good policy and have no interest
• Like, okay, so that’s interesting.
• :33:24.720> interpretation that's an interesting uh interpretation that's an interesting uh interpretation
• Um, but that's an interesting, um, you know, tool.
• :07.760> scenario<00:39:08.320> assuming calculate a worst case scenario assuming calculate

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a work session on SB 145, which would require sexual assault evidence kits to be delivered to the state forensic lab within seven business days and analyzed more promptly. Pamela Kyle of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence said the bill was developed after survivor concerns and extensive discussions with the Departments of Safety and Justice. She explained that most agencies already deliver kits quickly, but some kits sit for months, and the bill is intended to add structure without penalties while preserving chain of custody. Members discussed the use of common carriers or courier services for transport, the need for clear rules, and whether carriers would know what they were transporting. Representative Papovich offered amendment 2025-2301H to remove the reimbursement program for police shipping costs, arguing it would add administrative overhead and was unnecessary. The amendment was adopted on a roll call vote, and the committee then voted OTPA on SB 145 as amended, with members voting yes on the roll call. The committee then opened a work session on SB 295, and the sponsor presented a replace-all amendment intended to simplify and clarify the Education Freedom Account bill without changing its purpose. The amendment would remove income-cap language, define priority enrollment groups, establish an enrollment cap for the EFA program, and create rolling enrollment rules. It would set a 10,000-student cap for the 2025-2026 school year, allow the cap to increase by 25% if enrollment exceeds 90% of the prior cap, and ensure current participants can remain enrolled. The amendment also provides that certain sections would later be repealed once the Department of Education certifies that applications have not exceeded the cap for two consecutive school years. The sponsor walked through the amendment section by section, explaining that the bill is structured in two phases: one while caps exist and another after they are no longer needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, distance learning programs calculate their instructional hours in different ways.
• Also, unit and test completions and their passing rates are another way that they calculate instructional
• And it was interesting, and they had worked with K-12, and they said no.
• I mean, some people aren't going to be interested in it, but I think there are a few.
• That's very interesting to me that the constitutionality is violated.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Balance is necessary to protect the public interest and promote economic growth.
• Balance is necessary to protect the public interest and promote economic growth.
• <00:08:19.639> and between fiscal calculations and between fiscal calculations and Actuarial
• So once they figure out that calculation, they now have to bring that back to the employer to tell us
• The delay, as proposed in this bill, is unnecessary and not in Minnesota's best interest.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm happy to email this to anyone interested.
• If you just put it in an inflation calculator, the calculator would be $31. And change.
• Abel started in 1959, and we serve as a state entity in charge of protecting the public welfare and interest
• So the funding from TE, they're both a little bit different in how they calculate the time, but...

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the thing else that's interesting, you might see the financial aid number there and if and UCF
• But and we've done calculations and for every dollar both direct and indirect research funding we get
• That's that's very interesting. We appreciate that.
• If they're going to appropriate for higher education, the number is calculated based on enrollment.
• You're recognized. >> Interesting concept. I'm unfamiliar with the international student feet.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have heard that the city of Concord might be interested, but I don't know how far that has gone.
• be interested in in but<00:51:29.680> I<00:51:29.920> don't<00:51:30.000> know<
• on the 20-year bond when in interest on the 20-year bond when it's<01:40:12.880> completed.
• If you have to go back, I would be interested in finding that out. Thank you for the question.
• So I just would urge interest of the division to see who else would like to discuss this.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I really am very interested in the amount.
• The interest on those funds.
• Growing in compound interest to exceed what we're getting from oil and gas.
• in interest.
• revenue projections, or did you not calculate that?

Transcript Highlights:

• Four counties, so we get a calculation from that.
• That calculation is then multiplied by a weight to come up with a percentage, and the weight is based
• <00:27:40.519> is<00:27:40.760> by Having a conflict of interests is by having the
• That's an area that we're interested in addressing.
• that's an area that we're interested in that's an area that we're interested in addressing<01:18:32.880

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Health and Human Services held an informational briefing on Kupuna Care funding, distribution, utilization, and the status of program rules. The Office of Aging explained that state Kupuna Care funds are distributed using the same federally approved interstate funding formula used for Older Americans Act funds, with eight weighted factors tailored to Hawaii’s conditions: older adults, greatest economic need, low-income minority status, disability, language barriers, geographic isolation, inverse population density, and older adults living alone in poverty. The department said the formula is based on census and American Community Survey data, with current county shares listed as Kauai 7.45%, Honolulu 69.61%, Maui 11.7%, and Hawaii County 17.88%. Officials said the formula is being reviewed with current data and will need federal approval and then public hearing before final adoption. Members questioned how the program works in practice, noting that the statute and eligibility language can sound like direct individual benefits even though services are delivered through area agencies on aging, ADRCs, and contracted providers such as meal and adult day care programs. The Office of Aging said ADRCs determine eligibility and then refer clients to authorized providers, who must meet service standards in their contracts. The chair pressed repeatedly for long-delayed rules, saying the Legislature had expected them years earlier and that clear rules are needed to ensure funds are spent properly and to avoid conflicts of interest. The department acknowledged the delay, said draft rules were written in 2023 after earlier commitments to finish sooner, and said it paused while federal Older Americans Act rules were being updated; it now expects to send the rules to the Deputy Attorney General, then out for public hearing, with a goal of completion in 2025. The department also reported utilization data for the last two fiscal years. In 2023, it expended about 93% of its allocation and served 5,473 older adults at an average annual cost of $1,358; in 2024, it expended about 97% and served 5,520 older adults, with the average cost down by about $200, which officials said may indicate fewer services per person. Eligibility was described as age 60 or older, U.S. citizen or qualified alien, with cognitive impairment or disability and functional deficits, and the statewide profile showed many participants were homebound, living alone, or below poverty. The most-used services were transportation, case management, and home-delivered meals. The chair also asked about the former Kupuna caregiver program; officials said the programs are now combined under Kupuna Care, with most funding going to adult day care to provide respite for working caregivers. County representatives then described local conditions, especially on Hawaii Island. Hawaii County officials said the county covers about 5,000 square miles, has about 208,000 residents, and roughly 24% are age 65 or older. They identified three main challenges: staffing shortages and retention problems among providers, shortages within the county department itself, and the loss of adult day care capacity, with only one center remaining on the island and none on the west side. They said these constraints limit service delivery even as demand grows. At the same time, they highlighted successes such as serving people in the community before they need higher levels of care, providing caregiver counseling and training through adult day care, serving 467 individuals locally, and ensuring the Resource Center answers calls from caregivers seeking help.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we take 5% of the corpus or 5% of the interest?
• We've seen huge interest in our child care revolving loan fund, which provides low-interest loans to
• Well, there's such a thing as a calculator. It's pretty simple to operate.
• in early childhood last year to be interested in child care today.
• And I would just say that on our website, we have a calculator.

Summary: The committee heard first from LFC staff on a brief about New Mexico’s universal child care expansion. Staff said child care assistance has clear benefits for parents and families, but LFC has not found evidence in New Mexico that it improves children’s educational outcomes; they argued pre-K is the better tool for that goal. The brief highlighted four concerns with universal access: an estimated annual cost of about $849.7 million, a sharp decline in registered homes, possible crowding out of lower-income families, and reduced access for children under age two. Staff also suggested possible mitigations such as prioritizing slots for low-income and at-risk families, reinstating sliding-scale co-pays, and tying quality improvements to workforce wages. Members raised questions about the cost estimate, funding sources, provider quality, and whether the data showed actual crowding out. Several lawmakers expressed support for child care generally but concern about the fiscal impact and whether universal access would divert resources from the families most in need. Others emphasized the importance of child care for workforce participation, rural communities, and family stability, and questioned how registered homes are counted and regulated. LFC staff clarified that the cost estimate was for child care assistance only, not the entire ECECD budget, and that the data showed declines in the share of lowest-income children and infants/toddlers served, though not causation. The ECECD secretary then presented the department’s response, saying universal child care is intended to complete a cradle-to-career system and that the department has already seen strong uptake, increased capacity, and rising workforce participation. She said 6,206 families were found eligible in the first month, the share of infants and toddlers served rose, and new provider applications and licensed slots increased after the November rollout. The department also emphasized wage increases, quality improvements, and a new wage scale/career lattice, while projecting a lower near-term cost than LFC’s estimate and requesting additional funding for child care, early pre-K, home visiting, workforce systems, and capacity-building. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided; the discussion was informational and focused on questions and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• My staff calculated it.
• Also, I love. that there's so much interest in 145, there is an overflow room in E2.028.
• So as was stated, we certainly do have a lot of interest. in this program.
• It's interesting, ROI can be oversimplified in a way that doesn't serve us.
• But it does show the interest in this program. across the entire state.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Despite the halt on transfers and interest income.
• But on the interest earned. In the millions, obviously. Yeah. Oh, yes.
• Are they the only ones that we earn interest on those funds as GR?
• Do we earn interest on GR funds as well?
• Then what do we do with that interest?

Keywords: budget, House Bill 1, public education, healthcare, border security, federal funding, spending limits

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on reviewing the proposed budget for the upcoming biennium, with substantial discussions around House Bill 1 and its implications for public education, healthcare, and border security. The Comptroller presented a revenue overview indicating a total of $194.6 billion available for general purpose spending, which reflects a slight decrease compared to previous years due to fluctuating economic conditions. Members raised questions regarding spending limits and the impact of federal funding on state programs, highlighting concerns about the sustainability of funding in light of potential changes at the federal level.

Transcript Highlights:

• The overall intent is to provide an overall increase to this calculation for a 5% increase.
• and trying to raise awareness that we need to do a better job recycling and that it is in the best interests
• To raise awareness that we need to do a better job recycling and that it is in the best interests of
• I have a vested interest in trying to help those that are sick on the streets.
• Turning to page 18, Section 3H2 contains the narrative for the insurance rebate equalization calculation

Keywords: 1064, all