Transcript Highlights:

• I always use this as like a car wreck example, you can't go after that third party for attorney's fees
• I always use this as like a car wreck example, you can't go after that third party for attorney's fees
• You do have other folks... ...contractual damages and awards of attorney's fees.
• Erie will retain some nominal administrative fee to cover what it's doing. I'm going...
• But we are incurring legal fees, attorney's fees, in lawsuits.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee met with a quorum present and approved the March 4, 2026 minutes by voice vote. The committee first considered House Bill 55, which updates and modernizes workers’ compensation statutes to reflect the privatized system, remove obsolete provisions, and adjust the Workers’ Compensation Board of Review from five members to three. The Insurance Commissioner testified that the bill is part of the cleanup from privatization and would give the governor more flexibility in appointments. After adopting a strike-and-insert amendment and a title amendment, the committee reported HB 55 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass. The committee then took up House Bill 5463, which would reduce BRIM’s required liability coverage for county boards of education from $1.25 million to $1 million per occurrence and eliminate the separate $5 million excess coverage requirement. BRIM’s director testified that the excess market was difficult to access and costly, but several senators raised concerns that lowering coverage could reduce protection for victims and school-related claims. After a divided vote, the motion to report the bill failed, and HB 5463 was not passed by the committee. Next, the committee considered House Bill 4869, creating guaranteed issue rights for Medicare supplement policies, including annual birthday replacement rights and a special right for certain Medicaid recipients losing eligibility. Counsel said the bill would prohibit underwriting barriers during the guaranteed issue periods and require an annual report on premium trends. With no amendments offered, the committee reported HB 4869 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 5462 on mine subsidence insurance. The bill would allow the mine subsidence fund to offset payments by amounts received from other sources and limit lawsuits over claims reported to BRIM. Members debated a proposed strike-and-insert amendment that would have softened the litigation limits and added notice and remedy provisions, but the amendment was rejected. The committee then reported HB 5462 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would no longer impose the $5 minimum late filing fee on certain tax programs, where we find often
• They're getting a $5 fee.
• It would allow tax and REF's net attorney's fees ordered rarely on appeals from revenue distributions
• But we were expecting a return, and we need a $0 amount return or they'll incur a $5 fee.
• and gas proceeds, and pass-through entity withholding tax, and the workers' comp fee.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• DRM Gottlieb: CS for HB 413, Attorney Fees, Suit Money and Costs.
• Courts may or may not award attorney fees to a noncompliant party.
• The bill authorizes courts to award attorney fees retroactively and prospectively as equity requires.
• Meaning if a judge is going to impose fees for contemptuous behaviors, the additional fees have to be
• And giving the judges a little bit of cover to order fees when a party is just not playing nice in the

Transcript Highlights:

• resolve the problem, you will be liable to the judgment creditor for costs and reasonable attorney's fees
• take you to court because of it, you will have to pay the creditor's costs and reasonable lawyer's fees
• You know, you need to make this filing and pay us a fee to make the filing for you.
• And so you specify that a space for adoption, but not receive a fee for providing space.
• Charging fees and why they would or wouldn't.

Bills: HF2543, HF2566, HF2627

Keywords: garnishment, wage garnishment, earnings levy, bank levy, execution, judgment debtor, judgment creditor, exemption notice, exempt property, bank account freeze, financial institution levy, employer disclosure, garnishee, writ of execution, debt collection, consumer debt, collections, bankruptcy exemptions, public benefits, means-tested benefits

Transcript Highlights:

• gas fee gas fee that<00:37:38.880> already<00:37:39.240> are<00:37:39.359> going
• Therefore, I will fee it.
• This is another fees for feels others.
• Oh, I can't fee it cuz I can't fee it.
• Stop the fees for feels program. Stop the fees for feels program.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, approved the journal, and then moved through a series of announcements and committee notices. Members highlighted upcoming events including Sportsman’s Day at the Capitol, Auctioneer Day, and an Earth Day press conference, and several committees announced meetings and bills to be heard later in the day. The Majority Leader also moved to make House Bill 1132, House Bill 1130, Senate Bill 136, and House Bill 1287 special orders for the next day, and the House agreed without objection. The chamber then took up House Bill 1132, concerning increasing pollinator habitats on state lands. Supporters said the bill builds on years of work to support pollinators and encourages planting native species on public lands; they also explained that the fiscal note reflects use of existing continuously appropriated funds, including GOCO lottery money and oil and gas fee revenue. After committee reports were adopted and questions about funding were answered, the bill passed as amended. The House next considered House Bill 1130, concerning baby diaper changing stations in public restrooms. An amendment was adopted that exempted local governments and expanded the small-business carveout to employers with 25 or fewer employees and no more than $3.5 million in annual revenue, while also clarifying restroom designation. Supporters argued the bill was the product of extensive stakeholder work and would improve access for families. Opponents said it imposed an unfunded mandate on businesses and raised concerns about contamination in public restrooms, including claims that some changing tables have been found contaminated with methamphetamine and fentanyl; after debate, the amendment was adopted, and discussion on the bill continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:31:18.880> which relating to administrative fees, which relating to administrative fees
• does it makes the two recording fees does it makes the two recording fees equal<00:32:58.720>
• Second, she said the bill expands DNR discretion over fee use and is too broad, allowing fee revenue
• how mandatory recording fees are spent. how mandatory recording fees are spent.
• <01:26:14.719> Um relating to administrative fees. Um relating to administrative fees.

Bills: SB2603, SB2083, SB2341, SB2306, SB2782, SB2756, SB2161, SB2477

Keywords: Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, state funding, public performances, educational programs, cultural arts funding, historic properties, preservation, inheritance, working group, public-private partnerships, sustainable funding, historic preservation, Hawaii Revised Statutes, construction, state review, burial sites, cultural artifacts, development review, phased review, administrative fees

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2603, which would designate the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra as the state orchestra of Hawaii. Testimony was uniformly supportive from the Attorney General’s office, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Symphony, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association, and others. Supporters emphasized the bill’s value to arts education, cultural vitality, and the visitor economy. The chair noted there were also many written testimonies submitted, and the bill was left without questions or action in the excerpt. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2083, which would create a state-owned historic properties preservation plan working group within DNR. The State Historic Preservation Division supported the bill and said it would help create a statewide database and better planning for state-owned historic properties, while noting its current review work is reactive and project-by-project. The committee asked about duplication and existing consultation processes; SHPD said it already reviews state projects under existing law and has in-house architectural staff. The measure was then set aside after brief discussion, with no vote shown in the excerpt. Next was Senate Bill 2341, which would authorize phased review of certain private-property projects and change SHPD’s review deadlines. SHPD and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development supported the bill, saying it could encourage more proactive, programmatic review and that the current average review time for simple projects is about 56 days. Several opponents, including Sierra Club of Hawaii, Bianca Isaki, Malama Kane Lua, and Tara Roas, argued phased review would delay projects, create conflict, and weaken historic preservation protections, especially for iwi kūpuna and burial sites. Committee members raised concerns about whether the bill conflicted with prior court decisions and asked SHPD for its view; SHPD said it was not a legal question for them and suggested a programmatic alternative. The bill was not voted on in the excerpt. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 2306 on administrative fees for the Bureau of Conveyances. HGEA opposed the measure, focusing on a provision allowing the special fund to be used for qualified contractors, while the Bureau of Conveyances supported the bill as a fee correction that would equalize recording fees between systems. The bureau said specialized technical work sometimes requires outside contracting and that it could consider a contract period; the chair and members discussed the HGEA concern and asked whether the issue could be addressed. No final action was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• 388 State Veteran Cemetery burial fee 388 State Veteran Cemetery burial fee remover<00:53:31.200
• So the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs does not charge a fee for burial in our state veteran
• and the likelihood that the burial fee and the likelihood that the burial fee would<01:03:55.200
• for burial in our state charge a fee for burial in our state veteran<01:04:48.319> cemeteries
• <01:05:01.039> you the um the cost of that burial fee you the um the cost of that burial fee

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• State estimates say that eliminating the fishing license fee for residents 65 and older would cost the
• state $4 million per year in lost fees.
• <00:04:15.840> for eliminating the fishing license fee for eliminating the fishing license
• fee for residents<00:04:16.560> 65<00:04:16.959> and<00:04:17.199> older<00:04:
• state $4 million per year in lost fees. state $4 million per year in lost fees.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The segment presented the results of the 2025 Minnesota House legislative opinion poll, which asked fairgoers about a range of policy issues tied to recent or possible future legislative action. Topics included school calendar flexibility before Labor Day, state funding for sports stadiums and arenas, undocumented immigrants’ access to state programs, unemployment benefits for hourly school workers in the summer, banning guns in the Capitol, budget-balancing options for a projected 2028-29 deficit, removing party labels from legislative ballots, limiting free school meals by income, free fishing licenses for residents age 65 and older, local control over cannabis businesses, a post-employment lobbying ban for legislators, and a higher income tax rate for the highest earners. For several questions, the segment noted the underlying legislative context. It referenced the 2023 law making undocumented immigrants eligible for MinnesotaCare and the 2025 law ending adult eligibility at year’s end, the school meals program’s higher-than-expected costs, and a 2025 proposal to remove party designations from legislative ballots that did not receive a committee hearing. It also mentioned the projected nearly $6 billion budget shortfall for the 2028-29 biennium, the Xcel Energy Center renovation funding request, and the recent killings of House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shooting of Senator John Hoffman and his wife as part of the discussion about Capitol gun restrictions. The poll itself was presented as a public opinion survey rather than a legislative vote, so no formal committee action or roll call occurred. The segment closed by thanking participants and saying the poll would return next year at the fair.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, would These are the provers fees.
• Uh, so it's 100% of Medicare, um, but it's using the regular fee schedule and the rural fee schedule,
• Um, that then triggers which fee schedule it goes into.
• Uh, so it's 100% of Medicare, um, but it's using the regular fee schedule and the rural fee schedule,
• Um that then triggers which fee schedule Um that then triggers which fee schedule it<00:51:04.960>

Bills: HB0004

Keywords: medical assistance, birthing centers, healthcare, Medicaid, Wyoming, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• mitigation fees in Ton County? mitigation fees in Ton County?
• I have full housing mitigation fees.
• Housing Mitigation fees, I might have Housing Mitigation fees, I might have said<03:55:58.560> two
• <04:10:53.359> I<04:10:53.600> wasn't fees. And who who's they? I wasn't fees.
• Authority refuses to hand over fees. Authority refuses to hand over fees.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This proposal will align Minnesota with over 40 states that do not have fee restrictions in excess of
• <00:07:29.759> restrictions<00:07:30.680> in do not have Fe fee restrictions in do
• The fees are enormous.
• So the fees that you pay on a monthly basis will vary greatly between associations.
• Second is the costs that are built into an HOA as a monthly association fee assessment.

Bills: HF1865, HF2014, HF2028

Keywords: mortgage, qualified mortgage, QM, points and fees, conventional loan, consumer lending, home loan, residential real estate, lender fees, service charge, finance charge, closing costs, Minnesota Statutes 47.20, housing finance, borrower protections, cooperative apartment loan, contract for deed, real estate lending, foreclosure, notice requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• from the schools, the tuition and fees from the schools, the tuition and fees which<00:10:12.080
• Um but our changes in tuition and fees.
• <00:13:30.639> and<00:13:30.880> the factors like tuition and fees and the factors
• because things like tuition and fees because things like tuition and fees have<00:13:56.240>
• The 4-year tuition and fee cap was capped at a 2% increase for each fiscal year 26 and 27.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• In some cases, no fee increases are needed.
• In some cases, no fee increases are needed.
• charge, higher parking fees, and/or private funds.
• Yeah, no general admission fees.
• fees specific to water agencies.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard opening remarks from Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, who reviewed the department’s budget and priorities. She emphasized California agriculture’s record production, but also the pressures facing farmers from climate change, drought, groundwater regulation, supply chain disruptions, low commodity prices, and federal funding cuts. Ross highlighted ongoing investments in Farm to School, local food procurement, food hubs, climate-smart agriculture, invasive pest prevention, bird flu response, and food safety, and she warned that proposed USDA cuts and market disruptions could harm research, pest control, and export development. Members also discussed the importance of local food systems, school kitchens, and the need to better connect farmers to schools, food banks, and institutions. A major topic was the Farm to School program and related local food initiatives. The chair raised concerns that the Legislative Analyst’s Office was recommending against continued funding for Farm to School because it did not meet the state’s “must-have” standard, and suggested pairing it more closely with the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and food hubs to broaden its impact. Ross responded that Farm to School has already reached nearly half of California students, has helped small farms, and is part of a larger strategy that includes school kitchen investments and culinary training. Members also discussed Market Match/CNIP, which Ross said was not funded in the current budget, and Proposition 4 climate bond spending, including SWEEP, Healthy Soils, urban agriculture, invasive species work, tribal food sovereignty, and land access programs. The committee then moved to Item 1 on eliminating vacant positions at the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, and Food and Agriculture. The LAO explained that the Governor proposed eliminating 6,000 vacant positions statewide, with the JLBC previously not concurring with 650 of them, including 174 in these three departments. The LAO recommended retaining the special-funded positions at Fish and Wildlife and Food and Agriculture because they support important functions and do not materially help the budget, while weighing the General Fund positions against other priorities. Finance said the vacancy reductions were intended to improve budget resiliency and preserve flexibility, noting that vacant positions can be used to cover other operational costs or be reclassified. Department representatives argued some eliminated positions were hard to fill and that the cuts would affect permitting, public safety, maintenance, and pest detection, though they said immediate impacts would be limited because many positions were already vacant. Members pressed Finance and department staff on whether the savings justified the program impacts, especially at Fish and Wildlife, where permitting bottlenecks were described as a concern for housing, clean energy, water, and transportation projects. Several members questioned why special funds tied to fees were being reduced, and why Fish and Wildlife’s special funds were treated differently from other departments. Parks said the proposed ranger and maintenance cuts would not have immediate effects but could slow long-term maintenance and staffing capacity. CDFA said some of the eliminated positions supported early pest detection, the broom rape program, and other oversight functions, but that the department believed it could still meet its mandate through reclassification and internal prioritization. No votes were taken, and the chair noted that public comment would come after all items were heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pay a fee to the local Board of Health to inspect their facility. Pay a waste collection fee.
• And if you think the state fees and taxes are bad, have them fill out the federal forms, okay?
• Pay a waste<01:10:14.920> collection<01:10:15.400> field<01:10:15.960> fee.
• Fill out all waste collection field fee.
• And if you think the state fees to do.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• On line 127, the Senate includes an increase for the civil court filing fee.
• On line 358, there is on both sides a charter school inspection fee increase.
• to impose correctional supervision fees to impose correctional supervision fees on<00:32:48.320>
• On R9, House section 13 increases marriage license fees.
• increases marriage license fees. increases marriage license fees.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We're proposing to increase transfer fees and exempt reporting advisor fees, not all license fees.
• We're proposing to increase transfer fees and exempt reporting advisor fees, not all license fees.
• This is the fee revenue. This would bring in 1.47 million in each biennium.
• on line six, you can see uh some fee on line six, you can see uh some fee revenue<00:47:52.880><
• So this is the fee explained earlier.

Bills: HF1646, HF2443

Keywords: medical debt, debt relief, healthcare financing, consumer protection, financial hardship, commerce, cannabis, insurance, housing, ombudsperson, affordability, property, task force, financial institutions, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank industry from this delivery fee.
• Most of our delivery delivery fee.
• <00:14:10.160> while the only the business pays a fee while the only the business pays a fee
• this fee was an unintended consequence. this fee was an unintended consequence.
• <00:15:37.199> covered exemptions in the delivery fee covered exemptions in the delivery fee

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Contractors and customers may face the pricey fees, and some HOAs.
• that can be exceeded if the fee is flat and posted publicly.
• Permit fees are really not a meaningful contributor to the project costs.
• Permit fees are really not a meaningful contributor to the project costs.
• So we're doing our best... ...massive fees and massive just out of nowhere.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• fee, it's 1490. >> Thank you.
• , and establishes fee deadlines.
• <00:49:44.520> and<00:49:44.720> bulk an application fee and bulk an application fee
• ,<00:50:08.040> and<00:50:08.200> establishes<00:50:08.960> fee proposed fees
• , and establishes fee proposed fees, and establishes fee deadlines.<00:50:10.440> Revises<00:50

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee considered an emergency regulation from the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners, 201 KAR 5021E, along with a staff amendment to conform the text to KRS Chapter 13A. The regulation was described as implementing an Attorney General opinion and a review of optometrists licensed during the 2020–2023 period when alternative testing and waivers were used during the COVID-19 era. The board explained that the rule requires affected licensees to complete specified examinations or an alternative certification before renewing in 2027, and that it now removes the OEBC Canadian exam as a future pathway while preserving recognition of OEBC results submitted during the period when that option was in effect. The staff amendment was approved without objection. Testimony was sharply divided. Board representatives and the Attorney General’s office said the regulation is needed to protect public health and to bring the licensure review into the formal administrative process. They said the NBEO Part 3 exam is the nationally recognized hands-on clinical licensure test, while the American Board of Optometry certification is a post-licensure credential for already licensed practitioners and is not a substitute for initial licensure testing. They also said no other state uses the ABOC certification for licensure, and that the board’s approach balances fairness, due process, and public protection. Opponents argued the regulation would allow individuals who were improperly licensed to continue practicing without meeting the same standards as other Kentucky optometrists. A representative from the Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation described cases of alleged inadequate care and urged the committee to require full national board passage before independent practice. Representatives from ARBO and NBEO said the emergency regulation is not justified as an emergency, does not adequately address public safety or fiscal impacts, and exceeds the board’s authority by creating a renewal path for licensees whose initial licensure was challenged. They emphasized that NBEO Part 3 is a practical, hands-on exam and that the ABOC certification is not designed or validated for initial licensure. The committee asked several questions about the differences between the exams, and no final vote on the regulation itself was described in the transcript beyond approval of the staff amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• CalRecycle announced their new fee, and it's about 5,000 percent higher than the interim fee.
• the processing fee set originally for bag-in-a-box was arbitrary.
• The processing fee has to have some relevance to the cost of recycling.
• the places and what are these fees.
• This program is administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

Summary: The committee heard presentations on several energy, environmental, and consumer protection bills while operating at times without a quorum. Senator McNerney presented SB 925, which would direct the California Energy Commission to develop a statewide roadmap for fusion energy, and SB 1350, which would expand the use of green hydrogen in the power sector by allowing renewable portfolio standard credit for power plants using hydrogen. Supporters said both bills would help California maintain leadership in emerging clean-energy industries, attract investment, and create jobs. Opponents of SB 1350 raised concerns about greenwashing, resource shuffling, and increased NOx emissions from hydrogen combustion, while supporters said committee amendments added guardrails against those outcomes. Senator Ashby presented SB 1010, a manufacturer-funded extended producer responsibility program for refrigerants in appliances; supporters said it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve recovery, while opponents argued existing laws already regulate refrigerants and that the bill could raise costs and disrupt recycling markets. Senator Grayson presented SB 1145 to streamline CEQA and federal reuse procedures for qualifying projects in the Concord Reuse Project Area, which supporters said would help deliver long-planned housing, jobs, and open space, while one housing group sought stronger affordable-housing guarantees. Senator Cabaldon presented SB 1341, which would give CalRecycle authority to reduce processing fees for wine and spirits bag-in-a-box containers when fee collections exceed program needs; supporters said the current fee increase was abrupt and excessive, while opponents warned against giving the agency too much discretion. Senator Padilla presented SGR 13, urging the U.S. to secure enforceable commitments to eliminate transboundary sewage pollution in the Tijuana and New River watersheds during the 2026 USMCA review, and SB 1033, which would require testing and disclosure of heavy metals in protein products; SGR 13 drew strong support from border and environmental justice advocates, while SB 1033 drew support from consumer and health groups and opposition from industry groups concerned about labeling burdens and scope. Senator Caballero presented SB 1183, requiring a state study of the environmental, land-use, and economic impacts of industrial solar in the Central Valley; farm and land-use advocates supported the bill, while solar industry groups opposed unless amended, saying it should better reflect solar’s benefits and existing state analysis. After testimony, the committee took roll and adopted several measures on a 4-0 or 3-0 basis, with bills including SJR 13, SB 925, SB 1350, SB 1145, SB 1341, SB 1033, and SB 1010 advanced on call to Appropriations or, in the case of SB 1010, already voted with a 3-1 result before being held on call.