Transcript Highlights:

• could help support MSD, but more important, support the rate payer with some form of mechanism for oversight
• And we originally started with a mechanism for oversight as it relates to the rate increases every year
• However, we are moving forward with the remainder of the bill that goes after oversight and accountability
• and accountability for after oversight and accountability for expenditures<00:04:25.120><c> within</
• The board that we have is responsible for the oversight of those policies and everything that we do,

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:04 HB 387 Discussion 01:06 HB 387 Roll Call Vote 28:30 HCR 22 Discussion 29:26 HCR 22 Roll Call Vote 31:09 HB 519 Discussion 35:36 HB 519 Roll Call Vote 38:37, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 387, which would amend MSD governance and spending rules in Louisville. The sponsor said the bill was intended to add oversight and accountability in response to large MSD rate increases, though the original rate-approval provision had been removed because of concerns about contracts and bond ratings in Oldham and Bullitt counties. MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott testified that MSD is a public utility serving more than 800,000 people through wastewater, stormwater, and flood protection services, and argued that most rate pressure comes from federal and state mandates tied to a consent decree and other orders. He said MSD already provides annual notice and bond approvals through Metro Council, offers customer assistance programs, and needs flexibility for advertising, public notices, recruitment, and compliance. Members discussed stormwater funding, aging infrastructure, flood control, and the bill’s limits on advertising and other expenditures. The committee substitute was adopted and the bill passed on a roll call vote. The committee then considered House Concurrent Resolution 22, as substituted, which expressed support for exploring nuclear energy and included language noting Kentucky’s ability to use nuclear waste, uranium tailings, and spent fuel in ways described by the sponsor as cleaner. Supporters said Kentucky faces an energy shortage and that nuclear, including small modular reactors, should be part of the state’s future energy mix. Some members said they would support the resolution but wanted a feasibility study or noted that it does not carry the force of law. The resolution passed. Finally, the committee began House Bill 519, sponsored by Representative Fugate, which would prevent utility companies from passing demolition costs for retired coal-fired or fossil-fuel plants on to ratepayers. The sponsor cited sharply rising electricity bills in eastern Kentucky, the decline in coal employment, and the burden of demolition costs from the Big Sandy plant being placed on customers. He argued that utilities should absorb those costs rather than shifting them to ratepayers. The bill was introduced with a motion and second, and the committee was preparing to hear further questions and testimony when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, you know, we're working on the budget now.
• Is this in DOT's budget or is it Aaliyah's budget that we're looking at, or are both?
• </c><00:11:34.880><c> or</c> budget now.
• Is this in DOT's budget or budget now.
• budget</c><00:11:36.640><c> that</c><00:11:36.880><c> we're</c> is it Aaliyah's budget that we're is

Bills: SB341 , SB340 , SB341 , SB354 , SB340

Committee: Senate Transportation and Energy

Keywords: SB341, Alabama, veteran license plate, veteran tag, distinctive license tag, specialty plate, radiation exposure, atomic bomb testing, ionizing radiation, World War II veterans, Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, Cold War veterans, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, Department of Veterans Affairs, probate judge

Transcript Highlights:

• How much of your budget, I think I probably asked that wrong, please forgive me, how much of your budget
• , which would cause a further burden on our budget.
• It's going to be a budget decision.
• On a state budget, it's fairly insignificant.
• Strengthen oversight, yes.

Committee: House Education

Summary: The House Education Committee heard House Bill 918, which would realign the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) by narrowing its mission, reorganizing its board, capping administrative costs at 30%, requiring outside and periodic LSO audits, setting course fees and a per-course state funding cap, and eliminating funding for private school, virtual school, K-5, and driver’s education participation, as well as custom sections except in limited emergency cases. The sponsor, Rep. Doug Pickett, said the bill was intended to address concerns about double-dipping, private use of a taxpayer-funded program, and IDLA expanding beyond its original supplemental purpose while preserving access for rural students and emergency staffing needs. Committee members questioned the rationale for the cuts, the board restructuring, the treatment of dual credit and advanced opportunities funding, and whether the bill would affect students taking IDLA courses during the school day. Pickett said the bill was designed to redirect dual credit through Advanced Opportunities, maintain flexibility without setting a hard enrollment cap, and keep the program focused on filling instructional gaps. IDLA Superintendent Dr. Jeff Simmons and several school leaders testified in opposition, arguing the bill would reduce school choice, shift costs to families and districts, limit middle school electives and dual credit, and disproportionately harm rural schools that rely on IDLA for courses they cannot staff locally. Supporters of the bill emphasized oversight, fiscal restraint, and limiting what they described as overuse of the program. After testimony, Rep. Galavis moved to send HB 918 to the floor with no recommendation. A motion to hold the bill in committee failed 10-4, and a substitute motion to hold the bill in committee to a time certain on Monday, March 23, passed on a roll call vote. The committee adjourned with the bill set to return on Monday.

Transcript Highlights:

• , oversight, and We ask the Joint Committee, in carrying out your responsibility of oversight of DCF
• Recently, in the state budget, 11% of family stabilization was cut from the DCF budget, along with 7%
• of the residential care budget.
• It more recently in the state budget 11% of family stabilization was cut from the DCF budget, along with
• 7% of the residential care budget.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities held a hybrid hearing on a series of child welfare bills focused on DCF, foster care, mandated reporting, educational records, and family support. Chair Kennedy and Chair Livingstone opened with accessibility and testimony rules, then heard testimony on bills including S.127 on expanding mandated reporters, S.107/H.235 on a Foster Children’s Bill of Rights, S.106/H.228 on transferring foster care review from DCF to the Office of the Child Advocate, H.258/S.125 on an electronic backpack for foster children’s educational records, H.205 on kinship foster care background checks, H.246/H.266 on minimizing trauma in care and protection cases, and S.159 on support for families after sudden unexpected infant death. Supporters of the mandated reporter bill, led by Sen. Feeney and Foxborough advocates, described a local model that trains all adults who work with children and argued the state should scale that approach statewide to improve recognition and reporting of abuse. Testimony on the foster care bills emphasized the need for clearer rights, better notice to children and attorneys, stronger remedies, and independent oversight. Advocates, youth with lived experience, and legal organizations described placement instability, delayed notifications, abuse in care, poor educational continuity, and the need for rights around safety, family contact, culture, language, and access to records. Several witnesses urged that the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights include enforceable court remedies, not just reporting requirements. On the oversight bill, supporters argued DCF should not review its own foster care system and pointed to poor outcomes, high placement instability, and recent investigative reporting as evidence for moving review responsibilities to the Office of the Child Advocate. On the electronic backpack bill, testimony focused on the need for real-time data sharing and a centralized system so schools can receive foster students’ records quickly and support continuity. On the trauma-minimization bill, Rep. Miskin framed the proposal as a set of practical changes to reduce harm during removals and court involvement. On the SUID bill, Sen. Lovely said families should be given information about available grief and support resources after an infant death. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> impact through strategic budgeting impact through strategic budgeting rigorous<00:02:18.920><c>
• Financial oversight and asking rigorous Financial oversight and asking ourselves<00:02:20.840><c> to
• So today we will provide information on our total budget and our budgeting process, how we develop our
• So today we will provide information on our total budget and our budgeting process, how we develop our
• The breakdown of the units in this way is helpful as we explain the budget and the oversight process

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So here are the budget pages.
• So here are the budget pages.
• So here are the budget pages.
• So here are the budget pages.
• So here are the budget pages.

Bills: HF3298

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Keywords: underground storage tanks, petroleum, reimbursement program, environmental regulation, pollution control, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The budget change proposal reflected in the Governor's budget provided additional resources for the CWDB
• However, at the Governor's Budget, we were looking in the budget window and the projected fund balance
• So you're budgeting for extra time, so you don't have to come back to this budget. Correct.
• from the 2023 Budget Act.
• from the 2023 Budget Act.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> responsibility for fiscal oversight responsibility for fiscal oversight accountability<00:20:23.679
• </c> department is growing their budget department is growing their budget I'll<00:43:58.920><c> leave
• </c> hearing it when we a Governor's budget hearing it when we a Governor's budget that<00:58:57.200>
• were about 2% of their budget.
• were about 2% of their budget.

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:15.040><c> They</c> session budget negotiations. They session budget negotiations.
• The committee’s focus on fraud oversight led to many important reforms in the governor’s budget being
• </c> The committee's focus on fraud oversight The committee's focus on fraud oversight led<00:07:35.360
• </c> uh to allows us to increase oversight uh to allows us to increase oversight until<00:09:06.080><
• </c><01:04:08.799><c> to</c> the program areas and the oversight to the program areas and the oversight

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I also want to thank the chair for bringing up this bill in budget earlier today.
• You know, when we were in the budget subcommittee today, there are lots of issues with life. line and
• While we have consistently raised these issues through legislative hearings and C&C see in the budget
• I think we've seen with the MMBI and the cast of conversations that we've had both in budget.
• that makes our job of oversight easier and we can then better legislate for the quick resolution for

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um issues that we saw with oversight.
• So with that, I uh oversight audits.
• </c><00:42:55.120><c> and</c> a good job in providing oversight and a good job in providing oversight
• It's also monitoring and oversight.
• </c> budget that they've been given. budget that they've been given.

Bills: HF3564

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Keywords: Greater Minnesota, regional parks, trails, grants, local government, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> I'll present our proposals for budget I'll present our proposals for budget and<00:03:29.040><c>
• </c><00:03:54.720><c> or</c> areas the like type of oversight or areas the like type of oversight or
• We have oversight that involves a few things.
• But there’s no regulatory oversight currently within Minnesota.
• The mandate is more of a state budget thing than anything else.

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the Health and Human Services budget the Health and Human Services budget bill. bill. bill.
• </c> they're in the budget bill. they're in the budget bill.
• </c><00:23:52.560><c> changes</c> technical budget changes technical budget changes um<00:23:54.640><
• . budget. budget.
• <00:47:17.600><c> Is</c><00:47:17.720><c> that</c> oversight? Is that oversight?

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sometimes we have less than perfect information when we are making a budget decision.
• , we will be bringing before the body the vetoes of the legislative budget last summer.
• legislative services support budget.
• It's our belief that it was an oversight. ...and government accountability.
• It's our belief that it was an oversight, a glitch during the veto process.

Summary: The Florida House convened in Special Session 2025B after a quorum was established and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. The Speaker announced that regular committee meetings were canceled for the week so the chamber could focus on special session work, including three select committees on illegal immigration that would hear HB 1B, along with a Rules and Ethics Committee meeting later that evening. Members were also told the bill filing deadline had been extended to Wednesday at 5 p.m. The main floor business involved the House’s effort to reinstate vetoed legislative operating funds from HB 5001, the 2024 appropriations act. After the clerk read the governor’s veto message, Representative Kennedy moved to reinstate specific appropriation 2802 and its related proviso on page 412, described as legislative services support funding. Supporters said the veto had cut essential legislative functions such as IT, economic forecasting, auditing, and accountability work, and argued the reduction was likely an oversight or improper interference with legislative independence. The motion passed 111-0. Kennedy then moved to reinstate specific appropriation 2803 and its related proviso, the second legislative support services line item. The House again approved the motion unanimously, 111-0. With no other messages, reports, or bills on the desk, the House adopted a motion to adjourn and reconvene on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 10 a.m. or upon the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• Subcommittee Four of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee will come to order.
• If you don't mind coming on up, and before we get into the specific budget proposals, Ms.
• according to the LAO, budget deficit, and yet just a few years ago we had huge surpluses.
• of investment that doesn't involve an ongoing commitment that's permanent in our budget.
• In the oversight hearing, there was a conversation about medical debt.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Regarding our budget request, our governor's budget request for additional resources to support the operations
• Senate Budget Committee.
• This is a budget increase bill.
• This is a budget increase bill.
• The SIBTF budget proposal.

Summary: The subcommittee heard a series of budget and trailer bill presentations focused on labor and public employment programs. The first item covered EDD Next modernization, where EDD described progress on customer service improvements, fraud prevention, language access, and the Integrated Claims Management System. The LAO urged stronger legislative oversight as the project enters its most difficult phase, and members questioned the revised schedule, total cost, change orders, stress testing, SB 1090 implementation, and how race and ethnicity data will be protected. EDD said the overall project cost remains about $1.2 billion, that the work is being phased with disability insurance and paid family leave first, and that fraud has been greatly reduced since pandemic-era programs ended. Members also asked for follow-up information on SB 590 outreach and equity impacts. The committee then reviewed the California Workforce Development Board’s request to reduce staffing as one-time grant workloads wind down, along with trailer bill language to streamline reporting requirements. The board and Department of Finance said the staffing reductions reflect the end of surge funding and that the proposal would consolidate roughly 10 to 12 reports into one annual report, with additional reporting only if new funds are appropriated for certain programs. Senator Durazo questioned the policy direction of reducing workforce staffing, while the administration said the positions were tied to temporary grant programs and that current staffing is sufficient for ongoing duties. Members also asked about the board’s role in AI-related workforce planning and the rationale for using state funds for the High Road Construction Careers Program. A major portion of the hearing focused on the Subsequent Injury Benefits Trust Fund reforms and related staffing request at DIR. The administration and LAO described rapid growth in applications, backlog, and liabilities, saying the program’s eligibility has expanded beyond its original intent and that liabilities could reach about $30 billion by 2030 without reform. The trailer bill would tighten eligibility, apply the changes to open cases, and use the QME process and contemporaneous evidence to document preexisting disabilities. Members raised concerns about fairness to pending claimants, evaluator capacity, and the relationship to other SIBTF legislation, while the LAO said the proposal largely aligns with its prior recommendations. DIR also presented a request to eliminate vacant positions under a statewide vacancy sweep, which drew criticism from members who argued the cuts could weaken enforcement and backlog reduction efforts; the committee asked DIR to return with more detail on impacts and on its use of temporary-help authority. The final items addressed a request for additional Cal/OSHA investigative staff and a trailer bill to make permanent the revised Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board petition timeline. DIR said the BOI staffing would help investigate fatalities and serious injuries more quickly, while members emphasized the importance of family contact and timely investigations. For the WCAB item, the chair explained that the 2024 change to Labor Code section 5909, which starts the 60-day decision clock when a case is transmitted rather than when a petition is filed, has reduced pending cases and should be made permanent; the remaining backlog was reported at 460 cases, down from 637 before the change.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Chair: THE STATE ADMINISTRATION BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE WILL COME TO ORDER.
• TO THAT AND THE LEGISLATURE PLACED OVER $949,000 OF DMS MOTOR VEHICLE AND WATERCRAFT MANAGEMENT BUDGET
• INTO WHAT IS KNOWN AS A QUALIFIED EXPENDITURE THIS MEANT THAT THESE FUNDS WERE HELD IN BUDGET RESERVE
• AND WERE TO BE RELEASED ONLY BY THE LEGISLATIVE BUDGET COMMISSION IF THEY MET THE REQUIREMENTS OF IN
• THE SECOND LEGISLATIVE BUDGET REQUEST WE PUT FORWARD IS FOR CENTRALIZED PURCHASING OF FLEET ASSETS.

Transcript Highlights:

• Regarding our budget request, our governor's budget request for additional resources to support the operations
• It also helped to build budget resiliency.
• This is a budget increase bill.
• Our budget ask.
• The SIBTF budget proposal.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Corrections, Public Safety, Judiciary, Labor, and Transportation heard presentations on labor and public employment issues from the Employment Development Department (EDD), the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), and the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). The committee first focused on EDD Next modernization, where EDD described progress on online claims, call center upgrades, language access, fraud prevention, and the Integrated Claims Management System (ICMS). The Legislative Analyst’s Office urged closer legislative oversight, especially as the project moves into the most difficult phase. Senators asked about the revised timeline, total cost, fraud reduction, stress testing, transparency around change orders, and the decision to phase in disability insurance and paid family leave before unemployment insurance. EDD said the overall project cost remained about $1.2 billion, that it had no major cost overruns, and that it had saved more than $20 million by shifting some shared customer portal work into ICMS. The subcommittee then considered CWDB’s request for additional operational resources and trailer bill language to streamline reporting. CWDB and the Department of Finance said staffing had been expanded during the pandemic-era surge in grant funding and should now be reduced as one-time grant programs wind down. Senators questioned the proposed staffing reduction, arguing that workforce development needs remain strong and that the board’s policy role still requires adequate capacity. The committee also discussed a proposal to consolidate multiple annual and interim reports into a single biennial report, with LAO supporting the streamlining. Members asked about reporting for specific programs and the cost savings from reducing duplicative evaluations. A major portion of the hearing addressed DIR’s proposed reforms to the Subsequent Injury Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) and related workload funding. DIR and LAO described rapid growth in applications, a large and growing backlog, and sharply rising liabilities and employer assessments. The administration’s trailer bill would tighten eligibility, apply reforms to open cases, and use contemporaneous evidence and QME reports to document preexisting disabilities. LAO said the proposal largely matched its prior recommendations and would help return the program to its original intent. Senators raised concerns about fairness to pending claimants, the effect on workers with undocumented preexisting conditions, and whether the QME system could absorb the added workload. The committee also heard DIR’s request to eliminate vacant positions under a statewide vacancy sweep, with members objecting that some vacancies reflect unmet enforcement and safety needs rather than excess capacity. The hearing continued with DIR proposals for additional Cal/OSHA investigative staff, permanent changes to Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board petition deadlines, and apprenticeship-related funding increases. DIR sought 14 permanent positions for its Bureau of Investigation to handle serious workplace fatalities and injuries, and members emphasized the importance of timely investigations and family communication. The WCAB requested making permanent a 2024 change that starts the 60-day reconsideration clock when a case is transmitted rather than when the petition is filed; the board said this had reduced the number of cases awaiting decisions from 637 to 460. Finally, DIR proposed increasing apprenticeship training grants from $3 million to $20 million annually using the Apprenticeship Training Contribution Fund, citing an $80 million fund balance and workforce demand tied to rebuilding and infrastructure needs, and then began discussion of a separate request to expand pre-apprenticeship programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• -24 and 2024-25 budget acts.
• as the chair mentioned, is a budget bill junior that amends the 2023, 24, and 25 budget acts.
• , the 2025 Budget Act, for...
• Control Section 91, which was included in the current year budget, the 2025 Budget Act, required the
• So for the benefit of my colleagues on Budget Sub 4 that are not part of Budget Sub 4, the key topic

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Until we Lawmakers budget appropriately?
• Can you just briefly tell us where that is in the budget? And Mr.
• needs would be to help them and assist them with the budget proposal.
• With the oversight with everything else. So, so that would just be my comment. Mr.
• Uh, legislation and budget. Uh, thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee