Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:08.520> on total figures of how much we spend on total figures of how much we spend
• <00:15:06.199> in as an increase in state spending in as an increase in state spending in
• links to um the forecast and spending links to um the forecast and spending data<00:31:48.919>
• <00:35:24.599> across decrease in projected spending across decrease in projected spending
• <01:02:53.039> these to spend these to spend these resources<01:02:54.839> uh<01:02

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But there has to be a receipt before you can spend it, so it has to be deposited.
• spending limit.
• The cap was $11 billion; the spending limit was $9.9 billion.
• You'll spend $9.9 billion; that's all the law will allow you to spend.
• How much of that you wind up spending is entirely up to you.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• so that we look at this spending every year.
• so that we look at this spending every year.
• They can—we're not telling them what facilities to spend, where to spend the money, or what to spend
• They can—we're not telling them what facilities to spend, where to spend the money, or what to spend
• If we're going to spend $20,000 on kids for one institution, then we should spend that same amount in

Summary: The House convened on the final day of session, observed a moment of silence for the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and for Representative Rosenwald’s father, then swore in and seated new members Boyles and Hodgers. The Speaker also outlined the chamber’s end-of-session priorities, including action on the budget and related conforming bills. The House then took up H.J.R. 5019, a constitutional amendment to expand Florida’s budget stabilization fund by raising the cap, requiring annual transfers, and allowing withdrawals for critical state needs. After sponsor explanations and questions about what would qualify as a critical need and how the fund might respond to possible federal funding cuts, the House adopted an amendment that added more flexibility for suspending transfers and withdrawals. The joint resolution then passed on final passage. Members next considered HB 7031, the tax package conference report. The bill repeals the business rent tax and aviation fuel tax, delays the natural gas fuel tax, creates or extends several sales tax exemptions and holidays, and makes changes affecting property taxes, local taxes, pari-mutuel taxes, and revenue distributions. Debate focused heavily on the new permanent exemption for ammunition and hunting-related items, the elimination of recurring housing trust fund and transit-related distributions, and the shift of some funding from recurring to nonrecurring status. Supporters argued the package provides tax relief and preserves annual budget flexibility, while opponents criticized the ammunition exemption and the reductions in recurring housing and transit support. The conference report was adopted and the bill passed. The House then passed HB 5017, which creates a debt reduction program funded by a recurring transfer from general revenue to retire state bonds early, and HB 5015, the state group insurance conforming bill, which directs DMS to develop a formulary management plan and codifies the administrative health insurance assessment. Finally, the chamber began explanation and questions on the General Appropriations Act conference report for fiscal year 2025-26, described as a $115.1 billion budget that is down from the current year and includes more than $12 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs summarized major budget areas, including K-12 education, health care, transportation and economic development, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and information technology, highlighting funding for school choice, Medicaid, housing, transportation infrastructure, Everglades restoration, workforce programs, cybersecurity, and technology modernization.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's for $10.5 million in spending authority.
• It's for $36,000 in spending authority.
• It's just the authority to spend. Gotcha. You have pay plan.
• It's, it's, we are spending down. There's no doubt about that.
• It's, it's, we are spending down. There's no doubt about that.

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of appropriation, transfer, contract, and other review items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests in Sections B through F, including funding for prosecuting attorneys, education-related adjustments, school operating needs, labor licensing divisions, ARPA fund returns from Workforce Services, IIJA grants for state police CDL implementation and a forestry-related county grant, reserve fund transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic development, and a Commerce reallocation tied to organizational realignment. Cash fund requests in Section G and budget classification transfers in Section H were also reviewed, along with pay plan requests in Section I, overtime requests in Section J, and multiple methods of finance in Section K. The committee also reviewed discretionary grants in Section L, including agriculture promotion board grants and DHS aging/adult behavioral health grants, plus RFQs, construction contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and out-of-state contracts in Sections M1 through M5. Several items drew questions from members. Workforce Services explained that $225,000 in TANF-related funds would be returned to the federal government because the two-year hold period for uncashed or moved checks had expired. Commerce officials described the $25 million site infrastructure grant program, saying it supports site development, due diligence, and infrastructure build-out at eligible sites of 30 acres or more, including rural communities, with grant agreements and matching requirements providing accountability. DHS and Education officials answered questions about the Care Solace mental health referral contract, saying it is a statewide concierge/referral service that helps schools connect students to Arkansas providers and follow up so students do not fall through the cracks; members asked for more information on provider selection, school-day scheduling, and Arkansas vendor participation. The committee held one item over: the DHS discretionary grant item for the RSVP retired senior volunteer program in L2, after concerns were raised about whether state general revenue was being used effectively and how much administrative overhead the providers retain. Members also questioned several contracts, including a DHS sole-source contract with EMSLink for document management software and a DHS bridge contract with Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care for Medicaid inspections of care reviews; in both cases, agency staff explained the need to avoid service disruption and said follow-up information would be provided. A Department of Corrections reentry center contract was discussed for its recidivism results, and ARDOT retirement-system investment contracts were briefly explained. The meeting ended after a lengthy discussion of the Medicaid Trust Fund balance, with DFA and DHS officials saying the state is expected to finish the fiscal year without exhausting the fund, that a restricted reserve of $100 million is available as a backstop, and that the larger question is what minimum balance should be maintained going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Medical spend totaled approximately $2.3 billion, and prescription drug spend totaled nearly $1.1 billion
• In 2024, total pharmacy spend was $1.17 billion.
• Now we'll look at more specifics surrounding the prescription drug spend.
• In 2024, the number of participants was 2,108, and the total spend on GLP-1s was $13.9 million.
• That's 47% of our spend, but normally makes up about 4% of the prescription volume.

Summary: The Budget Committee met with a quorum and took up several bills. HB 677, relating to state-covered fertility preservation for employees undergoing cancer treatment, was introduced as coverage for egg and sperm preservation for up to three years, with an estimated fiscal impact of about $813,000. After brief questions and no public testimony or amendments, the bill passed unanimously and was reported favorably. The committee then considered CS/HB 59, which would reform Florida’s wrongful incarceration compensation process by extending the filing deadline from 90 days to two years, removing the clean-hands requirement, and allowing exonerees to choose between the state compensation process and a civil lawsuit; it was supported by the City of Flagler Beach and passed unanimously. CS/HB 1313, which recreates the Resilient Florida Trust Fund in the Department of Environmental Protection before its scheduled termination in 2025, also passed unanimously after supportive testimony from advocacy groups. The committee received a lengthy presentation from the Department of Management Services on the State Group Insurance Program and the recent Revenue Estimating Conference. The presentation covered enrollment, revenues and expenditures, rising medical and pharmacy costs, emergency room utilization, GLP-1 drug spending, and options for tighter formulary and utilization management. Members asked about ER cost growth, GLP-1 coverage and copays, PBM oversight and potential conflicts, avoidable ER visits, cancer screening claims, dental and vision costs, specialty drug biosimilars, and possible savings from more restrictive pharmacy models. DMS said it would follow up on several questions and noted ongoing work on cancer coordination, preventive screening, biomarker testing, and a proposed member-facing benefits platform. The committee also heard extensive testimony on HB 301, which would raise sovereign immunity caps from $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident to $1 million and $3 million, align limitations periods with private claims, and allow government entities to settle above the caps without a claims bill. Local governments, school-related entities, and county and city associations opposed the bill, warning of major fiscal impacts, higher insurance costs, and pressure on services; several speakers urged smaller increases or a tiered approach. Proponents, including families affected by catastrophic injury or death, argued the current caps are too low and the claims bill process is inefficient and unfair. After debate, the bill passed on a recorded vote, with some members voting no, and was reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if we do happen to spend some money, we have access to be able to spend all $28 million, but it's
• not likely... ...have access to be able to spend all $28 million, but it's not likely that we will spend
• But I'm guessing we won't even spend that.
• as far as the general fund, I just can't imagine we would spend all $14 million next biennium.
• And then the authority to spend the federal dollars to within that match. Yeah. Okay.

Bills: SB2015

Keywords: corrections, rehabilitation, prison budget, department of corrections, adult services, youth services, correctional facilities, Heart River correctional center, Missouri River correctional center, James River correctional center, minimum security facility, county jails, regional jails, deferred maintenance, capital construction, strategic investment and improvements fund, Bank of North Dakota, line of credit, tasers, body cameras

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division met to finalize changes to the human services budget bill and related amendments. Members discussed several items, including a proposed $5 million appropriation for the Altru Hospital project to address inflationary costs, with the rest of the funding question left for conference committee. They also agreed to keep the 10-year operating requirement language for the project and remove a matching-funds provision that was no longer needed. The committee spent considerable time on the OASIS child welfare IT system. Donna Auckland explained that the project is still in the RFP stage, with vendor selection and contract negotiation likely taking months, and that the system will require 50-50 federal matching authority. Based on that testimony, the committee agreed to reduce the general fund amount from $14 million to $6 million and use a line of credit for the remaining authority, while preserving the federal match authority so the contract can be signed and the project can proceed. Members also approved a technical fix to add governor’s designee language for the Children’s Cabinet, which had been missed in another bill already on the governor’s desk. Keith reviewed updated long sheets showing additional budget adjustments, including provider inflation changes, a $50,000 Family Voices grant, reductions to CARES Act COVID funds, and moving the $5-per-day basic care rate increase from ongoing to one-time funding. No formal votes were recorded in the transcript, and the committee adjourned with plans to reconvene Monday if the final bill version was ready.

Transcript Highlights:

• spending per capita has gone through the roof.
• I'm sorry, they're going to spend $4,000 in tax savings.
• So the two drug classes accounting for 50% of the spend.
• Overall gross spend is about $5.4 billion for fiscal year 25, with a total net spend, net of all subsidies
• That spend is roughly, on a gross basis, $2.9 billion, with a net spend of $1.75 billion.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:25:15.520> program spending program spending program to<02:25:17.439> spend<02:25:17.840
• . spending. spending.
• Spending increase.
• going to spend that money. going to spend that money. Duh. Duh. Duh.
• c> spending?

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:07:35.440> of while it shows as a new spending of while it shows as a new spending of
• inspection, there's additional spending inspection, there's additional spending from<00:07:51.599
• <00:08:26.720> of There's addition uh uh new spending of There's addition uh uh new spending
• <00:18:57.360> for general fund, but no new spending for general fund, but no new spending
• They don't didn't spend 181 days.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, that we spend about almost $700 billion in Medicaid.
• If this bill goes into effect in 10 years from now, we’re going to spend $1.1 trillion in Medicaid.
• remind you, Mr. speaker that we spend remind you, Mr. speaker that we spend about<04:51:59.360><
• years from now, we're going to spend years from now, we're going to spend $1.1<04:52:07.958>
• <05:26:02.878> as and to make sure that it's spending as and to make sure that it's spending

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and where are they going to spend it, et cetera.
• their money how they want to spend it.
• local government wants to spend it.
• They are spending money responsibly.
• They are spending money responsibly.

Summary: The House took up the special order calendar for a proposed constitutional amendment on property taxes, CS/HJR 1F, which would create a new homestead exemption for non-school taxes, lower the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property, and restrict how counties and municipalities may use ad valorem tax revenue. The sponsor, Rep. Overdorf, said the measure would give homeowners tax relief and argued local governments could adjust spending or use other revenue sources. Opponents repeatedly questioned the ballot language, the lack of a fiscal estimate or backfill, and the potential impact on local services, public safety, and debt obligations. The House adopted the special order report and then debated the resolution and a series of amendments. Several amendments were offered to carve out or protect specific services from the tax changes. Rep. Bartleman’s amendment to protect Children’s Services Councils and Children’s Trusts was supported by members who said those entities fund early learning, mental health, aftercare, and other services for children and working families, but it failed 25-74. Rep. Cross offered an amendment to include water management districts in allowable ad valorem uses, warning of impacts on flood control, water quality, Everglades restoration, and water supply; that amendment also failed. Rep. Eskamani offered an amendment requiring the Legislature to backfill public safety funding if local revenues fall, arguing police and fire services, staffing, and response times would be at risk; it failed 25-71. The chamber then rejected Rep. Woodson’s amendment to require state backfill for senior services, with supporters citing Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day care, and other local senior programs, and opponents saying the proposal was outside the bill’s scope. Finally, Rep. Gant offered an amendment to protect veteran services, saying local governments fund housing, mental health, transition, and family support programs for veterans; debate emphasized the importance of honoring veterans and avoiding cuts to those services. The transcript cuts off during debate on that amendment, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're spending we're spending<00:55:34.000> money<00:55:34.319> where<00:55:35.520>
• That's the We can't stop spending.
• we want the state is willing to spend we want the state is willing to spend more<01:40:51.920>
• So, not a spending cut. Ostensibly it is a spending increase.
• money that we can spend. money that we can spend.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Within your box of funding, do you exercise discretion on what you spend and what you don't spend?
• In FY 2018, the total spending was $9.8 billion.
• Well, we have ...the total spending was $9.8 billion.
• amount of spending in this budget, and we are not cutting spending.
• I don't think this budget spends too much, frankly.

Bills: HB4138, HB4139, HB4140, HB4141, HB4142, HB4143, HB4144, HB4145, HB4146, HB4147, HB4148, HB4149, HB4150, HB4151, HB4152, HB4153, SB1831, SB1832, SB1833, SB1834, SB1835, SB1836, SB1837, SB1838, SB1839, SB1840, SB1841, SB1842, SB1843, SB1844, SB1845, SB1846

Keywords: appropriations, education funding, health care, general fund, state budget, local funding, gaming, pari-mutuel, horse racing, regulatory assessment, first-time starters, budget implementation, federal funds, government services, budget stabilization, financial reporting, capital outlay, infrastructure, veterans services, highway construction

Transcript Highlights:

• discretion of the governor to spend discretion of the governor to spend those<00:07:16.639> monies
• that flush through the system and spend that flush through the system and spend on<00:09:37.279>
• That's still going through the checklist so they could spend it.
• But if checklist so they could spend it.
• that ARPA money that they could spend that ARPA money on?

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 3 February, 2026; 1:30 PM, 925, all

Summary: The committee first heard a proposal to consolidate small or outdated Treasury and agency accounts into pooled investment accounts so idle balances could earn interest and administrative costs could be reduced. Senator DuPree asked whether the change would also eliminate old accounts, and the sponsor said it would close outdated accounts and move funds where they could earn interest. The committee then voted title sufficient, do pass. Senate Bill 2694, described as the biomarker bill, would require mandatory biomarker testing for diagnosis, treatment, management, and monitoring of certain conditions when supported by medical and scientific evidence and nationally recognized clinical guidelines. The bill would apply to health insurance policies written in the state after September 1, 2026, require written reasons for denials, and include reporting requirements back to the Legislature. The sponsor estimated a total cost of about $5.2 million, with roughly $1 million as the state share, and the committee voted title sufficient, do pass. The committee then took up the ARPA bill, which would accelerate the spending deadline from December 31 to September 30 and create three buckets for remaining funds: $100 million for MDOT, about $62 million for lost revenue to help offset insurance costs, and any additional funds to be handled by DFA under the governor’s discretion within ARPA rules. Senators asked about lists of projects, the risk of rushing money out the door, and whether local city and county projects could be repurposed; sponsors said the bill is aimed at keeping funds from being returned to Washington and that projects already in process should be nudged to completion, while unused funds could be clawed back after missed reporting or reimbursement requests. The committee also discussed prior technical problems with some completed projects and said those cases would likely require separate legislative action. The committee voted title sufficient, do pass, committee sub. Finally, the committee considered Senate Bill 2578, which creates a small municipality match fund to help cities under 10,000 population meet the 20% local match needed for discretionary federal and state grants. The chair clarified that the bill establishes the fund but does not create a funding source, and the sponsor confirmed that point. The committee then voted title sufficient, do pass.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have $1.1 billion available to spend on inflationary increases in programs, and then we have $616
• on inflationary increases in spend on inflationary increases in programs<00:03:45.080> and<00
• What spending cuts look like? Where are you guys looking? First, go ahead.
• <00:14:10.040> right available for spending right available for spending right now<00:14:12.560
• Cuts you know what uh I'm going to spend Cuts you know what uh I'm going to spend a<00:15:10.839

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• very grateful to the budget chairman for looking into this and to members of the commission for spending
• Those are very structured, and districts are required to spend them the way they are allocated, which
• Finally, I just want to spend time in the next session talking about what are the potential pathways
• At the bottom, if you go to the column on the far right, if we spend to the spending cap, these are the
• that on is certainly more flexible than what you can currently spend Foundation dollars on.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then it sounded like we were spending significantly less, and our projection on what we need to spend
• is still less than half of what these other states are spending, is how much we're spending, seem to
• And then it sounded like we were spending significantly less, and our projection on what we need to spend
• is still less than half of what these other states are spending, is how much we're spending, ...of what
• these other states are spending, is how much we're spending a legitimate measure of how well we're doing

Summary: The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee met on June 5 and first adopted prior minutes and several committee reports. The executive committee report noted adoption of its minutes, staff updates on scheduled audits, approval of an annual financial audit for the City of Horseshoe Bend, and an update on the intern program. The Counties and Municipalities report covered delinquent private water and sewer audits, compliance follow-up with towns including Denning, Gum Springs, Omer, Fargo, Jericho, and Haynes, and review of current and deferred reports; the committee filed most current reports but deferred several and referred some matters to prosecutors and the Attorney General. The Educational Institutions report said 103 education audits were reviewed, most with no findings, while several school districts had findings and one Booneville School District finding was referred to law enforcement. The State Agencies report included findings at the Department of Finance and Administration and a deferred Department of Health report, and the committee filed 13 reports. The committee then received lengthy presentations on the State of Arkansas annual comprehensive financial report and the state single audit for fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. Legislative Audit issued unmodified opinions on the state financial statements, but identified two material weaknesses: insufficient internal controls at the Office of State Technology to monitor threats and unauthorized access, and improper methodology changes and documentation issues at the Division of Workforce Services affecting year-end estimates for unemployment-related accounts. The single audit covered $12.4 billion in federal awards across 469 programs, with 16 major programs reviewed. Auditors reported 33 findings overall, including 31 federal findings, $12.9 million in outstanding questioned costs, and qualified opinions for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, and the Child Care Development Fund cluster. Committee members questioned DHS, the broadband office, OST, DFA, Education, and Workforce Services about the findings, corrective actions, cyber protections, federal drawdowns, child care reporting, and accounting methodology changes. Several agencies described corrective steps. DHS said it had changed how it draws Summer EBT funds, addressed provider revalidation and incarceration-related Medicaid issues, and updated internal processes and staffing. The broadband office said the questioned costs reflected invoice documentation disputes rather than missing payments and expected Treasury review to resolve the issue. OST said it was expanding logging, endpoint detection, and enterprise monitoring, and described broader cybersecurity investments, training, and a roadmap. DFA and Workforce Services addressed the workers’ compensation and unemployment accounting issues, with Workforce Services saying it had updated its policy and submitted the methodology to DFA. After discussion, the committee voted to hold the two statewide audit reports over until the August meeting, with members asked to submit specific questions in advance so only needed agencies would return. The final item was a special report on the Hot Spring County Solid Waste Authority for January 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025. The audit reviewed compliance with laws, board procedures, bidding, payroll, permits, inspections, and cash handling. It noted prior private audit findings on segregation of duties, that recent private audit reports had not been obtained for 2023 through 2025, and that the current administrator said prior office staff and bookkeeping contractors resigned when he was hired. The authority’s operations and revenue sources were described, and the report was presented for committee review.

Transcript Highlights:

• On the spending side of the proposals from the Governor for spending and tax expenditures, There are
• We also see consumer spending being rather lackluster.
• I would say that we're definitely not interested in spending just for the sake of spending.
• But, well, generally I would just say new spending, new program spending, given all the concerns you're
• It went to one-time spending, a small share to ongoing spending, and a chunk to building up Budget reserves

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Spending money and the wonderful ways they're going to spend money, and how excited he was about the
• and spend and spend and never require state government to go through those essential cycles.
• Please vote no whenever they want you to say yes to more spending.
• to discretionary spending.
• Invest means we spend taxpayer money.

Bills: HB3257, HB3176, HB3544, HB3619, HB3546, HB1782, HB2293, HB4358, HB3081, HB3983, HB3790, HJR1023, HB4139, HB3297, HB3041, HB3673, HB4105, HB3338, HB3048, SR33, SCR21, SCR20, HB4030, HB4031, HB4032, HB4034, HB4036, HB4037, HB4038, HB4040, HB4041, HB4042, HB4043, HB4045, HB4046, HB4047, HB4048, HB4044, HB4050, HB4051, HB4052, HB4053, HB4054, HB4056, HB4057, HB4071, HB4065, HB4067, HB4072, HB2992, HB4338, HB4170

Keywords: veterans, disability benefits, federal law, Oklahoma Statutes, military service, Oklahoma, Gas Hub, artificial intelligence, national laboratory, public-private partnerships, aerospace, high-performance computing, economic development, social AI companions, minors, emotional attachment, safety protocols, civil penalties, parental controls, geographic information

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:36:45.319> in amount that a visitor has to spend in amount that a visitor has to spend
• <00:38:13.480> here money that they're going to spend here money that they're going to spend
• even rich people, they get rich because they know how to spend their money wisely.
• even rich people, they get rich because they know how to spend their money wisely.
• get rich because they know how to spend their money wisely.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism and on Water and Land heard testimony on HB 504, a measure relating to environmental stewardship and funding for natural resource protection and restoration. Supporters included multiple state agencies and advocacy groups, such as DLNR, HTA, Hawaiʻi Ocean Legislative Task Force, Resources Legacy Fund, the Hawaiʻi Climate Action Coalition, and others, who said the bill would create dedicated funding for environmental, climate, and cultural resource needs and help address wildfire, flood, coastal storm, and tourism-related impacts. Several witnesses emphasized that Hawaiʻi’s environmental funding gap is large and that visitor contributions should be directed to stewardship and restoration. Some supporters also urged that the measure be applied equitably across all visitor accommodations and related uses, including cruise ship cabins and state rooms, while a few suggested amendments to broaden coverage or create a working group for implementation. Opposition and concerns focused largely on the bill’s tax structure and legal/administrative issues. The Department of Budget and Finance and the Tax Foundation questioned the reimbursable general obligation bond special fund in part two, suggesting it be converted to a regular special fund or deleted. The Attorney General’s office said part two may violate the single-subject rule in the state constitution and recommended deleting it. The Department of Taxation said the proposed points-and-miles language would be difficult to audit and enforce, and Expedia and others said the proposed tax treatment of loyalty points and certain payment forms would be operationally difficult. Industry witnesses also warned the bill could raise costs in a high-tax destination and asked for more marketing support if the tax is increased. The committee also heard concerns that a new tax on cruise ship cabins could raise federal preemption issues. The chair noted the testimony count as 23 in support, 179 in opposition, and one with comments. No vote was taken in the portion provided, and the hearing ended with questions from senators and agency responses about possible amendments, enforcement, and constitutional concerns.