Transcript Highlights:

• They let structure and a portion of the basics Based on the engineering and expert input by the members
• We have actually, for the time, now hired three expert hydrologists.
• actually had the Institute for Justice involved for a period of time, and they helped us pay for expert
• If these projects go through, we have three experts. Let's say we will flip.
• The expert did the analysis, Mr. Chair, if...

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to defer again to the expert to go ahead and talk a little bit in terms of what the timeline
• But if I may also defer to the expert to possibly further comment if he wishes, please Thank you, Mr.
• This is 4KNW, an educational radio station, and with that I'm going to go ahead and ask the expert to
• And I'm going to go ahead and defer to the expert to go ahead and start the conversation.
• Chair, and again, what I'm going to do is to refer or defer to the expert.

Bills: SB194 , SB200 , SB203 , SB204 , SJR3 , SB194 , SB200 , SB203 , SB204 , SJR3

Committees: Senate Senate Education , Senate House Education

Keywords: appropriation, higher education, sports facilities, community college, Luna Community College, KANW, educational radio, rural news, public education, funding, education, documentary, historical figure, Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, cultural heritage, research funding, federal funding, New Mexico, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University

Transcript Highlights:

• With me, my expert witnesses will be the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff John Allen, and
• It makes it a second degree, and my expert witnesses will talk more about it.
• It makes it a second degree, and my expert witnesses will talk more about it.
• Thank you, Sheriff Allen and Undersheriff Anderson, which you know you as refer to as experts from now
• I am sitting here with actually all four sponsors, and I have two experts, too, so we'll kind of move

Committee: House House Consumer & Public Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got the real experts here. We've got the experts from the universities.
• We've got the real experts here. We've got the experts from the universities.
• We've got the experts from industry from the here. We've got the experts from the universities.
• I'm the subject matter expert for the department on these issues.
• Yes, so we wrote the experts.

Committee: House Privacy and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• presenter and her expert witnesses if presenter and her expert witnesses if you'd<00:00:36.880><c> like
• Go ahead with your expert witnesses and all.
• Go ahead with your expert All right.
• You heard from our expert it does not and the reasons why.
• You heard from our expert it does not and the reasons why.

Bills: HB0003 , HB0117 , HB0041

Committee: Senate Labor, Health & Social Services

Transcript Highlights:

• And can they get referred to the right expert if they need it, you know?
• </c><00:28:53.880><c> What</c><00:28:54.040><c> kind</c><00:28:54.160><c> of</c><00:28:54.240><c> experts
• do we need need to What kind of experts do we need to<00:28:55.040><c> bring</c><00:28:55.200><c> along
• Like, sure, I am coming in as a quote-unquote expert here, but gambling is a multi-disciplinary field
• There are more models, more questions, more public concerns than I can become an expert in.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we've got an expert up here.
• So I'll have my expert tell you who she is. And if I missed anything. Fine. Mr.
• With that, I would like my experts to introduce themselves. Mr.
• Madam Secretary and experts?
• And I'm actually going to hand this over to my expert witness.

Committee: House House Taxation & Revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we've got an expert up here.
• So I'll have my expert tell you who she is. And if I miss anything. Fine. Mr.
• With that, I'd like my experts to introduce themselves. Mr.
• Madam, experts and representatives? Madam Chair, that is my understanding.
• And I'm actually going to hand this over to my expert witness.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 108, which amends the Watershed District Act to fix a problem created by last year’s changes: appointed watershed district boards could not legally levy taxes, even though several districts already had mill levies. The sponsor and staff explained the bill would preserve the existing tax authority by tying it to the soil and water district responsible for the watershed district. There was no public opposition, and the committee voted do pass on HB 108 as amended. The committee then heard House Bill 154, a tax credit bill intended to decouple New Mexico’s Advanced Energy Equipment Tax Credit from changing federal definitions and to add fusion machines and related components to the state definition. Supporters from economic development, industry, utilities, and education argued the bill would provide certainty, attract advanced manufacturing, and help New Mexico compete for investment without changing the credit’s caps or fiscal impact. Members questioned why hydrogen, geothermal, and small modular reactors were not included; staff said those technologies were not in the federal definition and that adding them now could create unintended consequences. The committee voted do pass on HB 154, with one member voting reluctantly yes. House Bill 291, the Taxation and Revenue Department’s annual tax code cleanup bill, was then presented and amended twice. The first amendment preserved New Mexico’s independent definition of qualified research for the tech jobs and R&D credit. The second removed a proposed expansion of the film tax credit to certain tribal expenditures after concerns about fiscal impact; members discussed possible future approaches for tribal film activity and the film partner loophole. The bill also makes technical and policy changes including rounding certain payments to the nearest nickel, waiving interest when tax deadlines are extended for good cause, removing small late-filing penalties in some cases, allowing delinquent taxpayers to renew permits under installment agreements, intercepting excess delinquent property tax auction proceeds for other state tax debts, clarifying tobacco tax treatment for larger vape cartridges, and tightening film credit rules. After public opposition from business groups and discussion from members, the committee voted do pass on HB 291 as twice amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, I'm going to allow my expert witness to talk about gender-affirming care. Sure. Reproductive.
• And maybe in the interim, you could introduce your expert.
• Madam Chair, experts. Paul. Madam Chair, experts.
• And I wanted to ask our expert: can you tell me what type of licensure most tribes use in the state of
• Madam Chair, and we have an expert available through Zoom and Madam Chair, and we have an expert available

Committee: House House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• So we want to prop up and teach and get technical assistance from experts.
• And these are both technical experts that we can contract with.
• We are also looking at using the internal and external partners and experts to assist with this process
• In the first quarter of this year, we also plan to obtain a subject matter expert vendor to assist us
• So how do we as a state really leverage dollars and the existing programs and expert expansion?

Summary: The Rural Health Transformation Committee met to receive an extensive briefing from the Department of Health and Human Services on North Dakota’s federal Rural Health Transformation award. HHS leaders Pat Traynor, Donna Auckland, Jonathan Ollum, and Krista Freming described the $198.9 million award, the tight federal timelines for obligating and liquidating funds, and the need for rapid procurement, CMS approval, and technical assistance. They outlined broad funding priorities including connect tech/data, care closer to home, workforce recruitment and retention, and a “Make North Dakota Healthy Again” prevention initiative focused on chronic disease, movement, nutrition, behavioral health, and community connection. They also emphasized that the program cannot fund new buildings or supplant existing funding, and that sustainability will be a key requirement for all projects. The department previewed likely first-round grant opportunities, including recruitment and retention incentives, technical assistance and equipment grants for rural providers, financial analysis support for rural hospitals, and exploration of a unified electronic health record option. Freming also reviewed four policy bills tied to the award: a presidential fitness test, nutrition continuing medical education, the Physician Assistant Compact, and pharmacist scope-of-practice changes, explaining that these policy actions affect future scoring and funding. HHS said it will work with tribes, local public health, hospitals, medical and pharmacy associations, and other partners, and will use a website, listserv, listening sessions, and committee updates to communicate opportunities. Committee members raised concerns about how the money will reach rural residents, whether newspapers and existing local communication networks will be used, how “rural” and “frontier” will be defined, how faith communities might participate in behavioral health efforts, and how HHS will avoid CMS delays and supplanting issues. HHS responded that the focus will be on where the patient lives and on rural community need, that local public health units and existing structures will be part of outreach, and that technical assistance and template applications will help speed approvals. The committee approved the December 4, 2025 minutes, then recessed into divisions for further work on the appropriations bill and the four policy bills, with the full committee set to reconvene the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• that I would like to point out to you, and I have with me from the department our subject matter expert
• I generally like to introduce, I try to bring a subject matter expert with me from the program whose
• Right at the outset, I'll introduce our subject matter expert with us here today, who's the division
• Our subject matter expert with us here today, who's the division administrator at the department, Laura

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• authorizes a court to award a prevailing plaintiff reasonable attorney's fees that could include expert
• authorizes a court to award a prevailing plaintiff reasonable attorney's fees that could include expert
• shared their feedback both through the testimony that we heard and offline, including 3D printing experts
• Including 3D printing experts, hobbyists, law enforcement, and the Attorney General's office.
• lethal as those made in a factory, and that's why we've worked so closely with hobbyists, 3D printing experts

Bills: HB2255 , HB2354 , HB2595 , HB2320 , HB2597

Committee: House Civil Rights & Judiciary

Keywords: litigation finance, legal funding, lawsuit, financial services, access to justice, common interest communities, homeowners association, property management, housing regulations, community governance, criminal justice, judgment, collateral attack, legal proceedings, sentencing reform, firearm regulation, manufacturing, safety standards, background checks, license requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• You'll hear some expert medical testimony about what they actually do.
• Again, there are some medical experts here that can provide more context.
• One of the medical experts on what those situations might be.
• terms of what those other situations might be, I just—if you'll allow me to defer to the medical experts
• , and I'm going to be equally interested in exactly what that entrapment would look like when the experts

Bills: HB229 , HB3990 , HB5082 , HB5510 , HB229

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: biological sex, government information, definitions, sex-based distinctions, public health, flags, display, state law, municipalities, government buildings, drug enforcement, local control, home rule, municipal charter, county policy, ordinance preemption, state preemption, attorney general enforcement, civil penalties, mandamus

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not an expert in most things.
• I'm not an expert in most things. But to me, it seems like a statewide question.
• I'm not an expert in most things.
• “And you guys are not the subject matter experts, but you deal with them.
• We could consult the experts. Yeah, and this isn't—you're not under oath.

Summary: The subcommittee met to hear budget-related updates from the Judicial Branch and the Office of Emergency Services, with no votes taken. The Judicial Council supported the Governor’s proposed budget, highlighting $70 million for increased trial court operating costs, additional funding for court-appointed counsel, Court of Appeal case processing, and courthouse construction and facilities. Trial court representatives emphasized staffing retention problems, especially in counties like San Bernardino, and said stable funding is needed to avoid delays and maintain access to justice. Members also discussed the branch’s remote proceedings program, which has been used in more than 6 million hearings statewide since 2022 and was described as especially important in rural areas and for vulnerable litigants; several members urged making the authority permanent rather than extending it temporarily. A major portion of the hearing focused on Proposition 36 implementation. Finance said the Governor’s budget maintains the $130 million provided in the 2025 Budget Act for court workload and pretrial services, but adds no new Prop. 36 court funding. Judicial Council staff reported nearly 35,000 felony Prop. 36 filings in 2025, with most cases still pending and only a small share of treatment-mandated cases already dismissed after treatment. Witnesses said courts are using the funds for staffing, coordinators, clerks, and treatment-court operations, but that workload varies widely by county and that data collection is limited because courts report aggregate information rather than case-level outcomes. The LAO raised a technical concern about the Department of Finance’s Prop. 47 savings estimate and recommended revising the methodology at May Revision. The committee also reviewed the Orange Central Justice Center facility modification project, where the Judicial Council explained that hidden construction deficiencies and fire-life-safety issues caused costs to rise substantially after demolition began. The LAO said the project itself was supportable but recommended that the Legislature set an ongoing funding level for court facilities, require a long-term facilities plan, and consider more oversight of facility modification projects. Finance said it continues to fund courthouse projects individually and through the State Public Works Board, while acknowledging project delays and cost increases. Finally, Cal OES and advocates discussed victim services funding. Cal OES said it administers about $315 million annually for victim service programs, including VOCA-funded services, but federal VOCA allocations have fluctuated sharply and the state has used one-time General Fund backfills to maintain services. Trauma recovery center advocates warned that an 85% reduction in funding would sharply reduce services for survivors of violent crime, while human trafficking advocates urged reauthorization of the Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program before funding reverts to pre-pandemic levels in July 2026. Members asked about federal and state funding stability, referral pathways, and the long-term value of these programs in preventing worse outcomes and reducing public costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• In your testimony, sir, you said experts across the country. Yes.
• These are folks who are nationwide experts in setting rates.
• I know one of the experts who was on our panel is from Texas.
• The question was: who were the experts and where are they from?
• they are or can credibly agree that they are experts.

Bills: HB2042 , HB2052 , HB2055 , HB2056 , HB2094 , HB2098 , HB2185 , HB2328 , HB2758 , HB2798

Committees: House Natural Resources, Energy & Water , House House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference

Keywords: solar radiation management, environment, prohibition, Arizona Revised Statutes, public health, complaint process, Attorney General, groundwater management, water conservation, irrigation, water supply, brackish groundwater, water supply development, desalination, water infrastructure, financial assistance, environmental reviews, brackish water, groundwater, water resources

Transcript Highlights:

• I bring that up because our supervisors are experts in conducting elections.
• What they're not are experts in identifying individuals...
• They are experts in identifying voter fraud. Absolutely.
• They are experts in identifying voter fraud. Absolutely.
• But we had zero testimony from any experts.

Transcript Highlights:

• it was to get a particular mediator who's very skilled, and that mediator historically has used an expert
• it was to get a particular mediator who's very skilled, and that mediator historically has used an expert
• it was to get a particular mediator who's very skilled, and that mediator historically has used an expert
• it was to get a particular mediator who's very skilled, and that mediator historically has used an expert
• Okay, we'll move on to the next measure. take the experts out of the advocacy take the experts out of

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Summary: The joint hearing first took up SB 696, which would create an emergency management office and fund tax credits, grants for low-income taxpayers to fortify homes, shelter development, and staffing. Supporters argued Hawaii needs a dedicated preparedness office and funding before the next hurricane season, while the Tax Foundation said the bill was too vague, especially on who would qualify for the tax credits and under what conditions. The Department of the Attorney General and the insurance division offered comments, and both committees recommended deferral of SB 696. The Commerce and Consumer Protection committee then heard SB 179 on construction defect remedies and the contractor repair act. Builders, Realtors, carpenters, and a mortgage industry witness supported the bill, saying it would reduce abusive litigation, speed repairs, and help housing production and affordability. Homeowner advocates and plaintiff attorneys opposed it, arguing it would weaken consumer protections, shift repair costs to homeowners, and delay or limit legitimate claims. One testifier suggested the Senate focus instead on stronger alternative dispute resolution, and the committee noted 105 written supporters, four opponents, and one comment submission. The committee next heard SB 416 on allowing pets in rental housing, with the Attorney General recommending a non-impairment safeguard because of possible effects on existing contracts. SB 593 on commercial dog breeders drew support from the Hawaii Humane Society and others, with concerns raised that counties would be expected to enforce the new regime without funding. SB 641, creating a tax on low-alcohol-by-volume spirits beverages, drew opposition from the Wine Institute, which said it would create a tax break for one segment and likely reduce state revenue. SB 1048 on online crowdfunding received support from GoFundMe and comments from the Attorney General, with GoFundMe urging changes to reduce burdens on charitable fundraising. SB 1213, allowing businesses to accept service of process by email instead of maintaining a registered agent, drew DCCA comments and opposition from LegalZoom, which warned email service could be unreliable and vulnerable to phishing.

Transcript Highlights:

• First, experienced professionals and subject matter experts in the field will have 30 minutes.
• We have one expert testifying today, allotted again for 30 minutes.
• We will allow committee members to ask questions following the completion of the expert testimony.
• The subject matter expert on this matter is Jessica Trow, the deputy director of research and policy
• I am not an expert on that, and I'm going to decline to answer.

Summary: The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on Initiative Petition 25-10, House Bill 5002, titled “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy,” which would repeal Massachusetts’ adult-use cannabis legalization framework. Chairs Brendan Crighton and Kate Hogan outlined the Article 48 initiative process and explained that the committee is gathering testimony for a report to the legislature. The hearing was organized into expert, proponent, opponent, and public testimony, with written testimony accepted through March 27. The first witness, Jessica Trow of MassBudget, testified in opposition to repeal and focused on cannabis-related revenue and social equity. She said legalization has generated nearly $2 billion statewide since adult-use sales began, with revenue flowing through the Marijuana Regulation Fund, the state sales tax, and local taxes and fees. She emphasized that funds support public health, the Cannabis Control Commission’s social equity work, the Cannabis Social Equity Fund, and municipal budgets, and argued that legalization has created pathways for communities harmed by prohibition. The petition’s spokesperson, Wendy Wakeman, argued in favor of repeal, saying legalization has worsened public health, safety, and quality of life, citing higher potency, addiction, youth use, impaired driving, workplace positives, and black-market concerns. Committee members questioned her about the data sources, the will of the voters, the role of paid signature gatherers, and the petition’s funding, including out-of-state and dark-money concerns. Opponents of the initiative then testified that repeal would harm a regulated industry that has created jobs, tax revenue, and social equity opportunities. Caroline Pino of STEM, Kristen Rogers of Levia, Judith Ledbetter of Project De-Stigmatized Healthcare, and Armani White of Firehouse Dispensary/EON described their businesses, community investments, and personal reliance on cannabis, and warned that repeal would push consumers back to the illicit market and undermine equity programs. In public testimony, Lucas Thayer of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition and Jeff Rawson, a chemist and consumer protection advocate, also opposed the measure, arguing that regulated cannabis is safer than unregulated products and that repeal would damage investments and public safety. The hearing ended after the public testimony, and the committee voted to close the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• and remediation task force bringing together consumer advocates, industrial hygienists, restoration experts
• The task force... ...experts, public health scientists, and insurers.
• Our findings in the Eaton Fire area, compiled in collaboration with experts from eight academic institutions
• At the end of the day, what I don't want, and I think what we all agree on, is that let the experts come
• And trying to let the experts do what they do and understand this much better than, you know, an insurance

Summary: The Assembly Insurance Committee met as a subcommittee at first because a quorum was not initially present, then later established a quorum and heard several bills. The main special-order item was AB 1795 (Gibson), which would create statewide standards for testing, inspection, and remediation of wildfire smoke damage in homes, with CalEPA and public health agencies developing science-based standards and insurers required to follow new claims-handling timelines. Supporters, including Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and wildfire survivors, said the bill would bring consistency and safety; insurers and consumer groups generally supported the concept but sought further amendments on scope, standards, and claim handling. The committee voted do pass as amended and refer AB 1795 to Appropriations, with the roll held open for later additions. The committee also considered AB 1576 (Ortega) on the Subsequent Injury Benefit Trust Fund, which would make changes intended to reduce litigation and employer assessments while preserving the program’s purpose of encouraging hiring of workers with prior disabilities. Labor-side witnesses supported the bill as a reform step, while business, public entity, and insurance groups opposed it, arguing it did not address the core structural problems and that a trailer bill was a better vehicle for broader reform. AB 1576 was voted do pass to Appropriations, with the roll held open. AB 1931 (Papan) would create an optional limited-lines license for utilities to offer home protection products for repairs to appliances and utility service lines. Support came from HomeServe, utilities, and industry groups, who said the bill would clarify current law and add consumer protections such as training, disclosures, and a free-look period; there was no opposition in the room. The committee passed AB 1931 to Appropriations. AB 2361 (Pacheco) would limit vicarious liability for peer-to-peer vehicle-sharing platforms like Turo while preserving insurance coverage requirements; supporters said it would align California with other states, while consumer attorneys opposed it as reducing accountability and consumer recovery. The committee passed AB 2361 as amended to Appropriations. AB 2098 (Kalra), heard later, would require employers to allow leave for workers to attend treatment for occupational injuries during work hours, subject to notice and business-necessity limits; labor groups supported it and business and insurance groups sought narrower standards. It was also voted do pass to Appropriations. The committee then completed roll-call add-ons and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• First, experienced professionals and subject matter experts in the field will have 30 minutes.
• We have one expert testifying today, allotted 30 minutes.
• We will allow committee members to ask questions following the completion of the expert testimony.
• The subject matter expert on this matter is Jessica Trow, the Deputy Director of Research and Policy
• I am not an expert on that, and I'm going to decline to answer.

Bills: H5005

Committee: Joint Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions

Keywords: environment, water conservation, natural resources, public funding, environmental justice