Transcript Highlights:

• Cooper, you may begin when you are ready. Afternoon, Chair [Jackson]. My name is Debra Cooper.
• Cooper pointed out, we have a regular convening of our executives from the two departments to meet and
• Cooper pointed out, that's Step one, though; we're only in phase one.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• from what happened to them and to also help them regain their strength to become participating and cooperative
• from what happened to them and to also help them regain their strength to become participating and cooperative
• from what happened to them and to also help them regain their strength to become participating and cooperative
• from what happened to them and to also help them regain their strength to become participating and cooperative

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it dovetails nicely with what we already have on the tobacco settlement funds and the cooperation
• the tobacco settlement funds<00:31:57.520> and<00:31:57.600> the<00:31:57.680> cooperation
• funds and the cooperation that we have. funds and the cooperation that we have.

Keywords: Reuploaded to restore full meeting, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture met with a quorum and adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 28, which would create a framework for the $5 million in agricultural economic development funding included in the 2024 budget. Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell testified that the bill is intended to support agriculture-focused economic development, especially processing and further processing projects, by giving the Department of Agriculture tools to identify opportunities, convene partners, and offer incentives. He emphasized the role of the new economic development division in the department and said the effort is meant to complement, not replace, the work of the state Economic Development Cabinet. Shell and several senators described the bill as a rural development tool aimed at helping smaller communities attract projects that fit their scale. He cited examples such as poultry processing, grain and elevator operations, milling, and specialty crop ventures, arguing that local processing can create jobs, strengthen markets for farmers, and keep more value in Kentucky. Senators discussed the need for return-on-investment metrics and clawback provisions for unsuccessful projects, and Shell said the framework includes those concepts. He also said the department is working on opportunities in sustainable aviation fuel, biofuels, and other markets that could bring more acres into production. Members also raised questions about small-farm innovation, raw milk, and direct-to-consumer opportunities. Shell said raw milk testing and related consumer protection issues are more closely tied to the University of Kentucky and the department’s consumer/environmental protection functions than to the bill’s economic development focus, but he said the department can help expand small-farm programs such as Kentucky Proud, Buy Local, KOAP, CAP, food-as-medicine efforts, LFPA, and farm-to-school initiatives. The discussion also turned to beef processing and feedlot development, with Shell saying Kentucky wants a beef processor but first needs to prove it can feed cattle at scale; he said changing conditions in western states could create an opening for Kentucky if it can build the necessary supply chain.

Transcript Highlights:

• highlight one letter signed by the Farm Bureau, the Farmers Union, the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives
• we've seen, I think Michigan has gotten decently high marks for handling it well because we've cooperated
• Amount of agricultural research, and we would like to see cooperation between the two, including potentially
• I would just like to highlight the need for cooperation.

Transcript Highlights:

• To ensure everyone can view, hear, and understand today's proceedings, we ask for your cooperation in
• alone over whether to grant sole or joint custody does not constitute an inability of parents to cooperate
• <01:41:47.800> in<01:41:47.960> the<01:41:48.080> here of parents to cooperate
• in the here of parents to cooperate in the here rearing<01:41:48.920> of<01:41:49.040> their
• of parents to cooperate, etc. of parents to cooperate, etc.

Bills: HF3951, HF4005, HF962, HF4585, HF3870, HF4542, HF3893, HF4293, HF4075, HF4057, HF3809

Keywords: submetered utility service, tenant rights, digital payment, eviction protection, housing policy, biometric data, consent, data protection, civil penalties, privacy laws, HF4585, Minnesota, harassment restraining order, HRO, restraining order, temporary restraining order, petitioner notice, service of process, law enforcement notification, sheriff

Transcript Highlights:

• And they've been operating just fine, but they work with us very cooperatively and very closely.
• I think that there is, but it needs to be done in the spirit of cooperation. Okay.
• . cooperation. cooperation.
• And that needs cooperation from Okay.
• And that needs cooperation from the<02:28:08.319> members<02:28:08.640> of<02:28:08.800

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am Tanya Tacker, executive director of special education for the Rum River Special Education Cooperative
• This creates significant challenges for Education Cooperative and she is Education Cooperative and she
• I am here to express strong Cooperative.
• agencies to ensure law enforcement personnel adequately identify themselves during operations and cooperate
• agencies to ensure law enforcement personnel adequately identify themselves during operations and cooperate

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee approved the October 15, 2025 minutes and then held a broader discussion on current challenges with data retention and government transparency. Judy Randall of the Office of the Legislative Auditor said historical data is essential for post-audits, which often look back three to five years, and that retention decisions must balance audit needs with the burden of separating public and nonpublic data. She described the records-retention panel process as informal and largely based on individual judgment, noting she had objected to a proposed 60-day email retention period and generally uses a three-year guideline, though she said that standard is not grounded in a formal rule. Members discussed whether auditing standards should set retention periods, with Randall saying auditing is a good starting point but other offices, including the attorney general, also have needs, and that some agency discretion is unavoidable because of the gray area between official records and non-records. Representative Elkins raised the related principle of data minimization, arguing that government should not keep data longer than needed and citing a University of Minnesota legacy data warehouse breach as an example of the risks of retaining unnecessary sensitive information. Randall agreed that data no longer needed is a liability and said her office purges workpapers after five years. Representative Scott pressed whether three years is enough for fraud investigations and financial records; Randall responded that a reasonableness standard is needed and that longer retention can produce diminishing returns, though she said she would follow up on whether financial records should be treated differently. Tanya Tacker of the Rum River Special Education Cooperative testified in support of updating Minnesota’s data-retention laws for schools. She said districts want to protect student information and maintain transparency, but the current general retention schedule dates to 1985 and 2000 and does not reflect digital records, modern systems, or the volume of special education data. She urged modernizing the schedule, clarifying what must be kept in paper versus digitized form, aligning state rules with IDEA and other federal requirements, and providing practical guidance and tools. Members praised the specificity of her recommendations. Dr. BB Newman testified that retention failures in St. Anthony Village have made it difficult to obtain routine municipal and police data, with records delayed, missing, or inconsistently produced and no clear explanation of what systems were searched or whether records were destroyed. Newman argued these gaps undermine statutory access rights and force residents into costly litigation, and recommended stronger retention auditing, documentation of destruction, mandatory disclosure of systems searched, and consequences for noncompliance. In response to questions, Senate counsel said there is generally no direct penalty, but affected parties may seek mandamus, Data Practices Act claims, or informal mediation/opinions from the Data Practices Office. The discussion closed with calls for clearer standards and possible legislative updates to improve compliance and transparency.

Transcript Highlights:

• includes a number of OCM recommendations, and we really appreciate the continued coordination and cooperation
• of the office and all of the rules that we put in statute here, but equally as important is the cooperation
• of the office and all of the rules that we put in statute here, but equally as important is the cooperation
• here, but equally as important<01:17:06.080> is<01:17:06.400> the<01:17:06.640> cooperation
• <01:17:07.360> and important is the cooperation and important is the cooperation and collaboration

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Cooper from Eagle Lab, if you would identify yourself for the record, we welcome your testimony.
• Andy Cooper.
• Cooper. Senator Drazkowski, please. Briefly, we have two more bills. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• <01:21:56.480> Cooper.<01:21:56.960> Um,<01:21:57.280> Senator have.
• Cooper. Um, Senator have. Thank you, Mr. Cooper.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• it just doesn't always want to cooperate it just doesn't always want to cooperate um<00:12:54.320
• It establishes a framework for effective cooperation, defines confidentiality protections, and ensures
• It establishes a framework for effective cooperation, defines confidentiality protections, and ensures
• It establishes a framework for effective cooperation, defines confidentiality protections, and ensures
• It establishes a framework for effective cooperation, defines confidentiality protections, and ensures

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also partnered with counties and the Sourcewell Service Cooperative for an overdue update and modernization
• We also partnered with counties and the Sourcewell Service Cooperative for an overdue update and modernization
• We also partnered with counties and the Sourcewell Service Cooperative for an overdue update and modernization
• We also partnered with counties and the Sourcewell Service Cooperative for an overdue update and modernization
• I would think that the Campaign Finance Board could be a key cooperator in that whole function.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Minnesota House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee met to begin its session with member and staff introductions, then heard an overview from Secretary of State Steve Simon and elections director Paul Linnell on the state’s elections administration and budget needs. Simon said the office’s committee-jurisdiction budget request was for the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) election security grant match: Minnesota received about $1 million in federal funds in 2024 and needs a $200,000 state match to unlock the money for election security navigator work. He also previewed the office’s broader presentation on the 2024 election, outreach efforts, and election security. Simon described the 2024 election cycle as successful, saying his administrative goals were high turnout and low drama. He reported that Minnesota had very high turnout in the November election, with more than 3.27 million ballots cast and about 76.4% turnout, and noted that more than 1.3 million voters cast ballots before Election Day. He also highlighted outreach and accessibility efforts, including the Students Voting Program, Youth Day at the Capitol, National Voter Registration Day activities, expanded online voter tools in additional languages, and work to inform eligible Minnesotans about the Restore the Vote law for people leaving prison. He emphasized that elections are a team effort carried out largely by counties, cities, townships, and election judges. Linnell then explained the state’s election administration structure and responsibilities, including the Statewide Voter Registration System, candidate filing and election reporting systems, voting equipment certification, and post-election performance reviews. He said counties are central to voter registration updates and ballot preparation, and noted that in 2024 there were a handful of counties with ballot errors that required court action, with a vendor process change identified as a contributing factor. Committee members asked for more detail on the number and identity of the affected counties. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• This pilot program was a result of several cooperative discussions with the Secretary of State’s office
• This pilot program was a result of several cooperative discussions with the Secretary of State’s office
• The pilot program resulted from cooperative discussions with the Secretary of State’s office and input
• This pilot program was a result of several cooperative discussions with the Secretary of State’s office
• The pilot program was a result of several cooperative discussions with the Secretary of State’s office

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Election Law Committee held an orientation and then opened a public hearing on House Bill 67-FN-A, which would make permanent the use of accessible voting machines in local elections and provide funding for additional systems. The chair outlined committee procedures, noting a heavy workload of roughly 70 to 80 bills, mostly Tuesday meetings, likely time limits on testimony, and a default of executive session unless a bill is specifically noticed. Members and staff were introduced, and the Secretary of State’s office described its election-related responsibilities, including voter registration, cybersecurity, ballot-counting equipment, and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) program. Secretary of State David Scanlan and Deputy Secretary Aon Hennessy explained the current pilot program created by last year’s law, which requires accessible voting systems for local elections and allows the state to share machines with municipalities during the first half of 2025. They said the office has made hardware available, but towns have raised concerns about the speed of implementation and the cost of programming each election, especially for towns with multiple ballot questions. Scanlan said the state is also vetting longer-term options, including devices that could remain in polling places year-round, and suggested the committee consider delaying the bill’s effective date to January 1, 2026 to better align with implementation needs. Hennessy said the current state devices are older and complicated to reset for each election, and estimated programming costs could be about $600 for a small single-election ballot and much higher for towns with multiple elections. Supporters of the bill emphasized the importance of accessible voting for people with disabilities. Representative Robert Wy said the measure builds on 2024 law and would move the pilot into a permanent agreement, citing ADA concerns and prior testimony about discriminatory voting experiences. Fred Forier, a legally blind voter from Exeter, testified that accessible voting systems allow him to vote privately and independently and urged support for the bill. Committee members asked about the gap if the pilot ends before a permanent system is in place and about the cost range for programming. No vote was taken during the hearing, and the committee moved on after public testimony began.

Transcript Highlights:

• To do that, she said, they bring leaders together and cooperate with community members, elected officials
• To do that, they bring leaders together and cooperate with community members, elected officials like
• Public health also expects us to cooperate with each other to get the job done, and that includes tribal
• Public health also expects us to cooperate with each other to get the job done, and that includes tribal
• We will be receiving federal funds through a crisis response cooperative agreement this month to further

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee convened for its first meeting of the 2025 session, with Chair Melissa Wiklund outlining the new co-chair arrangement, rotating gavel, committee size of 12, and the seven-vote threshold needed to move bills and motions. Members and staff introduced themselves, including several new senators, committee administrators, counsel, fiscal staff, researchers, and new pages. The committee then began its agenda with an overview of the Minnesota Department of Health from Deputy Commissioner Wendy Underwood. Underwood described MDH’s mission and structure, emphasizing public health’s focus on prevention, population health, and the social and economic factors that drive health outcomes. She highlighted the state’s health disparities, the department’s five bureaus, and major work areas including infectious disease response, newborn screening, environmental health, chronic disease prevention, health regulation, health equity, and operations. She also discussed the Center for Health Care Affordability, saying the department has been meeting with stakeholders and has hired a director to begin work on advisory bodies and community engagement around rising health care costs. Members asked questions about physician shortages, burnout, administrative burden, and health care bureaucracy. Senator Grunhagen argued that excessive paperwork and micromanagement are worsening access and workforce shortages, while Senator Abeler asked for data on whether past disparity programs have been effective and whether some efforts should be consolidated. Underwood said MDH has rural health programs, workforce supports such as loan forgiveness, and research on administrative costs and low-value services, and she noted the department has published legislative reports with more data to come. The chair then moved the committee to a broader discussion of public health system development in Minnesota, introducing City of Bloomington officials to present on a recent report.

Transcript Highlights:

• There was a cooperative agreement that was set up between ETS and the WYGISC as a GIS clearinghouse.
• c> agreement<00:16:27.760> that There was a cooperative agreement that There was a cooperative
• We cooperate.
• We cooperate. We've built a other. We cooperate.
• The Laramie County cooperative flexible.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:12.080> I<00:19:12.159> think to Rural Electric cooperatives I think to Rural
• Electric cooperatives I think that<00:19:12.480> was<00:19:12.799> in<00:19:12.919>
• <00:19:20.559> are<00:19:20.720> covered Electric cooperatives are covered Electric
• cooperatives are covered basically<00:19:21.480> the<00:19:21.640> New<00:19:21.840>
• were uh available by the uh Cooperative were uh available by the uh Cooperative were<04:57:33.520

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:13:12.520> we<02:13:12.639> do behalf of the Cooperative we do behalf of the Cooperative
• and serves over 900 cooperatives.
• and serves over 900 cooperatives.
• and serves over 900 cooperatives.
• and serves over 900 cooperatives.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• care spectrum and the health care landscape that we have in the state of Arkansas, let's all work cooperatively
• Let's all work cooperatively as best we can.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• committee that there are already school districts who are talking about how they might be able to cooperate
• better. be able to cooperate better.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is extremely important that we have the full attention and cooperation of the House.
• It is extremely important that we have the full attention and cooperation of the House as we continue

Summary: The House convened with prayer, recognized guests, and adopted consent-calendar resolutions before taking up House Resolution 1052 regarding Arkansas Girls State. Rep. Vaught explained that about 150 eligible girls were denied registration because a counselor missed the deadline, and said the House would instead host an “elite Girls State” program for them this summer. He then moved to withdraw the resolution, and the withdrawal was accepted. The chamber also presented a citation to Pastor Richard Hamlin for his service during the session. The House then considered several Senate appropriation bills. Senate Bills 3, 4, 7, 15, 21, and 31 all passed with broad support and emergency clauses. Senate Bill 77, an unfunded appropriation related to Arkansas Television Network/PBS matching funds, drew extended debate. Supporters said it would encourage private donations and could help with programming and infrastructure, while opponents argued the department had not requested the money and that the House should not force additional funding. The bill failed on the first vote, was brought back for a second vote after questions about the rules and the nature of the appropriation, and failed again. After the fiscal session business concluded, Rep. Meeks moved to adjourn sine die, and the House agreed. The House caucus then met to elect the Speaker-designate for the 96th General Assembly. The chamber suspended the formal election process by voice vote and unanimously elected Speaker Brian S. Evans as Speaker-designate. Evans thanked members, reflected on the 95th General Assembly, and pledged continued leadership and accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is extremely important that we have the full attention and cooperation of the House.
• It is extremely important that we have the full attention and cooperation of the House as we continue

Keywords: 1204, all