Transcript Highlights:

• Their friendship is a great example of how mentorship can create confidence, connection, and joy.
• Their friendship is a great example of how mentorship can create confidence, connection, and joy.
• I'm looking forward to Dan of how mentorship can create confidence, connection, and joy.
• only funding their side, and it usually comes over with a total funding across with all the capital connected
• And it usually comes over with a total funding across with all the capital connected.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• they play in providing safety for pedestrians who are walking, taking a walk, going to school, connecting
• the transit connections and downtown areas.
• getting our feet underneath us, the first is that we're going to be considering sidewalks alongside connected
• And, you know, the question is, how do you connect? You don't want a sidewalk to nowhere.
• and make those connections.

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Joint Transportation Committee study of transportation impacts if the Lower Snake River dams were removed. WSDOT and Jacobs described the study’s phases, including current work on geology, infrastructure risk, and a total logistics cost model. They explained that the study is examining how freight now moved by barge—especially wheat, fertilizer, and wood—could shift to rail and roads, and they outlined several scenarios ranging from no-dam future conditions to new unit-train terminals, short-line rail options, and a combined “many solutions” scenario. Members asked about irrigation, impacts in Idaho and Oregon, port capacity, emissions, competition, EV trucks, and whether the model could estimate transportation effects if grain volumes decline. The presenters said the study assumes current production levels continue, does not model irrigation changes or broader farm-economics impacts, but does account for transloading costs and can estimate transportation impacts under different volume assumptions. WSU’s independent review team said the model has improved substantially but still needed refinement, especially in routing, road data, and spatial detail, and that stakeholder engagement had been strong though delayed by model development. No votes were taken. The committee then received a presentation on the alternative sidewalk funding study. Staff and consultants said the study is exploring ways local governments could sustainably fund sidewalk maintenance, repair, and new construction, using a statewide survey, interviews, national research, and case studies in eight jurisdictions. They noted sidewalks are important for pedestrian safety and connectivity, but there is no dedicated funding source in Washington, and existing grants and local revenue tools are highly competitive or limited. The consultants highlighted sidewalk fees or utility-style charges as the most promising option to study, while a parcel tax was largely set aside because of state property-tax uniformity concerns. Members asked whether the study would duplicate existing funding or add to current taxes, and how a sidewalk fee would be collected; the consultants said the goal is to expand local options, not mandate adoption, and that fees would likely be billed through utilities rather than property taxes. A preliminary draft report is due December 15, with a final report due in mid-June. Next, staff gave a brief update on the ocean-going vessels study, which is examining shore power and emissions rules for vessels at berth. The presenter explained that federal Clean Air Act rules and California waiver authority create legal limits on how far Washington can go if it wants to adopt similar standards, and that deviations from California’s approach can increase litigation risk. The report will summarize stakeholder outreach and will be presented in draft form at the next JTC meeting. Finally, county engineers from Chelan and Douglas counties began a presentation on county transportation challenges, with the association’s director emphasizing collaboration with state agencies and local partners on issues such as fish passage barriers and infrastructure needs. The county presentation was only beginning when the transcript ended, and no committee action or votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• That are not deployed today, we will coordinate and connect those to a single hub that is not currently
• So whatever those connections are... ...that exist today if they need assistance.
• What's interesting to me I hear everybody come and testify about how we all ought to be connected, but
• when you go to the very same people that are testifying, okay, we want to connect you to him and you're
• Today, we need to be more connected, and that's what this bill does.

Bills: SB8, SB4, SB43, SB1, SB2, SB13, SB6, SB10, SB16, SB14, SB3, SB8, SB4, SB43, SB1, SB2, SB13, SB6, SB10, SB16, SB14, SB3

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, Texas congressional redistricting, U.S. House districts, congressional map, redistricting, gerrymandering, 2020 Census, census tracts, block groups, voting districts, election law, Texas House of Representatives districts, federal congressional districts, 2026 elections

Transcript Highlights:

• in the future we could have CYFD here so that we could ask questions because I think they're all connected
• Um, something's not connecting for me well here too.
• Ralph Martinez was an APS bus driver with no criminal history, and we connected him to four different
• That we connected through this methodology and after the first week of trial, he entered a guilty plea
• We connected him to up to 8 home invasion rapes, and he was sentenced, he was sentenced to a significant

Transcript Highlights:

• Please note the House is not responsible for any bad internet connections on the testifier's end.
• Please note the House is not responsible for any bad internet connections on the testifier's end.
• About 23 to 26% of them have service-connected disability ratings, due to HIPAA and the data that's released
• ><01:30:58.560> have<01:30:59.080> a<01:30:59.280> service<01:30:59.719> connected
• 2020 data uh have a service connected 2020 data uh have a service connected disability<01:31:01.159

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Public Safety heard testimony on several bills. HB 628 HD1, relating to education, would reinstate a prior law allowing veterans whose high school education was interrupted by wartime to receive a diploma. Testimony was generally supportive from the Office of Veterans Services, the Department of Education, the Hawaii Military Affairs Council, and an individual testifier, with one person in opposition. The committee later recommended passage of HB 628 HD1 as is, and the motion was adopted. The committee also heard HB 1158 HD1 and HB 1159 HD1, both relating to commercial harbors. HB 1158 HD1 concerns firefighting at commercial harbors and drew support from the Department of Transportation; the committee recommended passage as is and adopted the recommendation. HB 1159 HD1 would require masters or persons in charge of vessels to comply with a Harbor Master’s order to evacuate a commercial harbor during emergencies. Testimony included support from Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Transportation, and comments from the Hawaii Harbor Users Group. Members raised concerns about small boat operators and safety, and the committee passed the bill with reservations. The committee then discussed HB 1262, relating to the Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund, and HB 1296, relating to the major disaster fund. Supporters of HB 1262 included the Climate Advisory Team and AARP Hawaii, while the Department of Budget and Finance cautioned about duplication of benefits with federal disaster aid and the need to preserve the fund’s primary purpose. Members questioned how the bill would interact with federal assistance and whether the fund could be used more broadly; no vote was taken, and the bill was deferred to decision-making. On HB 1296, HEMA and Budget and Finance opposed the measure, citing the need for flexibility in emergencies and concerns that added reporting requirements could hinder response efforts, while the Tax Foundation of Hawaii noted the major disaster fund is much smaller than the EBF. The committee likewise deferred HB 1296 to decision-making, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are unlike the rest of education there, primarily federally funded, both connected to adults and
• And they are also both connected in some sense to the Workforce, Innovation and Opportunity Act.
• But we do a lot of connections with our chamber for those internships.
• We're sitting on boards, things you getting involved and to try to make those connections with those
• And so they do not have that connection. And so it's really important understand what they need.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It will say things like this: service-connected disability, yes or no; your combined service-connected
• It will say things like this: service-connected disability, yes or no; your combined service-connected
• It will say things like this: service-connected disability, yes or no; your combined service-connected
• It will say things like this: service-connected disability, yes or no; your combined service-connected
• total and permanent service connected total and permanent service connected disability<02:32:33.160

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• there with implementing in connection there with implementing the<00:39:09.839> recommendation
• <00:44:57.920> with<00:44:58.160> information<00:44:58.480> made connection with
• So I'm very connected with this community.
• <02:16:44.160> to and and it says that it can connect to and and it says that it can connect
• > including<02:17:18.960> toward and planned connections including toward and planned connections

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He noted that different states have different rules on how connected groundwater has to be to matter.
• The speaker then shifted to groundwater that is really connected to the surface water, saying that a
• So let's think about groundwater that's<00:55:45.280> really<00:55:45.760> connected<00
• <02:42:48.080> And would also be connected to the grid.
• And would also be connected to the grid.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill struck the military-connected children out of the statute, so we're trying to get it—we are
• experiences of military connected experiences of military connected children<06:22:27.240> the
• <06:22:39.760> students clarify that military connected students clarify that military connected
• incurrent law military connected incurrent law military connected children<06:22:58.878> have
• I do have connections where I can do some research and find that out quickly.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up HB 662, which would require discussion of abortion procedures and the viewing of certain videos in public school health education. Members argued the bill went too far by naming specific videos and involving the Attorney General in enforcement, and they said curriculum decisions should be left to educators. The committee voted ITL on HB 662 by a unanimous 18-0. The committee then considered HCR 6, a resolution calling for the removal of the superintendent of District 67. Members said the resolution targeted an individual and that the underlying dispute was already in court, so the matter should be left to the legal process. The motion to ITL passed 18-0. Next, HR 9, urging the Department of Education to emphasize STEM education, received broad support as a nonpartisan statement of priorities, and it also passed 18-0. HB 440, concerning educator licensing and shortages in Career and Technical Education, was amended to clarify that the bill applies to initial licensure only. After discussion about whether the amendment was necessary, the committee adopted Amendment 0188 unanimously and then voted OTPA on the bill as amended, 18-0. HB 222, which repealed the requirement for an MOU between charter schools and districts on services for students with disabilities, drew testimony that districts already provide substantial oversight through IEP processes and that the MOU requirement was burdensome and largely unenforced; the committee voted OTP 18-0. The committee then took up HB 719, which would repeal the right of first refusal for charter schools to purchase or lease unused district facilities. Supporters said the existing law had not generated complaints and could impede charter expansion, while opponents said the issue had not proven to be a problem and local control should be preserved. The committee voted ITL 17-1, with one member opposed and no minority report. The chair then postponed HB 184, a study committee bill on school start times, because it was scheduled for the next day, and the committee moved into a work session on bullying-related bills, discussing HB 108, HB 384, and HB 673 without taking final action in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I think it's really important that we have students who have good connections with their teachers
• And so I think it's really important that we have students who have good connections with their teachers
• Decades of research show that students who are connected to caring adults at school, counselors, social
• <00:53:20.240> to show that students who are connected to show that students who are connected
• <01:20:46.080> to after we had some comments connected to after we had some comments connected

Bills: HF4893

Keywords: education finance, student support, aid allowances, appropriation, school funding

Transcript Highlights:

• And staff from MnDOT's Connected and Automated Vehicles Office are here with me today, Tara Olds and
• <00:48:47.600> and And staff from MnDOT's Connected and And staff from MnDOT's Connected and
• MnDOT has been working in partnership with the Governor's Council on Connected and Automated Vehicles
• MnDOT has been working in partnership with the Governor's Council on Connected and Automated Vehicles
• they will have these fully accessible wheelchair vehicles within a 2-year timeline or be able to connect

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, they want to be connected to the natural resources.
• to um within our districts and connected to um within our districts and the<01:31:55.440> local
• <01:32:22.560> They connected to the natural resources.
• They connected to the natural resources.
• We do these connected projects. But, you know, where are the district councils?

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the March 3, 2026 minutes by voice vote. It then heard a presentation from the Minnesota Zoo on its aging facilities and bonding needs. Zoo staff highlighted the zoo’s economic and educational role, its 1.4 to 1.5 million annual visitors, and its Free to Explore program, while stressing that many of its 50-year-old buildings are in poor condition, with more than $78 million in backlog and safety concerns for visitors, staff, and animals. The zoo said the governor recommended $4 million for critical life-support systems and asked for an additional $6 million in asset preservation to renovate the original animal hospital building so a new hospital wing can function properly. Testimony emphasized that the renovation is necessary for staff space, storage, code compliance, asbestos removal, and safe animal care, and described recent injuries and close calls tied to outdated facilities. Members asked questions about porcupine quills, natural predators, and the meaning of the zoo’s incident rate. Zoo staff explained that quills are not poisonous but are barbed and can be difficult to remove, and that predators include larger cats, owls, and fishers. On incidents, staff said they include close calls and injuries linked to aging infrastructure, such as a tiger reaching farther through a wall after fencing shifted over time, and staff injuries during animal procedures in older spaces. Members also confirmed that the hospital project has shifted from a standalone building to a wing attached to the existing hospital because of rising construction costs. The committee then heard from Perpich Center for Arts Education. Perpich described its statewide role as both a public high school and an arts education resource center, serving students and educators across Minnesota. It said it hosted 313 events last year for nearly 2,000 educators and administrators and worked with 275 school districts across all 67 Senate districts. Perpich emphasized that nearly seven in 10 students rely on its residential programs because there are no comparable arts high school options in greater Minnesota, and noted strong student outcomes including a 100% graduation rate and national recognition as an exemplary school. For capital needs, Perpich said it received $1.26 million last year for HVAC and building automation work, is grateful for the governor’s recommended $1.3 million this year, and requested $6 million to create a secure, accessible main entrance and upgrade outdated restrooms to ADA compliance.

Transcript Highlights:

• the public to arts, years of connecting the public to arts, culture,<00:31:32.559> and<00:31:
• <01:44:34.719> It's very uh well-connected developers.
• It's very uh well-connected developers.
• I'm having trouble following the connection to L3.
• I'm having trouble following the connection to L3.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the corrected journal, and heard several announcements about upcoming committee meetings, events at the Capitol, and recognitions, including Music Therapy Day, Black History Month activities, adoptable puppies, and a Colorado Agricultural Forum. Members also celebrated Representative Story’s birthday and recognized the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) for its long-running support of arts, culture, science access, and economic impact in Colorado. The House adopted Senate Joint Resolution 12, designating February 20, 2026, as Colorado FFA Day, by a vote of 64-1 with one excused. The chamber then moved to special orders for several bills. The first major bill considered was House Bill 1017, which would prohibit insurers from receiving criminal restitution unless they are direct victims. Sponsors argued the bill prioritizes human victims, prevents restitution from becoming an unpayable burden on low-income defendants, and clarifies the law in response to court concerns and stakeholder feedback. Opponents argued it would shift costs to taxpayers and policyholders and could increase civil litigation and insurance premiums. An amendment, L005, was adopted to clarify the bill’s scope, and the bill then passed as amended. The House also took up House Bill 114, concerning minimum lot size and local land-use rules. An amendment, L002, was offered to prohibit certain local lot frontage, setback, open-space, or coverage requirements that would effectively prevent construction of a single-family home on a 2,000-square-foot residential lot. Supporters framed the measure as protecting housing access, while opponents argued it would override local land-use decision-making and public hearing processes. The transcript ends during debate on a substitute motion related to the amendment, before final action on House Bill 114 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is connected in my opinion process.
• It is connected in my opinion connected<00:38:54.880> to<00:38:55.040> that<00:38:55.280
• > discussion<00:38:55.920> because connected to that discussion because connected to that
• RSA 2150, Roman numeral 4, is defining service-connected injury.
• > numeral 4 is uh divine defining uh numeral 4 is uh divine defining uh service<00:52:20.880> connected

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Minnesota um are connected Minnesota um are connected to<01:41:18.599> two<01:41:19.400><
• The reason that productive connections are important is because our communities’ part of the challenges
• that we face is the inadequacy of those connections with government processes and resources.
• <01:46:26.400> with<01:46:26.599> government<01:46:27.199> government connections
• with government government connections with government government processes<01:46:28.560> and

Bills: HF1867, HF1240

Keywords: lottery, retailer contracts, Minnesota Statutes, contract qualifications, public integrity, criminal background, legislative auditor, public funds, state government, compliance, transparency, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• For some, it was providing and building out campus resource centers that would help students connect
• were connecting with campus resources<00:52:59.599> and<00:52:59.680> so<00:52:59.880>
• Are you connected with the resources that are available on campus?
• Are you connected with the resources that are available on campus?
• Are you connected with the resources that are available on campus?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• by trillions of dollars in order to finance tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected
• <00:03:39.519> the the wealthy the well-off and the the wealthy the well-off and the well-connected
• middle class well-connected leaving middle class families<00:03:43.159> to<00:03:43.480> H
• <02:14:32.920> keep well-off and the well- connected keep well-off and the well- connected
• <04:41:54.638> but the wealthy or the well-connected but the wealthy or the well-connected

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Friday, January 3, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• a little bit to the may connect a little bit to the questions<00:17:10.360> that<00:17:10.480
• <01:17:51.960> them<01:17:52.159> to is to um planning is to connect them to is to
• um planning is to connect them to the<01:17:52.520> types<01:17:52.719> of<01:17:52.960
• Rather than having them leave the prison setting or the correction setting and have no connection to
• thereafter um to provide some connection thereafter um to provide some connection to<01:37:16.239

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Division 3 work session continued its review of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medicaid budget and related policy issues, with CFO Nathan White and Medicaid Director Henry Litman presenting updated materials. The discussion focused on a crosswalk between the adjusted FY 2025 Medicaid budget and the governor’s FY 2026 recommendation, plus handouts showing service additions, eligibility changes, dental rates, and other Medicaid changes since 2019. The department also said it would provide a clearer breakdown of the pharmacy cost-sharing item by general, federal, and other funds. Members asked detailed questions about the Medicaid enhancement tax, the 80% plan, and how funds are allocated between hospital payments, directed payments, and DSH uncompensated care. The department explained that the MET is being used more toward rates and directed payments to better align with federal matching rules, while DSH remains important for uncompensated care. They also noted that a pending Senate Bill 249 would keep the 80% structure and move to Senate Finance. On the trigger law, the department identified the governing provision as Chapter 342:12, Laws of 2018, and explained that if the federal match for Medicaid expansion falls below 90%, the state must notify legislative leaders and participants and the program would sunset after 180 days unless the legislature acts. The committee also reviewed current Medicaid expansion enrollment and program trends. Officials said enrollment was just under 59,000 as of March 3, with about 87,000 people enrolled over the past year and more than a quarter-million residents having used the program over its lifetime. They said enrollment has fallen from a post-pandemic high of nearly 97,000 and may eventually settle in the low 50,000s. Finally, the department discussed federal DSH funding risk, saying New Hampshire could face a significant reduction if Congress does not extend current protections, which is part of why the state has shifted more funding toward payment rates and directed payments.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can better connect California's workforce to opportunities by making sure that the taxpayer investment
• they're better able to support themselves and their families, maintain housing stability, and build connections
• SB 1025 helps make sure those investments are working as efficiently as possible by connecting programs
• affiliations, and local partnerships that each play a critical role, but without a unified strategy connecting

Keywords: 988, house, all