Transcript Highlights:

• The State Administration Budget Subcommittee will come to order.
• Sean Perez is our budget analyst. Michelle Mullins is our budget specialist.
• I wish they'd have called it truth in budgeting, because it really is truth in budgeting.
• It'll be on time and on budget.
• That budget is submitted through DMS.

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met for an introductory overview of the agencies under its jurisdiction and their current-year budgets. Chair Vicki Lopez welcomed members and staff, and each member briefly introduced themselves and identified areas of interest, with recurring themes including fiscal restraint, insurance regulation, revenue administration, condominium issues, and government efficiency. The chair then outlined the subcommittee’s overall budget, about $3.1 billion, and noted major recent policy areas affecting the budget such as condominium legislation and emergency communications funding. Agency heads then presented high-level summaries of their missions and budgets. The Department of Revenue described property tax oversight, tax administration, and child support enforcement; the Department of Management Services reviewed state purchasing, telecommunications, fleet, state insurance, retirement, and digital services; DBPR highlighted licensing, enforcement, condominiums, and building code work; DFS covered insurance consumer services, risk management, unclaimed property, fire marshal functions, and criminal investigations; the Gaming Control Commission discussed pari-mutuel and tribal gaming oversight and enforcement; OIR explained insurer solvency and rate review; the Lottery emphasized education funding and record sales; OFR described regulation of banking, securities, lending, and money services; DOAH outlined administrative and workers’ compensation adjudication; PSC covered utility rate regulation and consumer complaints; PERC described labor relations and career service appeals; and FCHR summarized discrimination complaint investigations and outreach. Several members asked questions about utility returns, insurance regulation staffing, DMS’s state employee health plan deficit and prescription drug formulary management, agency recommendations for reducing regulatory burden, and state facilities usage. Responses generally emphasized that utility rates and insurer filings are determined through evidentiary and actuarial processes, that OIR has reduced vacancies but still seeks specialized staff and a Tampa office expansion, and that DMS acknowledged rising health plan costs and said the issue likely requires broader budget-level discussion. The chair also pressed multiple presenters to stay focused on agency operations and budgets rather than broader policy issues. No votes or formal actions were taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate budget proposes the same.
• Is it right about at the foundation budget, or is it above the foundation budget?
• budget.
• City Is it right about it the foundation budget or is it above the foundation budget?
• As in most towns, our budget makes up over 60% of our total budget.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education opened a hybrid public hearing on a large slate of bills related to school buildings, school finance, technology, data privacy, safety, and related education issues. Chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlined procedures for the hearing, including two-minute testimony limits and the plan to group similar bills together. Several bills drew no testimony and were closed without further discussion, while others drew extensive testimony from legislators, school officials, parents, advocates, and educators. A major theme was school safety and student well-being. Lori Al-Hadeth testified in support of bills on alert systems in public schools, describing the loss of her daughter in the Parkland shooting and urging adoption of Alyssa’s Law-style panic alert technology. Representative Gallagher and disability advocates also supported a bill authorizing, but not requiring, airway clearance devices in schools, arguing they could save lives in choking emergencies and provide an option for people who cannot use the Heimlich maneuver. Another bill on reducing cafeteria waste drew support from a legislator and a Lexington sustainability official, who said installing dishwashers during construction would reduce waste and long-term costs. Much of the hearing focused on Chapter 70 school funding and the inflation cap. Senator Pavel Payano, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Senna, and multiple local officials and school committee members from Bridgewater, Chelsea, Groton-Dunstable, and other districts argued that the 4.5% cap on inflation adjustments has left schools underfunded during years of high inflation, forcing layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to programs and student supports. They urged bills to eliminate the cap, restore lost funding, increase the Commonwealth’s share of the foundation budget, or create commissions to study reforms. Testimony also highlighted the impact on special education, English learners, and low-income students, with Chelsea witnesses saying the cap has cost their district about $7 million annually. School construction and MSBA reform were the other major topic. AIA Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools, Lynn officials, and AFT Massachusetts described aging facilities, overcrowding, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of financing new schools under current reimbursement rules. Boston officials said the district has many pre-World War II buildings and has only built a handful of new schools in decades, while Lynn leaders said reimbursement rates have fallen well below the statutory 80% because of caps and ineligible costs. Witnesses urged modernization of the MSBA program, higher reimbursement rates, and more resources for school construction. The committee also heard support for a bill to study the adequacy and equity of the school building program, and chairs indicated some bills would be closed after no one signed up to testify.

Transcript Highlights:

• Upon conclusion of House Bill 2, and hearing that budget request, we will hear the budget for the judiciary
• This is budget items.
• FY 2027 budget request.
• So in the fiscal year 2026 budget, our current budget year, we overspent on this line.
• So in the fiscal year, 2026 budget, our current budget year, we overspent on this line.

Summary: The committee first heard the Office of the Governor’s FY 2027 budget request from Adam Gresham. He explained the office’s staffing and noted a $500,000 core reduction, along with a reallocation of three positions and about $168,000 from the governor’s office to the mansion operating fund to better reflect where those employees work. Members asked about the National Guard emergency line, which Gresham said had already spent about $63,457 in FY 2026 and could be used again for disaster activations, though he did not expect to use the full $4 million. He also said the agricultural resiliency transfer fund had not been used and had no current transfer plans. Several members commented on the size of the governor’s cut and whether the judiciary and other offices were also being asked to reduce budgets. No votes were taken. The committee then moved to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Childhood and early childhood-related budget items. DESE staff described funding for the Office of Childhood, MoQPK child care provider grants, LEA pre-K grants, early childhood special education, Parents as Teachers, First Steps, preschool coordination, after-school programs, and child care subsidy. Members asked extensively about the MoQPK grants, including why Head Start providers were eligible, how curriculum approval works, and what safeguards exist against fraud or improper payments. DESE said it conducts physical inspections, desk reviews, payment-system checks, and investigations as needed, and that it had not had findings in this area. Some members questioned whether DESE or DSS was the right home for early childhood programs, while others defended the partnership and the role of early educators in identifying child needs. A major portion of the discussion focused on early childhood special education and the child care subsidy program. DESE explained that First Steps serves children birth to age three, while early childhood special education covers ages three to five and is driven by IEP eligibility; members asked for more data on diagnoses, trends, and how many children come off IEPs. The committee also discussed the child care subsidy budget and the governor’s proposed shift to paying providers based on authorization and at the beginning of the month. DESE said the change is being piloted, that a wait list is expected to begin around March 1, and that a May rollout is being considered, but only if software testing and fiscal projections show the system is sustainable. Members expressed frustration that promised changes had been delayed and that providers had been told different timelines, while DESE said the delay was driven by software issues, fiscal caution, and the need to avoid repeating prior payment problems. The hearing ended with the committee in recess before later resuming discussion of the subsidy program; no final votes or actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Everyone throughout the departments that has a title of program budget analyst—without which this budget
• </c><00:56:31.520><c> is</c> federal federal level um this budget is federal federal level um this budget
• Moving on to Budget and Finance.
• CIP budget includes about $1.9 billion CIP budget includes about $1.9 billion in<01:38:55.920><c> general
• </c> as a CIP budget for the CIP budget as a CIP budget for the CIP budget please<01:39:30.960><c> note

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> so then it was um, put in the budget so then it was um, put in the budget bill. bill. bill.
• This is budget neutral as well.
• Then the commissioner has authority to use the budget reserve to balance the overall budget.
• </c> budget if the using the using the budget budget if the using the using the budget reserve<01:32:
• </c> bring the budget back into balance. bring the budget back into balance.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The staff is handing out budget sheets, so we're going to roll out and present the budget recommendations
• The Justice Budget Subcommittee expenditures are no different than that of the state's overall budget
• The Speaker and Chair McClure have asked each budget subcommittee to take a deep dive into the budget
• I have asked each budget subcommittee to take a deep dive into the budget to find places where we are
• The Justice Budget Subcommittee overall budget proposed for fiscal year 2025 is $7.3 billion, representing

Summary: The Justice Budget Subcommittee met to consider the fiscal year 2025-26 budget recommendations, a proposed committee bill on judicial positions, and one member bill. The chair framed the budget as part of a broader effort to slow spending growth and reduce recurring expenditures, noting the subcommittee’s proposed $7.3 billion budget is $366 million below the prior year. Major budget items included funding for the Department of Corrections to address staffing, maintenance, health services, security equipment, and facility needs; the Department of Juvenile Justice for residential beds, maintenance, the Broward detention facility replacement design, medical services, and Florida Scholars Academy costs; FDLE for the Fort Myers regional operations center and sexual offender/predator registration workload; and the state courts and justice administration entities for judges, due process resources, security, and staffing. The budget also reduced 1,280 vacant positions and $139.2 million in excess funding and authority. The committee then heard PCB-JUB-25-01, which implements part of the Florida Supreme Court’s certification of judicial need. The bill establishes 17 additional circuit court judges and 12 additional county court judges, with about $13.9 million in general revenue and 72 associated positions. In response to a question about why the two certified 6th District Court of Appeal judges were not included, the chair said the committee did not think it was the right time to add judges to a brand-new court still operating from leased space. The PCB was reported favorably on a 14-0 vote. Finally, the committee heard HB 1351 by Representative Baker, which revises sex offender and predator registration rules by clarifying resident categories, creating an in-state travel residence definition, allowing online or in-person reporting for certain temporary residence changes, removing duplicative reporting requirements, clarifying vehicle and employment reporting, and requiring local law enforcement to verify addresses more frequently for registrants not on supervision. FDLE and Smart Justice indicated support, and the bill passed unanimously, 14-0. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the concept of RIM, or renew, improve, modernize, is in the budget, has been appropriated that way
• So the concept of RIM, or renew, improve, modernize, is in the budget, has been appropriated that way
• So the concept of RIM, or renew, improve, modernize, is in the budget, has been appropriated that way
• So the concept of RIM, or renew, improve, modernize, is in the budget, has been appropriated that way
• In the budget and the university has to make decisions on which projects can be done for whatever the

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met on March 14, 2025, and heard five University of Hawaii-related bills. SB 741 would create an external audit committee for the UH system and Board of Regents; UH and UHPA opposed it, saying existing internal and external audits already provide robust oversight, and the committee later recommended deferring the bill indefinitely as duplicative. SB 1252 SD2 would create a dementia training program for health care providers; the Alzheimer’s Association and other supporters said broader training is needed across the care workforce, while the university discussed using JABSOM as a coordinator. The committee deferred the bill to March 19 for an HD1 reflecting JABSOM’s suggestions and removing the appropriations/FTE language. SB 1502 SD1 would fund faculty positions, student programs, and facilities at UH Manoa and West Oahu for defense-sector workforce development. UH and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii supported the measure, describing a pipeline for students into intelligence, cybersecurity, and related fields, while one individual opposed it as too closely tied to military contracting and urged investment in other sectors instead. The committee amended the bill to remove FTE references and advanced it; the vote to pass with amendments was adopted, with several members voting aye and some excused. SB 1530 would require performance-based allocation of UH general funds and efficiency reporting. UH and the Attorney General’s office raised concerns, saying the bill’s metrics would apply across the entire general fund budget and were not practical as drafted; the committee also noted opposition from the Budget and Finance Department and individuals. SB 1624 SD1 would restrict RIM funds to renewing, improving, or modernizing existing facilities and require annual reports. UH opposed the bill and explained that RIM is a lump-sum approach used to address deferred maintenance and capital needs, with Board of Regents approval and quarterly reporting already in place; the Attorney General suggested constitutional amendments. The transcript ends during discussion of SB 1624, with no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, budget is taking place, and this is the budget subreview on personnel, public retirements, and finance
• So, the governor's budget question.
• </c> &gt;&gt; the approach of of the governor's budget &gt;&gt; the approach of of the governor's budget
• ,</c> And uh per House Bill 6 in 2426 budget, And uh per House Bill 6 in 2426 budget, the<00:15:52.160
• </c> underfunding in the base of your budget? underfunding in the base of your budget?

Keywords: Call to Order: 00;15 Approval of Minutes: 01:22 Update on Generator replacement: 01:52 Update on Sheriff Fees: 13:28 Adjournment: 25:22, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its fourth budget subreview session focused on personnel, public retirements, and finance. Members approved the minutes from the prior meeting and then heard from Finance Cabinet staff on two main items: a $7.5 million request related to generator systems and a sheriff’s fees budget request. The generator request was described as a preventive, life-cycle replacement and capacity-enhancement effort for 26 generators serving Frankfort-area state buildings, intended to protect continuity of government and expand beyond basic emergency power to support continuity of services. Members asked detailed questions about how many generators would be replaced, the cost per unit, the scope of the study, and whether the work could be phased. Staff said the $7.5 million would cover a full evaluation and any resulting engineering/replacement work, but the exact number of replacements was not yet known. They estimated the initial study would cost about $500,000 to $750,000, would take six to nine months once funded, and would produce building-by-building recommendations. Staff also said typical generator life cycles vary widely, often around 15 to 20 years but sometimes longer depending on run hours and usage. The committee then reviewed sheriff’s fees, with the Division of Local Government explaining that the state reimburses counties for several statutory sheriff-related costs, especially court security, which accounts for more than 90% of the claims. Staff said the current budget base is about $20 million, while actual spending has been running above $23 million, leading to a $3.5 million growth request to align the base with projected spending and reduce the need for non-general fund expenditure (NGE) adjustments. Members asked about claim volume, county participation, reimbursement controls, and whether the request reflected growth or underfunding; staff said all 120 counties submit claims, volumes have been fairly steady, and reimbursements are governed by statute and signed monthly certifications. No votes were taken on the requests, and the meeting adjourned after questions concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Everybody knows this is a budget hearing.
• And I realized that about 68% of your budget Currently, 68% of your budget relies on federal funding.
• When we have a budget, that budget had about 179 million in And at four Title 19.
• They had budgeted 179.
• It wasn't in budget. Is it in budget, right?

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Pease, I still see in your budget, every budget, every line item has state overtime.
• My budget is gone. You know, and so sometimes we're able to backfill. My budget is gone.
• This is a maintenance budget.
• Certainly... ...we have not budgeted for that $500,000 in our budget.
• My entire budget doesn't even equate to the structural deficit included in my budget.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held its sixth public hearing on the Governor’s H-2 budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, focused on public safety and judiciary agencies, at the Foxborough Community Center. After opening remarks and local welcomes, the committee heard first from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, led by Secretary Gina Kwan, who outlined a $1.72 billion budget, up $69.8 million from FY26. She said the proposal emphasizes core operations, readiness, and partnerships with municipalities, and highlighted work on firearms-law implementation, State Police reform, DOC reentry efforts, hate-crimes prevention, emergency response, and planning for major events including the World Cup. Members also raised concerns about DNA backlog reporting, State Police academy boxing and training standards, ICE communication, disaster relief funding, crime lab staffing, EMS placement, and diversity in public safety leadership. Several exchanges focused on specific operational issues. Secretary Kwan and her team said the State Police are tracking the influx of forensic work from local sheriffs, that the boxing program remains suspended pending an IACP review and likely will not return in its prior form, and that EOPS has no direct communication with ICE but supports law-enforcement coordination where appropriate. On disaster preparedness, officials said the new disaster relief fund is being developed with MEMA and A&F, currently capitalized at $14 million with another $14 million expected, though members urged a more permanent funding source. On the crime lab, staff said the roughly $4.5 million increase is intended to cover core operations and a structural funding gap rather than expand services. The secretary also said EOPS is not ready to absorb OEMS from DPH at this time, though she would keep an open mind. The committee then heard from district attorneys, led by Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden, who said the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association is seeking a 10% increase in operating budgets, including about $16.7 million for staffing salaries, to recruit and retain prosecutors, advocates, and support staff. He said the request reflects rising workload and the need to keep the criminal justice system functioning efficiently and fairly. The hearing was recessed briefly after the district attorneys’ opening remarks, with additional testimony expected to continue afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• I really wish that the costs of the budget would be balanced on the budget.
• I really wish that the costs of the budget would be balanced on the budget.
• Cutting IHSS is not a budget decision.
• Lacking robust data on program dynamics, the state in previous periods of budget challenges enacted budget
• other budget cut.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we'd like to call the sub-budget to order.
• In the Governor's budget, while the Governor's budget does not include any additional funding to the
• courts for Prop. 36, the Governor's budget maintains the $130 million included in the 2025 Budget Act
• I can't speak to the budget.
• We understand that the budget is tight.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have our budget calendar coming up.
• Senate Bill 9, by Joint Budget, an act for the Arkansas Minority Health Initiative, the Department of
• Senate Bill 25, by Joint Budget, an act for the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton
• Senate Bill 47, by Joint Budget, an act for SAU Tech appropriation for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
• I do not believe that budget is going to take two hours. 11 o'clock tomorrow.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I've used my existing budget to do it.
• A significant part of your budget, obviously.” “Right.
• You know, I know you’ve got the judiciary budget coming up.
• Presenting the budget will be our analyst, Becky Robinson.
• Chairman, before I ever got involved with the budget, And before I ever got involved with the budget,

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• necessary to balance the budget.
• Um the environment bill is budget.
• </c> to do to get the budget put into place. to do to get the budget put into place.
• </c><00:04:42.880><c> that</c> we're able to enact uh the budget that we're able to enact uh the budget
• He will get his budget bill done.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in the budget year.
• Another question: when we were talking about budgeting, we're budget...
• Another question: when we were talking about budgeting, we're budgeting for 100% ADA, right, average
• The governor's budget moves forward with the plan from the Budget Act of 2021 with full implementation
• The governor's budget moves forward with the plan from the Budget Act of 2021 with full implementation

Summary: The committee heard presentations on the Governor’s education budget proposals for the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), Learning Recovery Block Grant, and Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), followed by testimony from State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond. On LCFF, Finance outlined the proposed 2.43% COLA, repayment of prior deferrals, and a trailer bill penalty for LEAs that fail to adopt Local Control Accountability Plans on time. The LAO said its COLA estimate was slightly lower and raised concerns that the Governor’s proposed TK staffing ratio increase may be more costly than estimated. Members also discussed whether the current COLA formula should better reflect California-specific or district staffing costs, and whether TK should be more clearly separated from the K-3 grade span adjustment to avoid larger K-3 class sizes. The chair asked staff to work with the LAO on both the TK/K-3 issue and alternative COLA calculations. For the Learning Recovery Block Grant, Finance proposed restoring the first of three delayed payments, $378.6 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund, while the LAO recommended adopting the proposal but extending the expenditure deadline by at least a year. The LAO reported that districts had spent $1.6 billion of the $6.8 billion received through 2023-24 and said most districts were only now shifting from federal COVID relief to block grant spending. Members questioned whether the large state and federal investments were improving outcomes, citing declining reading and math trends, while Finance and the State Board president pointed to some signs of improvement, especially in math, attendance, and gains for some student groups. Darling-Hammond emphasized that student needs have grown, that recovery spending has gone to devices, ventilation, staffing, tutoring, summer school, and community schools, and that targeted interventions appear to be helping some districts recover faster than others. On ELOP, Finance proposed adding $435 million to expand universal access by lowering the Tier 1 threshold from 75% to 55% unduplicated pupils, bringing ongoing funding to $4.4 billion. The LAO said the estimate was reasonable but recommended delaying implementation for a year, aligning ELOP with ASES to reduce overlap, moving toward funding based on participation rather than enrollment, and considering a fixed Tier 2 rate. Members and witnesses discussed staffing challenges, the use of funds for students with disabilities, and uncertainty in Tier 2 funding caused by unspent dollars and opt-outs. Darling-Hammond supported ELOP as part of California’s broader after-school and summer learning strategy, said most districts are now offering full-day TK and expanded learning, and urged the state to reduce fragmentation across categorical programs and build more unified systems for funding, reporting, and support.

Transcript Highlights:

• justify in our tight budget environment spending.
• Budget accounts. Thank you.
• So it says the governor's budget includes $634 million.
• the budget year, but not in the budget year plus one, as we call it.
• Of budget authority for the project.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , uh, process, the taxpayers' budget summary will allow taxpayers to review year to year budgets in a
• The substitute language requires making proposed budget and adopted budgets available publicly if the
• budgets online.
• Uh, the CFO of the City of Austin, it's a massive budget. How large is the city of Austin's budget?
• You, so when you budget every year.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in 14-15, the clerk's budget was approximately 9% greater than the trial court's budget.
• So I am presenting the clerk's 25-26 budget legislative budget requests.
• Are the county employees, are the county budgets going up much faster than the state budgets?
• But we have two budgets. We have a county budget, and we have the court budget.
• My total budget in my office is $150 million.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice heard an update from Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon on staffing, overtime, capital needs, and inmate population growth. Dixon said the prison population has risen by about 8,000 since January 2021 while staffing has not kept pace, forcing the agency to open 53 housing units without funded positions and rely heavily on overtime and National Guard support. He cited a $189 million deficit tied to salaries and overtime, noted that most staff have less than three years of experience, and argued the solution is to fully fund posts for operational housing units. He also reviewed the department’s fixed capital outlay projects, including repairs, new housing construction, and medical modular units intended to reduce outside hospital transports, and gave an update on the VINE victim notification system and its expansion. The committee then heard from Florida clerks of court representatives Jason Welty and Miami-Dade Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin, who described clerks’ court-related and county duties and said clerk budgets have not kept pace with the broader justice system. They requested reimbursements for injunctions for protection ($3.3 million), Baker Act/Marchman Act/sexually violent predator cases ($2.5 million), and juror management ($4.8 million), and said future funding for new judges should include the full courtroom system, not judges alone. Fernandez-Barquin also raised concerns about unfunded mandates, rising retirement and health costs, low court-side pay, and the need to revisit filing fees and trust fund allocations. Members asked about collections, payment plans, license suspensions, and whether some fees or trust fund distributions could be redirected; the governor’s budget had already picked up the $2.5 million request for Baker/Marchman/SVP cases. During public testimony, speakers urged broader criminal justice reforms and additional funding priorities. A prosecutor emphasized that adding judges requires funding for prosecutors, public defenders, and clerks as well. Other speakers called for parole or long-term sentencing reform to reduce prison populations and costs, criticized staffing and conditions in prisons, and raised concerns about inexperienced correctional officers, visitation delays, and lack of air conditioning in some facilities. The committee took no substantive votes on the items discussed and adjourned after hearing the presentations and public comments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Budgets are about trade-offs and it?
• Rallygoers said the human services budget bill balances the state's budget at the expense of people with
• </c> budget bill balances the state's budget budget bill balances the state's budget at<00:13:31.360>
• We're very focused on a budget. budget. They did not have the extra budget.
• We're very focused on a budget. forward. We're very focused on a budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all