Transcript Highlights:

• Representation, quick question: how long ago, and how much was allocated was that $200,000 that the senator
• Armstrong got $400,000 allocated for the American Legion for this project, and the county has it because
• The money is there; the State of New Mexico has allocated funds.
• gone through either the congressional delegations of Utah, New Mexico, or Arizona to get that in the budget
• The Veteran Trust Fund is money that the Navajo Nation allocates for veterans.

Transcript Highlights:

• 69.5% for each subsequent allocation year?
• budget allocations that we've subsequent budget allocations that we've proposed,<00:24:15.440> we
• It's in your budget as SBIR.
• You'll see it in our regular budget and in our exception budget.
• You'll see it in our regular budget and in our exception budget.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Scott said the budget accounting officer was given an invoice for the bill to pay it,
• R3 resolution be approved. page two lines 13 through 16 um the page two lines 13 through 16 um the budget
• and Accounting Office had a budget and Accounting Office had a member<00:17:52.080> Greater<00
• Chair and members, this is the resolution on members' personalized stationery allocation.
• It gives different allocation methodologies between using postage and using digital communication.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration met with a quorum and took up a series of annual housekeeping resolutions governing House operations and member/staff policies. The committee heard brief explanations from House Controller Pete Squa and HR Director Kelly Knight on each item, including the 2025 P1 service award policy, donated time policy, compensatory time and time card policy, interim/per diem classification, legal fees policy, staff photo/digital image fees, chaplain compensation, leadership compensation, member expense reimbursement, member stationery allocation, postage and digital constituent communications, member communication reimbursement, alcohol consumption policy, remote work policy, drug use policy, and the high school page/internship program reimbursement policy. Most resolutions were adopted without controversy, often with only minor clarifications or no changes from prior years. Notable changes included clarifying donated time limits, refining compensatory time language, updating leadership compensation positions to reflect the new organization, adding a Greater Minnesota mileage option in the member expense reimbursement policy, removing obsolete long-distance reimbursement language from member communication reimbursements, updating the alcohol policy location reference to the Centennial Office Building, and increasing high school page reimbursement from $10 to $15 per day. The committee also noted the House roster staff roster is on file with the controller as required by House Rule 8.20. Two items were set aside for further review: the P5 legal fees resolution was tabled after members raised questions about prior use of the policy and whether the language should be revised in light of past circumstances, and the R5 postage/digital constituent communications resolution was also tabled after Representative Schultz proposed allowing members to choose either 100% digital communications or a 70% digital/30% postage split. The R9 drug use policy was likewise tabled after Representative Engen asked whether changes in state marijuana law affected the policy. All other resolutions brought to a vote were approved and adopted, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• approach and to allocate the expenses for that which is the SBI's technical fix and it which is the
• <00:05:21.520> approach expense allocation approach expense allocation approach and<00:05:
• 23.400> to<00:05:23.560> allocate<00:05:24.120> the<00:05:24.240> expenses
• we'll do it next year during the budget we'll do it next year during the budget year.<00:09:02.160
• For the record, I'm Eric Anderson, government relations director at Minnesota Management and Budget.

Bills: HF4074

Keywords: retirement, pension, public employees, MSRS, PERA, TRA, St. Paul Teachers Retirement Fund Association, police and fire, correctional employees, probation officers, telecommunicators, dispatchers, 911 operators, public safety answering point, PSAP, firefighters, volunteer firefighters, paid on-call firefighters, fire relief association, state aid

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, Tab F has our current budget status report.
• How does that relate to outcomes and budgeting?
• I just, you know, whenever we look at our budgets, I've never had a budget—a dormant budget—in my Personal
• There's 5 million in there allocated every year.
• Also, RLD, that budget piece came up for the compacts as well.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We had to allocate funds for this.
• It took a while to establish, but we allocated some of our junior funds to get them started.
• We got the budget submitted on September 2nd in this case, so we're already knee-deep in budgets, and
• We are asking to be included in the budget.
• We are requesting $4.5 million for the CAAs to be included in the Health Care Authority budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• We receive about, all the cancer centers receive 85% of all the extramural budget of the NCI.
• properly. allocated to HB2 and go specifically to NUPAC to do prevention and education.
• I don't know how we persuade an increase in RLD's budget to do enforcement.
• And that the state has allocated all that to New Pack, is that right? In the last HB2? Yes, okay.
• We will share a little bit more about where that money is going to be allocated.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know that the Trump administration has said that they plan to slash the budget of the National Science
• I promulgated budget priorities that led to the federal government doubling research and development
• I can't speak necessarily to the top line of the national science foundation budget.
• Budgeted and ultimately appropriate are spent and prioritizing them in areas of national interest when
• I served as the US CTO in the last administration Even in constrained budget environments.

Keywords: Senate Committee, Commerce, Science, Technology, Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, FTC, Consumer Protection, Innovation, Emerging Technologies

Summary: The meeting of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation featured significant discussions regarding technological advancements and their implications for the future. Notably, nominations were made for key positions in the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Federal Trade Commission. Committee members expressed the importance of leading in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, emphasizing that the pace of innovation is crucial for maintaining the United States' global position as a leader in technology. The discussions also highlighted the role of the FTC in protecting consumers from deceptive business practices and ensuring fair competition in the marketplace. Attendees underscored the urgency of advancing research and development in areas such as quantum computing, as evidenced by a demonstration of a new quantum chip anticipated to redefine computing capabilities across industries. Various members engaged in vibrant exchanges, showing support for initiatives aimed at bolstering innovation through public and private collaboration. Overall, the meeting set a strong agenda for pursuing future science and technology policies that ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of global advancements.

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe that this audit can serve as a template for how we can look at a budget.
• The Active Transportation Plan is not itself a budget, and so auditing that to ensure state funds are
• It isn't a budget.
• It's not the Metropolitan Transportation Program that actually allocates dollars to projects.
• State savings are deposited annually into the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund, with 65% allocated

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• IT IS A UNIQUE ALLOCATION IN THAT IT DOES UNCOVERS DISASTERS OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD AND SO THOSE BEING
• WE ARE CURRENTLY MANAGING 3.4 BILLION TOTAL AND THAT WILL INCREASE WITH THE MOST RECENT ALLOCATION THAT
• THAT WILL INCREASE WITH THE RECENT ALLOCATION.
• THIS IS THE RECENT ALLOCATION.
• THERE WERE 11 ADDITIONAL DIRECT ALLOCATION MADE TO WHAT HUD REFERS TO AS ENTITLEMENT COMMUNITIES.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This year's budget looks a lot like last year's budget.
• So, I'm here before you today just to ask for a slight increase in our budget allocation.
• <02:31:16.960> As<02:31:17.200> you in our budget uh allocation.
• As you in our budget uh allocation.
• You all, of course, grant us a budget allocation on a yearly basis, and we spend about 100% of that

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 409, 22 January, 2026; 1:30 P.M., 925, all

Summary: The committee first heard from the Mississippi Auctioneer Commission, which requested level funding. PJ Lindsay reported the agency granted 29 new auctioneer applications and 9 new firm applications, received 3 complaints, resolved 1, signed 1 consent order, and issued 1 suspension. Members questioned the commission about its cash balance, reserve levels, and a large variance between prior spending and the FY26 request; staff explained the difference was tied to technology and contractual costs, including planned computer system updates and out-of-state conference travel for board members. The commission also noted that auctioneering oversight is important because an estimated $4.5 billion will flow through Mississippi escrow accounts in 2025. The Board of Optometry then presented its budget and organizational changes. Board leaders said the board had transitioned away from a state employee model to a management company arrangement with JBAR/Cornerstone, which they said saved about $43,000 and improved service and efficiency. They described the creation of a licensing database and a new back-end system, and said the board was generally seeking level funding with a small increase for computer equipment tied to the new system. Committee members asked about the impact on PERS contributions, the former employee’s retirement, the board’s cash balance, lease arrangements, and whether licensees had complained; the board said the change required legislative approval, the former employee retired, the cash balance was about $399,900, and service complaints had decreased. The Mississippi Board of Licensure for Engineers and Surveyors reported a busy FY2025, including moving most licensure applications online, accepting supporting documents by email, expanding K-12 and college outreach, hosting student interns, visiting ABET-accredited schools, decoupling the surveyor exam registration process, and awarding about $400,000 in grants to engineering programs. The board said it licenses about 15,000 engineers and surveyors plus 8,500 interns, with most registrants from out of state, and that its fees are among the lowest nationally. For the budget, the board requested level funding overall but also sought a new investigator position, 5% salary progressions, increased travel funding for national meetings and STEM outreach, more contractual money for internships and IT modifications, additional supplies, and restoration of a $600,000 grant program that is funded every other year to support university and community college engineering and surveying programs. The board said its operations are supported by fees and that its cash balance is about $1.6 million.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we received funding in our FY 26 budget to offer people waiver services as they apply.
• Just want to know that our budget, our overall budget is much higher.
• We are working, um, and making sure that we are budgeting properly for that.
• So that's the first program um that we received an allocation for.
• The governor's budget didn't reflect the fact that they were upside down that far.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll save the traditional hanky drop ceremony for our special session on the budget.
• for the budget conference.
• As we continue to work on the budget, As we continue to work on the budget, we will hold the line on
• our work on this budget in the near future.
• our work on this budget in the near future.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of recognitions for interns, staff, and guests. Members also honored retiring Senate staffer Susan Miller and recognized a veteran injured in combat. After routine announcements, the chamber moved to returning messages from the House and began taking up bills and amendments. The Senate concurred in House amendments and passed SB 118 on RV park assessments and SB 572 on ethics for public officers and employees, both by 38-0 votes. It then took up the elections bill, CS/CS/HB 991, which drew extensive debate. Supporters said it would strengthen election integrity by tightening citizenship verification and ID rules; opponents argued it would burden eligible voters, especially students, seniors, disabled voters, and others without the newly required documents. The bill passed 27-12. The chamber also passed the education package SB 182 after adopting a Senate amendment to the House amendment, and approved SB 474 on military affairs, SB 425 on historic cemeteries, HB 929 on local regulation of chickees, and HB 35/SB 1370 on habitual traffic offender designation, all with unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The Senate then considered SB 902/ HB 733, the Department of Health package. Members adopted an amendment and amendment-to-amendment that preserved most Senate provisions while modifying or removing several House additions, including some early steps and medical marijuana-related changes, and the bill passed 37-0. The chamber also began work on HB 905, the foreign influence bill, with a strike-all amendment offered to expand restrictions on foreign influence, sister-city agreements, linkage institutes, and related activities, but the debate on that measure was still underway when the transcript ended. Several other returning messages and bills were temporarily postponed, and the Senate recessed briefly before resuming business.

Transcript Highlights:

• This budget is huge. I believe it's what a three percent increase.
• And so, is there anything in this budget that we're not seeing?
• We try to reserve places in the budget, but a bill still has to pass.
• Very few places had the base budget grown.
• I do think the budget was smoother this year than it's been in the past.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The purpose of this bill is to hear it so it can go in the budget box to be negotiated.
• The purpose of this bill is to hear it so can go in the budget box to be negotiated.
• That state hasn't had a special session for budget work since approximately 2006.
• That state hasn't had a special session for budget work since approximately 2006.
• The bill also outlines the entity for which fund monies will be allocated.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting covered a long series of bills, mostly in health, education, commerce, federalism, and government. In health, members discussed radiology technology updates (HB 2050), a tribal Medicaid waiver/drawdown measure with no state cost (HB 2177), an emergency medicine study committee (HB 2183), fetal death certificate and remains-transfer requirements (HB 2184), a physician assistant licensure compact (HB 2190), dementia care telemonitoring funding (HB 2202), SNAP error-rate reduction and fraud/eligibility oversight bills (HB 2206, HB 2442, HB 2797), child welfare protections like credit freezes and recorded interviews (HB 2321, HB 2322), and podiatric licensure compacts (HB 2438). Several of these were described as consent-calendar items, while HB 2206 and the SNAP-related measures drew discussion about fraud reduction, administrative burden, and work requirements. In commerce and finance, the committee heard bills on mobile food vendors and local permits (HB 2118), earned wage access services with fee caps and disclosure rules (HB 2309), CPA licensure changes (HB 2476), cash acceptance for retail purchases under $100 (HB 2555), drone delivery and unmanned aircraft guardrails (HB 2875), timeshare salesperson licensing (HB 2877), and a prohibition on state-mandated social credit scoring in lending decisions (HB 2903). The tax and retirement-related items included 529 plan conformity and Roth IRA transfer rules (HB 2477), annual tax conformity to the Internal Revenue Code (HB 2785), ASRS technical and disability-related changes (HB 2089, HB 2090, HB 2092), and a bill on employee health insurance definitions (HB 2089). The Arizona Commerce Authority bill (HB 2754) would add legislative members to the board and shift more control over trade offices and Arizona Competes Fund spending to the legislature. The education section focused heavily on school governance and finance. Bills included patriotic youth group presentations in schools (HB 2312), school board term limits (HB 2318), mandatory training for governing board members (HB 2379), independent municipal advisors for bond elections (HB 2320), restrictions on districts buying operating charter/private school sites to game enrollment formulas (HB 2376), conflict-of-interest limits for school facilities board architects and engineers (HB 2378), public meeting and travel transparency rules for districts (HB 2380), limits on long-term school property leases and reporting requirements (HB 2384), tighter bidding rules for school construction job orders using Building Renewal Grant funds (HB 2482), and a voluntary computer science proficiency seal (HB 2764). Sponsors repeatedly framed these as transparency, accountability, and anti-abuse measures, while some opposition centered on local flexibility, housing use, and existing training providers. In federalism and government, the committee heard bills to give counties more time to mail sample ballots (HB 2006), require courts to identify veterans at first appearance for possible veterans court referral (HB 2226), study veterans’ awareness of benefits (HB 2406), broaden military leave protections (HB 2663), require SAVE verification for voter registration and certain state services (HB 2806), require U.S.-sourced voting machine components by 2029 (HB 2901), affirm the Electoral College (HB 2902), and establish due process protections for justice of the peace courts against outside administrative action (HB 2976). Government committee items included a later deadline for library trustees’ annual reports (HB 2129), a two-year limit on certain adult protective services reports to the Attorney General (HB 2228), and an exemption for public and semi-public cold plunges from ADEQ spa rules (HB 2439). Several bills were reported as consent-calendar items, and a number of sponsors noted committee votes, fiscal neutrality, or favorable testimony in support of the measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• My understanding is that in the governor's budget she has also tapped this fund to help balance her budget
• help balance her budget is that help balance her budget is that correct<00:37:56.160> um<
• There are a lot of moving parts going on right now, besides the budget itself, the governor's budget
• so it actually takes out a allocation so it actually takes out a allocation that<03:38:16.199>
• <03:39:44.960> process through the uh budget process through the uh budget process thank<03

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 224, which would redirect most money from New Hampshire’s renewable energy fund back to electric ratepayers. The bill sponsor argued the measure would lower energy costs, noting recent utility rate increases and estimating annual savings of roughly $2.5 million to $7.3 million for ratepayers. Supporters said the fund has accumulated money that should be returned to customers rather than used for subsidies, and they emphasized that the state has already rebated similar funds from RGGI for years. Opponents, including Rep. Kat McGee, argued the renewable energy fund is a successful, nonlapsing dedicated fund that supports local clean-energy projects, energy resilience, emissions reductions, and private investment. McGee said the fiscal note overstated the benefit of rebates and understated the loss of investment, claiming the average annual rebate would amount to less than $10 per customer while the program has helped leverage significant private dollars and nearly 10,000 projects. She urged the committee to reject the bill as a poor deal for the state and ratepayers. Committee members questioned the fiscal note, the size of the rebate, whether the bill would set a precedent for other dedicated funds, and whether the program’s incentives amount to picking winners and losers. The Department of Energy testified neutrally, explaining how the renewable energy fund works, including renewable energy credits, alternative compliance payments, and the fund’s use for renewable energy initiatives. No vote was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So does this budget, or what parts of this budget, address the groundwater crisis, the drought?
• They're all in this budget.
• So not allocating this money makes no sense. It actually hurts our budget. It hurts Arizonans.
• This budget fails to allocate that same amount of money.
• budget bill.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and several guest recognitions, including a student honored for a national Mandarin speech contest, a Ms. Black Arizona candidate, and a Madison Elementary School reusable-tray pilot program. The body also recognized interns and approved the prior journal. The chamber then moved through Committee of the Whole calendars and adopted committee reports recommending passage of a series of budget-related bills. The main legislative business centered on the 2026-27 budget package and related omnibus measures, including appropriations, budget implementation, capital outlay, commerce, criminal justice, environment, health care, higher education, human services, K-12 education, state property, revenue/taxation, and transportation bills. Most of these measures were advanced with do-pass recommendations, with repeated debate focused on the tax omnibus and the overall budget’s policy choices. Supporters argued the package provided affordability, tax relief, conformity with federal tax changes, reduced government spending, and reforms to entitlement and other programs; opponents argued it favored corporations and wealthy taxpayers, cut health care, food assistance, housing, tourism, wildfire response, and education, and would forfeit federal matching funds. Several members specifically criticized the failure to close the data center tax exemption and to raise sports betting taxes, while supporters defended those provisions as pro-business and pro-growth. There was also discussion of fund sweeps, including university research funds, housing trust funds, and other agency balances, with opponents saying the sweeps targeted encumbered or already-committed money. After debate, the Senate adopted Committee of the Whole reports and advanced the bills, and later took up House bills introduced and placed on third reading, with members explaining their votes on HB 4138, the General Appropriations Act, largely along party lines. At the end of the session, the Senate processed messages from the House requesting the return of SB 1160 and SB 1786 for reconsideration, and the Senate requested the House return HB 2415 for reconsideration. The chamber also introduced and placed several House budget bills on third reading, including HB 4138 through HB 4153, continuing the budget process.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4.
• I'm trying to find the reasoning why putting it in the budget proposal, especially a budget that talks
• , this budget year?
• this issue beyond the budget, this budget year?
• For budget reasons, it's supposed to be related to the budget.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , at least in the recent jobs budget.
• , at least in the recent jobs budget.
• Chair, I know you have a lot of demands on your committee budget.
• Chair, I know you have a lot of demands on your committee budget.
• Chair, I know you have a lot of demands on your committee budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So does this budget, or what parts of this budget, address the groundwater crisis, the drought?
• They're all in this budget.
• So not allocating this money makes no sense. It actually hurts our budget. It hurts Arizonans.
• This budget fails to allocate that same amount of money.
• We can get this budget through.

Keywords: 1182, all