Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, under our statutes, we allow retirees And in addition, under our statutes, we allow retirees
• Our normal cost rate, which is just the portion of the total Our normal cost rate, which is just the
• Our normal cost rate, which is just the portion of the total, Our normal cost rate, which is just the
• Seventeen entities received the maximum allowable amount. $162,961, 17 entities received the maximum
• allowable amount.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee was called to order, a quorum was established, and the minutes from the prior meeting were approved. The first major presentation came from Montana Public Employees Retirement System executive director William Hollahan, who gave an overview of Montana’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Compensation Act plan. He explained that the plan covers volunteer firefighters in unincorporated areas, is funded by 5% of state fire insurance premium taxes, and currently serves 228 departments with about 2,936 active members and 1,242 retirees. He described eligibility rules, annual training and reporting requirements, benefit levels for partial and full pensions, disability, death, medical, and funeral benefits, and said the plan is actuarially sound with roughly $60 million in assets and a funded ratio slightly above 100%. Committee members asked about prior-service credit, whether EMS personnel are included, the effect on recruitment and retention, and whether expanding coverage would require a funding analysis; Hollahan said prior service is not credited, EMS is not currently included, and any expansion would need financial review. Tim Walleen of Workforce Safety and Insurance then presented a draft North Dakota workers’ compensation solution for volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMS personnel. He explained that volunteer responders are already covered by workers’ comp for medical and wage-loss benefits, but the proposal would set a minimum annual wage of $30,000 for calculating wage-loss benefits for qualifying volunteers, with the benefit paid at two-thirds of that amount. Representative Porter suggested tying the volunteer definition to existing code rather than a fixed dollar amount, and Walleen agreed. Questions focused on whether search and rescue or other volunteer emergency services could be included, whether departments would face new paperwork, and whether volunteer organizations can already elect coverage; Walleen said there would be no additional paperwork and that volunteer coverage is already available. The committee also heard from volunteer fire service representatives and the state fire marshal. An Oakes-area firefighter, Mr. Olson, testified that small departments are struggling with retention, communication, and administrative burdens, especially around separate bookkeeping and funding rules for donated or fundraising money, and he said departments need clearer guidance from the state. State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark introduced himself and outlined a broader effort to improve education, support, and coordination for fire departments, including a planned 10% audit of certificates of existence beginning in 2027, more outreach through his office, and better assistance with training, reporting, and grant access. He said his office is authorized under current law to provide these services, but the role has been vague and underused. Finally, Arnagard Rural Fire District Chief Rick Schreiber testified in favor of new recruitment and retention ideas, including retirement-style benefits, health insurance, tax incentives, scholarships, grants, and more remote or regional training. He said volunteer departments are losing members, that local tax and donation funds are already stretched, and that any new retirement or incentive program should be sustainable and likely involve a mix of state and local support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Another one is to allow us the maximum flexibility to put programs where we need them and deploy human
• Another one is to allow us the maximum flexibility to put programs where we need them and deploy human
• Cost us more.
• Another one is to allow us the maximum flexibility to put programs where we need them and deploy human
• Cost us more.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 210; 21 January, 2026: 1:30 PM, 925, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks present its FY27 budget request and discuss accomplishments from prior appropriations. The commissioner highlighted improved conservation officer retention after salary increases, continued training and wellness efforts, upgrades to state parks and cabins, expansion of tiny homes, fisheries stocking and youth fishing programs, ongoing chronic wasting disease testing, and the Museum of Natural Science’s recent accreditation. The agency said it wants to maintain parks and facilities so they do not deteriorate again, and it emphasized tourism and public access benefits. Budget staff then outlined the request: $21.7 million in general funds, including increases for state parks, the museum, law enforcement, and chronic wasting disease; $23.2 million in state support capital and education funds; and $86.99 million in special funds authority. Major capital requests included $18.8 million for state parks projects at several parks, $1.25 million for law enforcement facilities, $2 million for Lake Lamar Bruce improvements, and $1.125 million for mobile teaching vans. Members asked for more detail on general fund increases, proof that law enforcement salary enhancements reached field agents, more information on the tiny home program and its return on investment, the source of motor vehicle funds, and a breakdown of requested pins and vacancies. The committee also questioned the agency about chronic wasting disease, with the department saying the $400,000 request supports testing and research and that live testing is not yet reliable. Members raised concerns about prioritization of lake and park maintenance, especially Lake Claude Bennett, and whether the agency is too reactive rather than proactive in addressing deteriorating facilities. The department said funding limitations and federal restrictions on certain lake dollars drive its priorities, and that it focuses on the most-used parks and lakes. No votes or formal actions were taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are looking at ways to curb and bring some of those costs into the budget year.
• This is for program costs. And again, cash flow needs.
• So that cost is going to be borne by California.
• You are seeing health care costs rise across the country.
• The federal government allowed that we have maintained. Yeah.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:00:36.440> of Town bill has a maximum of Town bill has a maximum of $200<01:00:38.160>
• They all have current postage costs.
• They all have current postage costs.
• /c><02:24:47.439> disabled allow towns to allow 100% disabled allow towns to allow 100% disabled
• is money this bill would allow is money this bill would allow significant<03:40:18.120> lower

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• maximum credit of $388. maximum credit of $388.
• > a<00:02:22.240> separate Taxpayers are also allowed a separate Taxpayers are also allowed
• The cost of housing continues to go up. The cost of health care just goes up and up and up.
• at the Capitol and the potential costs at the Capitol and the potential costs of<00:32:23.880>
• the state three or four times the cost the state three or four times the cost of<00:56:44.520>

Bills: HF4621, HF4123, HF4616, HF1183

Keywords: child tax credit, financial assistance, low-income families, state revenue, tax policy, net investment income, taxation, business income, self-employment, tax increase, wealth tax, fairness, public services, high-income earners, economic equity, Internal Revenue Code, employee classification, federal law, Minnesota statutes, 1183

Transcript Highlights:

• Those will be installed at P&M costs. will be installed at P&M cost, and we very likely, when it's all
• said and done, may go back and try and recoup costs that have been expended.
• But luckily, science allows us to go back and fill in those blanks.
• We're looking at where we can go to recoup costs. Where can we, you know?
• That is going to cost millions of dollars by itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the first sentence, of course, says it allows employees to opt out.
• The maximum time is 252 days or two semesters.
• But we're allowed to waive those rights, and we believe we're able to do that here as well.
• He can't afford one because, you know, the cost of homes, the cost of insurance, the cost of everything
• That allowed her to earn while she learned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Project labor agreements raise the cost of projects by anywhere between 30 and 50% on construction costs
• We need to keep the price of cost, at the cost of living, down.
• AB 998 allows schools to manage confiscated vapes as household hazardous waste and allows hazardous waste
• Additionally, they allow for cost-efficient, community-driven designs that can easily be modified to
• Additionally, they allow for cost-efficient, community-driven designs that can easily be modified to

Summary: The Assembly convened with a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then moved through a long daily file of bills. Early procedural motions included a failed attempt to suspend the rules for AB 1219, followed by consideration of numerous measures on housing, veterans, education, elections, energy, wildfire prevention, public safety, and consumer affordability. Several bills drew bipartisan support and passed overwhelmingly, including AB 878 on safety accommodations for survivors of violence, AB 948 on school district facility maintenance, AB 81 and AB 88 on veterans’ mental health and student aid, AB 640 on school board fiscal training, AB 660 on housing permit timelines, AB 1048 on workers’ compensation billing disputes, AB 1119 on dual credentialing, AB 1172 on inhalable anti-seizure medication access, AB 1227 on wildfire prevention, AB 1285 and AB 696 on lithium-ion battery safety, AB 1417 on offshore wind transparency, AB 1530 on disaster recovery assistance, and AB 353 on affordable home internet. Some measures drew opposition or more divided votes, including AB 704 on sealing certain misdemeanor records, AB 1249 on early voting access, AB 1280 on thermal energy incentives, AB 1448 on offshore oil protections, AB 380 on price gouging, AB 402 on Cal Grant increases, AB 1074 on CalWORKs reunification, and AB 1084 on expedited gender-change and name-change court orders. The Assembly also granted reconsideration on AB 435, a child passenger safety bill, and passed it after debate on the five-step safety-seat standard. The floor debate featured recurring themes of affordability, housing, wildfire preparedness, election access, veterans’ services, and public safety. Supporters of the election bill AB 1249 argued it would simply add a Saturday early-voting option in non-VCA counties, while opponents raised concerns about verification and county staffing. AB 30, authorizing E15 gasoline in California, was presented as an urgency measure to lower fuel costs and passed unanimously on the urgency and the bill. AB 1466 on groundwater disputes was also taken up, with the author arguing it would reduce frivolous litigation and better represent all water users; the vote was 42 ayes and 17 noes. After completing the file, the Assembly recessed for lunch, later returned, and continued with additional file items, with many measures passing on strong bipartisan votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what would be an example of an allowable cost there?
• And CMS has said, you know, case-by-case basis that targeted renovations are allowed.
• CMS has said, you know, case-by-case basis that targeted renovations are allowed.
• Does CMS allow that? How do you see that really working in this process?
• Does CMS allow that? How do you see that really working in this process?

Summary: The committee heard extensive public testimony from youth advocates and public health speakers urging action on vaping. Witnesses said flavored products and social media are driving youth use in Arkansas, described nicotine addiction and health harms, and asked lawmakers to prohibit vaping in public indoor spaces, align vape rules with smoke-free laws, and expand prevention efforts. Committee members thanked the speakers and encouraged them to continue building support for future legislation. The main presentation was an overview of Arkansas’s Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year federal initiative funded through CMS. State officials said Arkansas received about $209 million for the first year and may receive roughly $1 billion over five years if performance is strong. They emphasized that the program is intended for targeted, locally driven transformation rather than general operating support, debt relief, or new construction, and outlined four initiatives: Heart, PACT, Rise, and Thrive, focused on prevention, access and coordination, workforce development, and technology. Officials said applications would open in the spring, with a reimbursement-based process and a goal of launching all four initiatives by June. Members asked detailed questions about eligibility, rural definitions, school gardens, faith-based and nonprofit partnerships, mobile clinics, EMS, behavioral health, residency slots, and whether urban providers serving rural patients could apply. Officials said the program would favor regional collaboration, could support targeted renovations and expansion of existing programs, and would allow residency growth and some equipment or infrastructure purchases, but not food purchases or permanent new construction. They also said a committee of state health and finance officials would review applications, with heavy technical assistance and an expectation of quick turnaround. The committee also reviewed two DHS/Health Department rules. One implemented Medicaid and CHIP coverage and care coordination for eligible incarcerated youth before and after release, including targeted case management and screening services, with no public comments received. The other updated audiology licensing rules to reflect recent acts expanding scope of practice and changing the renewal deadline. Both rules were reviewed without objection, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, cost is one of the most significant challenges facing pet owners, and a bill that allows them to
• Um cost is one of the most challen it.
• Um, but it we still incur costs on that. Um, but it we still incur costs on that.
• It's going to allow us some time and not have a rigid one-size-fits-all definition and allow stakeholders
• It will allow us some time and not have a rigid one-size-fits-all definition and allow stakeholders to

Bills: SB874, SB2097, SB2098, SB2126, SB2154, SB2153, SB2160, SB2123, SB2110

Keywords: veterinary medicine, prescription, consumer rights, transparency, pet medication, sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, food system resilience, grant program, Hawaii agriculture, agriculture, clean plant program, disease-free plants, plant propagation, small farms, midsize farms, sustainable farming, Hawaii, data analysis, market study

Summary: The committee heard several agriculture-related bills. SB 874 on veterinary medicine would require veterinarians, upon a client’s request, to provide a written prescription for an animal patient in an existing veterinary client-patient relationship, allow Hawaii-licensed pharmacies to dispense those prescriptions, and authorize the Veterinary Medicine Board to set penalties. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive, with supporters citing lower costs and consumer choice; the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association said veterinarians already should be doing this and supported the bill if amended. One testifier in opposition argued the bill needed a conspicuous notice requirement so pet owners know they can request prescriptions. Committee members and the Department of Agriculture said they were not aware of widespread problems, and discussion focused on whether the measure was already consistent with current practice and whether amendments would address remaining concerns. The committee also heard SB 2097, which would create a climate-resilient food systems grant program in the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and appropriate funds. The department, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, and others supported the bill, saying it could help farmers and ranchers invest in resilience, infrastructure, and technology. Several testifiers asked for clearer definitions, especially for terms like “food hubs” and “resilience hubs,” and suggested adding technical assistance and clearer eligibility criteria. The department explained the program was intended for shovel-ready projects in the middle of the supply chain, with a focus on farmers in a certain revenue range, and said it was modeled on a USDA program. SB 2098 would establish a clean plant program to produce and distribute disease-free plant material to growers, nurseries, and other producers. Testimony was supportive, emphasizing biosecurity, nursery industry needs, and preventing invasive species and crop disease. The department described the program as using tested clean stock, tissue culture facilities, and data collection to support future planting decisions, and estimated a two-year ramp-up. Members questioned whether the program duplicated existing work at CTR/other partners and whether data collection should be centralized, but the department said the effort would build on existing varieties and partnerships rather than overlap them. Finally, SB 2126 would create a conventional farming grant program for small and midsize conventional farmers. Supporters from the department, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council said conventional agriculture deserves support and that the bill would help increase food production. Opposition and comments focused on the bill’s exclusion of organic farmers; one farmer said the measure was unfair unless amended to include organic producers, while a Farmers Union witness said the bill was too vague about the grant’s purpose and should be clearer about its goals. In response to questions, the department said the exclusion of organic farming was not intentional and that the bill was meant to support all agriculture, though no vote or final action was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that is allowing cameras into the courtroom.
• allow audio recordings, and those are live streamed.
• More prosecutors that are better trained will allow us to do our job.
• It would allow for things like now we could do the digital rosters.
• It's going to cost us money, and we get that.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're requesting three years, but it's a total projected cost of three years at $2 million.
• Under, yes, under the if we went the maximum seven years under procurement law. Yes, sir.
• waiver what the cost would be.
• Because we didn't have a clear plan on what the cost was and how we would fund it.
• So F&S is going to allow us to use some of those sunsetting funds for this purpose.

Summary: The committee reviewed three DHS out-of-state service contracts: a $690,000-plus sole-source contract for DCFS with Evident Change for maintenance and operation of the Child Welfare Structured Decision-Making practice hub; a $1.2 million sole-source contract for County Operations with Sifter Solutions to support a SNAP waiver compliance solution; and a $156,000 contract for Developmental Disabilities with Samaritan Integrative Services for psychiatric services at the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center. The chair and staff explained the contracts and noted that the Evident Change and Sifter contracts were sole-source due to the proprietary nature of the systems or services involved. Most of the discussion focused on the Evident Change contract. Members questioned DCFS about long-term dependence on the vendor, the lack of a competitive bid, the absence of a clear off-ramp, and whether the state was paying more overall as the work was split into multiple contracts. DCFS said the contract before the committee was only for maintenance and operations of a web-based platform used daily for safety assessments and case planning, while a separate Evident Change contract covers case reviews, CQI work, and data management. The vendor said it was continuing to reduce its role and had begun off-ramp discussions, but members remained concerned that the state was too reliant on the vendor. Staff said the contract had to be approved by May 31 or the system could be turned off. The committee also discussed the Sifter Solutions contract, which supports Arkansas’s SNAP waiver pilot by providing a dynamic list of excluded products and a consumer app that scans barcodes and provides nutrition information. DHS said the waiver is intended to improve the nutritional value of SNAP benefits, that the contract is funded with remaining federal SNAP Nutrition Education dollars that would otherwise be returned, and that the University of Pennsylvania will conduct the evaluation at no cost. Members asked about the benefit to Arkansas, whether the app would include nutrition and budgeting information, and whether the state would own the application or need future renewals. DHS said the two-year term was intentionally aligned with the waiver period and that future procurement options could change. After discussion, the committee noted the items as reviewed and adjourned without objections or votes recorded in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1856 by Creighton relating to a capacity cost recovery rider for certain electric utilities
• Senate Bill 1892 by Parker relating to providing a cost of living adjustment applicable to certain benefits
• of costs associated with a weather-related event to Business and Commerce.
• Senate Bill 2029 by Bettencourt relating to authorizing a statewide referendum allowing voters to indicate
• SGR 4 by Schwertner proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the maximum amount of money allowable

Transcript Highlights:

• It would raise the maximum population threshold of an eligible county from 75,000 to.
• It would also remove the requirement for repayment to begin within 90 days and allow the Texas Department
• Funds can upgrade roads like these, slashing transport costs and boosting local economies.
• As you know, the Major Events Reimbursement Program, MIRP, ...serves to help offset the costs incurred
• Additionally, it allows milestone-based reimbursement, enabling TWC to pay employers incrementally as

Bills: HB2564, HB2760, HB2765, HB2898, HB3260, HB3800, HB4341, HB4396, HB5195

Keywords: Defense Economic Adjustment, grant applications, economic assistance, local government, Evaluation panel, judicial review, Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment compensation, legal proceedings, labor law, rural development, infrastructure, Texas economic fund, private investment, job creation, meteorological evaluation towers, wind resources, aviation safety, regulations, construction notice

Transcript Highlights:

• It would raise the maximum population threshold of an eligible county from 75,000 to 200,000.
• Transport costs and boosting local economies.
• Uh, serves to help offset the cost incurred to host a major event.
• Additionally, it allows milestone-based.
• The bill addresses this issue by explicitly allowing aggrieved parties to file for judicial review in

Transcript Highlights:

• So we also looked into the costs of it. The costs have exploded under this policy.
• at less cost through Medicare.
• That's a cost we absorb. That's right.
• It costs for budget. That's right.
• On the administrative cost, $470 million, that's the cost to hand out the cards?

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It was the total cost of the program. And so we don't know what the administrative cost is.
• Members, this language allows the...
• per-unit credit cost.
• We're allowed 24 days a year to earn a living.
• I'll be for any bill that allows us extra time.

Bills: SB434, SB844, SB898, SB1177, SB1214, SB1454, SB1920, SB1927, SB1935, SB1965, SB2010, SB2046, SB2068, SB2073, SB2183, SB2260, SB3034, SB907

Keywords: SB 434, Harris County Hospital District, hospital district police, peace officers, commissioned officers, law enforcement authority, Health and Safety Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, public safety, hospital security, county hospital district, local government, Texas criminal procedure, district police, armed security, SB 898, low income housing tax credits, LIHTC, affordable housing, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• And further, Century Code allows the Attorney General to allow an employee of an alcoholic beverage establishment
• ... ...does result in a lower, should be cost, and an ultimate overall lower costs for the e-tab that
• Well, I understand that 501(c)(3) allows a charity to be tax-exempt from federal taxes and allows asset
• So it is ultimately a cost that is taken— So again, we were asked to look into the costs associated with
• Tell us what the jail-level cost is, you know, not the prison level. What the average cost is.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THAT WAS BASED ON THE TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD NUTRIENTS ESTABLISHED THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER.
• WE THINK THOSE WELLS WILL COST BETWEEN 15 AND $20 MILLION.
• WE ASK OF THE PANEL WILL CONSIDER DIFFERENT OPTIONS WE COULD INCLUDE INTO AMENDMENTS OF THE SORT TO ALLOW
• WE ARE A VOICE FOR THOSE IN THE MIDDLE GROUND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TODAY. >> Sen.
• PROJECTS OUTSIDE WERE SOME OTHER THINGS THEY WANT TO TRY, THIS PROVIDES ANOTHER TOOL FOR THEM THAT ALLOWS

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It seems take care of all the costs.
• > uh<00:07:29.440> Mandata the incidental cost of uh Mandata the incidental cost of uh
• in this room accordingly for maximum in this room accordingly for maximum speed<00:09:22.320>
• We support policies that allow Falls.
• <00:54:05.599> nearly traffic violence in the US cost nearly traffic violence in the US cost

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 5313, a bipartisan bill to create a statewide framework for autonomous vehicles in Minnesota. The author said the bill is intended to improve safety, provide regulatory clarity, avoid a patchwork of local rules, and support economic development and mobility for seniors and people with disabilities. The bill was described as a work in progress, and the committee adopted three author amendments: A12, a technical correction; A15, which states MDOT and Public Safety can absorb the bill’s incidental costs within existing resources; and A14, which added clarifying airport-related language requested by the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport/MAC. The Minnesota Department of Transportation testified in support of continued discussion but said the bill needs more work in several areas, including an annual MDOT permitting process for AV operators, defining operational design domains, adding stronger enforcement authority, clarifying remote assistance roles, and requiring fully automated vehicles to be registered with Public Safety. MDOT said it has worked with the governor’s connected and automated vehicles council and more than 70 stakeholders on recommendations. Industry and transit witnesses strongly supported the bill, citing existing AV deployments and safety benefits. Southwest Transit’s CEO said its Eden Prairie AV service has carried 27,000 riders over 112,000 miles with no accidents, strong customer satisfaction, and increased ridership. A Whimo representative said the bill would create regulatory certainty and help expand AV deployment. Several public witnesses emphasized accessibility and safety. A disability advocate described how autonomous vehicles could improve independence for people who cannot drive, including those with epilepsy and other disabilities, and urged passage of the bill. A former 911 dispatcher and state patrol employee said AVs could reduce crashes and protect drivers, pedestrians, and officers, contrasting a dangerous human ride-share experience with a safer autonomous ride. Another disability advocate and blind Minnesotan testified that AVs could help address transportation barriers, though he also noted ongoing discrimination problems with ride-hailing services for blind riders with guide dogs. After the amendments were adopted, the bill was moved to the Commerce Committee.