Transcript Highlights:

• Republican plans and priorities that we have for the next two years that are coming forward.
• So those are the priorities.
• <00:14:24.959> and question about the the priorities and question about the the priorities
• Another priority, thank Paul Bloom with Fox 9, to make Minnesota safe.
• priority on another priority<00:18:19.039> thank<00:18:19.280> Paul<00:18:19.440> Bloom

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House Republican leaders, led by Speaker-designate Lisa Demuth and Majority Leader Harry Niska, outlined their priorities for the upcoming Minnesota House session and said they intend to use an organizational majority to advance their agenda. They said their focus will be on stopping fraud, making government more accountable, reducing taxes and fees, and addressing affordability, energy costs, public safety, education, and permitting reform. Specific proposals mentioned included repealing the tax on Social Security benefits, rolling back automatic gas tax increases, repealing the nuclear moratorium, and changing state programs they said should be limited to people in the country legally. A central theme was the creation of a new House committee on fraud and agency oversight, which Republicans said will have subpoena power and be chaired by Rep. Kristin Robbins. They said the committee will investigate known fraud, review agency internal controls, and press agencies for information on staffing, office space, and cost savings. Rep. Jim Nash also described a proposed “fraud note” scoring system to rate agencies on whether they have implemented Office of the Auditor’s recommendations, with the goal of informing appropriations decisions. On education and public safety, Niska said Republicans want fewer mandates and higher standards in schools, citing low reading and math proficiency, and leaders said they want stronger accountability for repeat and juvenile offenders. They also said they expect committee chairs to be Republican, may reduce Democratic committee seats if Democrats do not show up, and are not planning a power-sharing agreement unless the chamber returns to a true tie. They discussed the pending court case involving Rep. Brad Tabke, a possible recall process for absent legislators, remote voting rules, and a special election timeline, while insisting they expect Democrats to appear on the first day of session and that they will proceed with organizing the House and electing a speaker on January 14.

Transcript Highlights:

• America's values and priorities are.
• Members on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns that this is a priority.
• It will be a priority for me if I get confirmed.
• If confirmed, it will be my highest priority.
• As you know, sir, the president and the secretary has placed this as a priority.

Keywords: Senator Flinstone, HB22, SB4, amendments, public testimony, legislation, environmental impact, economic implications

Summary: The meeting featured a thorough examination of various bills, including substantial discussions on HB22 and SB4. Key points included amendments proposed by committee members, particularly from Senator Flinstone, who emphasized the need for clarifications on certain provisions. The committee actively engaged with several witnesses providing public testimony, some in favor of the proposed legislation while others highlighted concerns and potential implications. The discussions were vibrant, showcasing different perspectives, especially on the environmental and economic impacts of the bills in question. The meeting concluded with a consensus to reconvene after a recess to further address the outstanding issues related to the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's going to include local project priorities and how those align with the state priorities, the successes
• and how our priorities in the Quad Cities are the same priorities that JTC has.
• That's not a priority.
• at the Good Roads. as regional priorities at the Good Roads list of priorities as well as BF COGS.
• It really isn't a priority.

Summary: The meeting began with introductions from members of the Joint Transportation Committee and a presentation from the Association of Washington Cities and the public works directors of Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, and West Richland. The cities described the Quad Cities region as one of the fastest-growing in the state and outlined shared transportation priorities that align with the committee’s focus on safety, multimodal access, climate resilience, and economic development. They emphasized Vision Zero efforts, complete streets, ADA accessibility, regional trail and bike/pedestrian planning, and coordinated long-range transportation and land-use planning to manage growth. The city officials also discussed major funding and delivery challenges, including rising construction costs, project phasing, pavement preservation, right-of-way acquisition, and delays caused by state and federal permitting and review processes. They highlighted regional cooperation through the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments, Good Roads, and local funding tools such as impact fees, transportation benefit districts, REET, tax increment financing, and state and federal grants. Specific projects discussed included Richland’s SR 240/Aaron Drive complete streets project and downtown connectivity work, Kennewick’s Columbia Center Boulevard improvements and rail study, Pasco’s Court/Road 68, Sylvester Street corridor, I-182 bridge/interchange work, and a new north-south bridge study, and West Richland’s SR 224 Red Mountain corridor project, which officials said was awarded under budget and is scheduled to begin construction. Committee members asked questions about sidewalk connections to schools, state-agency right-of-way timelines, apprenticeship utilization, contractor selection, and whether complete streets requirements add burdens to pavement preservation projects. The city officials said new development is generally meeting sidewalk standards, but older infill areas remain a gap; that state right-of-way transactions can take much longer than expected; that apprenticeship requirements are common but harder for smaller contractors and local labor markets; and that low-bid contracting leaves little room to screen for performance history. They also said complete streets requirements are usually manageable on major projects but can be difficult to absorb in smaller preservation work. The committee then shifted to a JTC-funded study on transit-oriented development, presented by Urban Institute researcher Yona Freemark. The study examined TOD conditions in 33 cities in Snohomish, King, Pierce, Clark, and Spokane counties near rail and bus rapid transit stations. Freemark said Washington’s housing affordability crisis is severe, especially near transit, and found that high-cost cities have seen more development near stations but also signs of gentrification and loss of affordable housing, while lower-cost cities have had less development and worsening affordability relative to income. He identified barriers including high debt costs, land costs, infrastructure costs, zoning and parking rules, and limited subsidies for affordable housing. He recommended more neighborhood infrastructure funding near stations, stronger affordable housing investment, and better use of public land, noting that HB 1491 and related legislation are already changing some local requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• So from a legislative priority perspective for the health.
• to the University of Houston and discuss its priorities.
• Those are our system priorities.
• In addition to the UH system priorities I previously spoke of, a priority of the University of Houston
• Our second priority is our student success initiative.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:57:04.319> as it based on current agency priorities as it based on current agency priorities
• > for<01:04:01.440> this top priorities for funding for this top priorities for funding
• And per the dam safety priority list.
• while advancing strategic priorities while advancing strategic priorities that<01:10:29.280>
• <01:26:19.920> in obviously one of our next priorities in obviously one of our next priorities

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:

• What is our priority?
• priorities have to create priorities because<01:20:48.000> there<01:20:48.239> are<01:
• What is our priority? these decisions. What is our priority?
• is not a priority list. is not a priority list.
• Um, they do list out their priorities, and priority number one is major maintenance.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, I think it's a high priority for—it's certainly a high priority for our caucus, but I think it's
• a priority for all four caucuses.
• a priority for all four caucuses.
• a priority for all four caucuses.
• a priority for all four caucuses.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Senate leadership said members were working through a fast-paced, intense session before a break, with many committee hearings still scheduled and about 27 bills expected to be heard that day. The leader highlighted several priorities for when lawmakers return, including an independent Inspector General proposal, additional anti-fraud measures, and packages on gun violence prevention and the Metro Surge response. The Metro Surge package was described as roughly 11 bills dealing with masks in essential spaces, aid obligations for federal agents, civil-rights/Bivens issues, and BCA participation in investigations; the broader gun violence package includes school safety, mental health, an assault-weapons ban, and a ban on high-capacity magazines, though it still awaited Finance Committee action. The leader also said bonding remains a high priority and that the Senate plans to continue moving policy quickly after the break. On budget matters, the leader said supplemental funding is needed for Capitol and Senate building security, largely because of increased personnel and overtime costs. He also said HCMC needs a short-term financing step because it is under financial pressure, but that the issue points to broader instability in Minnesota’s hospital system, especially as other hospitals may face difficulties related to HR1. Other budget-related items mentioned included housing support, rental and heating assistance, energy assistance, small business aid, health care, and food support, with some governor-proposed tax and spending ideas possibly left out because they are not affordable. The leader said the Senate is still working on fraud legislation, including the Inspector General proposal and related enforcement and oversight measures, and expects House differences to be worked out in conference committee. He described the House as a question mark and said the two chambers are moving at different paces, but he hopes to resolve differences and send bills to the governor. He also noted a rough end to the Senate Jobs Committee, said Senator Champion is considering next steps, and said Senator Mohamed and other DFL members had sent the Attorney General’s anti-fraud bill through a different committee path. He added that legislator safety is a growing concern because members from both parties are receiving threats, and he is working with counsel on possible responses. On guns in the Capitol, he said the issue reflects broader divisions and that current law allows permitted carry after screening, though he is frustrated by those using the issue to provoke emotion.

Transcript Highlights:

• This continues the work of priority... That we need to be...
• This bill reflects the top priorities from our county's statewide associations.
• There are significant waiting lists for priority admissions to direct care and treatment.
• File 2416, the issue of priority admissions, often referred to as the...
• One of our main priorities is to shorten the diagnostic odyssey.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because the priorities of the trustees, of course, work in line with the chancellor's priorities as well
• And I’ll just start by saying it’s not my priorities.
• It’s really the priorities of the hospital system, right?
• That will always be a high priority for us.
• A second key priority, you talk about treatment.”

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , even though the man sitting at the table says it should be a priority.
• That's just a question of general priorities.
• This hasn't been a priority, even though the man sitting at the table says it should be a priority.
• That's just a question of general priorities.
• that we feel like need to be a priority.

Summary: The committee first received a report on the executive protection detail, which was filed without questions. Members were then given a long advance list of House and Senate bills ready for consideration, followed by several amendment requests from agencies. The committee adopted amendments for the Auditor of State to increase special deputy expense allowance, the Administrative Office of the Courts for court interpreters and substitute court reporters, and several other items including local sales tax refunds, county property tax redistribution, and local law enforcement funding. It also held one amendment on House Bill 1034 and moved a Northwest Arkansas Community College cash fund increase tied to tornado-related campus repairs. The committee then considered a series of member amendments and appropriation items, including increases for the Public Defender Commission and deputy prosecuting attorneys to cover higher bar license fees, and a $12 million federal appropriation-only item. A lengthy discussion followed on a proposal from Senator Wallace and Representative Tosh to fund a pilot program for prison cell-phone detection/jamming technology at two correctional facilities. Sponsors and Department of Corrections officials said the system would target illegal contraband phones, would be procured through an RFP, and would be a two-year pilot; members raised questions about legality, cost, scope, data, and whether the department should use existing budget authority. The committee ultimately advanced the item by motion. The committee also took up an amendment from Senator Caldwell for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, seeking a $4 million appropriation increase. Testimony emphasized that the division’s extension offices and research functions are underfunded, that salaries are not competitive, and that the request would help with staffing and flexibility; other members questioned why the division needed more appropriation authority when it already had room under current limits and noted that the request exceeded the higher education board’s recommendation. The amendment was adopted after extended debate. Finally, the committee began acting on governor’s letters, adopting amendments for a $150 million increase to the homestead property tax credit, a $23,000 reallocation for the Insurance Department’s conference costs, $100,000 for property appraisal review work, $1.5 million for career and technical education professional development, $300,000 for DFA regulatory federal spending, $5 million for Inspector General fraud investigations, a consolidation of appraiser/abstractor/home inspector appropriations, deletion of a completed Fort Chaffee readiness center appropriation, and a revised reappropriation for corrections capital projects that would add special language restricting use of the $73.7 million prison-expansion reappropriation. The committee also heard a summary of a supplemental appropriations package involving fund transfers for pregnancy resource centers, senior centers, assistance grants, used tires, and UAMS pregnancy/stroke programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator, I personally feel like it's a high priority. It's a safety issue.
• This hasn't been a priority, even though the man that's sitting at the table says it should be a priority
• That's just a question of general priorities.
• that we feel like needs to be a priority.
• But it wouldn't just go to the extension offices, which seems to be the priority.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Republican priorities.
• House Republican priorities, our House Republican priorities.<00:03:43.880> Protecting<00:03:
• 44.440> family<00:03:44.760> budgets, priorities.
• Protecting family budgets, priorities.
• , talked about what are the priorities, talked about what are the priorities, what<00:13:44.920><

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House Republican leaders unveiled their “North Star Comeback” budget plan, describing it as a focused effort to make Minnesota more affordable, reduce government waste, and strengthen the economy. They said the package would include a $3.8 billion tax cut proposal with one-time property tax relief, elimination of taxes on tips and overtime, childcare relief, lower car tab fees, and funding for schools through scholarship-granting organizations. They also framed the plan as a response to rising costs for groceries, housing, energy, insurance, and childcare. A major emphasis of the rollout was government accountability, especially a strong Office of Inspector General bill and IT modernization to reduce fraud. Leaders said the OIG proposal had moved out of committee and was now in Ways and Means, with a working group continuing to reconcile House and Senate differences. On IT modernization, Chair Paul Torkelson said the plan would likely use a two-pronged approach, with about $15 million for near-term needs and a longer-term fund for ongoing technology upgrades; he said many such investments could qualify for federal matching dollars. The leaders also highlighted Medicaid conformity, saying Minnesota should align with federal changes to avoid losing funding, and they discussed a property tax rebate proposal as a one-time $1 billion return to taxpayers to offset higher property taxes. In response to questions, they said many of the budget items were still moving through the process and some had not met finance deadlines, while others were already in bills. They repeatedly criticized House Democrats for blocking or delaying Republican proposals and said they wanted bipartisan cooperation to pass the plan this year.

Transcript Highlights:

• from Arlington, Texas, and we're here today to talk about Republican initiatives. ...policy and priorities
• We're talking about passing only Governor Abbott's priority legislation and a handful of single bills
• It's the top priority of... ...the majority of the voters in Texas.
• That is a fact that in the Republican Party of Texas, their number-one legislative priority is border
• GOP, but really what should be a priority for all of Texas, and that is...

Keywords: immigration, children's rights, E-Verify, social transitioning, election integrity, Texas GOP, legislative session, urgent legislation

Summary: The committee meeting was characterized by fervent discussions surrounding critical legislation, particularly regarding immigration, children's rights, and election integrity. Key bills such as HB2258, aiming to ban social transitioning for children, and E-Verify legislation were highlighted as urgent priorities. Several representatives expressed frustration over stalled bills and emphasized the necessity of decisive action to fulfill their commitments made during their campaigns. The urgency was marked by the approaching deadline for bill passage, with only days remaining in the legislative session. Members urged House leadership to prioritize these bills, warning that failure to act would undermine public trust in their capacity to fulfill the Republicans' campaign promises.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Tinderholt out of Arlington, Texas, and we're here today to talk about Republican policy and priorities
• I'm not talking about passing only Governor Abbott's priority legislation and a handful of single bills
• Not only is immigration and the border security my number one issue, it's the number one top priority
• I'm gonna try and be as brief as possible, but I wanna hit one of the, not just Texas GOP priorities,
• but really what should be a priority for all of Texas, and that is protecting Texas kids.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the other options, delay moderate and low-priority projects.
• When you're considering what are low priority, high priority, moderate, what are some of the metrics
• Where's our economic priorities in North Dakota?
• Where's our economic priorities in North Dakota?
• Reesot, this is helpful because I never knew when you did high priority, moderate, low priority, whether

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I mean, I have his top four priorities that with number one. I think that is the top priority.
• His top and put him in priority order.
• So essentially the top priority wanted.
• mean, I have his top four priorities mean, I have his top four priorities that<01:05:03.119>
• Since this is Senator the top priority.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or partisan priorities.
• I mean, when each side has the gavel, are they going to bring their priorities, or is it going to be
• You’re going to end up with even more bills that were Republican priorities on the table.
• Not all of them are just Republican priorities; there’s some really good bills in there.
• of them are just Republican priorities of them are just Republican priorities there's<00:08:09.639

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• , all of the priorities of care that we all value, and to balance all of these things in a time when
• It's really difficult to balance all of these priorities with the uncertainty that's looming over all
• It's more a matter of that we have to weigh parents' requests and parents' priorities as well.
• So those were part of that priority.
• How come we have less money to invest in priorities?

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard budget testimony from Department of Mental Health Commissioner Brooke Doyle, who said DMH serves about 29,000 people and is facing rising demand, higher operating costs, and uncertainty about federal funding. She explained that the FY26 budget prioritizes fully funding the state-operated inpatient system, which is at 100% occupancy and often serves people transferred from Bridgewater State Hospital, while making reductions in other areas to balance the budget. Those reductions include a 50% cut to case managers, a pause on closing the Pocasset unit pending a working group on Cape access, and changes to youth and contracted services such as right-sizing IRTP and CIRT, reducing Youth PACT from seven teams to three, scaling back flex and jail diversion grants as ARPA funds wind down, and preserving the behavioral health helpline and community-based crisis services. Members from Western Massachusetts and the Cape raised concerns about access, staffing, and the impact of cuts, and Doyle said the department would continue operating IRTP services, improve the referral process, and work with stakeholders on the Pocasset review and other access issues. The committee also discussed school-based mental health, 988, loan forgiveness for workforce recruitment, and the role of co-response programs for law enforcement. Secretary Robin Lipson then testified for the Executive Office of Aging and Independence, describing a proposed FY26 budget increase of about 21% to support councils on aging, home care, elder abuse investigations, caregiver support, care transitions, and nutrition programs. She said the agency is managing rising demand, especially from the growing 80-plus population, and noted uncertainty around federal Older Americans Act funding after the federal disbursement agency was disbanded. To control costs, the office will manage intake and caseload growth in a fully state-funded home care program, but current clients will not lose services. Lipson also highlighted a new $1 million line item for local mini-grants to support age-friendly initiatives. In questions, members focused on elder scams, and Lipson said scams are increasing and the agency is working with banks, district attorneys, and public awareness campaigns. The Health Policy Commission’s Executive Director David Seltz presented the agency’s FY26 request and said the biggest challenge is health care affordability, with family premiums near $29,000 annually and many residents delaying care because of cost. He emphasized that recent legislation significantly expands HPC’s role through a new Office of Pharmaceutical Policy and Analysis, which will examine the drug supply chain and pricing, and a new Office of Health Resource Planning, which will support statewide planning around closures and access gaps. The new law also creates task forces on maternal health access and primary care, and adds transparency and oversight for private equity in health care. Members asked about pharmaceutical costs, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, 340B, and maternal health closures; Seltz said the data show rapid growth in GLP-1 spending and that the new offices will help the state better understand cost drivers and access problems. The Center for Health Information and Analysis then began its testimony, describing its role as the state’s data hub for health care spending, utilization, quality, and affordability analysis.

Transcript Highlights:

• You referenced it here, that you plan to make EHR a priority.
• This has been, as this committee knows, my top priority.
• Is that going to be a priority for you?
• So those are the kind of programs I think are priorities.
• So from my perspective as a secretary, it's going to be about priorities, and priorities are what we're

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of those that I just mentioned were some of the top priorities that we had, and so it's really good
• that we had and so really see priorities that we had and so really see Good<00:03:25.680> to<
• <00:10:01.519> on reconstruction with a priority on reconstruction with a priority on households
• I will just touch on a few of our top priorities that are included in the DE amendment.
• Um another prior priority area for us is Um another prior priority area for us is increase<00:11:45.839

Bills: HF2446

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant