Video & Transcript Research : 'rate freeze'

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OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Utilities REVISED: Link Added Feb 17th, 2026

Utilities

Transcript Highlights:
  • passed on to residential, industrial, agricultural, and commercial ratepayers through higher utility rates
  • They shall be subject to water impact assessments and be restricted on withdrawal rates.
Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 4246, which would expand training and technical assistance options for rural water-related programs by allowing the state to consider qualified suppliers other than the Rural Water Association. After brief questions about the type of vendors involved, the bill received a 7-0 due pass vote. House Bill 3989 followed and was described as cleanup language continuing prior negotiations among the oil and gas industry, electric co-ops, and investor-owned utilities; the committee adopted the PCS and passed the bill 7-0. Members then considered House Bill 2992, the Data Center Customer Protection Act of 2026. The committee adopted a PCS and an amendment reducing the threshold from 100 megawatts to 75 megawatts. The bill would require data centers to pay infrastructure costs tied to their electricity demand so those costs are not shifted to other ratepayers; it passed 7-0. House Bill 3464, which adds protections and regulatory requirements for battery storage and updates transparency and decommissioning provisions for wind and solar projects, also passed 7-0 after adoption of a PCS. House Bill 3724, as revised in a second PCS, drew the most debate. It would define high-demand facilities to include data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations, AI computing facilities, and large battery storage systems, and would impose restrictions on subsidies, infrastructure costs, water use, foreign ownership, agricultural land siting, noise, decommissioning, and local approval processes, including a petition mechanism to overturn local decisions. Supporters argued it was needed to protect communities, landowners, water resources, and ratepayers; opponents raised concerns about property rights, agricultural land restrictions, local control, and the petition/recall process. The bill failed on a 2-6 vote and remained in committee. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 2989, which would allow electric utilities to prepare wildfire mitigation plans, create a wildfire mitigation revolving fund, and direct the Conservation Commission to develop a wildfire mitigation test pilot and refine mitigation strategies. With a PCS adopted and no debate, the bill passed 8-0, and the meeting adjourned.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Insurance Apr 17th, 2025

Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • This situation will only worsen if we keep this rate of pharmacy closures.
  • I've kept it ever since, but I'm finding that since I got into it, they've doubled my rate.
  • they need more, except to the Department of Insurance and ask for a hearing to set the rate.
  • Just one point of clarification, because it was mentioned about rates.
  • I'm aware of one rate increase during that time.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee 3/13/25

Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • So this change just clarifies that the rates for DTH at ICF/DDs are the historic rates that we currently
  • So it doesn't change the rates at all, but if the legislature were wanting to increase the rates, they
  • So it doesn't change the rates at all, but if the legislature were wanting to increase the rates, they
  • This change just clarifies that the rates for DTH at ICF/DDs are the historic rates that we currently
  • So it doesn't change the rates at all, but if the legislature were wanting to increase the rates, they
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/12/2026 - House Rural Economic Development

Rural Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's going to reduce taxes and change the bonding rates.
  • Those rate increases are basically 2, 4, and 6%.
  • They are going to increase your rates 237% in Salome. That's quite a bit.
  • They are going to increase your rates 237% in Salome. That's quite a bit.
  • They're raising the rates on those people. They're raising the rates on those people, 237%.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House State Government & Tribal Relations Jan 16th, 2026 at 08:00 am

State Government & Tribal Relations

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Reason Foundation's Guy Bentley, for example, found that problem gambling rates in New Jersey dropped
Summary: The committee began in executive session with staff briefing several bills and amendments. House Bill 2206 on uniformed and overseas civilian voting was discussed with multiple amendments, but it was ultimately pulled from consideration for the day. House Bill 2123 on foreign national donors was taken up with a proposed substitute and an amendment raising the certification threshold to $6,000; members debated transparency and burden on auditors, and the substitute bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation by a 5-2 vote. House Bill 2120, which would remove two JLARC reporting requirements, also passed out of committee unanimously. House Bill 2411, authorizing shared leave for state employees involved in immigration enforcement actions or who are victims of hate crimes, was amended for clarity and federal-law consistency and then reported out with a due pass recommendation by a 5-2 vote after some members expressed reservations about its complexity. The committee then opened hearings on House Bill 2309, which would prohibit state civil service job classifications from requiring a postgraduate degree as the only way to qualify unless required by law. The prime sponsor and OFM testified that the bill would reduce barriers to state employment and expand the applicant pool while preserving competency standards. Testimony was generally supportive, with witnesses describing the measure as consistent with broader efforts to use skill-based hiring and value lived experience. The committee also heard House Bill 2205 on sports wagering. The bill would allow tribal sports wagering to accept wagers from customers physically present at any tribal gaming facility, and would allow wagering on Washington college teams while continuing to prohibit bets on the performance of individual Washington student-athletes. The sponsor and tribal witnesses said the bill would bring existing betting activity into a regulated market, improve integrity monitoring, and support tribal collaboration; university and Washington State University representatives opposed it, warning of harassment, integrity risks, and expanded exposure for student-athletes. A taxpayer advocacy witness urged broader online sports betting access, while tribal and gaming witnesses emphasized regulation and consumer protection. No final action was taken on the hearing bills before adjournment.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

S/C on Property Tax Appraisals Apr 17th, 2025

S/C on Property Tax Appraisals

Transcript Highlights:
  • All right so I'm assuming that they they would need to do this before or they set their tax rate.
  • Currently, appraisal districts determine these rates independently.
  • Some apply a specific rate, others use a broad range, and some differentiate by property class.
  • rates. for rural parts of the state, urban parts of the state, different-sized parts of the state.
  • rate. methodology.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama Senate County and Municipal Government Committee Mar 18th, 2025

County and Municipal Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • So I don't think this is like Nielsen ratings where it's demographic and fact-based statistics, things
  • What this says is if an organization subjectively chooses to rate somebody, you know, how do you go back
  • this as high Guard has rated this as high risk.
  • Well, then they were given a high-risk rating.
  • They went back to NewsGuard and they said, "Hey, we want you to rate us," and they said no.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Appropriations Feb 2nd, 2026 at 04:00 pm

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • Child care subsidy base rates are currently set at the 85th percentile of the 2024 MRS.
  • DCYF sets these base rates.
  • Currently, the rates are differentiated into six different regions and Spokane County.
  • But we're seeing the rates right across the river in Benton County with a full infant day rate of $77
  • County more because of the reimbursement rate.
Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2073, which would require nonprofit health carriers with surplus above 600% of risk-based capital to pay 3% of the excess to support the Cascade Care Savings premium assistance account. Committee staff said the bill could generate about $80 million in FY 2027, while OIC costs would cover rulemaking and hearings. Supporters argued the bill would redirect excess consumer premium dollars to help people afford coverage, while opponents from nonprofit health plans and business groups said the reserves are needed for claims, market stability, and to weather downturns, and warned the bill could raise costs or destabilize coverage. The bill then moved to public hearing only, with no action taken. The committee also heard Second Substitute House Bill 2132, which limits disclosure and retention of personally identifying and financial information in WASFA applications. Staff explained the bill would exempt WASFA records from public disclosure, restrict sharing except for limited purposes, and shorten retention to one year after the award year, but could create significant purge and systems costs for WSAC and colleges. The sponsor and student advocates said the measure is needed to protect student privacy and encourage aid applications, especially for vulnerable and undocumented students. No opposition was heard, and the bill remained in hearing. House Bill 2403, which reduces the penalty for failure to register as a sex offender, adds community custody and DOC support, and requires a review of registration policies, drew testimony in strong support. Staff said the bill would produce DOC savings and modest one-time costs for court and law-enforcement updates. Testifiers said the measure had broad consensus among criminal justice stakeholders and would better address the practical reasons people fail to register. The committee also heard House Bill 2587, creating a Commerce pilot to provide advance grant funds to eligible nonprofits, and House Bill 2607, which would periodically rebase child care subsidy rate regions; both drew support from nonprofit and child care providers, with staff describing indeterminate or moderate fiscal impacts. In executive session, the committee considered several amendments and then advanced multiple bills. For Second Substitute House Bill 1170 on generative AI disclosures, all proposed amendments were rejected, and the bill passed the committee 18-9. Substitute House Bill 1570, limited by amendment to Western Washington University student employees, also passed. Proposed Third Substitute House Bill 1710, which creates a state preclearance process under the Voting Rights Act for certain jurisdictions with prior voting-rights violations, had one fiscal amendment adopted and then passed. The committee also received amendment briefings on House Bills 1750, 1833, and 1834, but the transcript ends before final action on those measures.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • of assessment instruments in public schools, indicators of achievement, public school performance ratings
  • We're in a position where districts see our school accountability ratings as broken.
  • Finally, this bill guarantees A through F accountability ratings will be released on a consistent annual
  • Data submitted in error made it challenging for them to clean it up, and it impacted the ratings.
  • The Republican voter turnout's increasing even at a faster rate. Which is really good.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Ways & Means Apr 14th, 2025

Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • In the two years since the last session, as we all know, inflation, interest rates, and other pressures
  • Further, the project is expected to increase local hotel occupancy rates by 5 percentage points and is
  • It is expected to increase local hotel occupancy rates.
  • Several other cities and counties have these split rate systems in place.
  • The tax rate throughout the county will help support tourism, which is expanding quite a bit in that
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Business and Insurance 2ND REVISED Apr 23rd, 2026 at 09:30 am

Business and Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • would be the concern that could you see that would cause prices potentially to go up on insurance rates
  • Members of the committee sub is simply dropping Senate Bill 1592 rate filing language into that bill.
  • We were working on two vehicles to have available as we look to potentially change the rate filing system
  • This gives the insurance commissioner a little bit More scrutiny and rates, this is what we had with
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Business and Insurance 2ND REVISED Apr 23rd, 2026

Business and Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • that would be the concern: could you see that would cause prices potentially to go up on insurance rates
  • House Bill 3781 simply drops Senate Bill 1592 rate-filing language into that bill. roll.
  • Members, the committee sub is simply dropping Senate Bill 1592 rate filing language into that bill. .
  • ..1992 rate-filing language into that bill.
  • This gives the insurance commissioner a little bit more scrutiny of rates.
Summary: The Business and Insurance Committee first handled a series of executive nominations, including appointments or reappointments to the Oklahoma Securities Commission, Real Estate Commission, State Athletic Commission, Accountancy Board, Commission on Consumer Credit, Uniform Building Code Commission, Abstractors Board, Used Motor Vehicle Dismantler and Manufactured Housing Commission, and State Banking Board. Most nominees briefly addressed the committee, and the nominations were advanced by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. One HB 4488 was laid over at the start of the meeting. The committee then considered several bills. HB 4322, which would remove a dual-licensure requirement for funeral directors and embalmers, drew questions about consumer protection and body care procedures and passed 6-3. HB 4202, changing workers’ compensation fee schedule treatment for radiology, passed unanimously. HB 4203, directing the Uniform Building Code Commission to explore guidelines for single-exit configurations in certain buildings up to four stories, passed 7-2 after concerns were raised about fire safety. HB 4457, dealing with specialty pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, and access to specialty medications, passed unanimously. Members also debated HB 3983, which would move Oklahoma’s moist smokeless tobacco tax to a weight-based system; supporters argued it would improve fairness and revenue stability, while opponents said it would raise taxes on some products and lacked consumer protections. It passed 6-3. HB 3660, authorizing natural organic reduction as an additional end-of-life option, prompted a lengthy debate over dignity, religious concerns, and consumer choice; it passed 5-4. HB 3802, prohibiting auto insurers from raising premiums solely because a spouse died, passed unanimously. HB 2933, a consumer protection insurance bill, passed 9-0 after extensive discussion of claims handling and insurer accountability. Additional insurance and regulatory measures—HB 2955, HB 2956, HB 3781, HB 3521, HB 3796, HB 3794, and HB 3800—were also advanced, most with little or no opposition. The chair closed by noting all executive nominations and legislation had been cleared from the committee for the year.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Session (Part III) Aug 27th, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • During COVID-19, several countries with significantly lower mortality rates than the United States had
  • In the education committee, what happens with the existing STAR test is that it freezes the education
  • We're releasing A through F ratings every year, channeling disputes through legislative oversight rather
  • are doing, and I want to point out that one of the most litigants for two years in a row had an F rating
  • We said students, schools should be rated just like students, A through F.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Finance May 27th, 2026

Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • And the only way you would get that lower rate, or that $1.13 rate that you see on the actual sign that
  • The Medicaid rate paid The Medicaid rate paid in an ambulatory surgery center is a loss for those centers
  • , and after that, reprice the same claims at the proposed rate, the increased rate, and compare the cost
  • Because if you were to compare, if you were to raise the rates for ASCs up to those hospital rates, the
  • When you remove the disparity in terms of the payment rates, the opportunity for savings goes away.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
  • </c><01:29:58.719><c> we're</c><01:29:58.880><c> out</c> out and increase water rates we're out out and
  • increase water rates we're out in<01:29:59.280><c> the</c><01:29:59.440><c> community</c><01:29:59.760
  • They're charging more for the market rate units to cover the below market unit price.
  • They're charging more for the market They're charging more for the market rate<02:18:29.679><c> units
  • :30.319><c> the</c><02:18:30.559><c> below</c><02:18:31.679><c> uh</c><02:18:31.920><c> market</c> rate
Summary: The House Housing Committee met on February 4 and heard testimony on several housing measures, beginning with HB1721, which clarifies insurance, indemnification, and certificate-of-occupancy requirements for expedited permits. Testimony on HB1721 was uniformly supportive from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the Grassroot Institute, and individual testifiers, who said the bill would fix insurance issues for design professionals and encourage more participation in the expedited-permit program. No opposition was heard and no questions were raised. The committee then heard HB1714, which would raise salary caps for the executive director and deputy executive director positions at the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and allow more autonomy in personnel matters, including employment contracts. HHFDC supported the bill, saying greater flexibility is needed to recruit and retain staff and that current pay ceilings are not the main issue because the agency lacks operating funds to reach them. The Department of Human Resources Development offered comments and raised concerns about autonomous personnel authority and employment contracts, saying state personnel matters are governed by existing statutes and collective bargaining rules; the Hawaii Public Housing Authority also offered comments, and one board member and one individual opposed the measure. Members questioned whether performance-based pay or existing incentive policies could address retention instead of statutory salary changes. The committee also heard HB1718, which would make permanent county authority to facilitate mixed-use developments and issue county bonds for low- and moderate-income housing projects. Support came from OPSD, HHFDC, the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Housing and Land Management, and Housing Hawaii’s Future, all emphasizing that permanent authority is needed to finance long-term mixed-use and transit-oriented projects. A member asked whether the sunset provision would make bonding impractical, and the city representative agreed that temporary authority would make financing difficult because development takes time. Later, the committee took up HB1732, establishing the Kamina Homes program to fund counties’ purchase of voluntary deed restrictions from eligible buyers. The Department of Taxation and several groups, including HHFDC, AARP Hawaii, the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii Realtors, Holomua Collaborative, and others testified, with most supporting the bill as a way to help local families remain in Hawaii and age in place. Holomua said a recent survey found 75% of 3,200 working families were considering moving, and argued the bill could preserve housing for local residents. Members asked about the bill’s 8% cap on deed-restriction cost and why the program focuses on residency rather than resale restrictions; the bill’s proponents said the cap allows flexibility for county negotiations and that the measure is aimed at workforce preservation rather than land-trust-style appreciation limits. Finally, the committee heard HB1740, which would modify a prior HHFDC housing pathway by reducing the qualified-resident requirement from 100% to 80% and allowing more flexibility for long-term rental instead of owner occupancy. HHFDC and Holomua Collaborative supported the change, saying the earlier 100% requirement had produced no developments or applicants and that the revised standard would make projects more feasible while still preserving housing for local residents. The committee did not take final votes on these measures during the portion of the hearing provided.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Intergovernmental Affairs Apr 8th, 2025

Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • creation of the Dallas tourism PID... ...the City of Dallas has been able to double its conversion rate
  • You don't usually hit on all of your bids when you're competing against other peer cities at that rate
  • So, some of it might be the interest rate also. You get a lower interest rate.
  • That is the current barrier that is impacting these high turn back rates.
  • Additionally, each of these areas has seen a decline in voucher success rates.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Intergovernmental Affairs Apr 8th, 2025

Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Model scores, factors, or standards to charge different rates to businesses.
  • We also offer much lower rates there. So we appreciate the bill's focus.
  • Questions about how this program could be implemented and how to make certain that rate payers are not
  • We will basically transfer the cost of this credit to our existing rate base, to our existing customers
  • Then you have an impact fee committee that makes a recommendation on what the collection rate is.