Committee Summary for Senate Finance (05/12/2025)

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
Unclear 00:06:32.560 - 12:05:24 PM	Executive Session	Unclear

Unclear: Chair Information Only00:06:32.560 - 12:05:24 PM; The Chair called the Senate Finance Committee to order and moved into executive session. The Chair proposed to delete all bills listed with a 'delete' status in the budget document, which included bills numbered 1670A, 166, 167, 241, and 301. The Chair opened the floor for any objections or removals from this motion before proceeding to a vote.
Unclear: Senator from Lden Information Only00:07:58.560 - 12:06:50 PM; The Senator from Lden (likely intended to be 'Londonderry') questioned the deletion of a motor vehicle inspection bill from the budget, expressing concern about policy implications and the possibility of adding it back later. The Chair responded that the bill could be reinstated if necessary.
Unclear: Unnamed Senator Information Only00:09:11.200 - 12:08:03 PM; An unnamed senator clarified that most of the bills marked for deletion already had standalone bills that could be revisited during negotiations if needed, as they were either still in committee or tabled.
Unclear: Chair Information Only00:10:13.320 - 12:09:05 PM; The Chair confirmed the deletion of the listed bills after no objections were raised and reminded the committee of other Senate bills on the table, particularly those with significant appropriations, which they would review at the next meeting.
Unclear: LBA (Legislative Budget Assistant) Information Only00:11:12.720 - 12:10:04 PM; The LBA discussed Senate Bill 128, which involves an assessment on insurers to fund children's behavioral health services. The estimated cost for the services and administrative fees was discussed, noting that the bill aims to be revenue neutral.
Unclear: Unnamed Senator Information Only00:12:32.480 - 12:11:24 PM; An unnamed senator provided further context on Senate Bill 128, explaining its priority need in HHS to ensure that services under the wraparound program are covered by insurance rather than Medicaid for individuals with full healthcare coverage.
Unclear: Chair Information Only00:15:06.000 - 12:13:58 PM; The Chair concluded the session by informing the committee of the next steps, including reviewing a list of bills at the next meeting and discussing the contents of the budget work session packets. The Chair also facilitated a vote on an agency request involving federal funds, which was approved.
Unclear: Senator Information Only00:18:25.840 - 12:17:17 PM; The senator inquired about the allocation of funds from the legislative branch, specifically mentioning a budget cut of $500,000 per year. They expressed confusion about the lack of a request to delete this cut and asked for clarification on the changes from the House budget.
Unclear: Chair Information Only00:19:22.160 - 12:18:14 PM; The Chair explained that the document does not list all changes from the House budget due to the complexity and volume of changes across different agencies. They noted that most agencies requested to restore their budget cuts, but the legislative branch did not, hence the zero shown in the document.
Unclear: Senator Information Only00:20:19.360 - 12:19:11 PM; The senator acknowledged the difficulty of the budget and expressed disappointment over the governor's office requesting to restore a $50,000 per year cut while the legislature had accepted a $1 million cut over the biennium.
Unclear: Senator White Information Only00:21:36.320 - 12:20:28 PM; Senator White discussed the importance of respecting the executive branch's needs but suggested that budget cuts should be applied uniformly across all branches if necessary.
Unclear: Senator Pearl Information Only00:22:35.520 - 12:21:27 PM; Senator Pearl expressed agreement with the Senate President's stance on not removing budget cuts at this time, suggesting that if extra funds become available later, some cuts might be restored.
Unclear: Chair Information Only00:23:22.400 - 12:22:14 PM; The Chair facilitated a vote on denying a request from the governor's office to restore a budget cut, which was denied by a vote of 5 to 1.
Unclear: Senator Information Only00:24:09.320 - 12:23:01 PM; The senator discussed the transfer of the Conservation Land Stewardship Program from the Department of Administrative Services to Fish and Game, noting that an amendment would be addressed later.
Unclear: Senator Information Only00:25:16.880 - 12:24:08 PM; The senator requested a brief recess during discussions on funding for an additional staff position in the treasurer's office, which was not accepted by the House.
Unclear: Senator Information Only00:40:44.560 - 12:39:36 PM; After the recess, the senator moved to deny the request for an additional position in the treasurer's office, which was seconded and passed.
Unclear: Senator Information Only00:41:34.880 - 12:40:26 PM; The senator discussed amendments related to revenue sharing and capping revenue at last year's level, expressing concerns about the financial implications of restoring the 30% revenue sharing to municipalities.
Unclear: Senator W Information Only00:42:42.160 - 12:41:34 PM; Senator W emphasized the importance of maintaining the 30% revenue sharing to municipalities to help offset property tax increases, highlighting the long-term efforts to achieve this level.
Unclear: Senator Rosenwell Information Only00:44:09.160 - 12:43:01 PM; Senator Rosenwell discussed an amendment to delete the House's provision on revenue sharing, aiming to restore the 30% distribution to municipalities, and noted the projected increase in revenue that would require additional funding.
Unclear: Senator Information Only00:44:55.800 - 12:43:47 PM; The senator discussed another amendment related to revenue sharing, suggesting to suspend rather than eliminate it, due to no immediate cost and potential future reinstatement.
Unclear: Unidentified Speaker Information Only00:45:49.760 - 12:44:41 PM; The speaker announced the adoption of a previous item and moved on to discuss the suspension of revenue sharing, which was approved by a voice vote. They then proceeded to page 10 of the document, where a request was made to defer an item due to the absence of Senator Inis, who was supposed to speak on his amendment. The speaker clarified the pages and amendments being discussed, including amendments related to the community development loan fund and a potential reduction of revenue by raising a cap.
Unclear: Unidentified Speaker Information Only00:47:11.599 - 12:46:03 PM; The speaker continued discussing the amendments, noting that Senator Inis's amendment was the same as the bill laid on the table and should be deferred until his return. They also discussed the potential financial impact of raising a cap, which could lead to a reduction in revenue.
Unclear: Senator Rosen Information Only00:47:56.960 - 12:46:48 PM; Senator Rosen mentioned not wanting to hold the item on page 12 and shared an anecdote about misrepresentation of projects in Senate districts, specifically noting a confusion between districts 12 and 13.
Unclear: Unidentified Speaker Information Only00:49:17.520 - 12:48:09 PM; The speaker concluded the discussion on the current sheet, indicating that pages 13 and 14 were to be removed from the packet. They mentioned upcoming homework for the committee members to review bills with no recommendation and scheduled the next meeting for the following day at 1 PM, potentially delayed due to prior caucusing. They also mentioned that more sheets would be provided for the next meeting.
Unclear: Unidentified Speaker Information Only00:50:09.200 - 12:49:01 PM; The speaker finalized the meeting logistics, noting the next meeting's schedule and the distribution of additional sheets. They concluded the session with a motion to come out of the executive session, which was seconded and passed by a voice vote, adjourning the meeting.

Gray, James(Chairman)(R)[C+]2024	Innis, Daniel(V Chairman)(R)[C+]2024	Carson, Sharon(R)[C]2024
Watters, David(D)[CT]2024	Birdsell, Regina(R)[C+]2024	Lang, Timothy(R)[C+]2024
Rosenwald, Cindy(D)[CT]2024	Pearl, Howard (R)[C+]2024