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Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The stealth Senate dealmaker who could deliver Trump's tax cuts
Some of the most critical components of President Donald Trump's agenda are in the hands of a soft-spoken senator from Idaho who behind closed doors is one of Capitol Hill's most calculating dealmakers. Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo is rushing to finalize his panel's portion of his party's massive legislative centerpiece. He could begin briefing colleagues on bill text as soon as Monday, according to a person granted anonymity to share an evolving schedule —while three people aware of the state of negotiations say a full tax package may not be ready for release until early next week. That package needs to unite 51 Republicans in the Senate without alienating more than three GOP members of the House. The fate of vast Republican tax cuts enacted in 2017, and set to expire at the end of this year, hangs in the balance. In interviews throughout the past several weeks in the halls of the Senate, as he shuffled between meetings and votes flanked by trusted advisers, Crapo played his cards close to his vest. Asked about how he planned to make sure a trio of expiring business tax cuts are made permanent, he replied, 'I'm just not going to comment.' On whether the Senate would make tweaks to controversial House Medicaid language: 'We're working that right now. I'm not going to get into the details.' On how negotiations were going over whether to lower the House agreement to increase the cap on the state-and-local-tax deduction to $40,000: 'We're looking at the entire bill.' Crapo is known for his spare words, but also for his history of landing deals — and squashing ones he doesn't like, such as last year when he tanked a bipartisan tax bill negotiated by then-Finance Chair Ron Wyden and the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Jason Smith. At the same time, longtime colleagues and aides say Crapo can sometimes play the role of committee consensus-builder to his detriment — and he may have to put that tendency aside as the clock ticks down to the GOP's self-imposed July 4 deadline to send Trump his 'big, beautiful bill.' The question is now whether Crapo can help broker an agreement at this political moment when he has never presided over a policy battle with such high stakes. 'Mike Crapo is probably one of the three most well-respected members of the Republican caucus. People trust him. He listens. He tells you the truth. He tries to be inclusive, sometimes to a fault,' said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) in an interview. 'He's quiet. He's really, really smart.' People who have worked closely with Crapo say he likes to slowly build agreement among his committee members, has seemingly infinite patience to work out issues and most likely won't take a position with Senate leadership until he feels like all of his fellow panel Republicans are on board. 'Crapo is a very thoughtful and deliberate lawmaker who has strong views on tax policy himself, but also who cares about what his committee members want,' said Joe Boddicker, a former tax counsel for Senate Finance Republicans under Crapo, now of the law firm Alston & Bird. 'He will try to incorporate the feedback from them, and he puts a high premium on that feedback … so it'll be a group product, one that reflects the viewpoints of the committee membership.' He has previously walked political tightropes to pull off difficult legislative wins. Among the most notable was in 2018, when, as chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Crapo crafted a rare bipartisan deal with red-state Democrats to loosen Dodd-Frank regulations on banks — the most significant overhaul of the rules since they were first created after the 2008 financial crisis. '[He] puts the time in on it. He's low-key, but he is a connector, a facilitator,' said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who worked closely with Crapo on the banking overhaul. 'He doesn't need the spotlight, but he is very, very effective.' But Crapo is getting an earful from his members right now about what the tax portion of the GOP megabill should look like. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) wants to make the 'no tax on tips' proposal — a Trump campaign promise — more fair for blue-collar workers in certain industries. Meanwhile, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) wants to scale back a tier of new endowment taxes on private universities, a favorite proposal from House Ways and Means Republicans. Crapo is fielding a host of concerns from an ideologically diverse group of Senate Republicans, from moderate Susan Collins of Maine to conservative Josh Hawley of Missouri, who say they won't vote for a bill that could result in people losing Medicaid coverage. And then there's Sen. Ron Johnson, a Finance member who has warned he could vote against the megabill if Republicans don't commit to massive reductions in spending. At the same time, Crapo has shown in the past he's not afraid to stand up for his own interests. He surprised his House counterparts last year when he quietly killed the bipartisan tax deal crafted by Smith and Wyden. He opposed many of the policies, including an expansion of the Child Tax Credit. But while he didn't know then how the 2024 elections would shake out, stymying that deal also left the door open for the scenario in which Crapo now finds himself: able to run point on a more sweeping, and wholly partisan, tax overhaul exercise under a GOP governing trifecta. The fallout, however, also soured the relationship between Crapo and Smith. Yet the two men have found a new way to work closely together over the last few months to deliver Trump's biggest legislative priorities through the filibuster-skirting budget reconciliation process. 'I think part of the problem is that Wyden and Smith got together and Crapo didn't feel like he was a full partner,' said Finance Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas regarding the prior episode. Cornyn added that the current political conditions have necessitated an accord between the two lawmakers. They'll have to work together. Their two committees differ on the questions of business tax permanence — which would cost around half a trillion dollars to implement — and how high to cap the SALT deduction — which all Finance Republics want lowered. And there's continued disagreement over using an accounting tactic to essentially paper over around $3.8 trillion of extensions of Trump's tax cuts. Smith says he's in favor of the maneuver, but House hard-liners are extremely skeptical of the idea. Senate Republicans, including Crapo, want to keep it in place. 'We've been communicating very closely so we each know what the other is thinking,' 74-year-old Crapo, who has served in the Senate for more than three decades, said in an interview of his working relationship now with 44-year-old Smith, who was elected to the House in 2013 and has a reputation for being more outwardly pugnacious. 'We each know what the other's politics are in their caucus,' Crapo continued, 'and we're trying to keep ourselves in a situation where there are as few differences as possible.' A spokesperson for Smith did not respond to a request for comment about the House member's rapport with the senator. The partnership will come in handy as Crapo faces enormous pressure from other members of House GOP leadership, who are urging the Senate not to make so many changes to the House-passed bill that it will slow down the bill's final passage — if not derail the effort altogether. 'Mike Crapo is a brilliant senator and he's instrumental on the tax stuff and everything else. You got to respect his opinion. But at the end of the day, I hope they leave it right where it's at,' said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) in an interview last week. Crapo, meanwhile, has expressed quiet confidence he will deliver a viable product — even as he deals with the competing demands of House leaders like Emmer, his fellow Finance Republicans and even the Senate parliamentarian, whose rulings could complicate his efforts. Asked recently about an anticipated parliamentary ruling on the accounting tactic, he managed to sum up his whole approach: 'I never declare victory until the game is over.' Jordain Carney and Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.
Politico
a day ago
- Business
- Politico
Mike Crapo's megabill Mission: Impossible
Presented by IN TODAY'S EDITION:— What we expect on tax policy this week— Johnson's rescissions problem— The impact of Graham's Russia sanctions It's shaping up to be an enormously consequential week for President Donald Trump's legislative agenda, and there's one lawmaker at the center of it all: Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo. This morning we're going to zoom in on the Idaho Republican and his mammoth to-do list, which includes resolving make-or-break fights over tax policy, Medicaid cuts and clean-energy credits. (Benjamin is out with an even deeper dive that our POLITICO Pro readers got first on Sunday.) The soft-spoken Crapo has been stealthily working to coordinate changes to the 'big, beautiful' bill. It's looking like he won't release his committee's piece of the package until next week, with several outstanding policy issues unresolved. Senate Finance is expected to begin going through bill text with members and staff beginning today, and Crapo is expected to brief the broader Senate Republican conference mid-week. 'We're working as aggressively as we can to move as fast as we can,' Crapo says. Crapo's leaning on a cadre of trusted advisers. Finance staff director Gregg Richard, chief tax counsel Courtney Connell and deputy chief tax counsel Randy Herndon are among his critical staff on the bill. Crapo is known for his spare words — trust us, we've tried to get more out of him — but also for his history of landing deals. One of his biggest wins was the 2018 law that eased the Dodd-Frank banking law — an effort that required bringing along Democrats to help serve up a Trump administration victory. He also flexed as a deal-killer last year, blocking a tax revamp negotiated by House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith and then-Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden. Last year's clash soured the relationship between Crapo and Smith, yet the two have found a way to work together to deliver Trump's latest round of tax cuts. 'We've been communicating very closely so we each know what the other is thinking,' Crapo says. Now Crapo faces his biggest test yet as he tries to resolve Senate clashes over razor's edge deals that Smith and other top House Republicans struck to pass their version of the bill. Some of those conflicts are within Senate Finance itself, with Sen. Thom Tillis pushing for changes to 'no tax on tips' and Sen. James Lankford wanting to scale back planned endowment taxes on private universities. Crapo's personal priority? He is the leading advocate for using a legislative accounting method known as current policy baseline that would treat the extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts as costing nothing. This is a big flash point between him and fiscal hardliners. If he succeeds in the Senate, Crapo's compromise will have to survive the House. Some top House Republicans are urging him to go easy on them. 'Mike Crapo is a brilliant senator and he's instrumental on the tax stuff and everything else. You got to respect his opinion,' Majority Whip Tom Emmer tells Mia. 'But at the end of the day, I hope they leave it right where it's at.' Look for other Senate committees to release their megabill text this week: HELP and Energy on Tuesday; Agriculture on Wednesday; and Homeland Security and Judiciary on Thursday, according to our latest intel. Agriculture text though may slide to later this week or possibly into next week as several governors are now raising concerns about plans for federal food aid. GOOD MONDAY MORNING. Follow our live coverage at the Inside Congress blog at and email your Inside Congress scribes at bguggenheim@ mmccarthy@ lkashinsky@ and bleonard@ THE SKED The House is in session. Members are set to vote on resolutions denouncing the Boulder, Colo. terrorist attack and renaming the House Press Gallery the 'Frederick Douglass Press Gallery' at 6:30 p.m. — Rules will have a hearing on the HALT Fentanyl Act and a bill that would prohibit non-citizens from voting in Washington at 4 p.m. — Appropriations will hold a subcommittee markup for the fiscal 2026 DHS funding bill at 6 p.m. Bill text released Sunday night would provide DHS with $66.4 billion but doesn't have big increases for the department's immigration agencies as Republicans pursue billions for border security in the budget reconciliation bill. — House Republican and Democratic leadership will hold private meetings shortly before evening votes. The Senate is in session and voting on Brett Shumate's nomination to be an assistant attorney general and to end debate on David Fotouhi's nomination to be deputy administrator of the EPA at 5:30 p.m. — Senate Republican and Democratic leadership will hold private meetings shortly before evening votes. The rest of the week: The House will take up the rescissions package, HALT Fentanyl Act and immigration legislation targeting D.C. The Senate will work through Trump's nominations, including Stephen Vaden to be deputy secretary of Agriculture and Andrew Hughes to be deputy secretary of HUD. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Johnson's rescissions problem House GOP leaders are planning a vote Thursday on a rescissions bill that would claw back $9.4 billion in funds Congress has approved for foreign aid and public broadcasting. But there's a new problem for Speaker Mike Johnson — at least 10 moderate Republicans have privately said they currently oppose the legislation, four people with direct knowledge tell Meredith Lee Hill. The holdouts have raised concerns about the impact of the cuts and questioned whether it's appropriate to let the White House slash funding that lawmakers approved. Johnson's leadership circle thinks they can flip the no votes and muscle the package through the floor this week. The first stop is the Rules Committee Tuesday. LA immigration clashes hit the Hill's agenda Escalating confrontations between law enforcement and protesters in Los Angeles over federal immigration policy are quickly being felt on Capitol Hill after Trump mobilized the National Guard to respond. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff, are among the GOP lawmakers and Trump administration officials using the clashes to call for passing the megabill to bolster immigration enforcement. Congressional Hispanic Caucus members talked through the situation in an emergency meeting late Sunday, our Nicholas Wu reports. And look for the issue to come up at tonight's House Appropriations subcommittee on DHS funding, which includes immigration enforcement. Johnson doubts Musk's megabill sway Johnson told ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday that he has texted with Elon Musk but not spoken with him since last Monday. But the speaker didn't appear worried about Musk's meltdown over the 'big, beautiful' bill. He said Republicans haven't received many constituent calls urging votes against the bill over Musk's complaints. Trump is warning Musk to back off of Congress, telling NBC News that he would face 'serious consequences' if he funds Democrats to run against Republicans who support the megabill. Sen. Cory Booker told NBC that he won't accept campaign contributions from Musk, but that the billionaire should 'get involved … in a more substantive way' against the budget reconciliation bill. ICYMI: House Republicans are making clear that they're sticking with Trump over Musk, Meredith reports with Hailey Fuchs and Ben Jacobs. 'Frankly, it's united Republicans even more to go and defend the great things that are in this bill — and once it's passed and signed into law by August, September, you're going to see this economy turning around like nothing we've ever seen,' House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in an interview Friday. Stefanik returns to Intel Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair of House Republican Leadership, is back on House Intelligence, where she served since 2017 before losing the assignment when she was tapped to be UN ambassador. To make the move work, the House is adding Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to the panel rather than removing another Republican. POLICY RUNDOWN BANKING'S BYRD TEST — Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott is out with his panel's contribution to the GOP's megabill, amid concerns from his own Republican members that several provisions won't be allowed under Senate budget reconciliation rules, our Katherine Hapgood reports. A plan to zero out CFPB funding could run into problems with the so-called Byrd, which restricts proposals that have a negligible budget impact. ANOTHER CRAPO PROBLEM — Thirteen House Republicans led by Rep. Jen Kiggans are urging Senate leaders to rescue clean energy tax credits that the House-passed version of the GOP megabill would phase down, Kelsey Brugger reports. Most of the lawmakers supported the bill on the House floor. 'We believe the Senate now has a critical opportunity to restore common sense and deliver a truly pro-energy growth final bill that protects taxpayers while also unleashing the potential of U.S. energy producers, manufacturers, and workers,' they wrote to Crapo and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. THE IMPACT OF GRAHAM'S RUSSIA SANCTIONS — Graham's bipartisan bill to impose 'crushing' sanctions on Russia would cut the U.S. off from some of the world's largest economies with 500 percent tariffs on any country that buys Russian energy our Amy Mackinnon reports. Graham is proposing new carve-outs for countries that provide aid to Ukraine — a big help to the European Union — but some experts remain skeptical. The Trump administration is trying to get Graham to weaken the legislation, The Wall Street Journal reports. In the House, Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is holding off pursuing a discharge petition to force action on similar legislation, preferring to wait for the Senate to pass the bill, three people with direct knowledge of the plans told Meredith. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: CAMPAIGN STOP MEDICAID ADS FLOOD SWING DISTRICTS — TV spots mentioning Medicaid have already run in more Republican-held districts this year than they did all of last cycle as Democrats look to use GOP's proposed cuts to the program as a campaign cudgel, according to a new analysis from our Jessica Piper, Elena Schneider and Holly Otterbein. STOP US IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE — Texas Republicans' messy Senate primary between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton is giving Democrats hope of finally flipping the Lone Star State, Nicholas and Liz Crampton report. Their logic: Paxton is leading Cornyn in polls, including, as Ben reports, among those who identify themselves as part of the 'Trump movement.' Democrats believe a Paxton general-election candidacy could divide Republicans and potentially even sway some to support a Democrat. But first Democrats need a viable candidate. Former Reps. Colin Allred and Beto O'Rourke have signaled interest in another bid, but some Democrats want the party to look elsewhere. Rep. Joaquin Castro is looking at the race, while Rep. Marc Veasey ruled out a run. TUNNEL TALK BABBITT SETTLEMENT — The Trump administration will pay a nearly $5 million settlement in the lawsuit over the wrongful death of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by a U.S. Capitol Police officer after storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, our Ali Bianco reports. Lawyers reached an agreement last month for a settlement, but no final deal was publicly disclosed until Friday. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MOVES — Acting Librarian of Congress Robert Newlen is making personnel moves while the institution's leadership remains in limbo after Trump's attempted takeover last month, our Katherine Tully-McManus writes in. Edward Jablonski will serve as senior adviser to the acting librarian and was previously the library's chief operating officer. The COO role will be filled by Roberto A. Salazar, who's been serving in an acting capacity since March 3. Jablonski is a Navy veteran who has been at the Library since 2006. Salazar was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as national administrator of the USDA Food and Nutrition Services — but before that he was a Senate Page. Former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden spoke to CBS over the weekend about her firing by Trump. She said no one from the White House has talked to her directly, besides the brief email she received about her termination. THE BEST OF THE REST Breaking With Trump, Bacon Says He Won't Follow His Party 'Off the Cliff', from Annie Karni at The New York Times MTG flirts with Georgia governor bid, from Greg Bluestein at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Republicans and Economists at Odds Over Whether Megabill Will Spur Growth Boom, from Richard Rubin at The Wall Street Journal CAPITOL HILL INFLUENCE Jason McMahon will join Valinor Enterprises to build out its federal strategy and government relations efforts. He previously was a professional staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee. JOB BOARD Kevin Orellana will be a legislative assistant for Rep. Vince Fong, handling his financial services portfolio. He previously was a legislative aide for Rep. Young Kim. Gavin Proffitt is now a health policy adviser for Sen. Ron Johnson. He previously was a health policy adviser for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Julianne Heberlein is now a speechwriter and press adviser for Sen. Deb Fischer. She previously was comms director for Rep. Rob Wittman and is a Larry Hogan alum. Chelsea Blink is now legislative director for Rep. Lauren Underwood. She previously was director of farm animal legislation at the ASPCA. Reedy Newton is now director of operations for Rep. Russell Fry. She previously was scheduler for Sen. Tim Scott and is a NRSC alum. Martina McLennan is now director of policy comms for economic and health policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She previously was comms director for Sen. Jeff Merkley. Emily Druckman is now comms director and senior adviser for Rep. Kim Schrier. She most recently was communications director for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and formerly led comms for Rep. Marc Veasey. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Former Rep. Kendra Horn … Ray Salazar of House Minority Whip Katherine Clark's office … Joe Curl … Susannah Luthi … Margaret Talev … Liz Mair … Yonathan Teclu of Rep. Ilhan Omar's office … DSCC's Laura Matthews … Jess O'Connell of NEWCO Strategies … Dante Atkins … Candi Wolff of Citi … Ria Strasser-Galvis … Alexandra Toma … Lori Lodes of Climate Power … Democracy Forward's Skye Perryman … Daniel Rankin of Rep. Don Bacon's office … Aryele Bradford of Rep. Shomari Figures' office … Zac Petkanas … Semafor's Sara Amin TRIVIA FRIDAY'S ANSWER: Albert Wolf correctly answered that Rep. Laura Gillen was a scuba instructor in Thailand before she came to Congress. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Mia: The Declaration of Independence painting in the Capitol Rotunda is painted by which American painter? How many paintings does this painter have on display in the Rotunda? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
Politico
02-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Thune stares down ‘Medicaid moderates'
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— The Senate megabill talks to watch this week— Appropriations season ramps up— Chris Murphy launches PAC It's megabill crunch time in the Senate. Arm-twisting over what to change in the House-passed version of the 'big, beautiful' bill will largely play out behind closed doors the next few days. Strategy huddles include Senate Finance's meeting tonight and Wednesday's 'Big Six' confab between Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Speaker Mike Johnson, their tax committee chairs and lead administration officials, as we previewed last week. One of Thune's biggest challenges to passing the bill by July 4 will be winning over the 'Medicaid moderates' — an ideological cross-section of members who are aligned against the cuts passed by the House and have the numbers to force changes, our Jordain Carney reports this morning. Among them: Sens. Josh Hawley, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. Thune can only lose three GOP senators to pass the megabill. Thune and Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo, who is juggling Medicaid and tax conflicts in the bill, are talking to key members in anticipation of difficult negotiations. Crapo told Jordain he personally backs the House's Medicaid work requirements, which some GOP senators wary of benefit cuts say they could also support. But beyond that, they're steering clear of public commitments. One potentially major sticking point: The House-passed freeze on provider taxes, which most states use to help finance their share of Medicaid costs. Sen. Jim Justice, the former West Virginia governor, called it a 'real issue' and Hawley has also raised concerns. But other GOP senators, including Kevin Cramer, want to go even further in reducing, not just freezing, the provider tax. Republicans got a glimpse of the political minefield surrounding Medicaid while back home last week. Sen. Joni Ernst's 'we're all going to die' response to town hall pushback about the cuts — and her decision to double down on the comments — generated days of negative headlines and ad fodder for Democrats. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told our Dasha Burns in the debut episode of her podcast 'The Conversation' that the Medicaid work requirements in the bill would 'future proof' the program. Then there are the deficit hawks. President Donald Trump over the weekend warned Sen. Rand Paul to get behind the megabill, with Paul vowing to vote against it over an included debt-limit hike. But it's not just Paul making noise. Sen. Ron Johnson is calling for a line-by-line budget review to find places to slash more spending, and Sens. Mike Lee and Rick Scott are also pushing for more cuts. Paul hinted at hard-liners' leverage Sunday on CBS' 'Face the Nation,' saying: 'I would be very surprised if the bill at least is not modified in a good direction.' GOOD MONDAY MORNING. Welcome back. Follow our live coverage at the Inside Congress blog at and email your Inside Congress scribes at lkashinsky@ mmccarthy@ and bleonard@ THE SKED The House is out. The Senate is in session and voting to end debate on Michael Duffey's nomination to be an undersecretary of Defense at 5:30 p.m. — Pennsylvania Sens. John Fetterman and David McCormick will have a live discussion, moderated by Fox News' Shannon Bream, at the Kennedy Institute in Boston at 9 a.m. — Senate Republican and Democratic leadership will hold separate private meetings shortly before evening votes. The rest of the week: The House will return on Tuesday. The Senate will continue working through Trump's nominees, including Allison Hooker to be an undersecretary of State. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Thune's to-do list on Russia sanctions, crypto Internal pressure is growing on the Senate majority leader to take up Sen. Lindsey Graham's bipartisan Russia sanctions bill without waiting for the White House to weigh in. Graham, fresh off a Friday trip to Kyiv with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, told our Josh Berlinger and other reporters in Paris that he expects the bill will 'start moving' soon. He talked up a House discharge petition that could hit the floor this week and a plan that would put the bill on the Senate calendar for potential action 'hopefully the following week.' Graham and Blumenthal are pushing to bypass Senate Banking, which has jurisdiction over sanctions legislation, to speed up the process. Also on Thune's radar this week: GOP leaders need to finalize a deal on amendments for stablecoin legislation that's pending a floor vote. It may slip into next week. No longer on Thune's radar: Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA, which Trump said over the weekend he was withdrawing. Contributions to prominent Democrats may have doomed him, per the New York Times. Schumer plots more megabill pushback Senate Democrats are preparing to challenge parts of the GOP megabill with the parliamentarian, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a 'Dear Colleague' letter Sunday. He highlighted a specific House provision that critics say would weaken judges' power to enforce contempt orders. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke Sunday as the two step up coordination around the bill. Top House Democrats on three key committees are also briefing Senate colleagues on GOP fault lines. POLICY RUNDOWN APPROPRIATIONS ON THE AGENDA — Work on funding the government is ramping up this week with key committee votes and a round of pitches from Trump administration officials on the Hill. Here's what's coming: — House Appropriations will begin marking up the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Agriculture bills on Thursday. — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — the face of Trump's tariff agenda — will testify before Senate and House appropriations subcommittees on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, on his agency's budget. — Education Secretary Linda McMahon will testify on Tuesday and will likely be pressed about the education programs the Trump administration plans to cut, including federal grants that support preschools and education services for homeless children. — Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau is set to testify Wednesday before a House Appropriations subcommittee and is poised to face questions about the nation's air traffic control system. — OMB Director Russ Vought will testify on Wednesday. Trump's budget chief has already faced backlash for the sweeping federal funding cuts. The Trump administration Friday sent the nitty-gritty details of his fiscal 2026 budget request to Congress, including a 22 percent cut in non-defense spending, our Jennifer Scholtes reports. ROBOTICS CAUCUS RELAUNCHES — A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is relaunching the Congressional Robotics Caucus. Reps. Jim McGovern, Haley Stevens, Bob Latta and Jay Obernolte will co-chair. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: CAMPAIGN STOP FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: MURPHY'S NEW PAC — Sen. Chris Murphy is launching a PAC aimed at mobilizing voters against Trump and Republican lawmakers' agenda, our Holly Otterbein reports. The American Mobilization Project will start by doling out $400,000 to groups registering voters and opposing Medicaid cuts, and it plans to spend upwards of $2 million during the midterms. Murphy insists his PAC play isn't a sign of presidential ambitions. The Connecticut Democrat told Holly, 'I'm a believer that the only thing that is ultimately going to stop Trump's corruption and his destruction of democracy is mass mobilization.' MAXINE WATERS' CAMPAIGN FACES FINE — Rep. Maxine Waters' congressional campaign agreed to pay a $68,000 fine after a FEC investigation found it violated campaign finance laws, Dave Levinthal writes at OpenSecrets. Waters' 2020 campaign committee understated contributions and expenditures by hundreds of thousands of dollars, per the FEC's findings. THE BEST OF THE REST Aide to Rep. Nadler Is Handcuffed Amid Confrontation With Federal Agents, from Christopher Maag at The New York Times Republicans see Darin LaHood as 'best chance' for Senate flip in blue Illinois, from Rachel Schilke at the Washington Examiner CAPITOL HILL INFLUENCE BURR LOBBYING FOR TOBACCO COALITION — Former North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr has continued to add new lobbying clients since his cooling-off period to lobby the Hill ended at the beginning of the year, our POLITICO Influence reports. Among the newest clients for the former Senate HELP ranking member is the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine. Though the group has a barebones online presence, lobbying disclosures show it is backed by tobacco giants Altria, Japan Tobacco International, Reynolds American and Reynolds parent company British American Tobacco. Burr and a pair of former staffers who have joined him at DLA Piper began lobbying last month on FDA regulation and enforcement policy on behalf of the coalition, according to a disclosure filing. Molly Fromm is now VP and general counsel at the Nickles Group. She previously was general counsel and parliamentarian for House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith. Kim Trzeciak, who served as the FDA's deputy commissioner for policy, legislation and international affairs during the Biden administration, has joined Capitol Hill Consulting Group as a senior vice president. She previously worked on the Hill as a top aide on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee and for the late Rep. John Dingell, with stints at Glover Park Group (now FGS Global) and Mylan in between. Growth Energy has added Emma Keiser as director of government affairs. She was most recently a legislative assistant for Sen. Joni Ernst. JOB BOARD Sam Somogye is now press secretary for Sen. Katie Britt. He was most recently communications director for Rep. Diana Harshbarger and is a Ted Cruz campaign alum. Elisabeth Conklin is now legislative director for Rep. Tom Barrett. She previously was a senior professional staff member on the House Small Business Committee. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rep. Delia Ramirez … former Rep. Mike Rogers … Mia Heck ... Mike Lynch … Jeanine Pirro … Crooked Media's Jon Favreau … Rich Ashooh … Ben Cassidy of the BLC Group … Vanessa Day … Zach Isakowitz of the Semiconductor Industry Association … Darby McQueen-Dever of Rep. Michael Cloud's office … Hannah Botelho of Kieloch Consulting … Edgar Barrios … Jane Meyer of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's office TRIVIA FRIDAY'S ANSWER: Don Lowe correctly answered that a proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution as soon as it is ratified by 3/4 of the total states (38 for 50 states). TODAY'S QUESTION, from Mia: What percentage of the 119th Congress are four-year college graduates? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Checking in on the Nevada Legislature: What's on death watch and what's still kicking
Time is ticking for the hundreds of bills still alive in the Nevada State Legislature. (Photo: Trevor Bexon/Nevada Current) The Nevada State Legislature has only a fortnight remaining before it must gavel out, which means it's crunch time for the hundreds of bills still trying to make it to Gov. Joe Lombardo's desk. Friday, May 16 marked the 103rd day of the session and the deadline by which most bills had to pass out of a committee. The bills subject to Friday's deadline had already passed one chamber of the Legislature, meaning their next step is to get a floor vote in whichever chamber hasn't already voted on it. The deadline for passing that full floor vote is this Friday, May 23. Meanwhile, there is an avalanche of bills exempt from standard deadlines. Some of these bills are chugging along. Others are languishing in inaction and likely already dead inside, though their sponsors may still be holding out hope. We know it's a lot to follow, so here's the Nevada Current's status check on the dozens of noteworthy bills we have covered so far this session. We've included links to our previous coverage and links to the official legislative website where you can find out more about each bill. This time around, we've broken out the bills that appear stuck in a budget committee. The rest of the bills are organized by subject. We've also added dates to give you a sense of how long each bill has been wherever it is. * Notes: Bills exempt from the legislative deadline are marked with an asterisk. Lead sponsors are listed in parentheses. Bills with no lead sponsor listed are sponsored by interim committees. One common joke among the halls of the Legislature is that Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means are the committees where bills go to die. That may especially be true this year because of a souring economic outlook and the potential for major federal cuts causing further financial damage later this year. Here's a look at bills that have been referred to these budget committees and not seen recent action. Senate Bill 54* would require the state's Department of Health and Human Services to apply for a federal waiver and amend the state Medicaid plan to cover medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 172* (Sen. Edgar Flores, D) seeks to bolster protections for farm workers and amend overtime pay laws to include agriculture workers. Referred to Senate Finance on April 16. Senate Bill 199* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish guardrails around artificial intelligence. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 217* (State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D) would establish the right to assisted reproduction treatment, including in vitro fertilization. Referred to Senate Finance on April 18. Senate Bill 220* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) is known as the Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act. It is one of two bills that would massively expand the state's film tax credit program to support a film and production studio in southwest Las Vegas. Referred to Senate Finance on April 15. Senate Bill 244* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) would expand the types of obesity treatments covered by Nevada Medicaid, including approving weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for wider use. Referred to Senate Finance on April 1. Senate Bill 260* (Sen. Edgar Flores, D) seeks to ensure that outdoor workers receive protection when air quality reaches unhealthy levels due to wildfire smoke. Status: Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 353* (State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D) would increase Medicaid reimbursement for mental health providers. Referred to Senate Finance on April 17. Senate Bill 391* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish a corporate landlord registry and cap purchasing power for corporate owners. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Senate Bill 431* would apply the state's live entertainment tax to tickets resold by third-party vendors and dedicate some funding to transit. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21. Assembly Bill 191* (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would give graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain for better pay and conditions. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 14. Assembly Bill 224* (Assemblymember Erica Mosca, D) would dedicate $100 million in state general obligation bonds for high-needs school construction projects in low-population counties that cannot fund them through typical means. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 10. Assembly Bill 246* (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would require the Nevada Department of Corrections to conduct a study on food quality, waste and nutrition within state prisons. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21. Assembly Bill 276* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would adjust the commerce tax threshold to inflation. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21. Assembly Bill 366* (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would appropriate $25 million from the state general fund to supportive housing initiatives throughout the state. Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on March 28. No action taken. Assembly Bill 388* (Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D) would require private employers with more than 50 workers, as well as all public employers, to provide paid family and medical leave. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 15. Assembly Bill 460* (Assemblymember Cecelia González, D) streamlines the process for selecting a temporary guardian for minors prior to any immigration action. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21. Assembly Bill 475* would provide funding for eviction diversion programs in Clark and Washoe counties. Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on April 4. Senate Bill 121 (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) changes what homeowners' associations are allowed to require of new residents. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary on May 8. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 18 yeas, 2 nays. Republicans Ira Hansen and Robin Titus opposed. Assembly Bill 121 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would require all non-optional fees, such as sewer and water, be listed in advertisements for rental properties. It would also require landlords to offer a way for tenants to pay rent without added processing fees. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 201 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) would expand efforts to automatically seal eviction records. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 211 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would allow a third party to take over the property until repairs are made and living conditions improved. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 41 yeas, 0 nays, 1 excused. Assembly Bill 223 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would give tenants more power to hold landlords accountable for failing to provide livable conditions. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 241 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) would require counties to speed up the process to rezone land currently designated commercial use into residential or mixed use. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly 28 yeas, 14 nays. Republican Danielle Gallant voted with Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 280 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) proposes rent stabilization for seniors. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 283 (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would restructure the eviction process. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays. Assembly Bill 540* is Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's housing bill. It would allocate millions of dollars to build more housing and expand the definition of affordable housing to include people with higher incomes. Status: Heavily amended and passed by Assembly Commerce and Labor on May 16. Senate Bill 316* (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would curb how much profit pharmacy benefit managers can make. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 13. Senate Bill 417 would allow Southwest Gas and other natural gas utilities to ask the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to depart from traditional rate-setting in favor of alternative rate-making. Status: Heard by Assembly Growth and Infrastructure on May 15 and moved out of the committee without recommendation the following day. Previously: Passed full Senate unanimously. Senate Bill 442 mandates utilities report the number of disconnections due to non-payment. Status: Passed Assembly Growth and Infrastructure on May 8. Previously: Passed full Senate with some bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays from Republicans. Assembly Bill 44 (Attorney General Aaron Ford, D) seeks to crack down on 'knowingly deceptive' price fixing. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 24 yeas, 18 nays; three Democrats voted with Republicans in opposition. Assembly Bill 204* (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would prevent collection agencies from threatening to arrest people for debt, obtain a lien against a primary residence, seek to foreclose on a home, or garnish wages. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 15. Senate Bill 348 (State Sen. Julie Pazina, D) would increase the fee hospitals pay the Nevada State Public Health Lab for a newborn screening panel to expand newborn screenings for rare diseases. Status: Passed Assembly Health and Human Services on May 14. Previously: Passed Senate with bipartisan support: 16 yeas, 5 nays. Senate Bill 495*, known as the Nevada Health Care Access Act, is Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's health care bill. Status: Introduced into the Legislature on May 15. Referred to Senate Health and Human Services. Assembly Bill 176 (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D), known as the Right to Contraception Act, would strengthen protections against a state or local government burdening access to contraceptive measures. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with unanimous support. Assembly Bill 235 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) protects employees and volunteers of reproductive health care facilities, as well as their spouses, domestic partners or minor children, by allowing them to request a court order that keeps their personal information confidential on otherwise public records within the offices of county recorder, county assessor, county clerk, city clerk, Secretary of State, or Department of Motor Vehicles. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed the full Assembly with bipartisan support: 33 yeas, 9 nays; six Republicans supported. Assembly Bill 411 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) would allow prescriptions for drugs used for medical abortions and miscarriage management to list the name of the prescribing health care practice, rather than the name of the specific individual providing the prescription. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 26 yeas, 15 nays, 1 Democrat excused. Senate Bill 116 (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would give pay raises to elected county officials. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 19 yeas, 2 nays. Republicans Carrie Buck and Robin Titus opposed. Senate Bill 161* (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would establish an expedited arbitration process for teachers unions and school districts and establish a pathway for K-12 public school teachers to legally go on strike. Status: Passed full Senate: 14 yeas, 6 nays. Republicans Lori Rogich and John Steinbeck voted with Democrats in support. Senate Bill 418* would enable the State Superintendent of Public Schools to withhold a charter school's per-pupil dollars in order to pay PERS delinquencies. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 13. Previously: Passed full Senate unanimously. Assembly Bill 112 (Assemblymember Duy Nguyen, D) would allow workers covered by collective bargaining agreements to use their accrued leave to care for family members. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 29 yeas, 13 nays. Republicans Rebecca Edgeworth and Gregory Hafen voted with Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 215 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would prohibit high school teenagers from working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. before a school day. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously. Assembly Bill 502* would boost the state's ability to investigate and enforce prevailing wage violations. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 17. Hearing scheduled for May 23. Assembly Joint Resolution 1* (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would let voters in 2028 decide whether the taxable value of property should reset when a home is sold. Status: Heard by Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15 and advanced without a recommendation the following day. Previously: Resolution passed full Assembly: 26 yeas, 16 nays. Democrat Brittney Miller joined Republicans in opposition. Assembly Joint Resolution 8 (Assemblymember Joe Dalia, D) would let voters in 2028 decide whether Nevada should establish a dedicated business court with the goal of enticing large companies to incorporate here. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Resolution passed the full Assembly with bipartisan support: 40 yeas, 2 nays. Democrats Selena La Rue Hatch and Erica Roth opposed. Assembly Bill 256 (Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D) would create a Regional Rail Transit Advisory Working Group to assess the need for a regional rail system in the state's largest metro areas, as well as potential funding sources for such a system. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Passed the full Assembly with unanimous support. Assembly Bill 277 (Assemblymember Rich DeLong, R) would make the Net Proceeds of Minerals Bulletin public again. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly unanimously. Senate Bill 28 (City of Las Vegas) would create 'tax increment areas' in which a portion of future property tax revenue would be used to pay interest on bonds used to finance affordable housing development and public transit. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 13. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays. Four Republicans opposed. Senate Bill 69 (Storey County) would require companies seeking massive tax abatements to enter into agreements to defray the costs of the government-provided services they would require. Status: Passed Assembly Revenue on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays. Four Republicans opposed. Assembly Bill 185 (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would bar most HOAs from prohibiting licensed home-based childcare operations within their communities. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 16. Previously: Passed Assembly with bipartisan support; 32 yeas, 10 nays. A third of the Republican caucus supported. Assembly Bill 238* (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) is known as the Nevada Studio Infrastructure Jobs and Workforce Training Act. It massively expands the state's film tax credit program to support a production studio in Summerlin in Las Vegas. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 9. No action taken since. Assembly Bill 376* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would create a 'regulatory sandbox' for the insurance industry. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 22. Scheduled for a hearing on May 20. Assembly Bill 457* (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) originally sought to close a potential loophole that can be used by corporate landlords to avoid paying the state's commerce tax. It has now been amended into a study on the issue. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas 15 nays. Assembly Bill 487 originally sought to ban retail pet sales statewide. It has been amended into a study bill. Status: Passed Senate Natural Resources on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly with bipartisan support; 32 yeas, 9 nays, 1 excused. Six of the chamber's 15 Republicans supported. Senate Bill 318* (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would ban charter schools from contracting with for-profit education management organizations. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 19. No action taken. Assembly Bill 217 would prohibit school employees from granting permission to immigration officers to enter a school, or provide student records, including information on a student's family, without a warrant. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly; 31 yeas, 11 nays. Four Republicans joined Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 398* (Assemblymember Steve Yeager, D) would provide additional pay for public school district teachers in hard-to-fill positions. Yeager plans to amend the bill to establish a fund for broader charter school raises. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 15. Assembly Bill 441 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would change how Opportunity Scholarships are administered. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas, 15 nays. Senate Bill 88* would discharge medical debt from those incarcerated once they leave prison. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 19. No action taken. Assembly Bill 91* (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) is known as 'second look' legislation and would create an avenue for those incarcerated to have sentences reviewed by the State Board of Parole Commissioners after they've served extended periods of time. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 14. No action taken. Assembly Bill 107 (Assemblymember Tracy Brown-May, D) would allow people convicted of marijuana possession for amounts that are currently legal to become foster parents. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with unanimous support. Assembly Bill 111 (Assemblymember Brian Hibbetts, R) would make driving the wrong way a misdemeanor crime. Status: Passed Senate Growth and Infrastructure on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly unanimously. Senate Bill 323* (State Sen. Melanie Scheible, D) would create a pilot program to provide free phone calls at Florence McLure Women's Correctional Center. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 13. No action taken. Assembly Bill 320* (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to stop judges from using dress codes to turn away defendants. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 14. No action taken. Senate Bill 350 (State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D) would extend the time period the state has for carrying out an execution of someone on death row. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate on party lines: 13 yeas, 8 nays. Assembly Bill 381* (Assemblymember Melissa Hardy, R) is known as Reba's Law and mandates prison time for killing a domestic animal. Status: Passed full Assembly unanimously on May 16. Assembly Bill 402* (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D) would authorize traffic monitoring cameras in construction work zones when workers are present. Status: Scheduled for Assembly Ways and Means hearing on May 23. Assembly Bill 209 (Assemblymember David Orentlicher, D) would grant sex workers immunity from criminal liability from prostitution-related offenses if they call 911 seeking medical assistance. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party-line vote. Assembly Bill 321 (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to establish a pathway for formerly incarcerated people to work as firefighters with the Nevada Division of Forestry. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously. Senate Bill 457 (Gov. Joe Lombardo, R) is known as the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act. Status: Referred to Senate Judiciary on April 7, no hearing scheduled Assembly Bill 96 would mandate that cities and counties with populations exceeding 100,000 people include 'heat mitigation' as part of their master plans. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly; 29 yeas, 13 nays. Republicans Gregory Koenig and Toby Yurek voted with Democrats in support. Assembly Bill 104 would establish the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program, which would allow willing landowners to sell their water rights back to the state through the year 2035. Status: Passed Senate Natural Resources on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously. Assembly Joint Resolution 10 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) a non-binding statement of support urging the federal government to prioritize the passage of the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, colloquially known as the Clark County Lands Bill, which would open 25,000 acres of public land in Southern Nevada to development. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with bipartisan support: 36 yeas, 6 nays. Six Democrats opposed. As of Monday afternoon, only four bills had actually made it to the governor's desk — a bill funding the session, a bill covering a budget shortfall in the Secretary of State's Office, a bill designating Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the 'emergency egg bill' designed to help reduce egg prices. Lombardo signed them all. However, four bills have passed both chambers and should soon head to Lombardo. Most prominently: Assembly Bill 530, which would allow the Clark County Commission to extend fuel revenue indexing (FRI) an additional decade beyond its current sunset date. The bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support. The Senate vote on May 12 was 14 yeas, 6 nays. Republicans Ira Hansen and John Steinbeck voted with Democrats in support. (Democrat James Ohrenschall was excused.) The Assembly vote in April was 39 yeas, 3 nays. Republicans Jill Dickman, Danielle Gallant, and Gregory Hafen were opposed. Lombardo vetoed a similar bill in 2023. Once AB530 formally arrives at his desk, he will have 5 days to sign or veto.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate budget writers reject 3 hot-button cuts in House budget
State Senate budget writers reversed $151 million in cuts made by the House as they began assembling their own two-year spending plan on Friday. The House cuts had been made to Medicaid providers, services for people with developmental disabilities and for those suffering with a mental health crisis. The moves seized on the top three issues senators had heard about during a marathon 10-hour public hearing on Tuesday, for which people packed Representatives Hall and nearly 300 had signed up to speak. 'I want the people of New Hampshire to know we have heard what you said, and you have identified what we need to address in this budget,' said Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, a first-time member of the Senate Finance Committee. During an interview, Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, likened the move to business author Stephen Covey's 'three big rocks' theory of management, which advises to take up and fulfill top priorities first to ensure that there is enough room and time to address them. 'We just moved three very big 'rocks' in this budget,' Gray said. 'We've got plenty of other work to do, but we felt it was important to send this important message at the outset.' The $15.3 billion House budget had proposed cutting Medicaid provider rates by 3% across the board. Health care advocacy groups loudly protested that move since the current budget provided for, in some cases, double-digit rate hikes for certain medical specialties. Reversing that cut will cost $17.5 million in the next budget year and $35 million in the second. The House cut $31 million over two years for services to people with developmental disabilities, which raised the prospect of the return of a waitlist of adults needing help. 'I was in the House in 2007 when we ended the DD (developentally disabled) waitlist and it was a joyous occasion,' recalled Senate Deputy Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald of Nashua. 'This was a long time coming from the closure of the Laconia State School.' Rep. Jess Edwards, R-Auburn, said even with that cut, state law would allow Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver to ask the Legislative Fiscal Committee for more money over the next two years to avoid a waitlist. 'This is a foundation of what we need to do as a state and I am very glad we have restored it,' said Senate Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, whose hometown hosts the new state-of-the-art treatment center for juvenile mental health on the grounds of the former Hampstead Hospital. The restorations also marked a big victory for Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, praised Carson, Gray and Ayotte for working with Senate Democrats to take the controversial cuts off the table. 'This is the hallmark of this committee that we listen to people, and we are ready to do what needs to be done,' Watters said. Sen. Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, said the decisions were not difficult for this seven-member Finance Committee. 'There are many tough decisions to be made, but this is one of the easy ones,' Pearl said. More possible changes By reversing the cuts, the committee has earmarked 68% of the Senate's $221.8 million in higher revenue estimates than those used by the House. Over the coming week or so, the Senate panel must decide what to do about these other significant programs: • Office of the Child Advocate: The program, with 10 staff members, was eliminated. • State Council for the Arts: Eliminated, which would make New Hampshire the only state without an arts agency. • Group 2 Retirement Benefits: The House budget funded this $27.5 million item, a priority of Ayotte's that would boost the future pensions of several thousand first responders who had them cut due to a retirement reform law in 2011. Gray said Friday if his committee can't find the money he may lump the item in with the Youth Development Center victims fund as an IOU of sorts to be provided when future dollars are available. • University System of New Hampshire: The House would cut state aid by $50 million over two years, the deepest cut in 15 years. • Community colleges: The House endorsed a flat budget, about $4 million less than what Ayotte requested. • Liquor enforcement: The House eliminates the State Liquor Commission's quasi-police force that investigates and enforces alcohol and tobacco laws. • State Council on Aging: Abolished in House budget. • Renewable Energy Fund: Ayotte and the House call for sweeping the $10 million balance for these grants to local projects into the state treasury to balance the budget. • Local aid: The House budget capped payouts from the 8.5% Meals and Rooms Tax, which will deny cities and towns $11 million more than they would receive based on expected revenues. • Corrections: The agency would lose 150 positions including nearly 100 layoffs, none to come from the prison guard workforce. The commissioner said the cut would worsen morale, make the prisons unsafe and leave the state vulnerable to multiple lawsuits. • Alcohol Fund: The House suspends a law that 5% of liquor profits go to support treatment programs; $10 million per year would come from Opioid Abatement Trust Fund coming from settlements with major drug companies. • Housing Appeals Board, Human Rights Commission, and Board of Land and Tax Appeals: All eliminated by the House, to be replaced by two additional superior court judges to handle their cases. • Court budget: Administrators say the House's 8% cut would mean closing two circuit courts, suspending jury trials for two months each year and eliminating more than 100 positions. Speakers at Tuesday's hearing also took issue with House moves to raise dozens of fees by more than $90 million a year including the first across-the-board hike in motor vehicle fees in more than 15 years to raise $45 million annually. . What's Next: Senate budget writers meet Tuesday and continue work on as many as 100 proposed amendments to the spending plan. Prospects: Friday's action indicates the Finance Committee should complete its recommended budget on time late this month. The Senate has until June 5 to pass its budget. klandrigan@
