Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The PAL Committee convened to receive federal and state legislative updates and to consider recommended positions on several November 2026 ballot propositions and a regional transportation measure. After public testimony and committee discussion, the committee voted on support/oppose positions for Propositions 1, 40, 43, and the Regional Transportation Measure, and advanced Proposition 44 to the full Board without a recommendation.
Good afternoon and welcome to the Almeida County Board of Supervisors Personnel Administration and Legislation Committee meeting for Monday, September the 28th, 2026. May I have roll call, please? Supervisor Fortnato Gas. Present. Supervisor Town. Present. We have a quorum. Thank you. May I have instructions for participation, please. For in-person participation, the meeting site is open to the public. If you'd like to speak on an item, please fill out a speaker's card in the front of the room and place it in the box for teleconferencing participation. Follow the teleconferencing guidelines, post it at www.acgov.org and use the raise your hand function. Thank you. Let's start with the federal legislative update from the Picard group. Good afternoon. You've got Emily DeSilva here and Curtis Erdman is on as well. Things are getting quiet in DC in general. The House uh went out week before last as we told you guys last week in PAL, and they're not returning until November 9th after the midterms. The Senate is in session this week for its last legislative business uh before they adjourn. Um and we're hearing they could leave as early as Wednesday. It when we had our PAL call last week, we thought they may leave at the end of last week, but they are back. Um so kind of the big news that's happening, and maybe you saw it on Friday evening, but on Friday, the White House announced a pocket rescation of um $810 million in funding for health education and other programs. The largest piece is $567 million from the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement Programs. Um, and basically what they are saying is uh because it won't be spent by September 30th by the end of um FY26, they are able to kind of claw it back from what it was uh intended to do. But under the impoundment controlment act, a rescission request starts a 45-day clock for Congress to act, and when that window extends past the end of the fiscal year, so past September 30th, the withheld funds can lapse without congressional approval. Um both uh Senate approbes chair Susan Collins, Vice Chair Patty Murray, um, and House Approbes ranking member Rosa Delaro all called the move unlawful. Um, and Collins has said she would work with her Senate colleagues to address it. Um so just kind of that's out there. I know we've been talking a lot about what OMB has um tried to do over the last few months in terms of kind of clawing back funds. Um and the administration used the same approach last year to cancel about four billion in foreign aid, which the Supreme Court ultimately upheld. Um again, the the Senate or excuse me, Congress did push back in the continuing resolution, uh, which they passed in September, uh, as it related to uh the OMB having more kind of say um on the political side of things in terms of of uh federal funding in general. And so I know we talked a lot about that, CFR 200, and so um in the CR, there is language basically delaying enactment of that uh proposed change and uh through the length of the the CR. So through December 11th. Um, I think we're continuing to see kind of the House and Senate trying or starting to push back somewhat on some of these um White House or executive branch um actions on approbes. In terms of what uh the Senate is doing this week, they're going to wrap up uh a vote this evening final passage of um an NIL bill, which has to do with college sports. Um the House has not reached consensus on the issue, but I think one of the reasons that the Senate did come back this week was not because of the NIL bill, but more importantly, um Senate Majority Leader Thune is expected to set up a Wednesday procedural vote on the rate payer protection act, sponsored by Senator John uh Hewstead from Ohio, which uh passed the House overwhelmingly 417 to 3 and would require states to consider rules making data center operators cover their own energy costs. So part of that kind of affordability conversation. Um Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has opposed the bill. He said it's insufficient, though several Democrats have signaled openness uh to supporting the bill. So um we're not sure kind of the outcome of that procedural vote on Wednesday. And then there are a few committees that are meeting uh Tuesday, the tomorrow Senate judiciary hears from former special counsel Jack Smith. Senate Armed Services receives an update on the Golden Dome Missile Defense Initiative, and then Wednesday, um the Senate Help Committee, Health Education, Labor and Pensions will vote on nominations, including Surgeon General nominee, um Nicole Safier and Homeland Security and Government Affairs holds a hearing on AI agent security threats. Um that's really it for Congress. Again, we expect the Senate to go out this week. One other note um we did with um health care services and social services today, uh presented a briefing um to Congresswoman Simon staff on kind of the impacts of HR1, both to um the constituents that we are serving, but also impacts to kind of the county bottom line as well. Um that was very well received. Um, and I think we are going to open that up and reach out to other members of the delegation to provide kind of that briefing on HR1 impacts over the course of the next few weeks leading up to the next Congress. Uh, so just wanted to make that note. Um, and that is our report for the week. Happy to answer any questions.