Transcript Highlights:

• I was a mature adult. My husband was a mature adult. Thank you, Representative Patrino.
• adult you either are or you're not that adult you either are or you're not that magic<01:53:32.239><c
• mature adult 17 I was a mature adult period<01:53:48.880><c> my</c><01:53:49.119><c> husband</c><01:53
• my husband was a mature adult period my husband was a mature adult period<01:53:52.480><c> I</c><01:
• </c> be in the business of putting vulnerable be in the business of putting vulnerable Children<04:28

Summary: The Children and Family Law Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 285, which would add language to the parental rights and responsibilities statute directing judges to consider known mental health or medical conditions that could affect parenting. Representative Ball, the bill’s sponsor, said the intent was not to require disclosure of private records, but to give judges a reminder to ask whether anything in a parent’s condition could interfere with parenting and to help ensure children’s safety and best interests, especially in high-conflict or pro se family court cases. He said the proposal was meant as a guardrail and not as a way to reduce parenting time or take children from parents. Committee members questioned whether the existing best-interest factors already cover parenting ability, whether the new language could invite stigma or weaponization in custody disputes, and whether judges already have authority to ask these questions. Ball responded that judges often do not ask, that family court can be difficult for unrepresented parties, and that the language would simply make the issue explicit. He also said he would be open to amendments, including language that more directly instructs judges to ask the question. One member raised concerns about whether the bill should say judges “shall” ask rather than “may,” and Ball said he was willing to work with the committee on wording. Sarah Horn, a NAMI New Hampshire board member and parent, testified in opposition. She described her own history with OCD, ADD, PTSD, hospitalization, and recovery, and said mental illness had not harmed her ability to parent; she warned the bill could increase stigma and discourage people from seeking treatment. In response, Ball said her testimony was part of why he had considered an amendment to include physical health as well, so the bill would not single out mental health. The hearing ended without a vote in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a result, Vermont patients and providers are vulnerable to exploitation at a time when our health
• </c><00:58:51.920><c> to</c> patients and providers are vulnerable to patients and providers are vulnerable
• Uh, depending on person was an adult.
• </c> as an adult in the criminal division. as an adult in the criminal division.
• </c> over to the criminal division for adult over to the criminal division for adult proceedings.<01:

Transcript Highlights:

• can uh we driving decisions as adults can uh we ask<00:44:43.760><c> that</c><00:44:43.920><c> you</
• Additionally, it is a penalty that is stiffer than adults who refuse the current revocation.
• Additionally, it is a penalty that is stiffer than adults who refuse the current revocation.
• Additionally, it is a penalty that is stiffer than adults who refuse the current revocation.
• who refuse the current revocation adults who refuse the current revocation for<01:06:08.079><c> adults

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation heard several bills on March 11, including measures on harbor vessel requirements, transportation funding, clean fuels, water carriers, parking enforcement, and electric mobility. For SB 1402 SD1 on vessels in state commercial harbors, testimony was split: the General Contractors Association of Hawaii and the Longline Association supported it, while Hol Holo Charters and one individual opposed it, saying the bill should be more specific about tourboat operators. For SB 1473 on central services assessments, SB 321 on privately owned roads, and SB 419 on insurance coverage for child passenger restraint systems, the committee heard brief testimony with no noted objections or actions beyond moving through the agenda. For SB 1009 SD2 on parking, the bill would create fines for misuse of disability and EV parking spaces and direct the revenue to the Safe Routes to School special fund. Support came from Ulupono Initiative, Climate Protectors Hawaii, the Disability Communication Access Board, and others, while the Retail Merchants of Hawaii supported the bill’s intent but questioned using the fines for Safe Routes to School, and Hawaiian Electric suggested directing EV-related fines to the EV charging system subaccount instead. Hawaii Appleseed supported the measure but raised concerns about the size of the fines and possible impacts on low-income residents. The committee asked questions about enforcement when EV chargers are inoperable; DAGS indicated the stalls could be used and would not be enforced in that situation. For SB 1120 on a clean fuel standard, the Department of Transportation supported the measure but asked for the implementation date to be delayed by one year and requested an independent Hawaii-specific economic impact study due before the next session. Support also came from several transportation, airline, and industry groups, while Tim Rhymer and Frank Schultz opposed it. The committee then heard SB 21 on water carriers, which would authorize a PUC inflationary cost index adjustment mechanism and exemptions; DOT, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Young Brothers, and the Hawaii Harbors Users Group supported it, while Frank Schultz opposed. Finally, the committee heard SB 117 on electric mobility, which would expand and rename the rebate program, set age limits and operating rules for e-bikes and electric motorcycles, require insurance for electric motorcycle operators, and make conforming changes. Testimony was largely supportive, including from DOT, the Hawaii Bicycling League, the Queen’s pediatric trauma center, and Ulupono Initiative, though one testifier warned that the bill’s wattage definition could unintentionally capture some pedal-assist e-bikes. No votes were taken on the individual bills in the portions shown, and the transcript ended with the committee continuing its hearing agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Go to page 7 of the adult incarceration population and internal operating capacity.
• I know there's probably a reason for that on the adult felony direct on page 5, yes.
• This is the adult felony direct community supervision on page five.
• You have the adult felony direct community supervision...
• The adult methodology. So we will be moving on to page four.

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard a presentation from the Legislative Budget Board on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Article 5 budget. LBB recommended $3.7 billion in all funds for 2026-27, a 5.2 percent decrease from the base, while FTEs would rise by 856.7. Major items included funding for driver license services, DPS facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, border security, and rider changes. The committee also reviewed DPS exceptional items not included in the recommendation, including additional staffing, technology, and facility requests. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, criticizing long wait times, call abandonment, and repeated staffing increases without clear process improvements. LBB said the agency’s call-answer rate was about 9 percent in fiscal 2024, with average hold times around 34 minutes, later reduced to roughly 22-25 minutes. Senators questioned whether more FTEs alone would solve the problem and urged a broader efficiency study and better use of technology. DPS officials said they were pursuing process changes, including appointment-system upgrades, online pre-population of forms, and remote issuance options, while noting that Real ID requirements and population growth continue to drive demand. DPS leadership then outlined the agency’s priorities: completion of the Williamson County training academy, recruitment and retention of troopers, capital needs for vehicles and aircraft, and expanded responsibilities at the Capitol complex and the Alamo. Officials said the new trooper funding would help address staffing shortages, public safety, and border operations, and that overtime and deployment patterns had been adjusted to reduce burnout and improve flexibility. They also discussed Operation Lone Star, saying DPS spending is largely overtime, travel, and fuel, and that the agency continues to coordinate with federal partners while awaiting clarity on possible federal reimbursement for border security costs. Senators also raised concerns about oilfield theft, cartel activity, high-speed pursuits, bilingual pay, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and DPS said it would follow up on some of those issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> We established a path forward, improving the cost of living and the quality of life of our vulnerable
• residents</c><00:49:17.920><c> are</c><00:49:18.160><c> protected</c><00:49:18.599><c> and</c> vulnerable
• residents are protected and vulnerable residents are protected and cared<00:49:19.160><c> for</c><00
• for-sale housing for low- and moderate-income families in Hawaii, as well as to house our most vulnerable
• for-sale housing for low- and moderate-income families in Hawaii, as well as to house our most vulnerable

Transcript Highlights:

• adults.
• That often means crimes against vulnerable adults or elderly residents in nursing homes, assisted living
• and community-based services to personal care assistant services, home care nursing services, and adult
• rehabilitative mental health and adult rehabilitative mental health services. services. services.
• </c> vulnerabilities of our programs evolved. vulnerabilities of our programs evolved.

Bills: HF1338

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• And these are our most vulnerable.
• And these are our most vulnerable. vulnerable. vulnerable.
• </c> is a population that is so vulnerable. is a population that is so vulnerable.
• Chair, we did place a cap on adult dental care because we saw cost increases in adult dental care going
• <06:49:10.280><c> who</c><06:49:10.480><c> need</c> adults who need adults who need enrollment<06:49:

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> and may place especially vulnerable and may place especially vulnerable mothers<01:32:09.560><c>
• with severe and persistent vulnerable with severe and persistent mental<03:07:25.920><c> illness</c>
• </c><03:10:56.760><c> and</c> individuals who are older adults and individuals who are older adults and
• </c> participants and leave them vulnerable participants and leave them vulnerable to<04:13:58.279><c
• </c><04:27:50.080><c> to</c> children and leave them vulnerable to children and leave them vulnerable

Committee: House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs

Summary: The House Committee on Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs heard testimony on House Bill 606, as amended, a bill aimed at preventing physicians from denying medically necessary sterilizing or fertility-affecting treatment based on a patient’s age, number of children, marital status, or a doctor’s speculation about future reproductive intentions. Representative Ellen Reed, the sponsor, described the bill as a response to her own long experience with PCOS, heavy bleeding, and repeated refusals by doctors to perform a hysterectomy despite her clear wishes. She said the amendment narrows the bill to medically necessary care, adds definitions for “medical condition” and “appropriate reproductive care,” and removes earlier provisions about voluntary sterilization referrals. She also said the bill does not target religious objections, and that doctors could still refuse for medical, payment, or existing religious reasons not addressed by the bill. Committee members asked about religious freedom, informed consent versus waivers, and the scope of the new definitions. Reed responded that religion was not added to the list of prohibited reasons for denial, and that the amendment is intended to protect doctors when patients sign informed consent or waivers. She explained that “appropriate reproductive care” includes procedures such as hysterectomy, oophorectomy, orchiectomy, salpingectomy, and endometrial ablation, and that the bill now focuses on medically necessary treatment rather than elective sterilization. She said the change was intended to make the proposal narrower and more tailored after earlier concerns. Several witnesses supported the bill with personal accounts of being denied hysterectomies or other procedures despite serious symptoms. Representative Lauren Selig described a decade-long effort to obtain a hysterectomy after years of cycle problems and migraines, saying doctors dismissed her concerns and treated her symptoms as normal. Jade Flad also testified in support, saying she had long been told to simply endure her cycle problems and noted that her husband was offered a vasectomy without similar barriers. The sponsor said online support was strong and that there was little or no written opposition testimony. No vote or final committee action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Even if a donor-conceived adult later wants or needs to learn about their genetic origins, following
• We know for some adults it is, but for many others it's not.
• We know for some adults it is, but for many others it's not.
• Third is the impact on vulnerable communities.
• Third is the impact on vulnerable communities.

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard SB 1231, which would repeal the Parentage Uniform Act of 1973 and update Hawaii’s parentage laws, including parts of the Uniform Parentage Act of 2017. Supporters said the current statutes are outdated and do not adequately address assisted reproduction, surrogacy, and modern family formation. The Attorney General’s office supported the bill with technical amendments, including conforming changes to the Probate Code and child support provisions, and several testifiers urged passage as a needed modernization of the law. A major point of disagreement was Part 10, which concerns donor anonymity. Some supporters, including members of the task force, the Uniform Law Commission, fertility and family law practitioners, and LGBTQ+ advocates, backed the bill as written or said it should move forward even if Part 10 is removed. Others, including donor-conceived adults, parents, and advocacy groups, opposed Part 10 and urged the committee to adopt the 2024 version of Article 9 or delete Part 10 entirely, arguing that anonymous donation harms donor-conceived people’s access to genetic, medical, and identity information and that anonymity is not realistic in the DNA-testing era. One task force member and attorney said she supported the bill but preferred removing Part 10 if necessary to pass the rest. The hearing included extensive public testimony both in support and opposition, with many individuals describing personal experiences with adoption, IVF, surrogacy, and donor conception. No committee vote or final action on the bill was taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• a bill that abandons families like Stephanie's and lets kids go hungry, that sells out our most vulnerable
• </c><00:30:12.960><c> neighbors</c> sells out our most vulnerable neighbors sells out our most vulnerable
• We are laser-focused on protecting the absolute most vulnerable among us: Americans with disabilities
• It would only apply to able-bodied adults without dependents.
• </c><05:08:42.798><c> to</c><05:08:43.200><c> costly</c><05:08:44.080><c> and</c> bank vulnerable to

Transcript Highlights:

• Now she's an adult.
• Please connect the community connections with elderly and vulnerable populations.
• These casks are vulnerable to natural disasters, aging infrastructure, and even terrorist threats.
• Many of these adults have transformed.
• Many of these adults have transformed.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The hearing before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security focused on several correction-related bills, including visitation reform, elder and medical parole, incarcerated persons’ human rights, and creation of an independent correctional oversight office. Vice Chair Christopher Worrell chaired the hearing in place of Chair Dan Cahill for much of the session and explained that the committee would first hear from incarcerated individuals remotely, then move to public testimony. The committee repeatedly enforced three-minute limits and accepted written testimony as well. Much of the testimony from incarcerated people emphasized that visitation is central to rehabilitation, family stability, and reentry, and that current DOC policies—visitor caps, pre-approval requirements, scheduling rules, dress-code enforcement, and restrictions on contact—have reduced family contact and caused harm. Several speakers argued that elderly and medically frail prisoners should be released through parole because incarceration is costly, ineffective, and inhumane for people who pose little public-safety risk. Others described poor prison conditions, limited programming, inadequate healthcare, segregation-like housing, and the impact of K2 use, suicides, and self-harm. Supporters of the oversight bill said an independent office is needed to address racial disparities, grievance failures, and lack of accountability within the DOC. A number of speakers tied their support to personal experiences, including alleged racial discrimination, denial of programs, and barriers to family visits. Some testified that rehabilitative programming, education, and restorative justice reduce violence and improve outcomes, while others said the DOC spends too little on programming and too much on punishment. Committee members asked a few follow-up questions, including about K2 contraband and how to reduce drugs in facilities, and one member asked about typical visitation lengths. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony on the bills and several witnesses urged favorable reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is an impact in the adults we have in Minnesota.
• She said there is an impact on the adults they have in Minnesota, and she would continue to support a
• Right now, we know that there's adults.
• A vulnerable child at this point in time, you want to put a more aggressive child in with them?
• A vulnerable child at this point in time, you want to put a more aggressive child in with them?

Transcript Highlights:

• Community schools help fill gaps by providing academic support, mental health services, and trusted adults
• This investment is necessary to support the students most vulnerable, permit more tutors, support in
• This investment is necessary to support our most vulnerable students.
• cycles of homelessness, but we know some of the answers because one of the greatest predictors of adult
• Childhood homelessness and not completing high school are strong predictors of chronic adult homelessness

Transcript Highlights:

• should have long been teaching our students, to tie that in and realize that's not just when you're an adult
• And fundamentally, me personally thinks that that’s absolutely appropriate for a child to have an adult
• I urge you all, please pass this... ...and close this gap on our most vulnerable.
• These are the vulnerable people.
• These are the vulnerable people.

Committee: House Children and Families

Transcript Highlights:

• for 1705, it is in fact urgent to protect all Texans from scammers and criminals who prey on the vulnerable
• for 1705, it is in fact urgent to protect all Texans from scammers and criminals who prey on the vulnerable
• There's no jobs, really, for these kids or young people, or even adults.
• There are no jobs, really, for these kids or young people or even adults.
• We serve families who have children and adults with every type of disability.

Bills: HB 11 , HB14 , HB132 , HB1584 , HB1606 , HB5061 , HB 1041 , HB2286 , HB132

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Summary: The committee first took up pending business and quickly reported several measures favorably, including HB 12, SB 1361, SB 1705, SB 1749, SB 1897, SB 2344, SB 2566, HB 3809, and HB 4215, with most sent to the Local and Uncontested Calendar. HB 12’s substitute clarified a limited midterm review of regulatory agencies tied to Sunset Commission recommendations. SB 2696’s substitute changed med spa regulation from a license to a certificate, with training instead of an exam, plus background checks, continuing education, and two-year renewals. HB 3809 dealt with battery energy storage decommissioning and recycling, and HB 4215 was reported without a substitute. SB 1978, concerning interconnection of electric facilities in ERCOT and federal jurisdiction concerns, was reported out on a 5-3 vote after debate, but then the chair later announced the bill was withdrawn and left pending subject to the call of the chair. HB 1899 was also reported favorably, with one nay. A major portion of the meeting focused on HB 14, the advanced nuclear energy bill. Senator Schwertner described it as creating a Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, a nuclear permitting coordinator, a development fund, a completion grant program, and a workforce development program. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including representatives from Fermi America, Dow/X-energy, CPS Energy, Paragon Energy Solutions, Bridge to Nuclear, Aalo Atomics, and the Texas Association of Business, argued that Texas should lead in advanced nuclear, citing future baseload demand, data centers, industrial power needs, supply-chain development, and long-term energy diversification. Opponents, including Public Citizen, Texas Nuclear Watchdogs, Sierra Club, and individual citizens, argued the bill would subsidize unproven, expensive technology, create grants rather than loans, and expose taxpayers to major risk while doing little to meet near-term energy needs. Several members questioned whether the state should fund projects that may not produce grid power for years, and whether the bill’s grant structure and new office were justified. The committee also heard HB 5061, which Senator Schwertner said would prohibit unethical surveillance and misuse of confidential information by state contractors, create a confidential reporting system through the State Auditor’s Office, authorize Texas Rangers investigations, protect whistleblowers, and impose penalties including contract termination, fines, and contracting bans. No public testimony was offered, and the bill was left pending. HB 132, sponsored by Senator Hughes, would extend confidentiality protections for sensitive information to hostile acts by foreign adversaries; it was also left pending after no testimony. HB 1584 was then laid out, with Senator Schwertner explaining it would require utilities to maintain and update priority restoration lists for critical facilities after Hurricane Beryl exposed communication failures, but the transcript cuts off before any action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pickleball: we've got a group of 80 adults that travel all over trying to play pickleball.
• ><00:13:50.720><c> 80</c> pickle ball we've got a group of 80 pickle ball we've got a group of 80 adults
• :52.079><c> all</c><00:13:52.320><c> over</c><00:13:52.639><c> trying</c><00:13:52.880><c> to</c> adults
• that travel all over trying to adults that travel all over trying to play<00:13:53.120><c> pickle</c
• </c> conditions addressing vulnerabilities conditions addressing vulnerabilities exposed<01:21:22.640

Bills: HF604 , HF1972 , HF578 , HF1951 , HF629 , HF864 , HF874 , HF1155 , HF884 , HF2365 , HF643 , HF234 , HF2655 , HF2637 , HF2535 , HF2530 , HF2344 , HF584 , HF524

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• The offenses did not involve financial exploitation or dishonesty toward a vulnerable adult, and the
• When adults expose minors to these acts, it is abuse.
• Adults can still make these decisions.
• Adults can still make these decisions. You can have the support.
• Under the age of 18, adults can still make these decisions.

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard and voted on a series of bills covering child abuse reporting, firearms products liability, crime victim records, guardianship eligibility, historic monuments, animal welfare, juvenile justice, and restrictions on sex reassignment care for minors. HB 373, on the statute of limitations for violations involving required child abuse reports, passed unanimously. HB 1551, as amended, clarified that a firearm is not defective merely because it lacks optional safety features and preserved design-defect claims and nonretroactivity; after substantial testimony and debate, it passed 13-5. CS/HB 1113, expanding public-records protections for crime victims and briefly exempting law enforcement victims, passed unanimously. CS/HB 737, allowing courts more discretion in appointing guardians with prior felony convictions and adding a narrow exception for certain older convictions, also passed unanimously as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• And a significant portion of these occur among children birth to 3, a very vulnerable age group.
• And that's with our adult population and just the longer sentences.
• And then obviously, juvenile commitments and adult commitments are still coming in.
• We have about 50% of the population serving an adult sentence.
• Adult sentence residents are growing, especially those with release dates that extend beyond age 25.

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee held a work session on child welfare dependency, focusing on implementation of HB 1227 (Keeping Families Together) and SB 6109 (the fentanyl response bill), along with related data and system updates. DCYF first reviewed the dependency process, explaining intake, shelter care, fact-finding, disposition, and review hearings, and emphasized that removal standards are separate from service provision and that children may be in-home or out-of-home at different stages. DCYF said 1227 raised the removal threshold to imminent physical harm and strengthened kin placement, with nearly 60% of children now placed with relatives or suitable others. The department also said 6109 directs courts to give great weight to fentanyl’s lethality and added legal liaisons to support staff in court preparation. DCYF presented data showing that entries into out-of-home care declined after 1227 but rose again after 6109, returning close to pre-1227 levels. The agency also reported a sharp increase in reviewable critical incidents in 2022-2025, especially near-fatalities, which it linked to the opioid and fentanyl crisis, parental stress, and system complexity. DCYF said it has responded with statewide Safe Child Councils, staff consultations, hotspot monitoring, and additional training, and noted that some contracted services authorized under 6109 were not implemented because of fiscal constraints. Senators asked about where children are in the process, who participates in court, the timing of data releases, age breakdowns, and geographic hotspots. Advocates and lived-experience witnesses from LCYC and a family intervention clinic argued that 1227 has not prevented courts from removing children when necessary and said the law appropriately requires the state to show a causal link between home conditions and risk. They said 6109 appropriately highlights fentanyl’s danger, but stressed that the larger issue is lack of prevention and treatment resources, inconsistent county-by-county practice, and insufficient supports such as inpatient beds, family treatment, housing, transportation, and third-party safety plan participants. A parent ally described how early support, peer guidance, and kin placement helped her achieve recovery and stability after losing parental rights in an earlier case. The committee also heard an update on SB 6068 from the Administrative Office of the Courts and K Implementation and Evaluation. The report identified 15 dimensions of relational permanency and child well-being, found that some data already exist while other measures need development, and recommended a phased data collection plan, a restored data-sharing agreement between AOC and DCYF, and a standing cross-agency work group. AOC said its dependency data system lapsed when the prior agreement expired in June 2025 and needs to be rebuilt. The meeting also included a brief update on bridge housing for youth exiting inpatient treatment, with presenters saying two programs are now open, one in King County and one in Spokane, and a short introduction to juvenile rehabilitation capacity updates before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would welcome it because it is easier to build a child than to repair an adult.
• As was said earlier, it is easier to invest in them as a child than to try to fix them as an adult.
• They've become part of our issue. ...to resolve as they become adults, and I believe that this study
• I mean, a lot of shelter animals are adult dogs. Right. I'm just saying...
• The other if it's like two or three years old, that's not a puppy; that's an adult.

Bills: HB74 , HB175 , HB460 , HB576 , HB2271 , HB2294 , HB2874 , HB3016 , HB3133 , HB3191 , HB3458 , HB3929 , HB4063 , HB4115 , HB4394 , HB74 , HB175

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: Puerto Verde, Port Authority, eminent domain, bonds, tax assessments, economic development, infrastructure, transportation, public welfare, child care, certifications, Texas Rising Star Program, grant program, disability inclusion, family income, affordability, economic impact, state study, cost analysis, government support

Transcript Highlights:

• But we as adults need to do that as well. And so H.R. 83 isn't just about recognizing it.
• your commitment on—your commitment on recognizing this day, but also committing to standing up for adults
• we stand right there with this community from the time they're babies to the time they grow up to adults
• related discussions, this serves as a reminder of how important it is to support these children and adults
• And every year that I've done this resolution, I've brought some children and adults with Down syndrome