Transcript Highlights:

• enhance the affordability of rideshare, increase profitability for drivers, and disincentivize bad behavior
• Bad behavior in the legal system. I thank you for your time and respectfully request your support.
• Both of my knees required surgical intervention, and my back needed multiple procedures.

Summary: The committee heard several insurance-related bills. SB 371 by Senator Cabaldon would lower uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage requirements for rideshare companies from the current $1 million level to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, with added transparency and data-reporting provisions. Uber, Lyft, and several business groups supported the bill as a way to reduce fares and improve affordability, while consumer attorneys, labor groups, and others opposed it as a major cut in protection for injured passengers and drivers. Committee members raised concerns about whether savings would actually reach riders and drivers, but the bill was approved on a do-pass vote to the next committee, with one member not voting. SB 487 by Senator Grayson would change how settlement or judgment proceeds are distributed when peace officers or firefighters are injured by a third party, ensuring they receive at least two-thirds of the at-fault party’s liability insurance limits in certain cases. Supporters, including public safety unions and an injured deputy sheriff, said current law can leave injured first responders with little or no recovery after employer reimbursement, while opponents representing cities, counties, and public agencies argued the bill would reduce recovery of taxpayer-funded workers’ compensation costs and lacked sufficient data. The committee members who spoke largely supported the bill, and it passed on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with one member not voting. SB 616 by Senator Rubio would create an independent community hardening commission within the Department of Insurance to develop statewide wildfire mitigation recommendations and a post-catastrophe reporting process. The Department of Insurance, local governments, consumer groups, and fire-related organizations supported the measure as a way to improve wildfire resilience and insurance availability, while water agencies opposed provisions touching water infrastructure and warned of litigation and ratepayer impacts. The bill advanced on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with some members not voting and one member voting no. The committee also heard SB 547 by Senator Perez, coauthored by Senator Rubio, which would extend wildfire-related insurance cancellation/nonrenewal moratoriums to commercial properties; insurers removed their opposition after amendments, and the bill passed to Appropriations on a do-pass vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, uh, we just got through or, we're in the process of finishing two behavioral health hospitals that
• As you heard, we're already building a 200 bed behavioral health center.
• It strengthens public-private partnerships, broadens access to early intervention services, and seeks

Bills: HB249

Keywords: real property, ad valorem tax, tax appraisal, property value limitation, real estate taxation, property ownership

Transcript Highlights:

• should allow us to rack up one diplomatic victory after another and steer clear of wars and foreign interventions
• and frankly deeply disrespectful to the President of the United States. do, President Zelensky's behavior
• Zelensky's behavior was the exact opposite of what he should have. been doing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Oversight of the state's investments in behavioral health, and that includes obviously Prop 1, and then
• Additionally, in response to last year's fiscal situation, the foreclosure intervention housing preservation
• should include adequate ongoing support to enable counties to successfully implement the significant behavioral

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• UNFPA, so the opportunity to provide family planning, maternal health care, midwife training, interventions
• our work has credibility, and credibility comes with calling out anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic behavior
• barbaric human rights records are quick to criticize Israel while avoiding scrutiny for their own bad behavior

Transcript Highlights:

• It's our criminal justice systems, health, behavioral health, housing, and social services, and they
• Investing those savings into the services that actually break cycles of harm—behavioral health, reentry
• We wanted to thank you for restoring funding at the Commission for Behavioral Health, for the Innovation
• Partnership Fund, and for behavioral health advocacy contracts, as well as providing $900 million for
• And for behavioral health advocacy contracts, as well as providing $900 million for Round 7 of HAP.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They take into consideration adaptive behavior and developmental history.
• If his adaptive behavior is not taken into consideration, where he can't tie his shoes, he can't button
• They take into consideration, adaptive behavior, developmental history.
• If we respond to that behavior with detention, if we arrest minors for prostitution, we are punishing
• My mind circled on the level of intervention needed and what we would have to do to provide services

Bills: HB91, HB123, HB167, HB255, HB264, HB321, HB884, HB955, HB967, HB968, HB969, HB978, HB985, HB994, HB1005, HB1104, HB1107, HB1109, SCR3

Keywords: criminal procedure, disclosure, criminal records, witness protection, trial rights, electronic monitoring, GPS ankle monitor, ankle bracelet, pretrial release, post-conviction supervision, bail monitoring, house arrest, corrections, criminal justice, law enforcement, prosecuting authority, court reporting, provider registration, LCLE, Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee first handled housekeeping by voluntarily deferring HB 123, HB 255, and HB 994 without objection. It then took up SCR 3 by Sen. Myers, which sought to delay implementation of a State Police rule change affecting criminal history background checks for certain health care workers and authorized agents until October 1, 2026, to avoid hiring delays. An amendment was adopted to remove language authorizing parish and local law enforcement to perform checks during the interim. After testimony from health care stakeholders who supported the delay, SCR 3 as amended was reported favorably. The committee next considered HB 978 by Rep. Lecombe, which as amended changed the bill from a town-of-Addis-specific exception to a broader adjustment in the population threshold for municipalities required to remit special costs to the district indigent defender fund, raising the threshold from under 5,000 to under 9,000 population. Supporters said the change would relieve small mayor’s courts and similar local courts of a $45-per-violation burden that was not well suited to those systems. The bill drew support from local officials and was reported favorably as amended. HB 967 by Rep. Moore, which would have expanded parole eligibility for certain long-serving offenders convicted before July 2, 1973 by removing language limiting eligibility to those who had pleaded guilty, generated extensive debate. Supporters argued the bill would only allow elderly prisoners to be considered by the parole board and would not guarantee release, while opponents, including district attorneys and the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, argued the 2022 law already covered those who pled guilty and that the bill would extend relief to people convicted at trial of serious violent crimes. After discussion, the motion to report HB 967 favorably failed on an 8-3 vote. The committee then heard HB 1107 by Rep. Melancon, a post-conviction procedure bill for capital cases involving claims of intellectual disability. The bill, as amended, raised the burden of proof to clear and convincing evidence, required expert reports and IQ information, applied Daubert-style reliability screening, and clarified that it only applies in death penalty cases. Supporters from the Attorney General’s office and district attorneys said the bill would create a clearer procedure and speed resolution of Atkins claims; opponents from disability-rights, criminal defense, and medical groups argued it would replace clinical standards with a rigid statutory definition, rely too heavily on a 75 IQ cutoff, and risk excluding people with genuine intellectual disabilities. Testimony continued through the end of the transcript, with no final committee vote shown on HB 1107.

Transcript Highlights:

• And please refrain from profanity or uncivil behavior.
• Such behavior may be grounds for removal from the hearing without the ability to rejoin.
• <00:14:33.360> Such profanity or univil behavior. Such profanity or univil behavior.
• Such behavior<00:14:34.000> may<00:14:34.160> be<00:14:34.320> grounds<00:14:34.560
• > for<00:14:34.720> removal<00:14:35.040> from behavior may be grounds for removal

Bills: HB1621, HB1880, HB1831

Keywords: pesticides, environmental impact, agriculture, 1,3-dichloropropene, chlorpyrifos, land management, wastewater compliance, state funding, survey issues, 910, house, all

Summary: The joint committees on Agriculture and Food Systems and Energy and Environmental Protection heard three bills. HB 1621 would create a conservation, agriculture, and soil health incentive program under the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, with annual reporting and funding. Testimony was broadly supportive from the Climate Commission, University of Hawaiʻi, Hawaii Farmers Union, White Alliance for Progressive Action, and the Farm Bureau, and the bill was described as a way to advance soil health and support producers. HB 1880 would prohibit, beginning in 2027, the use of pesticides containing 1,3-dichloropropene (such as Telone). The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity offered written comments, Hawaii Farmers Union supported the ban citing drift and health concerns, and the Farm Bureau opposed it, arguing growers need such tools; the bill also drew discussion about crop rotation and other pest-management practices. HB 1831 would authorize funding to address survey deficiencies and wastewater compliance issues on certain non-agricultural parklands; the Attorney General’s Office warned the bill as written may violate the U.S. Constitution’s contract clause and suggested revisions, while the department and Farm Bureau supported the measure’s intent. The committees later took up decision-making and voted to pass all three measures with amendments, with the effective dates changed to July 1, 3000 and HB 1831 amended to reflect the Attorney General’s suggested changes. The Agriculture and Food Systems committee then heard HB 1572, which would establish a four-year restorative aquaculture development program to streamline permitting, expand infrastructure and workforce capacity, create pilot sites, and convene an advisory council. The Attorney General noted a technical issue about whether council members would be compensated, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Farmers Union all expressed support for streamlining aquaculture and promoting restorative aquaculture. Members asked about the bill’s focus on restorative aquaculture, and the department said the program would give the area dedicated resources and a framework. The committee also heard HB 219, which would temporarily reestablish the coffee berry borer pesticide subsidy program and manager position; the department, Waimea Coffee Association, Farm Bureau, and Farmers Union supported it. HB 2139 would fund University of Hawaiʻi research on treatment methods for the Queensland longhorn beetle. Testimony from DLNR, the invasive species council, university researchers, farmers, and the Farm Bureau emphasized the beetle’s spread and damage to trees and crops, and described nematode biocontrol as promising but labor-intensive and in need of more research and scaling. Members asked whether the funding was for research rather than a position, whether the current nematode approach is sufficient for large orchards, and whether other controls are being explored; the response was that the bill funds testing and that more work is needed, including local production of nematodes if the method proves effective.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Department of Education would update the model referral protocols for students' behavioral health
• It will also make it easier for medical professionals to provide life-saving interventions.
• These changes focus on behavior to reduce speeds and improve awareness, not to restrict user access.
• We have monopolistic and anti-competitive behavior by some of the biggest companies in the world that
• Or is it to actually solve the root cause of the behavior that is leading to criminal activity?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This requires early and aggressive intervention, comments, and sometimes litigation under extremely short
• The costs for this intervention are mounting much faster than anticipated.
• This case, I'm sad to say, has already used up the PSC's entire intervention funding for this biennium
• Chairman and Randy, so the total then is going to be roughly about $850,000 for the intervention because
• Well, yeah, we beat this over here a month ago, but I just was trying to, because the total intervention

Bills: HB1623

Keywords: HB 1623, North Dakota, rural health, rural health transformation program, medical facility infrastructure loan fund, medical facility infrastructure loan program, rural health loan program, Bank of North Dakota, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, federal grant, health care infrastructure, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, nonprofit health care providers, gap financing, loan fund, public health funding, healthcare financing, Medicaid

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 1624, the “Universal Lunch Bill,” from Rep. Mike Nathie. He argued the proposal should be placed in Century Code rather than the Constitution so future legislatures can adjust it if state finances tighten, and said the bill would start the program a year earlier with a $65 million appropriation for one school year. DPI testified that the estimate did not include nonpublic schools that do not participate, and members questioned the impact on Title I, free-and-reduced applications, private-school accountability, breakfast mandates for schools that do not currently serve breakfast, and whether the funding could come from the DPI budget or other sources. Supporters, including North Dakota United, the North Dakota Catholic Conference, a pediatrician, and the American Heart Association, said universal meals improve student health and learning, reduce family costs, and are better handled in statute than by constitutional amendment. No opposition testimony was offered, and the chair closed the hearing for later work-session action. The committee then took up House Bill 1627, introduced by Rep. Tye Dressler, which would raise the income threshold for the state-funded school lunch program from 225% to 300% of poverty, with an estimated cost of about $7 million for 2026-27. Dressler said the bill is intended as a targeted, budget-friendly alternative to the ballot measure and emphasized that the state should maximize federal meal dollars while improving participation in the current program. Members questioned whether raising the threshold would actually increase utilization, whether a dollar amount would be clearer than a percentage, and how the change would affect federal reimbursements and application rates. DPI said it could quickly calculate additional percentage levels, and the chair closed the hearing, directing DPI to prepare more numbers for the work session. Finally, the committee opened Senate Bill 2403, presented by Sen. Schiable, to create a short-term bridge-loan program for financially distressed hospitals, centered on Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin. The bill would authorize up to $5 million per loan, with a $10 million appropriation available on a first-come, first-served basis, and would run only through June 30, 2027. Schiable said the hospital’s debt and operating problems threaten local health care, ambulance service, and the community’s economy, and that the proposal was designed narrowly with Bank of North Dakota review to avoid creating a broad precedent. Committee members asked whether the appropriation could be reduced and whether the bank would still apply commercial feasibility and repayment standards; Schiable said yes, the bank would still evaluate the loan and could reject it if it was not sound.

Transcript Highlights:

• The animals are going to, you know, occasionally have need of intervention.
• /c><04:23:21.000> behavior<04:23:21.359> for scratching is a natural behavior for scratching
• Behavioral problems.
• Behavioral problems.
• <04:33:24.959> problems litter behavioral problems litter behavioral problems they're<04:33

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 153, which would require two or more law enforcement officers in each county to receive animal cruelty training through the police standards system. Representative Barbara Coma, the sponsor, said the bill was prompted by problems in animal cruelty cases, especially in rural areas without animal control officers, and she described it as a limited training measure. She said an amendment was forthcoming that would add an eight-hour approved course and a two-hour refresher every three years, and she emphasized that the trained officers would serve as resources rather than being required to take action themselves. Members asked about cost, due process, overlap with animal control officers, how trained officers would be identified and notified, and whether veterinarians could fill the role. Coma responded that the bill would not be a heavy financial lift, would not interfere with animal control officers, would apply to livestock as well as companion animals, and would still require law enforcement involvement because veterinarians cannot lawfully remove animals from property. She also said the training could improve due process by helping officers better understand when animal removal is appropriate and how cases should proceed. Sheriff William Wright, speaking for the New Hampshire Sheriffs Association, testified in opposition. He said training itself was acceptable, but the bill went beyond training by creating an obligation for sheriffs and state police to respond to and potentially investigate animal cruelty cases, which he argued would be ambiguous, unfunded, and burdensome for staffing and resources. He said some sheriff’s offices do not have investigative deputies and that the bill could create liability and uncertainty about who would lead investigations. In response to questions, he said the association would likely have no objection if the bill were limited to training, but it opposed the assistance/investigation mandate as written.

Transcript Highlights:

• pattern of threatening behavior. pattern of threatening behavior.
• include patterns of controlling behavior include patterns of controlling behavior that<01:18:01.760
• So, we need to stupid bad behavior.
• It's a statute on coercive behavior.
• She responds, seem like safe behavior."

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• .<00:26:50.559> And<00:26:50.720> it's<00:26:50.960> absolutely intervention.
• And it's absolutely intervention.
• Balancing the behavioral needs and physical needs of two people is more than twice as much work.
• Um balancing the behavioral needs time.
• Um, so what integrity interventions.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In my two decades as an educator, I've come to view disengaged student behavior as a product of suboptimal
• As a mother and as a psychologist, I believe prevention is the best intervention.
• <01:47:30.000> Digital is the best intervention. Digital is the best intervention.
• big<02:11:26.719> tech<02:11:26.880> than<02:11:27.040> a predatory behavior
• from big tech than a predatory behavior from big tech than a child<02:11:27.280> who<02:11:27.440

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of<00:09:39.519> any<00:09:39.680> point<00:09:39.920> of without intervention
• of any point of without intervention of any point of order<00:09:40.320> a<00:09:40.560> single
• This is the behavior of a dictatorship.
• <04:39:13.920> I behavior when you hold public trust.
• I behavior when you hold public trust.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Clarity is provided for truancy intervention processes at the school district and truancy court levels
• The first key provision is using person-first language in behavioral health care.
• workforce analysis every two years and creating strategies to recruit, train, and retain behavioral
• Know if there is a pattern or conduct of behavior or conduct of these officers.
• Not consultants will rule my behavior and conduct.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including guests from Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Clay County, and a moment of silence for Pope Francis. Members then moved to the special order calendar after adopting a motion to reconsider the earlier failed vote on CS/SB 1080, which was temporarily postponed. The chamber also temporarily postponed several bills during the day, including measures on social media use by minors, veterans’ nursing homes, Parkinson’s disease, mental health and substance use disorders, education, educator preparation, benefits for certain officers injured in the line of duty, Brownfields, and school social workers. The Senate passed a series of bills with little or no opposition, often substituting House companions for Senate bills. These included expedited DNA testing grants for law enforcement; additional aggravating factors in capital felony sentencing; fertility preservation coverage for cancer patients; commuter rail indemnification; disposition of migrant vessels; specialty license plates; an Alzheimer’s and dementia awareness campaign; relocation of the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to Florida Memorial University; charter school changes; registration rules for sexual predators and offenders; assault and battery penalties for utility workers; juvenile justice revisions; reporting of student mental health outcomes; foster home licensure transfers; water access facilities and boating-related funding; Florida Virtual School changes; school readiness program improvements; protections against lewd sexual images of children; age-related criminal offense provisions; tampering with electronic monitoring devices; certified recovery residences; and codification of the FSU Election Law Center. Most of these bills passed overwhelmingly, though the charter school bill and the aggravating factors bill drew more divided votes. One of the most debated measures was SB 820, codifying the Office of Faith and Community. Senator Polsky offered an amendment to bar political activity by office employees while on duty and using government resources, citing alleged election-related emails and concerns about mixing government and religious influence. Supporters argued the amendment was needed as a guardrail; opponents said existing law already covered the conduct and that the amendment could be confusing or overly broad. The amendment failed 13-23, and the underlying bill passed 27-9 after extended debate about faith, politics, and the office’s role. Another notable debate involved SB 954 on certified recovery residences, where senators emphasized the need for stable housing in addiction recovery and the bill passed unanimously after supportive remarks from members who had personal experience with recovery. The Senate also passed SB 674 on bonuses for county tax collector and property appraiser employees after questions about safeguards and the purpose of the bonuses.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think just the care of the patients and the behaviors that they can change themselves will be a
• This method is groundbreaking as it provides an opportunity for early intervention, drastically improving
• graphics, comparing the 8-bit pixel to mosaic pieces, this created a profound change in the student's behavior
• attention to the lessons, tremendously sparking her interest in a STEM subject and improving her behavior
• attention to the lessons and tremendously sparked her interest in a STEM subject, improving her behavior

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I can't think of another intervention that's so effective.
• What's particularly worrisome is that $12 million of that potential loss is to the Bureau of Behavioral
• and adolescents with gender dysphoria, and they found that puberty blockers and other interventions
• for children and medical interventions for children and adolescence<07:36:51.680> with<07:36:
• other interventions caused irreversible harm<07:36:58.320> such<07:36:58.558> as<07:36

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• recent prescribed fires and fuel treatments, there were 15 treatments that reduced both the fire behavior
• And then my last question, how much did discussions about policy interventions that go with funding come
• an insurmountable obstacle to effectively implementing the 66-hour workweek without significant intervention

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Despite this, there was no meaningful enforcement, no intervention, no accountability. 105 days after
• And that's the kind of egregious behavior.
• And that's the kind of egregious behavior that this bill is designed to prevent from happening in the
• is, you know, both in researching and getting involved is the idea that, you know, people change behavior

Bills: HB1011, SCR11, SB41, SB49, SB107, SB123, SB224, SB292, SB425, SB479

Keywords: tax credits, higher education, workforce development, brain drain, economic incentives, public meeting minutes, transparency, government accountability, publication deadlines, open meetings, SB49, Louisiana elections, party primary, primary elections, BESE, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, school board elections, election law, candidate qualification, ballot access

Summary: The House and Governmental Affairs Committee heard Senate Bill 123 by Sen. Morris, a proposed constitutional amendment to create a legislative-address process for removing certain judges for cause, with the governor certifying removal after a legislative vote and Senate trial. The bill was presented as a way to address perceived gaps and ambiguity in the current Constitution between impeachment provisions and the Judiciary Commission’s authority over judicial discipline. The committee also adopted a technical amendment (Amendment Set 4708) that renumbered paragraphs for clarity. Sen. Morris and supporters argued the measure is needed because current mechanisms have not adequately held judges accountable in serious cases. They cited several criminal cases, especially involving juveniles and electronic monitoring failures, and said the bill would provide a last-resort remedy for gross misconduct, incompetence, or malfeasance. Multiple family members of murder victims testified in support, including Anna Carter, James Carter, and Tracy Carter, who described the death of Jacob Carter and said the case showed a failure of oversight and accountability. Reverend Rodney Wood also spoke in support, describing another case he believed reflected a grave injustice. Committee members raised concerns about separation of powers, due process, political misuse, and whether the bill would reach beyond judges to district attorneys. Some questioned the mechanics of the proposed process, the role of the governor, the Senate trial, and whether the Judiciary Commission and existing impeachment provisions should instead be strengthened or clarified. The ACLU testified in opposition, saying the bill had technical inconsistencies in its vote threshold language, could be addressed by testing existing impeachment authority first, and should not single out judicial discretion while excluding DA discretion. No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.