Transcript Highlights:

• Build Dakota funds four tech schools, and two of them are bordering Minnesota: Southeast Tech in Sioux
• regarding House File 2634 and House File 2241, this really does help communities like ours that are border
• especially for student parents, and this bill will punish families for circumstances beyond their control

Bills: HF2634, HF2241, HF2649, HF2520, HF2610

Keywords: North Star Promise, scholarship, higher education, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, in-demand jobs, workforce development, career training, job market, high-demand occupations, high-demand industries, college aid, state financial aid, FAFSA, student eligibility, program of study, degree program, certificate program, community college, university, labor market data

Transcript Highlights:

• So hopefully it won't be a problem for us, but wanted you to know. controls the lighting in this room
• , local control, where you want to have many.
• Those that are within a county's borders are part of a county's borders, and they are single-purpose
• They have no control over millage rates.
• The millage rate is what controls what your final property tax bill will be.

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes met for an educational session focused on how Florida funds public schools and how property taxes are assessed and levied. Dr. Jim Zengali of the Department of Revenue explained the FEFP school funding formula, noting that it is built on weighted student counts, a base student allocation, and programmatic add-ons such as transportation, exceptional student education, school safety, and mental health. He said school funding is roughly split between state general revenue and local property taxes through required local effort, with additional discretionary and capital outlay millages contributing to total school funding. He also described the Department of Revenue’s role in certifying property rolls at fair market value and reviewing them for substantial compliance, including the so-called “nuclear option” if a roll is not approved. Members asked about trends in millage rates, county-by-county funding differences, the effect of growth and enrollment changes, and how property appraisals are reviewed. Zengali said aggregate millage for school funding has declined over the last decade while revenues have still increased, and he agreed to provide additional data on county trends, parcel strata, student growth, and enrollment impacts. He also clarified that school funding is equalized so students receive similar resources regardless of county wealth, and that federal funding plays only a small role in the FEFP. Amy Baker of the Joint Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research then discussed existing homestead benefits. She said about half of Florida’s parcels are homestead properties, most fall in the $250,000 to $500,000 value range, and many seniors without mortgages pay property taxes in lump sums rather than through escrow. Baker explained that Florida’s homestead tax burden is middle-of-the-pack nationally and that the main benefits are Save Our Homes and portability on the differential side, plus the $25,000 homestead exemption and related exemptions on the exemption side. She said these benefits reduce taxable value substantially, with homestead properties receiving a large share of the reductions, and noted that the committee requested follow-up data on exemption usage, portability timing, senior exemptions, and county-level patterns. The final presentation, by Lizette Kelly of the Department of Revenue, covered millage rates and the TRIM process. She reviewed the history of truth-in-millage notices, required taxpayer mailings, public hearing notices, and later changes that tied local millage resets to rollback and majority-vote rates. Kelly explained the difference between proposed and adopted millage, the rollback rate, and the majority-vote rate, and described how taxing authorities include counties, cities, special districts, and MSTUs. She also outlined how county taxable value is calculated from just value through assessment differentials and exemptions, and how certain exemptions, such as the additional senior exemption, apply only to the taxing authority that adopted them. No votes were taken during the meeting, but members requested several follow-up data reports for later discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Border, as you can see from your field trip today.
• We work closely with the Border Authority. with the DOT.
• -Mexico border is in Santa Teresa.
• -Mexico border.
• -Mexico border and beyond.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we put border state, would South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota qualify, but Canada is out?
• And then there was the border issue as well. So, um, And then there was the border issue as well.
• I know that's going to create an issue on the borders, but to start with maybe that's where we start.
• Representative Foss asked whether, if border cities works there, it would work here.
• He said he believed the language was “in a city bordering this state.”

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The conference committee discussed a child care tax credit bill and focused mainly on narrowing the eligibility language. Members agreed to remove a proposed 10-mile limitation tied to the state line at first, then revisited the issue after concerns from the Tax Department and Legislative Council about remote workers, border communities, and out-of-state daycare use. Testimony from the Greater North Dakota Chamber supported the credit as a more flexible version of a prior grant program, while committee members debated whether the credit should apply only to North Dakota residents, employees working in North Dakota, or child care providers located in North Dakota or border cities. After extended discussion, the committee settled on keeping the 10-mile language and striking the resident requirement from the definition of “qualified employee,” with the intent of better capturing border-area workers while avoiding broader unintended coverage. Members noted the bill is aimed at workforce and child care access, especially in Fargo, Grand Forks, and other border areas, and acknowledged that the language may still need adjustment in the future. The Tax Department and Legislative Council indicated the revised language would be workable. Representative Foss moved the final amendment to the conference committee report, Senator Powers seconded, and the motion passed on a roll call vote with all members voting yes: Chairman Rummel, Senator Marseille, Senator Powers, Representative Doctor, Representative Foss, and Representative Anderson. The committee then adjourned, with House and Senate members designated to carry the report forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, as you know, I'm a big, I'm big on local control.
• Over $54 billion in unfunded flood control projects, according to the Texas Water Development Board,
• The money is held in trust at the comp control to be spent when the whole council agrees.
• We had the Border Patrol with their Bar attack and their search and rescue on their federal radio systems
• The whole point of putting the funding in trust at the comptroller is so not one agency is controlling

Bills: HB1, HB 2, HB18, HB19, HB20

Keywords: youth camps, emergency preparedness, safety standards, health regulations, camp licensing, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:23:52.960> the where China attempted to control the where China attempted to control the
• growing 50 ft over the Canadian border growing 50 ft over the Canadian border is<05:20:52.080>
• And I'll give you a realistic border.
• I'll do it to a political boundary, the border.
• boundary the border. boundary the border.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Commissioners' courts would still have the local control to decide whether or not to implement these
• It's very much a local control type issue where you're getting additional law enforcement where that
• You could have another subsection at the jail to allow for, you know... some of that span of control
• to be expanded so that you have a better span of control.
• So with this, we do believe that there will still be sufficient controls in place.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One is just standard border operations for what go on along the Texas-Mexico border. participation in
• Customs and Border Protection. U.S.
• In recent weeks, we've heard very encouraging numbers from the Border Patrol on the numbers of border
• Here after going and working for the border, with the border patrol on the border with the. down there
• I go to the border. heard about the Texas Parks and Wildlife on the border.

Bills: HB214, HB626, HB647, HB658, HB668, HB674, HB908, HB214

Keywords: firearm acquisition, gun smuggling, criminal offenses, ammunition, terrorism, public safety, Texas criminal procedure, federal law enforcement, state arrest authority, search and seizure, felony offenses, federal air marshal, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Defense police, military police, Homeland Security, Public Safety, veterans affairs, federal officers, joint law enforcement authority

Transcript Highlights:

• We also provide animal damage control assistance.
• to the Massachusetts border to the Maine border and over to Vermont.
• everything from uh the Canadian border everything from uh the Canadian border to<00:55:05.599>
• the<00:55:06.680> main<00:55:06.960> border to the mass border to the main border
• to the mass border to the main border and<00:55:07.480> over<00:55:07.680> to and over

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You think I have that about authority or control? But I'm I'm flattered. I really am.
• <00:05:35.199> I<00:05:35.360> really control? But I'm I'm flattered.
• I really control? But I'm I'm flattered.
• <00:37:38.240> So,<00:37:38.640> is take back some of the control.
• So, is take back some of the control.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• pricing and tolling across the Commonwealth, including interstate highways, major bridges, and state borders
• This five-member board controls everything from the lifeline... ...services and family events.
• This five-member board controls everything from the ferry schedules to the budget to the purchase of
• The end result is that two families have controlled two of the five seats, which is 45% of the vote,
• So I'm not quite sure I agree when the appointing boards say that this is taking away their control.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation heard testimony on a range of bills focused on transportation funding, governance, and equity. Supporters backed proposals to create a North Central Massachusetts intercity passenger rail fund tied to a possible new gaming license (H. 3680/S. 2363), local parking assessments (H. 3756), third-party delivery fees (S. 2356/H. 3774), broader roadway pricing and congestion management measures (S. 2353/S. 2354), tolling equity and regional transit authority advisory boards (S. 2400/S. 2401), and Steamship Authority oversight reforms including board term limits (S. 2395). Testimony in favor emphasized new dedicated revenue sources, commuter rail expansion, regional equity, improved oversight, and better transit access for riders and communities that rely on public transportation. There was also testimony in opposition to the third-party delivery fee bills from Chamber of Progress, which argued the fee would raise costs for consumers, small businesses, and delivery workers, could reduce demand and jobs, and might not achieve the intended environmental benefits. Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts opposed H. 3633, a transit expansion, electrification, and resiliency bill, specifically objecting to its mandatory project labor agreement requirement and saying it would limit competition and disadvantage non-union contractors and workers. Several witnesses spoke in favor of the Steamship Authority bill, saying term limits would improve transparency, accountability, and board turnover. The committee also heard detailed support for the North Central rail proposal from a legislator, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, and a transportation advocate, who described the bill as a way to generate long-term bonded revenue for rail infrastructure. After testimony concluded and no questions remained, the chairs entertained and received a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a large system going all the way from the southern border up to the Louisiana border.
• I am a new border of the Trinity River, so we've got that aspect of it.
• Our second issue is the importance of local groundwater control.
• Local control is not just a principle.
• When you control the food and water supply, you can control people.

Summary: The committee held a hearing on high-capacity groundwater wells proposed in Anderson, Henderson, and Houston counties, with members framing the issue as one of local water supply, fairness, and the need to modernize groundwater law while protecting private property rights. Opening remarks focused on the scale of the proposed Redtown Ranch and Pine Bliss projects, the potential export of tens of thousands of acre-feet of groundwater annually, and concerns that the applications lacked sufficient technical detail and could harm nearby landowners, cities, agriculture, and manufacturing. Members also noted the broader context of the recent flooding tragedy in central Texas and the Legislature’s intent to address water-related loss of life in the upcoming special session. Witnesses from the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts and the Texas Water Development Board explained the current groundwater management framework. They described groundwater conservation districts as the state’s preferred management method, the role of groundwater management areas and desired future conditions, and how the Water Development Board uses those conditions to calculate modeled available groundwater. They emphasized that districts rely on local data, monitoring wells, and planning processes, but that information is often more limited in areas without a district, where the rule of capture applies. Members pressed witnesses on recharge rates, export permits, subsidence, the effect of pumping on nearby wells, the age and real-time availability of model data, and whether the proposed project would exceed modeled available groundwater in some counties. TCEQ explained its limited oversight role over groundwater conservation districts, including inquiries, compliance actions, and, in extreme cases, dissolution authority. Water Development Board staff also outlined funding programs, saying the New Water Supply for Texas Fund is limited to projects such as brackish desalination, reuse, ASR, and other new-supply projects, and does not fund fresh groundwater exports alone. They said the project at issue had not applied for board funding. A water lawyer then testified on the rule of capture, ownership in place, and district regulation, arguing that districts must use permitting and other tools to manage production within modeled available groundwater and that the Legislature could consider additional authority over groundwater exports under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• APD, we were under what we call in the military OPCON, or operational control, of the APD commander.
• And so, again, major crime scenes, traffic control for crashes, special events...
• Again, major crime scenes, traffic control for crashes, special events.
• And so in those initial assignments were major crime scenes, traffic control...
• I represent the New Mexico border, and we've needed help.

Bills: SB100

Keywords: burglary, aggravated burglary, dwelling, criminal law, property rights, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They are in some control of the manner in which we spend our money. That's another level.
• I mean, it is not the job to control the docket of the district attorney.
• It is the— It is not the job to control the docket of the district attorney.
• And thinking that you're going to control crime by being tougher on guns, I'm going to argue with you
• So my point is that what we need, in my opinion, is quality control experts.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Coke led the state in its recovery from the upheaval of the Civil War, quelled lawlessness at the border
• They pollinate, they spread seeds, they control pests, eating tons and tons of mosquitoes, and they help
• I'm getting information that says that market rents aren't completely under the control of the landlords
• So because of this, this is out of the control of the borrowers and lenders like Fannie and Freddie may
• HB 214 to Border Security. HB 305 to Criminal Justice. HB 426 to Health and Human Services.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered an invocation, approved the previous day’s journal, and received a House message announcing passage of HB 4 on public school accountability and assessment. The chamber also recognized the Doctor of the Day, adopted SR 520 honoring Rosser Coke-Newton Sr. for his biography of former Governor Richard Coke, and adopted SR 518 recognizing Texas Moral Injury Awareness Day, with remarks focused on the impact of moral injury on veterans and first responders. The Senate later adopted SR 395 honoring the ninth class of Governor William P. Clements, Jr. Scholars, and several other resolutions were adopted by voice vote, including college savings awareness recognition and other member-sponsored recognitions. The body then took up several bills and resolutions on the floor. HB 3307, allowing online continuing education for arbitrators in property tax appeals, passed unanimously after suspension of the rules and the three-day rule. HB 913, renaming and reorganizing certain state hospitals, and HB 2970, governing the Gulf Coast Protection District and coastal barrier design, also passed unanimously. HJR 1 and HB 9 advanced a proposed constitutional amendment and statutory change to raise the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000; both measures passed, with HJR 1 receiving one no vote and HB 9 passing unanimously after a clarifying amendment. The Senate also passed HB 1151, which limits child removals and termination of parental rights based solely on parental medical treatment decisions, and HB 116, which revises grounds for involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship by removing the “O grounds” and requiring support from financially able parents whose rights were terminated. HB 1899 lowered the age for pyrotechnic operator licenses and fireworks display permits from 21 to 18. SB 1285, as amended, passed to protect bats by prohibiting entombment while preserving removal options from unoccupied spaces, and SB 2847 passed to promote innovations in core curriculum for faster bachelor’s degrees. On criminal justice, SJR 87, a proposed constitutional amendment requiring denial of bail for certain repeat violent felony offenders, passed after two floor amendments clarifying due process and representation language; Senator Eckhardt spoke against it on final passage, arguing it lacked judicial discretion and a clear-and-convincing standard. SB 3073, requiring magistrates to make written findings in certain criminal proceedings, also passed. Later, SB 128, requiring hospitals to report suspected child abuse-related information to HHSC, advanced on a divided vote, and SB 2619 and SB 2972 passed on public school accountability and expressive activities at public colleges, respectively, with Senator Eckhardt opposing SB 2972 as too restrictive on campus protest rights. The chamber also heard extended debate on HB 21, targeting “traveling” housing finance corporations and their use of tax exemptions for apartment projects, with supporters arguing it curbs abuse of the tax code and critics warning about unintended effects on affordable housing; the discussion continued with questions but no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• He also served as chief of the General Crimes Border Crime Section and later as chief of the financial
• that the commercial port of entry will be built, and more trucks will be able to come across our border
• They understood that a government that watches everything controls everything.
• Benjamin Franklin famously warned... ...controls everything.
• liberty is security and that a government powerful enough to watch everyone is powerful enough to control

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, attendance, journal approval, and numerous guest introductions, including several judges shadowing senators, Chief Justice Ann Timmer, mining industry representatives, a doctor of the day, and student and youth visitors. The chamber then moved into Committee of the Whole to consider a calendar of bills, with several measures receiving committee amendments and do-pass recommendations, including SB 1272 on Douglas port of entry funding, SB 1327 on Arizona Board of Regents restrictions involving foreign countries, SB 1400 on public safety employee information, SB 1519 on off-highway vehicles, SB 1627 on unmanned aircraft, SB 1630 on AHCCCS home- and community-based services and mental illness, HB 1720 on parenting time, SB 1763 on school district finances, SB 1826 on rural wayfinding signs, and SB 1827 on vertiports. Members offered brief explanations on some bills, especially SB 1519 and SB 1720, which addressed off-road vehicle use and equal parenting time standards, respectively. On third reading, the Senate passed SB 1272, SB 1327, SB 1400, SB 1519, SB 1627, SB 1630, SB 1720, SB 1763, and SB 1826. SB 1827 failed on third reading by a 15-15 vote. Senators gave explanations on several measures, including concerns about confidentiality in SB 1400, environmental and trail impacts in SB 1519, and the parenting-time standards in SB 1720. SB 1763 passed overwhelmingly, while SB 1630 passed 28-2. The chamber then moved to a second Committee of the Whole for additional bills. In the second COW, SB 1111 on automatic license plate readers drew the most extensive debate. Senator Payne described guardrails such as case-number access, training, and penalties for misuse, while Senator Hoffman offered a sweeping hostile amendment to sharply limit use and impose civil penalties and a private right of action, arguing the bill enabled mass surveillance. The Hoffman amendment failed 13-17, and the Payne-backed amendment was adopted; the bill was then advanced as amended. Senators also considered SB 1214 on stem-cell/regenerative therapy, SB 1683 on foreign land ownership advisory prohibitions, SB 1686 on a memorial at Wesley Bolin Plaza, and SB 1745 on local excise tax rate limits, all of which received do-pass recommendations after amendments where applicable. The Committee of the Whole report was adopted, with further floor debate continuing on SB 1111 over privacy, public records access, and surveillance concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, as you know, I'm big on local control.
• There are over $54 billion in unfunded flood control projects, according to the Texas Water Development
• Whenever we're going through a jurisdiction, going through a discipline, or on a bordering community
• We had the Border Patrol with their boat attack and their search and rescue on their federal radio systems
• The whole point of putting the funding in trust at the comptroller is so that not one agency is controlling

Bills: HB2, HB1, HB18, HB19, HB20, HB1, HB 2, HB18, HB19, HB20

Keywords: emergency communication, interoperability, grant program, first responders, state council, disaster response, emergency management, mass fatality, justices of the peace, training programs, emergency manager license, volunteer management, justice of the peace training, criminal history checks, state health services, broadband, public safety, disaster preparedness, funding, flood disaster plan

Transcript Highlights:

• And the other concern is I'm not big on centralized control in another state.
• authority of a participating state to regulate the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene within its borders

Bills: SB540, HB1085, HB1484

Keywords: service warranty, administrative fees, financial statements, insurance, Oklahoma statutes, fentanyl, drug awareness, schools, substance abuse prevention, education policy, youth education, public health, 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• trapped in failing schools, crushing local debt, regulatory agencies that respectfully are out of control
• Members, Brownsville leads in innovation, space exploration, cross-border trade with an amazing focus

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's the angle of the drums that controls the reactivity.
• You've got drums, and it's the angle of the drums that controls the reactivity.
• We should be able to control emissions and bring down, you know.
• When you don’t have control of these things, you really don’t have control of the ability to maintain
• We're looking at new control rod mechanisms.

Keywords: 908, all