Transcript Highlights:

• thank you for allowing me to pray... this morning to this group and for them prior to the scheduled activities
• As ANA, our Zoroastrian communities across North America coordinates efforts to maintain their. cultural
• Your advocacy and dedication to education make a. difference and I appreciate your efforts to strengthen
• The other half of those fires unfortunately still remain active. initiative, including in many of our
• Avoiding activities that cause sparks and following all instructions from your local emergency officials

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill reflects an effort to address the challenges posed by modern technology in the creation and
• Bill specifically targets visual depictions of minors in obscene activities, regardless of whether the
• It also includes exceptions for certain lawful activities. such as law enforcement practices, medical
• treatment, reporting unlawful activity, and legal proceedings, ensuring that such practices are not
• It's something that's of paramount importance to us and to the state in our effort to be as proactive

Bills: SB20, SB1621, SB412, SB441, SB442

Keywords: child protection, sexual offenses, visual material, artificial intelligence, criminal penalties, law enforcement, defense against prosecution, obscenity, judicial officer, deepfake, deep fake, synthetic media, AI-generated content, machine learning, nonconsensual pornography, revenge porn, sexually explicit media, intimate images, digital manipulation, visual depiction

Transcript Highlights:

• Reading or doing math problems each have corresponding areas of the brain where activity can be observed
• How do we sustain their efforts longer?
• So I think we also, there's something about activating that creative mind and activating the creative
• So I really laud those efforts. Thank you.
• So that's, you're right to ask the question, and I applaud the efforts.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The meeting began with a student performance from Horizon Middle School Show Choir, including songs from an eighth grade concert and the show choir piece “The Body Electric.” After the performance, Deputy Superintendent Donna Fishbeck spoke on behalf of State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler in support of music education, emphasizing its benefits for creativity, collaboration, school climate, and student development, and noting the department’s support for music grants and professional development. She also highlighted the North Dakota Music Educators Association’s role in expanding access and quality in music education. The committee then heard a presentation from Vital Network, introduced as a DPI-funded effort focused on teacher retention. Nate Eklund and Dr. Aaron Rob described the organization’s work with schools and districts to reduce educator burnout by improving workplace conditions, especially around time management, voice in decision-making, and care/support. They said the program uses surveys, dashboards, advisory support, and facilitated school and district processes to identify local friction points and help educators and leaders solve them, with examples ranging from simplifying material requests to improving PLC time and communication. They stressed that retention is driven more by workplace conditions than pay alone, and that solutions must be local rather than one-size-fits-all. Members asked about rural teacher overload, sustainability after grant funding ends, and whether the model could inform broader policy or continuing education reforms. Vital representatives said the work is designed to be embedded in district systems and strategic plans so it can continue beyond their direct involvement, and that the approach aligns with the state’s teacher retention and recruitment task force recommendations. They reported serving about half of North Dakota educators across roughly 50 districts, with partnerships through regional education associations to reach rural areas. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• -2026 proposes to eliminate the program entirely, cutting $15.8 million. ...including funding for active
• This would derail major efforts to strengthen our behavioral health systems and fulfill the promises
• We use that for other quality improvement type efforts, whether that be technology modernization, like
• To make a better, healthier San Francisco, cutting these funds will roll back all our activities.
• We look forward to working together on this effort. Thank you.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you don't activate it right away, it takes time.
• Now, I have to say God bless TICKET YOU HAVE TO ACTIVATE IT.
• IF YOU DON'T ACTIVATE IT RIGHT AWAY, IT TAKES TIME.
• A dollar given in brings back multitudes in jobs and in economic activity.
• I do not believe that those efforts would be in good faith.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation, then approved the prior day’s Journal and moved into motions, resolutions, and budget-related business. Senator Gianaris called up Senate Print 5898A for reconsideration; the Senate voted 59 ayes to restore the bill to the third reading calendar. Several amendments were also received on third-reading bills, and the Finance Committee was called into session while the chamber proceeded with resolutions. The Senate adopted Resolution J.2106 recognizing Second Chance Month and the mental health impacts of incarceration, with Senator Brisport speaking in support and a guest from the community recognized in the chamber. The body also adopted Resolution J.1492 designating May 27, 2026, as Taiwan Heritage Day, with remarks from Senators Sepúlveda, Stavisky, and Liu highlighting Taiwanese contributions to New York and expressing support for Taiwan amid current geopolitical tensions. The Finance Committee then reported several budget bills, including Senate Prints 9003D, 9004D, 9007C, and 9009C, which were moved to third reading. The remainder of the session focused on the supplemental and controversial budget calendars, especially tax and spending provisions. Senators debated the “Protecting Our Wallets” energy rebate, with supporters describing it as a one-time check for eligible taxpayers and critics arguing it was too small and not tied directly to utility bills; the chamber accepted the message of necessity and laid the bills aside. Members also debated extensions and changes to tax provisions affecting corporations, alternative fuel exemptions, Broadway and theatrical production tax credits, charitable deductions for certain 501(c)(3)s, nicotine pouch taxes, a new New York City pied-à-terre tax, and a standardbred horse-racing testing fee. Several senators criticized the budget as raising costs or favoring certain industries, while supporters defended the measures as revenue-raising, affordability, or public-health policies. No final votes on the controversial budget bills are shown in the excerpt beyond procedural rulings, adoption of the resolution calendar, and acceptance of committee reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2009, I headed an effort, along with then Assembly Majority Whip Fiona Ma, with a similar bill.
• In 2009, I headed an effort, along with then Assembly Majority Whip, Fiona Maugh, with a similar bill
• Century Road to Housing Act, which is currently awaiting signature by the president, a bipartisan effort
• It's easy for consumers to file claims or reports of alleged fraud or illegal activity, certainly by
• The government will actively obstruct the records that protect women from predators.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > to actively undermine our efforts to actively undermine our efforts to confront<00:33:04.559>
• <00:36:43.200> program active NATO security investment program active NATO security investment
• Thompson for his hard work on this effort.
• The House has acted and on this effort.
• This victory is a through their efforts.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Friday, May 15, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:04:41.759> that slide that summarizes activities that slide that summarizes activities
• > we<00:15:58.560> are For our current activities, we are For our current activities, we
• Our implementation efforts have law.
• ><00:39:36.240> other<00:39:36.560> simpl actively working to identify other simpl actively
• So it's uh every part of my efforts.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It also trains all the workers in the signs of human trafficking, the activities going on in a certain
• So that's putting our students to rush the door while an active shooter is on the outside of the door
• In organizing efforts to pass these bills, I've met many families.
• That's been in for many sessions and provides training for active shooter situations.
• We strongly support efforts to enhance school safety.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on a range of public safety bills, with especially emotional testimony on the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act, which would require short-term rentals to be inspected for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and require platforms or agents to verify compliance before listing. Rep. Hadley Luddy, Sen. Julian Cyr, and the Hubbard and Waldron families described the fatal Airbnb fire that killed Shannon Hubbard and her daughter Maggie in New York, saying the deaths were preventable and that the bill would save lives. Committee members expressed sympathy and support for the families’ efforts to turn their loss into legislation. The committee also heard testimony on a proposed peace officer oath (S. 1680), described by Sen. Lydia Edwards as a binding ethical standard tied to certification and recertification, with discipline and annual reporting to promote accountability and de-escalation. Rep. Tom Walsh testified for a bill requiring hotel and motel workers to be trained to recognize human trafficking and to post hotline signage, and later testimony supported a school safety data grant program to provide first responders with standardized, up-to-date school maps for emergencies. Another major topic was a bill to allow temporary door-locking devices in public buildings; supporters said the devices are removable, do not alter fire code, and could improve lockdown response during active shooter events. Additional bills discussed included measures to transfer the Office of Emergency Medical Services to EOPSS, increase penalties for unlicensed hood-system cleaning, expand membership on the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, and strengthen confidentiality for peer support and critical incident stress debriefings. Firefighters and fire chiefs also supported a bill to tighten penalties for violations of hot-work regulations, citing the 2014 Beacon Street fire that killed Lt. Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy. Law enforcement groups backed a package including a Blue Star plate and Blue Alert system for fallen officers’ families, stronger move-over penalties, and a memorial fund, while the State Police Association supported the move-over provisions but asked for further work on the special state police officer bill before final action. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We created 20 solid waste districts, and they were intended to divert waste from 77 active landfills
• We created 20 solid waste districts, and they were intended to divert waste from 77 active landfills
• It's totally different than what the original bill was, but I do appreciate your efforts to come in.
• Because if there's only, like, a handful of active sites that are not being taken care of...
• Because if there's only, like, a handful of active sites that are not being taken care of, then that

Summary: The committee met in public hearing on Senate Bill 1586, sponsored by Sen. Ben Brown, which would address abandoned, ownerless landfills in Missouri. Brown described the bill as a response to a constituent who discovered contamination near property in Franklin County, and said the measure had evolved through multiple versions. He explained that the bill would give the Department of Natural Resources clearer authority over ownerless landfill sites, direct 10% of tipping fees from solid waste districts toward assessment, investigation, testing, remediation, and management of those sites, create an interim committee for further study, and tighten seller disclosure requirements to require written, dated notice by mail. Brown said the state has 29 such sites and argued that counties and DNR lack the resources to study or clean them up. Support testimony came from Marisa Grosoccoe, dean of engineering at the University of Missouri, who said the bill provides both a regulatory framework and a steady funding stream, and that environmental studies are a necessary first step to determine the scope and cost of cleanup and potentially return contaminated land to productive use. She said the funding would likely support only a few studies per year, but would reduce uncertainty and help unlock other funding sources. Opposition came from representatives of solid waste districts, including Chris Bussin and Diana Bryant, who argued the districts already perform important recycling, household hazardous waste, and grant administration work, and that the proposed diversion of tipping fees would reduce funding for those programs. They said the districts are already tightly regulated, that the abandoned landfill issue has been known for years, and that DNR already has authority to act. Lacey Miller, speaking for informational purposes, said the districts support local recycling and community programs, especially in small counties and schools, and warned that consolidation or funding cuts would hurt local services. No vote was taken; the hearing on Senate Bill 1586 was concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3806 relates to prohibited activities of a state trust company under supervision.
• , and it would strike subsection E to avoid lawsuits. to cease debt collection activities, and it would
• where they intend to adopt budgets or other critical matters relating to their jurisdiction in an effort
• Members, this is an effort to enhance transparency and encourage citizen participation.
• Despite this body's best efforts to provide tax relief to Texans, taxpayers here in our state pay some

Bills: HB431, HB1522, HB1922, HB2467, HB2468, HB3228, HB3229, HB3306, HB3803, HB3804, HB3805, HB3806, HB4219, HB4238, HB4344, HB4386, HB4739

Keywords: HB 431, Texas Property Code, Property Code Chapter 202, solar roof tiles, solar shingles, solar energy device, homeowners association, HOA, property owners' association, POA, renewable energy, residential solar, distributed solar, roof-mounted solar, homeowner rights, architectural control, open meetings, public notice, transparency, government efficiency

Summary: The committee first took up pending business and favorably reported several House bills without opposition, including HB 11, HB 132, HB 1041, HB 1606, HB 2286, and HB 5061. Each was moved out of committee with a recommendation that it do pass and be printed, and several were also recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then heard HB 3306, which would extend existing construction-contract indemnity exceptions to electric infrastructure construction, maintenance, and vegetation management work for electric utilities and transmission and distribution utilities. The sponsor said the bill would reduce litigation and insurance costs for ratepayers, while construction industry witnesses argued it would shift liability onto subcontractors and create broad-form indemnity in a way Texas law has generally prohibited since 2011. HB 3306 was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4739, a Comptroller-requested cleanup bill to repeal an outdated Finance Code provision requiring remittance of a portion of certain delinquency charges to the state, and HB 3803, HB 3804, and HB 3806, all Department of Banking-requested cleanup bills dealing with confidentiality and supervision rules for perpetual care funds, state banks, and trust companies. Those bills were briefly explained and left pending without testimony. HB 4219, aimed at improving Public Information Act compliance by requiring timely notice when records do not exist or are being withheld, allowing complaints to the Attorney General, and imposing training and fee consequences for noncompliance, drew support from a journalist and a policy analyst and was also left pending. The committee then heard HB 4238 on coerced debt and identity theft. The sponsor explained that the committee substitute narrows the bill to court-ordered findings of identity theft/coerced debt, gives collectors seven business days to stop collection activity, and removes a section to avoid litigation over court orders. A law professor and a family violence advocate testified in strong support, describing coerced debt as a barrier for domestic violence and elder abuse survivors trying to rebuild credit and access housing, jobs, and utilities. The bill was left pending. HB 1522, which would require local governments to post meeting notices three business days in advance and make budget materials more accessible online and in physical form, also drew support, though a school business officials representative raised concerns about the timing language, proposed-budget wording, and taxpayer impact statements for school districts; the bill was left pending after discussion. Later, the committee heard additional pending bills, including a PUC background-check bill that would expand the commission’s authority to check current employees and contractors and obtain FBI criminal history information, HB 3805 updating money services business regulation, HB 431 extending HOA solar-panel protections to solar tiles, and HB 3228 and HB 3229 on wind and solar recycling financial assurance and recycler solvency. HB 3228 received support from a Sierra Club witness who said recycling and disposal plans are needed for end-of-life renewable energy equipment, and HB 3229 was described as requiring recyclers to show financial resources at 125 percent through a letter of credit or bond. These bills were heard and left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so far, I commend their effort to this end. Many say that sunshine is the best disinfectant.
• Government officials know, through FOIA, information about their activities and decisions will not remain
• These efforts are toxic to our democracy because a functional, healthy democracy requires disclosure
• One can argue that the most ambitious and energetic and active agency of government is not an agency
• What activities are they engaged in? What disclosures should they make to the American public?

Transcript Highlights:

• Will you countenance efforts to fire or discipline US attorneys?
• under Farah to pursue lobbying efforts. efforts in her first day in office, I also found discouraging
• You know, books I'm sure will be written about this, but the the coordinated effort.
• I mean, I think, again, it's all part of this coordinated effort from Lawfare.
• It's like an effort to erase something that really happened. That was July, or January 6th.

Keywords: nominations, Deputy Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Todd Blanch, Gail Slater, confirmation hearing

Summary: The meeting focused on the nominations of Todd Blanch and Gail Slater for the positions of Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, respectively. The committee considered the qualifications of both nominees, with opening statements provided by the nominees themselves. There was an evident emphasis on the rigorous vetting process that nominees undergo before their selection, highlighting the importance of the roles within the Department of Justice. Members of the committee engaged in a structured question-and-answer session to further evaluate the nominees' capabilities and fit for the positions they were nominated for, with each member allotted seven minutes to pose questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a task force to study seismic activity in some parishes in Louisiana, and I have an amendment.
• This has been just a huge effort for Taylor and Amanda and all the staff, and thank you.
• He says there was recently a well-intended effort to transfer those lands.
• He says there was recently a well-intended effort to transfer those lands.
• Geological Survey, to study seismic activity in the state. Representative Shamerhorn.

Bills: HB410, HR310, HR314, HR316, HR317, HR321, HR275, HR276, HR279, HR282, HR286, HR289, HR292, HR295, HR302, HR319, HR307, HR273, SCR59, SCR61, SCR62, SCR68, SCR69, SCR70, SCR54, SCR55, SCR64, SCR75, HCR32, HB776, HB42, HB119, HB159, HB302, HB1017, HB1028, SB217, SB283, HB953, SB208, HR74, HB998, HB901, HR20, HCR65, HCR71, HCR98, HB284, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB625, HB646, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1191, HB1240, HB1255, SB82, SB89, SB97, SB123, SB237, HB36, HB74, HB75, HB258, HB259, HB414, HB459, HB784, HB848, HB956, HB1095, HB1220, HB1252, SB469, SB479

Keywords: recording, privacy, notification, direct conversation, law enforcement, first responder, penalties, oil and gas, orphan wells, inactive wells, shut-in wells, marginal wells, plugging and abandonment, well decommissioning, site remediation, site restoration, Oilfield Site Restoration, OSR program, financial security, bonding

Transcript Highlights:

• May their efforts be blessed with success, beneficial for the people they represent.
• May their efforts be blessed with success, and may they always seek to serve with integrity and honor
• Committee substitutes in a bill 2,200, addresses this by criminalizing this off-route activity.
• We know these adversaries, most prominently the Chinese Communist Party, are actively targeting state
• They're actively targeting state and local governments across the country.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, received the House message that HB 35 had passed, and heard a gubernatorial message submitting Trinity River Authority board appointments for Senate confirmation. The chamber also adopted a slate of Senate resolutions by voice vote and later postponed reading and referral of bills and resolutions until the end of the calendar. Several members introduced bills with brief explanations before the Senate took them up under suspension of the regular order. The body then considered and passed a series of measures, often by wide margins, including SB 2846 on wildlife disease control and quarantine authority; CS SB 1224 requiring school superintendents or directors to report certain employee misconduct to local law enforcement; CS SB 2310 on transparency for degree and transfer requirements at public colleges; SB 1502 limiting school districts’ ability to exceed voter-approval tax rates after a failed TRE; CS SB 1141 on notice requirements before full adversary hearings in child-protection cases; CS SB 2568 exempting certain flood-control reservoirs from TCEQ permitting; SB 1524 on confidentiality of information about weapons in foster homes; CS SB 2925 creating a task force on modernizing manufacturing; CS SB 2269 on dispute resolution and enforcement for long-term care facilities; CS SB 1266 on Medicaid provider enrollment and disenrollment notices; SB 243 on migrant labor housing standards; SB 2200 on overweight vehicles transporting hazardous materials; CS SB 2480 on the Texas Physician Health Program; CS SB 1585 restricting government contracts with companies tied to foreign adversaries; CS SB 2357 establishing maternal health training; and SB 1551 requiring accessible AED placement in public schools. The Senate also debated more contested bills. CS SB 2019, which would extend vaccine exemption rules to medical and veterinary students, advanced only partway after a divided vote. CS SB 1442, directing a study on veterinary telemedicine relationships, and CS SB 1241, which would allow the Higher Education Coordinating Board to study alternative college entrance exams, prompted extended questioning about agency authority and whether changes should return to the legislature before taking effect. CS SB 2753, which would integrate early voting and election day voting into a single in-person voting period, was amended and passed to engrossment despite opposition. CS SB 2201, dealing with gang and foreign terrorist organization intelligence databases, and CS SB 2514, creating a DPS hostile foreign adversaries unit, drew detailed debate over civil liberties and national security. CS SB 2422, aimed at limiting Texas Medical Board discipline related to COVID-19 treatments and practices, also advanced after lengthy discussion and a close vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• get it going okay no we are actively get it going okay no we are actively doing<00:13:35.920>
• So, you know, we address a lot, a large range of mitigation efforts.
• Okay, where's the effort to be proactive, then? Is this effort to be proactive?
• Yeah, but the effort last year was to put all the funding to DOA.
• being is being spent on these efforts being is being spent on these efforts used<01:11:03.960>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• February 2025 bar exam, as well as our audit of CSU and UC's implementation of Title IX and their efforts
• The Active Transportation Plan is not at the The Active Transportation Plan is not itself a budget, and
• So I appreciate the effort that's here.
• And what has CalHR done to maximize coverage options to active and retired workers living either in or
• And what has CalHR done to maximize coverage options to active and retired workers living either in or

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met to hear new audit requests and receive a status update from the State Auditor. The auditor reported 10 JALAC audits in progress, noted that all 2025-approved audits are underway, said the first 2026 audit is focused on DMV license revocations, and described several statutory and high-risk audits already in progress. The committee also approved a consent calendar of four audit requests: UC library resources, law enforcement information sharing, EDD unemployment insurance claims, and Housing and Community Development housing development monitoring. The committee then considered Assembly Member DeMaio’s audit request on SANDAG road project management. DeMaio argued the audit was needed to examine whether transportation funds, including voter-approved and restricted revenues, were used for allowable purposes and whether past management failures warranted outside review. SANDAG’s CEO and CFO said the agency already undergoes extensive oversight and audits, that funds are tracked by multiple “colors of money,” and that internal controls have improved. Several members questioned whether the issues were already addressed in public records or existing audits, and the request failed on a roll call vote. Next, Senator Valadares presented an audit of the Board of State and Community Corrections’ Proposition 47 grant administration, arguing that more transparency is needed on outcomes, recidivism data, and oversight of grantees. The BSCC said it already has oversight mechanisms, that the State Controller conducts biennial audits, and that program data shows positive outcomes. The committee approved the audit unanimously. Senator Cortese then presented an audit of CalHR’s dental benefits procurement and Delta Dental contract, citing long-standing benefit caps, provider network concerns, and retiree out-of-pocket costs. CalHR said its network remains strong, that it recently completed an RFP adding MetLife as a second carrier starting in 2027, and that contracts include performance guarantees. Members from both parties expressed concern about access and competition, and the audit was approved unanimously. The committee then completed add-on votes on the consent calendar and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• we presented on two bills that contained over $2.5 billion for immediate response and recovery activities
• And specifically, can you articulate what specific enforcement activities of our immigration laws that
• Similarly, they've been making a lot of efforts to increase capacity in the state.
• So they have been making concerted efforts to expand provider capacity in those communities.
• One, I heard a little bit about a concern regarding the activities of counsel, a suggestion that activities

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. former DOD official who worked at the heart of the Pentagon's industrial-based efforts.
• The U.S. has been a key player in the U.S. military's efforts to advance its defense We have to make
• At OSD, I was in the trenches of mobilization efforts for almost a decade.
• The government is funding efforts to reshore an ally. They are critical to solving this issue.
• Yeah, it should absolutely be focused on mobilization efforts, but some of the efforts that DPA is funding

Transcript Highlights:

• lot better, and I think this commission would be able to start recognizing those and putting some effort
• The emergency food system was built about 40 years ago and really is a charitable effort intended to
• Researchers internationally have been experimenting on wild-caught octopuses in efforts to breed them
• This would trigger dangerous increases in shellfishing activity and push millions of pounds of feed.
• This would trigger dangerous increases in shellfishing activity and push populations beyond capacity

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture opened its first hearing by outlining procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony options, and the plan to hear 27 bills in docket order. The committee then took testimony on H.11/S.53, a resolve promoting equity in agriculture, with advocates from the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Southeastern Mass Agricultural Partnership, and urban farming organizations describing racial and economic disparities in farming, lack of data on BIPOC farmers, barriers to land and capital, and the need for a commission to collect information and recommend policy changes. Committee members asked questions about the importance of data collection and future policy development, and the bill was repeatedly urged to be reported favorably out of committee. Testimony also supported H.118, which would create a special commission to examine the strengths and sustainability of the Commonwealth’s emergency food network. The Amherst Survival Center described serving 1.6 million meals last year and explained that food pantries are now functioning as essential parts of the state’s food system while relying heavily on donations, volunteers, and unstable funding. Members discussed the need for a more holistic look at food security infrastructure. The committee then heard H.119/S.60 on climate change impacts on farms and fisheries, with regional planners and farm advocates describing flood damage, rising costs, canceled federal climate-smart funding, and the need for direct state support for adaptation, resilience, and infrastructure improvements. The committee also heard testimony on H.125/H.142/S.65, a healthy soils bill, from landscape professionals who said construction sites often leave poor or stripped soil and that the bill would require better post-construction soil standards to support healthier landscapes and reduce long-term maintenance and environmental problems. Finally, the committee took extensive testimony on H.127, which would prohibit aquaculture of octopus for human consumption. Supporters, including legislators, scientists, veterinarians, students, and animal welfare advocates, argued octopus are highly intelligent and sentient, cannot be farmed humanely, and that octopus aquaculture would create environmental harms such as waste runoff, pressure on wild fish stocks, and ecosystem disruption. No votes were taken during the hearing; the bills were heard and testimony was received.