Transcript Highlights:

• Um, the increase of vector-borne diseases and issues like crop failure, water insecurity.
• Um, the increase<00:31:44.960><c> of</c><00:31:45.120><c> vectorbor</c><00:31:45.760><c> diseases</c>
• <00:31:46.240><c> and</c> increase of vectorbor diseases and increase of vectorbor diseases and issues

Transcript Highlights:

• implemented by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department governing the management of chronic wasting disease
• Senate Bill 2846 by Perry, relating to the control of disease in wildlife, to Water, Agriculture, and
• relating to power duration requirements and emergency contingency plans adopted by end-stage renal disease
• Sparks, relating to the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority and to a study and report on plant diseases

Bills: SJR12 , SJR81 , SCR39 , SB22 , SB32 , SB241 , SB393 , SB414 , SB458 , SB464 , SB568 , SB583 , SB609 , SB660 , SB693 , SB731 , SB732 , SB746 , SB783 , SB785 , SB897 , SB993 , SB996 , SB1008 , SB1029 , SB1035 , SB1036 , SB1120 , SB1122 , SB1147 , SB1163 , SB1188 , SB1197 , SB1209 , SB1227 , SB1245 , SB1267 , SB1307 , SB1321 , SB1332 , SB1386 , SB1394 , SB1396 , SB1470 , SB1494 , SB1537 , SB1596 , SB1598 , SB1610 , SB1664 , SB1814 , SB1822 , SB1841 , SB1948 , SB2065 , SB2155 , SB2406 , SB2407

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum call, invocation, approval of routine motions, and the reading of gubernatorial nominations and several honorary resolutions. The chamber adopted resolutions recognizing Jack and Jill of America Day and DJ Daniel Day at the Capitol, with multiple senators offering remarks praising youth leadership, perseverance, and public service. The Senate also introduced the Doctor of the Day and then proceeded to a long series of floor actions on bills. A major focus was Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 568, which overhauls special education funding and services in public schools by moving from a placement-based model to an intensity-based system tied to student needs and IEPs. Senators Bettencourt, Creighton, and Menendez emphasized transparency, parent input, evaluation funding, dyslexia services, and better alignment of funding with actual services; Senator Hinojosa shared a personal story about dyslexia and the importance of early intervention. The bill was advanced on second and third reading and finally passed 30-0. The Senate also passed SB 1396 to prohibit national sex education standards in public schools, SB 2065 on the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System, SB 1664 requiring clearer public disclosure of transmission and distribution utility rate changes, SB 1029 on advertising certain used motor vehicles, SB 1120 expanding rights for family violence victims, SB 1036 regulating residential solar retail transactions, SB 464 creating school-proximity restrictions and penalties for tobacco and vaping sales, SB 1035 giving farmers and ranchers equitable relief from certain local agricultural regulations, SB 1610 addressing civil commitment facility safety and prosecution issues, SB 1197 extending drone restrictions to spaceports, and SB 1386 changing legislative witness immunity from transactional to testimonial immunity. Another major bill was Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1188, which updates electronic health record requirements. Senator Kolkhorst said the bill builds on Texas medical privacy law by requiring U.S.-based storage of EMR data, prohibiting recording of voter registration status and credit score information, requiring provider verification and disclosure for AI-assisted diagnosis or treatment recommendations, preserving parental access to minors’ records until age 18, and ensuring EMRs can capture metabolic health and biological sex information. A floor amendment clarified the bill’s scope and enforcement, and the bill passed 23-7. Several measures drew debate, especially SB 414 on bond ballot transparency, where Senators Eckhardt and Menendez questioned whether requiring estimated interest and total debt cost on ballots could be misleading or difficult to implement because interest rates and financing terms can change before issuance or over time. The transcript ends during that discussion, with no final action shown on SB 414.

Transcript Highlights:

• delivering foreign assistance worldwide, including disaster relief, conflict relief, combating global diseases
• delivering foreign assistance worldwide, including disaster relief, conflict relief, combating global diseases
• techniques, and reiterates the authority of management to protect the area from fire, insects, and disease
• working with me on this proposal. the area from fire, insects, and the area from fire, insects, and disease
• </c><04:20:35.439><c> Westman,</c> disease. So, my friend, Mr. Westman, disease. So, my friend, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• 01:19:53.719><c> top</c><01:19:54.120><c> five</c><01:19:54.719><c> chronic</c><01:19:55.600><c> diseases
• </c> of some of the top five chronic diseases of some of the top five chronic diseases um<01:19:56.840
• and includes a human body disease and includes a human body systems<04:32:51.920><c> approach</c><04
• prior to Medical School in eye disease prior to Medical School Graduation<04:33:11.320><c> I</c><04:
• I was able to prescribe medications needed to care for the full spectrum of eye diseases.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on House Bill 144 and House Bill 145, both related to professional licensing for dietitians and dental hygienists. HB 144 was described as a technical fix to align statute with existing Board of Dental Examiners rules allowing dental hygienists to administer nitrous oxide and local anesthesia, with supporters saying the bill would add needed training and examination requirements to statute. A dentist and dental society representative testified that the practice is already being done safely within scope, and committee members discussed whether nitrous oxide is still used and whether the bill was mainly to keep the paperwork and law consistent. The committee moved HB 144 forward on a 12-0 vote and placed it on consent. HB 145 would join New Hampshire to a dietitian licensure compact and add a criminal history check for initial licensure to match compact language. The sponsor and board witnesses said the compact would improve portability, support telehealth, help military families and spouses, and maintain public safety by ensuring qualified practitioners and information-sharing among member states. Committee members asked about withdrawal from the compact, the difference between single-state and compact licensure, and why a background check was included; the witness said the compact is not yet active, with four states enacted and seven needed, and that the background check is required by the compact language. Additional testimony from a private-practice dietitian supported the bill, citing continuity of care, rural access, and workforce mobility, while some members raised concerns about telehealth across state lines and the practical effect of the background check.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this leads to higher risks of things like heart disease, strokes, depression, suicides.
• When you're cremated, it destroys the disease.
• Uh when you're cremated, it diseases.
• Uh when you're cremated, it destroys<01:51:01.360><c> the</c><01:51:01.679><c> disease.
• If you're reduced destroys the disease.

Committee: House Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• No, the focus of our efforts are older adults who are at or below the poverty line, have a chronic disease
• No, the focus of our efforts are older adults who are at or below the poverty line, have a chronic disease
• The focus of our efforts are older adults who are at or below the poverty line, have a chronic disease
• c> Huntington's</c> post Care postacute Rehab Huntington's post Care postacute Rehab Huntington's disease
• and a behavioral memory care disease and a behavioral memory care with<01:46:06.480><c> one</c><01:46

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• so much for maintaining the investments on both the public health information technology and the disease
• I'm here on behalf of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation.

Transcript Highlights:

• so much for maintaining the investments on both the public health information technology and the disease
• I'm here on behalf of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Human Services held its final hearing on the budget, with the chair framing the Senate’s plan as a counterproposal that rejected major cuts and preserved revenues. Public comment was overwhelmingly supportive of the subcommittee’s actions, especially on Medi-Cal, IHSS, PACE, behavioral health, child care, CalFresh outreach, immigrant legal services, and long-term care. Testimony from disability, aging, county, health plan, provider, labor, and advocacy groups urged the committee to keep rejecting asset tests, immigrant coverage reductions, IHSS cost shifts, PACE rate cuts, and behavioral health reductions, while supporting mobile crisis, 988, Title IV-E workforce funding, and the “Be Home Soon California” proposal to expand home- and community-based care. Several speakers also pressed for additional or related funding and policy changes, including county alternatives for people losing Medi-Cal under federal HR1-related changes, more support for public hospitals and indigent care, CalFresh and Cal Food investments, child care slots and COLAs, dental rate cut delays, and expanded immigration legal and food assistance. Others thanked the committee for restoring or preserving funding for behavioral health innovation and advocacy grants, public health IT and disease investigation, diaper banks, hearing aids for children, and distressed hospital loans. The committee also heard concerns about fee-for-service shifts, outpatient dialysis coverage, and other implementation details, with some groups asking for trailer bill language or guardrails. After public comment, the subcommittee took three votes on large blocks of budget items. The first block of consent items passed 3-0, the second block passed 2-1, and the final block passed 2-0, with the chair announcing that the items were approved and out of committee. The hearing then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. His legacy.
• He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and he kept going.

Bills: SB309 , SB457 , SB513 , HB148 , HB149 , HB358 , HB384 , HB428 , HB487 , HB593 , HB613 , HB657 , HB675 , HB712 , HB716 , HB720 , HB723 , HB728 , HB732 , HB845 , HB846 , HB965

Committee: House Transportation, Highways & Public Works

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation met on April 22, 2026, with a quorum present and heard several transportation-related bills, many involving license plates, toll exemptions, and administrative changes. The committee first advanced HB 988 by Rep. Bagley, which changes the fee distribution for current and retired legislators’ special prestige license plates so the proceeds support repairs at the Pentagon/first LSU building rather than going to the state. It then heard HB 1001 by Rep. Marcel, designating a portion of U.S. Highway 190 as the Jesse Jackson Memorial Highway; the bill was supported with remarks honoring Jackson’s civil rights legacy, and the committee observed a moment of silence before reporting it favorably without objection. The committee next considered HB 989 by Rep. Boyer, which updates and clarifies fees charged by public license tag agents. Rep. Phelps offered an amendment to exempt Shreveport from the fee increase, but it failed on a roll call vote, and the bill was then reported favorably by a 13-2 vote. HB 1192, also by Rep. Boyer, creating a Louisiana Dental Hygienist Association specialty license plate, was amended to remove a restriction limiting issuance to association members and then passed favorably without objection. HB 1032 by Rep. Wiley, which clarifies the substances referenced in DUI-related motor vehicle statutes, received technical amendments and was reported favorably without objection. The committee also advanced HB 748 by Rep. Brough, exempting Louisiana school board-owned and leased vehicles from tolls on bridges and highways, including the Bell Chasse toll bridge area, after testimony from Plaquemines Parish school officials and the district attorney describing toll costs and operational burdens; the bill was amended to include leased vehicles and then reported favorably without objection. HB 1108 by Rep. Omade creating a homeschool pride specialty plate was also reported favorably without objection after discussion of the plate design and proceeds going to Homeschool Louisiana. Finally, HB 1081 by Chairman Wright, restructuring the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission under the Office of Multimodal Commerce and DOTD for administrative support, was amended at the request of the Governor’s Office and reported favorably without objection. The committee adjourned after completing its agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
• He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and he kept going.

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation met on April 22, 2026, with a quorum present and took up several transportation-related bills. HB 988 by Rep. Bagley, which changes the fee distribution for current and retired legislators’ special prestige license plates so the proceeds would support the Pentagon, was reported favorably without objection. HB 1001 by Rep. Marcel, designating a portion of US 190 as the Jesse Jackson Memorial Highway, was also reported favorably without objection after brief remarks honoring Jackson’s civil rights legacy and a moment of silence. The committee then considered HB 989 by Rep. Boyer, which updates fees public license tag agents may charge. After testimony from the Louisiana Public Tag Agent Association and Commissioner Keith Neal, Rep. Phelps offered an amendment to exclude Shreveport from the fee increase; the committee rejected that amendment on a 13-2 vote, and the bill itself was then reported favorably on a 13-2 vote. HB 1192, creating a Louisiana Dental Hygienist Association specialty license plate, was amended to remove language narrowing eligibility to association members and then passed favorably without objection. HB 1032 by Rep. Wiley, clarifying statutory references related to operating a motor vehicle under the influence, was amended technically and reported favorably without objection. Later, HB 748 by Rep. Brough, exempting school board-owned and leased vehicles from tolls on bridges and highways, was amended to include leased vehicles and an effective date. Testimony from Plaquemines Parish school officials and the district attorney described toll costs tied to the Belle Chasse bridge, and the bill was reported favorably without objection. HB 1108 by Rep. Omade, creating a homeschool pride specialty license plate, was reported favorably without objection after discussion of the plate design and the intended recipient organization. Finally, HB 1081 by Chairman Wright, restructuring the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission under the Office of Multimodal Commerce, was amended to clarify administrative placement and terminology and then reported favorably without objection. The committee adjourned after completing its agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Association who are here today to raise awareness about the Alzheimer's Association's 2006 Alzheimer's Disease
• In Arizona alone, we have 151,000 Arizonans over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer's disease, and it's

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, guest introductions, and a proclamation honoring the East Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Members also welcomed the Doctor of the Day and several guest groups, including Alzheimer’s Association advocates. The chamber then moved into Committee of the Whole to consider several Senate bills. In Committee of the Whole, the House advanced SB 1037, SB 1233, SB 1290, and SB 1445, adopting committee amendments where offered and giving each a do pass recommendation; SB 1814 was retained. Members discussed SB 1055, which would require reporting certain unlawfully present individuals arrested for crimes to federal immigration authorities, with Democrats raising concerns about profiling and civil liberties and Republicans arguing it simply enforces federal law; it also received a do pass recommendation. SB 1274, relating to transportation and infrastructure, was amended and recommended do pass, SB 1502 also advanced, and SB 1573, concerning foreign or religious sectarian law in state courts, prompted debate over whether it was necessary or duplicative but was likewise recommended do pass. The Committee of the Whole report was adopted, and the measures were assigned accordingly. The House then took up third-reading votes. SB 1168 and SB 1172 passed overwhelmingly, SB 1290 passed after debate about HOA meeting openness, SB 1221 passed on a 32-24 vote after supporters said it would improve tax transparency, and SB 1400 passed 47-9 despite concerns about peer support and counseling protections. SB 1214, a medical practice bill involving stem cell regenerative therapies, failed 25-31 after some members said they were not comfortable with the measure; afterward, a motion to reconsider its failure was adopted, placing it back on the third-reading calendar. The House also granted the Senate permission to adjourn until April 27, and then adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• Association who are here today to raise awareness about the Alzheimer's Association 2006 Alzheimer's Disease
• In Arizona alone, we have 151,000 Arizonans over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer's disease, and it's

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, members, Senate Bill 1215, firefighters occupational disease cancer, passed out of committee
• Occupational disease cancer passed out of committee 10 to 1, and the only present was Mr.

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large calendar of Senate bills, with members mainly hearing short titles, committee vote counts, and whether bills were on consent or pulled for further discussion. Many measures were reported out on party-line or split votes and several were flagged to be removed from consent, especially bills involving artificial intelligence content verification, public benefits eligibility, gender transition procedures liability, health insurance reimbursement for vaccines, light rail feasibility review, public employees merit hiring, public records fees, virtual currency payments, tax conformity, undocumented immigrants and financial services, central bank digital currency, and public monies investment in trust currency. The caucus also discussed a number of education, public safety, child welfare, health, and regulatory bills. These included measures on school communications, bullying liability, AED training, classroom management, school safety reporting, DCS procedures, fingerprinting at behavioral health facilities, probation conditions, missing children reporting, sex offender monitoring, crimes against children probation monitoring, and domestic violence release conditions. Several members raised objections or concerns about specific bills, including mandatory sentencing, religious sectarian law language, concealed weapons notice repeal, and a bill on death sentence by firing squad, with some members asking to pull those bills from consent. A final topic was a blue-sheet Senate amendment to HB 2874 on campaign committee termination statements and penalties. Rhonda explained the Senate changes would void penalties for committees with no contributions or expenditures, retroactive to December 2021, but noted the Senate did not secure enough votes for the emergency clause. Members asked about the rationale, the Secretary of State’s position, and the amount of outstanding penalties. The chair later announced that the Senate amendment was being refused, so the bill would not receive final passage that day and would instead be sent back for further action or conference.

Transcript Highlights:

• obstructive sleep apnea is associated with significant health risks, including hypertension, heart disease
• Islander communities, and these populations are more likely to... ...experience undiagnosed or untreated disease

Transcript Highlights:

• They're used to diagnose, prevent, treat, and cure diseases and medical conditions, so now it's common
• They're used to diagnose, prevent, treat, and cure diseases and medical conditions, so now it's common

Bills: SB5877

Committee: House Health Care & Wellness

Keywords: anesthesiology, medical personnel, surcharges, licensing, healthcare regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• They're used to diagnose, prevent, treat, and cure diseases and medical conditions, so now it's common
• They're used to diagnose, prevent, treat, and cure diseases and medical conditions, so now it's common

Summary: The Health Care and Wellness Committee heard executive action on seven bills, with discussion focused on prior authorization, the 340B drug pricing program, biosimilars, HIV drug coverage, exchange certification criteria, and hearing/speech board authority. Members also considered several amendments, including a date change to prior authorization reporting in SB 5395, a large striking amendment and multiple policy amendments on SB 5981, and market-criteria amendments on SB 6210. Testimony and debate centered on transparency, administrative costs, rural access, patient care spending, market stability, and the balance between state authority and federal law. SB 5395 on prior authorization received Amendment 247, which moved the carrier reporting deadline to the Office of Insurance Commissioner from January 1, 2027 to October 1, 2026, and was then reported out with a due pass recommendation. SB 5981 on 340B drug pricing adopted a striking amendment creating reporting and fee structures, but rejected amendments that would have removed filing fees, required 90% of revenues to go to direct patient care, limited additional contract pharmacies to rural or underserved areas, or delayed the bill’s effective date; the bill then passed out of committee 11-7. Supporters emphasized transparency and safety-net funding, while opponents raised concerns about federal preemption, litigation, costs, and administrative burden. SB 5594 on biosimilar substitution, SB 5877 on certified anesthesiology assistants and the physician health program, and SB 6183 on coverage of FDA-approved HIV antiviral drugs without utilization management all advanced with broad support and due pass recommendations. SB 6210 on health benefit exchange market factor criteria adopted a striking amendment but rejected amendments that would have limited updates to every two years, narrowly defined “meaningfully different,” or changed implementation timelines; it also passed 11-7. SB 6226 on the Board of Speech and Hearing adopted Amendment 313 to expand standards-of-care authority for hearing aid fitting and dispensing, then passed 17-1 after debate about patient safety, tele-audiology, and access to care.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do actually have to make sure that people are not exposed to other illnesses and diseases and making
• sure they can actually... ...people are not exposed to other illnesses and diseases and making sure

Committee: Senate Law & Justice

Transcript Highlights:

• considering the status of the patient's health before they are given the anesthesia: severe systemic disease
• , whether or not their disease is a constant threat to life.

Bills: SB1732 , SB1217 , SB1443 , SB1455 , SB1457 , SB1459 , SB1465 , SB1944 , SB1946 , SB1218 , SB1942 , SB1352 , SB2132 , SB1920 , SB1285 , SB1304 , SB1305 , SB1326 , SB1590 , SB1767

Committee: Senate Business and Insurance

Summary: The Business and Insurance Committee considered a long agenda of Senate bills covering real estate, construction licensing, insurance, alcohol regulation, medical marijuana, and other business matters. Among the measures discussed were SB 1732, which preserves Oklahoma’s current rule that brokers are not required to enter into a buyer brokerage agreement before showing real estate; SB 1443, which codifies payment rules for anesthesia services and physical status modifiers; and several sunset-extension bills for boards and agencies including the architects and interior designers board, the Construction Industries Board, the Abstractors Board, and the engineering and surveying board. The committee also heard bills on workers’ compensation, dental insurance billing practices, salvage title thresholds, energy standards for state-funded buildings, self-storage lien modernization, and medical marijuana training and licensing issues. Testimony and debate focused heavily on consumer costs, market competition, and regulatory clarity. Supporters of the dental bill (SB 1942) argued it would keep insurers from setting prices for non-covered services and allow patients and providers to negotiate directly, while opponents warned it could raise costs for consumers; the bill passed 8-2. Similar free-market arguments were made for the real estate, anesthesia, and alcohol-related bills, while consumer protection concerns were raised on the self-storage and dental measures. SB 1590, which would expand a fortified-roof grant program to commercial buildings, drew discussion about funding and the state’s role in helping reduce insurance costs. SB 1767 sought stronger enforcement against out-of-state spirit shipping, with concerns noted about lost tax revenue and age verification. Most bills received committee approval, often unanimously or by wide margins, including SB 1732, SB 1217, SB 1443, SB 1455, SB 1457, SB 1459, SB 1466, SB 1944, SB 1946, SB 1352, SB 2132, SB 1920, SB 1285, SB 1304, SB 1305, SB 1326, SB 1590, and SB 1767. Several bills were amended in committee, often to update sunset dates or clarify language, and title-striking motions were adopted on some measures that were still being worked on. The meeting ended with the chair noting that 20 bills had been handled and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths in New Mexico rose by...
• ...the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bills: SB238 , HJR1 , SM21 , SM22

Committee: Senate Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• Based on recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, approximately 26.7,
• Based on recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, approximately 26.7 or

Committee: Senate Education