Transcript Highlights:

• All opposed, like sign. Thank you, members. Johnson. All in favor, say aye. All opposed, like sign.
• I'm sure we've all gotten a text message or a fake call there.
• You should definitely use the little thing underneath the text messages that says 'report scam.'
• She got a message through Facebook congratulating her for winning a house, a car, and some money..."
• Don't click on links, emails, or text messages that you're not expecting.

Summary: A joint House-Senate Insurance and Commerce meeting focused on the growing threat of financial fraud in Arkansas, with members and witnesses describing scams targeting seniors, small businesses, and working families. The committee first approved the November 3, 2025 minutes, then heard from the Arkansas Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association, banks, the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, the Arkansas Mortgage Bankers Association, the State Bank and Securities Department, the Insurance Department, and AARP. Witnesses described common schemes including spoofed bank calls and texts, government imposter scams, romance and investment scams, business email compromise, fake job postings, gift card scams, check fraud, wire fraud, reverse mortgage scams, identity theft, and insurance fraud. Several witnesses emphasized that cryptocurrency kiosks and crypto transfers make recovery difficult or impossible, and that artificial intelligence is making scams more convincing and scalable. Witnesses repeatedly stressed education, verification, and coordination among banks, law enforcement, regulators, and consumers. Bank and mortgage representatives urged consumers to slow down, independently verify wire instructions, avoid clicking unexpected links, use tap-to-pay rather than chip or swipe when possible, and never share account credentials or one-time codes. The Attorney General’s office said it investigates consumer complaints, mediates disputes, works with social media platforms to remove scam ads, and recently created a Financial Fraud Task Force with bankers and other stakeholders. The State Bank and Securities Commissioner highlighted the Safe AR Act, the state’s crypto kiosk framework, and fraud education efforts such as “fraud bingo,” while the Insurance Department described its law-enforcement role and a range of insurance-related fraud schemes it prosecutes. AARP said fraud is widespread and underreported, especially among older adults. Members asked about reporting scams, how losses are handled, whether tap is safer than chip, how crypto fraud works, whether Arkansas has model legislation to address telecom and social media impersonation, and how local law enforcement and state agencies coordinate investigations. Witnesses said banks generally absorb much of the financial loss under federal rules, while consumers bear the inconvenience and account changes. Several witnesses said Arkansas should consider additional legislation to hold telecom companies and social media platforms accountable for spoofed caller IDs and impersonation ads, and one witness said a federal Scam Act is moving in Congress. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes, but witnesses agreed to share consumer education materials and model legislation with committee staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• tourism industry due to both state and federal policies, and what the adaptations are being made to message
• A little off on the track, but you understand the nature of the message. Nature of the message.
• We signed a 10-year deal with Slow Food International, so we'll host this event for the next 10 years
• We ask people to sign our guestbook. We talk to people from all over the world.
• I think that once we message that, we can kind of mute some of these other influencers.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Messages from the Senate. Message from the Senate.
• The message signed Thomas S. Bodn, Secretary of the Senate.
• 59.360> and number 2298 and number 2298 and 2847.<00:09:01.519> The<00:09:01.680> message
• The message assigned Thomas S. 2847. The message assigned Thomas S.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'm just worried about the message this is...
• Boyd said he pulled one out of the desk and Wright signed it.
• But in your reference about a sign maker, can you...
• or screens the sign.
• And everybody co-signed on the bill.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and memorial remarks, including a moment of silence for service members killed in the conflict in Iran. The chamber then moved to special orders and took up a series of bills, with many measures passing unanimously after brief explanations and, in several cases, substitution of House companions. Early bills included CS/CS/SB 1062 on speech and debate education, which drew extensive supportive debate about the civic value of debate programs and passed 37-0, and SB 1072 on an anti-Semitism task force, which was amended to clarify that criticism of Israel is not prohibited and then passed 37-0. The Senate also approved CS/CS/SB 1230/HB 1019 on PFAS chemicals and firefighting foam, with discussion focused on phasing out AFFF, testing requirements, exceptions for federal aviation and military uses, and support for firefighters and water quality; the bill passed 37-0. Other measures passed without opposition included SB 1706 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program, SB 186 on student health and safety and seizure response training, SB 598 on funeral and cemetery services, SB 990/HB 883 on protected cell captive insurance companies, SB 554 on nonprofit corporations, SB 560 on child welfare and foster care medication procedures, SB 684/HB 961 on electronic signatures for salvage titles, and SB 778/HB 569 on forensic client services. Two bills, SB 432 on intoxicating substances and SB 928 on dangerous crimes, were temporarily postponed. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to SB 1134 on official actions of local governments and DEI-related activities. The sponsor argued the bill would prevent counties and municipalities from funding or promoting DEI efforts he described as discriminatory or indoctrinating, while opponents offered amendments to narrow the bill to spending only, add an intent requirement for penalties, and preserve local proclamations and observances. Those amendments were debated at length but were not adopted. The sponsor then continued explaining the bill’s exceptions, including references to holidays, heritage sites, and the Pulse Memorial, and the chamber was still in debate on the underlying measure when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Signed, Representative Joe correct. Signed, Representative Joe Lever,<00:18:44.559> chairman.
• Message from the Senate. Mr.
• Message from the Senate. Mr.
• Patrick Harris, Secretary signed.
• But it does send a message.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madame Clerk, on page one, Governor's Message No. 787 withdraws nominations to the Candidate Advisory
• clerk on page one Governor's message number<00:06:22.080> 787<00:06:23.080> withdraws<
• Currently there are 30 people signed up, but the goal is 50.
• Currently there are 30 people signed up, but the goal is 50.
• up but the goal is 50 this is a signed up but the goal is 50 this is a great<00:13:26.800> and

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bill as introduced that I signed on to, and that was the $2,000 a month scholarship for juveniles till
• And that's the one that I signed on to, and that's the one that I signed on to, and that's the one that
• I signed on to have the stipends.
• I mean, if we're going to send a message to Juba, I think it's better now.
• They will sign up for this, and we're trying to serve five... to seven counties in the state.

Transcript Highlights:

• I look forward to seeing this bill passed and on the governor's desk to be signed into law.
• We are relying on businesses to carry this message to the employees. This is super critical.
• You've got to explain when they can use it or not, and that's on the employers to share that message.
• Representative Anderson, thank you so much for signing on to this bill.
• Does everybody—did everybody get the message?

Transcript Highlights:

• Messages from the Assembly.
• Messages from the Governor. Reports of standing committees. Reports of select committees.
• MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES. REPORTS OF SELECT COMMITTEES.
• want to note that some of them noted that the bill that this Legislature passed and the Governor signed
• I would like to apologize for younger me when I was throwing up the Rockefeller sign.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and handled several motions to discharge and substitute identical Assembly or Senate bills, along with a number of amendments. The chamber also welcomed student visitors from the League of Women Voters’ Students of Albany program and a group of Staten Island titleholders, and later adopted previously approved resolutions honoring Dorothy E. Reid for her role in Brown v. Board of Education and recognizing Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on Delta Day, with multiple senators speaking in support of both recognitions. The bulk of the floor session was devoted to third-reading votes on a large number of bills, most of which passed with broad support. Measures addressed public health, workers’ compensation, education, environmental conservation, insurance, labor, criminal procedure, domestic relations, tax, municipal authority, and correction law. Several bills were explained by sponsors as advancing stormwater management authority, labor-law transparency, public health protections, and stronger penalties for trafficking-related offenses; one bill on immunization in summer camps drew a defense from Senator Skoufis as a child-protection measure, while another on correction law passed with some Republican opposition. The chamber also took up a controversial public health/electronic health records bill by Senator Fernandez. Senator Martin questioned the bill at length about redacting certain categories of information, emergency access, provider obligations, and the impact on doctors’ ability to see complete medical histories. Fernandez said the bill was intended to protect patients from discrimination and to limit access to a small list of sensitive services, while also noting emergency exceptions and support from more than 200 health care providers. The debate remained focused on balancing privacy protections with concerns about continuity of care and record integrity.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, there is one other person that signed up to speak.
• their child is being privately messaged their child is being privately messaged by<00:15:35.160>
• Okay, I think we had one member of the audience that had signed up to speak.
• a death certificate and so the sign a death certificate and so the parents<00:38:56.440> that's
• So this family that's here today, the judge did go ahead and allow them to sign the death certificate

Keywords: Roll Call – 00:11 Discussion on SB 181 – 01:05 Vote on SB 181 – 24:16 Discussion on HB 242 – 31:00 Vote on HB 242 – 32:14 Discussion on HB 164 – 33:26 Vote on HB 164 – 39:55, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Families and Children heard Senate Bill 181, which would require school districts to use only traceable forms of communication for staff, coaches, and volunteers when contacting students, require reporting of known private direct communication, notify parents, protect minors’ anonymity in EPSB investigations, and extend the investigation period for sexual misconduct cases to 120 days. Senator Lindsay Tichenor said the bill is meant to restore safeguards for children and families and address inappropriate private communications between school personnel and students. The committee also heard testimony from Stacy and Brad Brisco, who described allegations that an Anderson County guidance counselor had communicated privately with their daughter, encouraged her to pursue emancipation and CPS involvement, and used school channels to facilitate contact; they said the resulting abuse report was unsubstantiated and that the school system and EPSB had not acted promptly. Ashley Nation also testified in support as a survivor of educator sexual abuse, arguing that traceable communication policies are needed to prevent grooming and misconduct and that the bill does not stop communication, only makes it transparent and accountable. Members asked questions about what counts as traceable communication and whether schools already have policies. Tichenor said traceable communication could include paper notes, email, and apps such as ClassDojo or Google Classroom, and said the bill requires a trail parents can access. She also said some districts have ethical standards but they are not consistently followed, and that state-level action is needed. Senator Denine suggested the bill should allow districts more flexibility to choose among trackable platforms, noting that some systems already use tools like Dojo and Remind; Tichenor said a floor amendment would address that concern. Senators Williams, Meredith, Mills, Wise, and others voiced support, emphasizing child safety and the need for timely EPSB action. The committee then voted 9-0 to pass SB 181 with a favorable recommendation to the Senate floor. Afterward, the committee took up House Bill 242, sponsored by Representative Samara Heavrin, which would increase transparency in the child welfare system by making Kentucky child welfare data available to researchers while preserving privacy protections. With no questions, the committee approved HB 242 as well, also by a favorable vote, and members briefly noted support for the bill and the need for better data to inform child welfare policy.

Transcript Highlights:

• Signed, Representative Joe Levert, Chairman. >> Mr.
• Signed, Representative Joe Levert, Chairman. Mr.
• So, the courts aren't, but what would happen is we pass SB 1, the governor signs it, court lifts the
• I can't tell you how many calls, emails, messages,...
• You know how many calls, emails, messages people don't know what is going on.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Item number three, messages from the governor. >> Mr. Woodson >> Mr.
• Clerk, are there any messages from the governor? >> Madam Speaker, there are none.
• Moving on to signing committee report 340-26. Representative Tam: With reservations.
• Moving on to signing committee report 340-26. Representative Tam: With reservations.
• ; Moving on to signing committee report 340-26.

Bills: HB1974, HB1853, HB1973, HB1574, HB2619, HB1966, HB1643, HB1671, HB2558, HB1854, HB2173, HB1575, HB2229, HB1535, HB1978, HB2508, HB1549, HB2187, HB1550, HB1977, HB2314, HB1871, HB2319, HB1591, HB1858, HB1898, HB2372, HB1765, HB2012, HB1706, HB1962, HB1963, HB1975, HB2009, HB2083, HB2224, HB1877, HB1959, HB1626, HB1665, HB2488, HB2456, HB2548, HB2207, HB1832, HB2079, HB1985, HB1618, HB2486, HB2242, HB2045, HB1703, HB2236, HB2480, HB1976, HB2287, HB2288, HB1777, HB276, HB1660, HB1676, HB1605, HB1751, HB1967, HB2383, HB2340, HB1946, HB2268, HB1950, HB2156, HB2118, HB1859, HB1863, HB1996, HB2114, HB2423, HB2429, HB2475, HB2534, HB2545, HB1813, HB1941, HB2474, HB2583, HB1576, HB1886, HB1939, HB2540, HB2590, HB2000, HB2163, HB2386, HB1691, HB1680, HB2516, HB1993, HB2442, HB1510, HB1958, HB1692

Keywords: HB1974, hearing loss, audiology, audiologist, hearing screening, hearing aids, cochlear implants, tele-audiology, communication access, assistive technology, speech-language pathology, deafness, hard of hearing, public health, kupuna, keiki, dementia, cognitive decline, fall prevention, State Health Planning and Development Agency

Transcript Highlights:

• in took the time to it 145 people signed in took the time to sign<01:05:09.880> in<01:05:10.799
• <01:35:03.800> to and we want to send a strong message to and we want to send a strong message
• <01:38:50.639> exchanged have whether his text messages exchanged have whether his text messages
• <01:41:03.080> where highly likely that a text message where highly likely that a text message
• It sends the message New Hampshire is not open to illegal aliens.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So regardless of how they are presenting this, whether it's a picture on the wall, whether it's a sign
• 60%, and in New Orleans, it's only... ...13%, proving it's not a big cost to put up and take down a sign
• do not use printed menus, the bill requires the same clear disclosure on a menu board, online menu, sign
• All instruments that convey real property must be signed by the grantor, the seller, who conveys the
• the telephone solicitation definition to ...include other transmissions such as texting, graphic messages

Bills: HB1958, HB2031, HB2879, HB3285, HB3995, HB4487, HB4558, HB4560, HB4876, HB4899, HB5212, HB5317, HB5543, HB5567, SB1333

Keywords: firearm possession, tenant rights, landlord regulations, civil penalties, property code, justified use of force, deadly force, property rights, home defense, smart devices, data privacy, personal data collection, user consent, mobile application, data transparency, HOA, property owners association, property owners' association, Texas Property Code, Chapter 202

Transcript Highlights:

• And so it's fitting, I think, also to mention that our own President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the
• SB 5 is not a bill for the people of Texas, and I'm so proudly signed on to Senator Johnson's bills because
• That's the message on the maps. We don't have to do this. We don't need to do this.
• So I wanted to send several Democrats wanted to send a message that we do need to address this.
• Wanted to send a message that we do need to address this.

Summary: Senator Nathan Johnson presented a pair of bills he described as a comprehensive cannabis reform package for Texas. He said one bill would regulate hemp-derived THC with a 21-and-over purchase age, a 5 mg THC threshold, testing, labeling, licensing, packaging, and marketing standards, an advisory committee to report to the Legislature, and a tax structure that would direct revenue to public health, law enforcement, testing, and the Texas Compassionate Use Program. He also said the legislation reflects work by Chairman Ken King and is intended as an alternative to a total ban, which he argued would be unenforceable and undesirable. Johnson said the second bill would decriminalize possession and personal use of up to 2 ounces of marijuana, allow limited home cultivation, and create a path to expunction for people convicted of conduct that would no longer be illegal. He argued current Texas THC laws are inconsistent, harmful, and disproportionately affect communities of color, while also diverting law enforcement resources. He said the bills aim to create a more consistent and enforceable framework and to support medical THC use. Supportive testimony came from Shawn Salvahi, a veteran and Texas Cannabis Collective representative, who said decriminalization and homegrow would help veterans and first responders and that leaders should correct mistaken policy. Senator Molly Cook, an ER nurse, also backed Johnson’s approach and opposed SB 5, saying prohibition has failed, worsened safety, and created criminal and economic harms. In questions, Johnson said the Senate is likely to move SB 5, that the House could still change the outcome, and that he has been consistent in opposing a ban since 2018. The discussion also briefly touched on redistricting, with participants urging attention to flooding and criticizing proposed maps, but the main action was the presentation and defense of the THC bills ahead of floor consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• Corroborated would be an actual screenshot of those text messages that come from that.
• screenshots of the text message.
• Senator Reinhart, the bill is dual as signed, so you also ask unanimous consent to strike title.
• Were they not signed into law, and how is this more comprehensive? Thank you.
• Not all of them were signed into law.

Bills: HB1937, HB2153, HB3674, HB2978, HB3885, HB3671, HB3261, HB3021, HB3029, HB4274, HB3701, HB3076

Keywords: HB1937, Oklahoma schools, student communications, electronic communication, digital communication, parent notification, legal guardian, school personnel, teachers, coaches, administrators, charter schools, public schools, administrative leave, corroborated report, investigation, employee file, discipline, termination, school board

Transcript Highlights:

• :03:08.519> page<00:03:08.720> one<00:03:09.040> Governor's<00:03:09.440> message
• Madam Clerk, on page one, Governor's Message No. 3, requesting immediate passage of various emergency
• Both chairs have signed it on Friday, but for some reason it was inadvertently not filed on time.
• /c><00:04:08.680> on<00:04:08.879> Friday<00:04:09.560> but both chairs have signed
• it on Friday but both chairs have signed it on Friday but for<00:04:09.959> some<00:04:10.280

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You go to a job, you get a text message that's asked you to sign a quick contract.
• You go to a job, you get a text message that's asked you to sign a quick contract.
• Signed a whole time on them, your kids, my kids, my wife, when she was working, signed a whole pile of
• They just click and sign away.
• We can sign up this time. Oh, I apologize.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hybrid hearing on a large group of bills carried over from the previous session, with Chair Jake Oliveira and House Co-Chair Paul McMurtry outlining the process and limiting testimony to three minutes. The committee heard testimony on several labor and workplace proposals, including bills to harmonize employee definitions to address misclassification (SB 1338/HB 2141), expand bereavement leave (including H. 2189/S. 1354 and related bills), protect collective bargaining rights for certain administrative employees (HB 268/SB 1306), expand commuter transit benefits (HB 2153/SB 1345), regulate employer use of credit reports (S. 1286), and require apprenticeship participation or OSHA-related workplace safety measures on public projects. At the end of the hearing, the chairs read into the record additional bills that did not receive testimony that day. Supporters of the misclassification bill, including Greater Boston Legal Services and the AFL-CIO, said aligning the employee-status tests across wage, unemployment, and PFML laws would reduce confusion, improve enforcement, and help workers wrongly treated as independent contractors or managers recover benefits and bargaining rights. NAGE and its representative argued that public-sector employees have been improperly reclassified into management titles to weaken unions, and that the bill would force the Division of Labor Relations to review those titles. On bereavement leave, advocates including the Louis E. Brown Peace Institute, a state representative, the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, and individual survivors described the impact of sudden loss and homicide on families, saying guaranteed leave would help workers grieve, make arrangements, and avoid losing jobs or custody-related stability. The committee also heard support for commuter benefits as a low-cost way to reduce emissions and increase transit use, and for restricting employer credit checks because of inaccuracies and discriminatory effects. There was opposition to some construction-related bills. The Associated Builders and Contractors and the Building Trades Employers Association supported apprenticeship training in principle but said current apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios are outdated or misunderstood, and that the bills should be amended or clarified before advancing. The Massachusetts landscape and snow-removal industry strongly supported a snow-liability limitation bill, arguing that hold-harmless clauses and broad indemnification requirements force contractors to assume liability for conditions they cannot control, drive up insurance costs, and threaten business viability. The committee did not take any votes during the hearing, and the session ended with the chairs thanking members, staff, and the public before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you needed to uh go in and sign off If you needed to uh go in and sign off on<00:00:21.039> your
• duties is messages from the Senate. duties is messages from the Senate.
• to pass the legislature and be signed to pass the legislature and be signed into<00:52:31.760>
• That is not a message I want to send.
• That is not a message I want to send.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We did have this open for people to sign up for testimony.
• These are the ones that we had, the only ones who signed up for testimony.
• So we have a number of people who signed up, but we don't have any record of that.
• Well, we did sign up. Yes, I'm happy to. My contact is public and everything is on the website.
• Repealing these standards is not the message we want to send to the students of Minnesota.

Keywords: 1183, house