Transcript Highlights:

• H.R. 603 by Reynolds, Environmental Justice, H.R. 603 by Holt, Liberty & Munchie, H.R. 14 by Leilani
• I think that we've actually made a bond. over the last couple of days.
• Read the bill. by Gervin Hawkins relating to the requirement for payment bonds from certain public work
• A payment bond increase from $25,000 to $100,000 for municipal...
• SB 1066 by Perry ruling the requirement performance payment bonds with certain contractors of the Parks

Bills: HB630, HB420, HB767, HB1708, HB2842, HB1404, HB2457, HB140, HB333, HB227, HB913, HB201, HB2198, HB 109, HB2763, HB519, HB 1261, HB 1135, HB1318, HB2358, HB2415, HB2765, HB2735, HB3307, HB1373, HB694, HB 1242, HB272, HB1437, HB1888, HCR78, HCR12, HCR128, HR7, HR11, HR37, HR69, HR83, HR89, HR100, HR123, HR129, HR137, HR254, HR258, HR289, HR293, HR318, HR324, HR350, HR368, HR370, HR372, HR379, HR406, HR407, HR432, HR445, HR471, HR504, HR506, HR507, HR528, HR567, HR572, HR591, HR592, HR593, HR603, HR614, HR621, HR673, HR684, HR685, HR687, HR700, HR701, HR711, HR712, HR754, HR757, HR758, HR760, HR764, HR765, HR766, HR767, HR768, HR769, HR770, HR771, HR772, HR774, HR776, HR777, HR778, HR779, HR780, HR783, HR784, HR784, HR6, HR6, HR17, HR17, HR18, HR18, HR49, HR49, HR170, HR170, HR236, HR236, HR247, HR275, HR355, HR356, HR364, HR672, HR690, HR690, HR755, HR755, HR756, HR756, HR759, HR759, HR762, HR762, HR763, HR763, HR781, HR781, HR785, HR785, SB2, SB260, SB569, HB2, HB2000, HB213, HB222, HB645, HB1458, HB 1022, HB141, HB643, HB3093, HB1700, HB 117

Keywords: outboard motors, certificate of title, vessel regulation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, marine documentation, HB 420, Texas Water Code, special district, water district, board meetings, meeting location, teleconference, videoconference, remote meeting, public hearing, tax rate hearing, special districts, Cedar Creek Reservoir, county boundary, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• That often meant going out to the broader national bond market.
• We used money from bond proceeds, and we expected the payments to ultimately make those bonds whole.
• The funding that they receive is different; they can't go out for GEO bonds.
• There are national credit standards; people issue bonds for these kinds of schools nationally.
• NMFA funds is that they can bond. They can go out to the public for a bond.

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Gretel Fallingstad, and I work for the Environmental Defense Fund.
• I have a master's in environmental studies.
• And I was one of the people who was reviewing environmental bills.
• Produced water is not environmental justice. We have Produced water is not environmental justice.
• environmental law and policy for 27 years, including 23 years in New Mexico.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> bond debt service for future bonding bond debt service for future bonding bills<00:25:28.159><c>
• </c> bonding bill just isn't going to cut it. bonding bill just isn't going to cut it.
• </c> appropriations bonds were mentioned. appropriations bonds were mentioned.
• </c> eligible for bonding. eligible for bonding.
• a bonding bill.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The pushback that I got, Joe, the bond that you and I created outweighed, brother.
• The bond that you and I created outweighed, brother.
• This bill is the Department of Environmental Protection package that oversees water quality environmental
• It removes the Environmental Regulatory Commission and gives rulemaking power to DEP while expanding
• House Bill 1417, a bill to be entitled an act relating to the Department of Environmental Protection.

Summary: The Senate began with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognitions, including the doctor of the day and a lighthearted “Cannoli Day” introduction. The chamber then held an extended farewell celebration for Senator Joe Gruters, with numerous senators, colleagues, and family members praising his loyalty, political skill, family focus, and service in the Legislature and Republican Party. Gruters was presented with a commemorative gift recognizing his work on a 2019 public-safety and immigration bill that prohibited sanctuary cities and required local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The Senate adopted a motion to spread Gruters’s remarks upon the journal and then recessed briefly. After recess, the Senate returned to regular business and took up third-reading bills. Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 354, relating to blue ribbon projects, was temporarily postponed. The chamber then considered Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1758, relating to public assistance, with Senator Gates explaining that it contained five reforms to the public assistance system discussed earlier in session. During debate on SB 1758, Senator Berman opposed the bill, saying he could not support it in its current form because he believed the Medicaid-related provisions would create a coverage cliff after the one-year transition period and could leave people without care while increasing costs to hospitals and taxpayers. He also said SNAP error reduction should be a priority, but argued the state should focus on fixing administrative errors and fraud rather than imposing a work requirement whose costs and effects were uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• the guidelines for how water boards use bonding is also laid out in Century Code.
• Today, boards can bond for a project at an amount up to six years of their maximum levy.
• There was a Supreme Court ruling that changed how water boards can bond.
• So Century Code says you can bond up to six years of your maximum levy.
• That’s how much we can bond for. The Supreme Court said, well, you do that calculation.

Summary: The committee met in Fargo and approved the minutes from the March 31 meeting before hearing a series of informational presentations focused on North Dakota agriculture, water, and research. NDSU President David Cook opened with remarks about NDSU’s land-grant mission, emphasizing statewide service through research, teaching, and extension, and highlighting examples such as the Lilac Agriculture startup and the university’s role in applying research to real-world problems. He said he intends to spend time listening across the state to better understand local needs. The committee then received a detailed presentation on a state irrigation and drainage study from Tom Bodine on behalf of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The study projected significant potential for expanded irrigation acreage, especially in counties such as McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McIntosh, Dunn, and Bottineau, and estimated major economic gains from irrigation, including higher farm returns and support for value-added agriculture. Members discussed water permits, surface water versus aquifers, infrastructure, drought resilience, and the role of legal drains in improving productivity and generating economic activity. The presenters also noted that the full report is available online. Dr. Greg Lardy followed with NDSU’s required interim report, outlining the university’s agricultural research and extension system, including the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, seven research-extension centers, and the economic importance of agriculture to the state. He highlighted recent research impacts such as new crop varieties, potato breeding successes, virtual fencing, AI-assisted weed control, weather-network tools, and 4-H programming. He also described NDSU’s budget priorities: restoring the governor’s proposed 10% cuts, additional operating support, and deferred maintenance funding. Committee members asked about the new agricultural field lab, storage sheds, and NDSU’s partnership with Grand Farm. The committee also heard from the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute and a professor presenting water-related research, including data center cooling, water reuse, smart irrigation, and a feasibility study on co-locating data centers with greenhouse and aquaculture production. Members asked about water use, ownership, and whether the concepts were operational or still speculative. Finally, North Dakota AgTech presented its NSF-funded innovation engine work, describing startup commercialization, on-farm trials, workforce development, and partnerships with NDSU, UND, tribal colleges, and other land-grant institutions. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the prior meeting minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• 5 in the extraordinary session, there is language about intent regarding revisiting especially the bond
• Certainly, there are conversations about problems that are going to take the climate bond that just passed
• , and the governor's budget proposed funding from that climate bond, which goes a big part of it towards
• I also want to echo calls for environmental and health considerations for water quality. and soil quality
• of them—AB 5 actually expressly contemplates That we would come back prior to April 30th to invest bond

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here on behalf of the Western Occupational Environmental Medical Association in support.
• I'm here on behalf of the Western Occupational Environmental Medical Association in support.
• knowledge and experience in highly specialized technical reporting and compliance processes for facilities bond
• project delays, project cancellations, particularly for infrastructures funded through fixed grants, bond
• We do have a lot of fixed projects, grants, bond proceeds, and these changes could jeopardize potentially

Summary: The Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee heard and advanced several bills covering workers’ compensation transparency, public pensions, prevailing wage, workplace harassment training, and employee benefits. AB 1048 would require disclosure of the contract justifying reduced workers’ compensation payments to medical providers; supporters said it would improve transparency without changing reimbursement rates, while opponents argued the problem was overstated and existing dispute remedies were sufficient. AB 1601 would give Sonoma County flexibility to target a cost-of-living adjustment for retirees rather than requiring an all-or-nothing COLA; county and union witnesses said retirees have gone without a COLA since 2008 and have lost purchasing power, and the bill passed unanimously. AB 1439 would commission a UC Berkeley study on labor standards in pension-funded real estate and infrastructure projects; labor groups supported it, while local governments, housing, and industry groups opposed it, and it passed on a 4-1 vote after one senator voted no in committee. The committee also heard AB 1697, which would delay implementation of a prior law restricting certain employment debt and pay-to-quit arrangements until 2027; the author said the delay would give employers, including professional sports leagues, time to adjust, while a financial services group sought a further delay to 2028. AB 1803 would require anti-hate speech content in existing workplace harassment training for employers with five or more employees; supporters cited rising antisemitic and other hate incidents and said the bill would help workers recognize and report hate, while opponents raised First Amendment concerns and argued existing harassment law already covers hostile conduct. AB 2120 would extend Los Angeles Unified’s selective certification hiring authority and allow retention of specialized employees in layoffs, and AB 2292 would bar providers from charging administrative fees for disability insurance and paid family leave certification forms; both drew support and were advanced without opposition testimony. AB 1198, the Fair Pay for Construction Workers Act, would require prevailing wage to be based on the time work is performed rather than the date a project is advertised for bid. Labor and contractor supporters said the current rule can lock in outdated wages and underpay workers on long projects and change orders, while cities, counties, and contractor groups warned it would create uncertainty, raise costs, and jeopardize projects funded by fixed grants or bonds. After testimony and questions, the committee voted to send all of the bills forward, with final recorded votes later showing unanimous or near-unanimous approval and several measures placed on call before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here on behalf of the Western Occupational Environmental Medical Association in support.
• I'm here on behalf of the Western Occupational Environmental Medical Association in support.
• knowledge and experience in highly specialized technical reporting and compliance processes for facilities bond
• project delays, project cancellations, particularly for infrastructure funded through fixed grants, bond
• We do have a lot of fixed projects, grants, bond proceeds, and these changes could jeopardize potentially

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2015, the Refugio oil spill became one of California's most significant environmental disasters.
• The bill will require the State Lands Commission to consider additional environmental and safety factors
• This bill builds upon decades of state policy, recognizing that the environmental and economic risks
• County live with the highest environmental burdens and no opportunity for traditional conservation, but
• And in the parks bond measures in the late 1990s, it was the first time that there... ...measures.

Summary: The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee heard several measures focused on conservation, coastal protection, water supply, and invasive species. AB 1987 by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry would direct fees and lease revenues generated by state wildlife areas back to those areas for operation and maintenance; the author accepted committee amendments, and Audubon California testified in support with no opposition. AB 1448 by Assemblymember Hart would strengthen California’s restrictions on offshore oil and gas development by limiting the use of existing infrastructure for new offshore drilling and adding review requirements for lease transfers and related actions; it drew broad support from coastal governments and environmental groups and no opposition, and was sent to Appropriations. AB 1894 by Assemblymember Rubio addressed imported water deliveries for groundwater recharge in the context of golden mussel control plans, aiming to prevent local restrictions from blocking deliveries that comply with state-approved invasive species plans; supporters said it protects groundwater reliability, while opposition argued it could weaken local authority and liability protections. After discussion, the committee approved the bill 6-0 and sent it to Appropriations. The committee also considered ACR 107 by Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, a resolution recognizing the Diablo Range as a major conservation priority and highlighting its habitat, watershed, and 30 by 30 value. Support came from Save Mount Diablo, and members emphasized the range’s ecological importance and regional reach; the resolution was adopted on a 7-0 vote. Finally, AB 1946 by Assemblymember Bryan sought to elevate investment in urban conservation and park creation in historically underserved communities as part of California’s 30 by 30 goals. Testimony from Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation and park/recreation organizations stressed the need to reduce “nature poverty,” improve access, and remediate degraded urban lands; members discussed equity, biodiversity, and park maintenance, and the bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. Several items, including AB 1987 and the consent calendar, were also approved on unanimous or near-unanimous votes, with some measures held on call before final roll calls were completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there any environmental community harms that y'all are seeing that are coming out of these pop-up
• So there are environmental, environmental crimes associated with it.
• As a, uh, avenue of, of placing a bond on these drivers.
• conscious and address all of the environmental issues also we want to keep them in business and it seems
• we regulate these transfer facilities to make sure they have scales that they're taking all the environmental

Transcript Highlights:

• This MOF is revised to be up to $142.2 million dollars, and they also have added that they will use bond
• This is Amendment Two to an existing contract for professional environmental design services.
• Number three, also with DEQ, with FTN Associates, also for professional environmental design services
• design services number three also with deque with effes environmental design services number three also
• This is Amendment Five to an existing contract for environmental and janitorial services for the State

Summary: The committee first considered an $88,000 used tire program contract for District 4 with LTR Intermediate Holdings. Senators raised concerns that the tire district’s revised business plan had not yet been approved and that the contract could worsen cash flow before funding was confirmed. Questions were also raised about procurement language in the RFP that excluded bidders under corrective action plans. After discussion, a motion was made and approved to hold the contract until next month so the tire board could appear and answer questions. Members then reviewed a large slate of methods of finance, alternative delivery projects, and discretionary grants. These included capital projects at ASU Mid-South, Arkansas Tech, Ozarka, UA Fayetteville, UA Little Rock, UAMS, and UCA; a new UCA multi-purpose arena project estimated at $75.5 million; and DHS and Department of Health grants for aging services, substance abuse prevention, mental health, nutrition, hearing-loss follow-up, HIV services, and rural hospital quality improvement. All of these items were reviewed without objection. The committee also heard a ratification request from UAMS for a Family and Medical Leave Act outsourcing contract with FMLA Source. UAMS said an amendment had been prepared but never submitted for review, and payments continued after expiration; members expressed frustration and asked UAMS to review whether other contracts had similarly lapsed. The committee then reviewed numerous construction-related, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including airport economic impact study work, parking guidance technology at the University of Arkansas, veteran nursing services, and multiple DHS service contracts. Most items were reviewed without objection, and the meeting adjourned after reports of routine contract amendments and minor contracts were presented for information.

Transcript Highlights:

• This MOF is revised to be up to $142.2 million, and they also have added that they will use bond proceeds
• This is Amendment Two to an existing contract for professional environmental design services.
• Number three, also with DEQ, is with FTN Associates, also for professional environmental design services
• design services number three also with deque with effes environmental design services number three also
• This is Amendment Five to an existing contract for environmental and janitorial services for the state

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• NEXT WE WILL TAKE UP TAB 22, CS FOR SB 1674 ON UNRATED BONDS, SENATOR CALATAYUD YOU ARE RECOGNIZED TO
• UNRATED BONDS IS A SHORT BILL THAT CLARIFIES THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MAY CONTINUE TO INVEST IN ISRAEL BONDS
• A KEY CONCERN THAT REMAINS IN THE BILL IS MITIGATION OF ADVERSE SIZE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.
• THE BILL DOUBLED IN SENSITIVE AREAS LIKE PUBLIC MOURING FIELDS AND CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ZONES.
• THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE IS NOT AN ISSUE EXCEPT FOR DERELICT BOATS WITH DERELICT BOATS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bond measures like Proposition 4 are most effective when funds are quickly deployed, strategically invested
• Member mentioned, traditionally we have had these provisions in our natural resources and climate bonds
• member mentioned, traditionally we have had these provisions and our natural resources and climate bonds
• And now we would go to the first bill, AB 405 Addis, the Fashion Environmental Accountability Act, holding
• AB 1486, Soria, Climate Bond Fund for Research Farms, do pass as amended to specify that UC and CSU will

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we can leverage federal funds to pay off the new bonds. bonds.
• We bonded roads for 20 or 30 years. They bonded the Rail Runner. They bonded the spaceport.
• Dollars were bonded.
• have to sell bonds.
• If you could figure out a way to pay those bonds and not do 20-year bonds and do 5-year bonds, you could

Bills: SB2

Keywords: SB 2, State Highway Project Bonds, highway funding, transportation bonds, state road fund, motor vehicle fees, vehicle registration fees, electric vehicle fee, EV surcharge, plug-in hybrid fee, weight distance tax, road construction, infrastructure financing, Department of Transportation, State Transportation Commission, bonding authority, county road funds, municipal road funds, transportation improvement program, state highways

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor's FY 26/27 budget approved a total of $81.4 million in general obligation bond funds and
• 13:48.760><c> in</c><00:13:48.920><c> general</c><00:13:49.240><c> obligation</c><00:13:49.760><c> bond
• </c> in FY 27 in general obligation bond in FY 27 in general obligation bond funds<00:13:50.959><c> which
• </c><00:14:06.320><c> funds</c> million in general obligation bond funds million in general obligation
• bond funds and<00:14:07.199><c> 80.5</c><00:14:08.040><c> millions</c><00:14:08.440><c> in</c><00:14

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held informational briefings first with the Department of Defense on its FY 2026 budget request, then with the Hawaii School Facilities Authority. Major General Steve Logan outlined the Department of Defense request for $40.5 million in state funds, which he said would leverage about $74 million in federal matching funds and support 411 open projects that could attract up to $2.3 billion in additional federal grant money. He said the budget focuses on sustainment, safety, and reorganization in light of lessons from the Maui wildfires. Key requests included $1.3 million to sustain IT systems, $2.7 million for 32 HEMA emergency management positions, three new Hawaii Army National Guard positions plus four upgrades, and $1.9 million for the Youth Challenge Program to cover state-mandated fringe costs and staffing needs. He also reviewed capital improvement projects, including Youth Challenge facility upgrades, siren modernization, ADA improvements, building retrofits for disaster resilience, Army facility upgrades, a third state veterans home on Maui, HEMA EOC improvements, and a maintenance/fuel building at Diamond Head. Members asked about the siren modernization timeline, and HEMA said roughly 26 to 31 sirens would be modernized this year, with 15 on Maui, eight on Oahu, and eight on the Big Island. Questions also focused on Youth Challenge and Job Challenge enrollment and vacancies, with the department saying the Hilo Job Challenge Academy is growing and that combining Youth Challenge recruiting statewide into one Kilauea program has helped enrollment. Logan also answered questions about the New Year’s Eve medical transport mission, explaining the Hawaii Air National Guard’s relationship with active-duty Air Force assets and saying the flight cost is about $20,000 per flight hour, though the final bill had not yet been determined. On the Maui veterans home, staff said the University of Hawaii site was no longer viable after faculty senate opposition, so the department is now focused on a 10-acre Puna District site; the project remains tied to a certified $35 million state match and August 2025 and August 2026 federal suspense dates. Logan said the veterans home remains one of the department’s highest priorities, but it could not be moved higher in the submitted CIP ranking. The department also discussed a Governor’s add-on for a fire marshal/Office of Recovery and Resiliency proposal. Logan said the fire marshal position was reestablished last session but has not yet been filled, and that if the function is transferred to the Department of Defense, the department wants funding ready to move quickly. Staff later said the request would include about $1.1 million for seven positions and about $2.2 million for operating costs, though details were still preliminary. The committee then reconvened for the School Facilities Authority briefing, where Executive Director Ricky Fujitani described the agency as a startup created in 2020 to improve school and workforce housing development through standardized designs, prefabrication, best-value procurement, and public-private partnerships. He said Hawaii’s single school district still functions like 15 different districts because of its 264 schools across 15 complex areas, and that the authority’s goal is to create more efficient, maintainable, and cost-effective facilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• happens to specifically the building or improvements to that building before we get to the loan and bond
• that dollar through a formulary, and that's to Partially make up for an inability to have access to bonding
• states have a little bit different structure in terms of allowing charter schools to have access to bonding
• There was a discussion about forcing inclusion in local Bonding initiatives.

Bills: HB2210, HB2398, HB2959, HB3006, HB3026, HB3151, HB3315, HB3372, HB3467, HB3590, HB4268, HB4359, HB4427

Keywords: youth apprenticeship, career education, workforce development, high school programs, mentorship, vocational training, state oversight, credential of value, education, labor market, government reporting, school abuse reporting, child abuse, neglect, mandatory reporting, student safety, school employee misconduct, administrator reporting, superintendent, law enforcement notification

Transcript Highlights:

• happens to specifically the building or improvements to that building before we get to the loan and bond
• That is to partially make up for an inability to have access to bonding or local ad valorem dollars.
• different, a little bit different structure in terms of allowing charter schools to have access to bonding
• and Infrastructure in terms of allowing charter schools to have access to bonding capacity through their
• As I mentioned, there was a discussion about forcing inclusion in local bonding initiatives.

Bills: HB2210, HB2398, HB2959, HB3006, HB3026, HB3151, HB3315, HB3372, HB3467, HB3590, HB4268, HB4359, HB4427

Keywords: youth apprenticeship, career education, workforce development, high school programs, mentorship, vocational training, state oversight, credential of value, education, labor market, government reporting, school abuse reporting, child abuse, neglect, mandatory reporting, student safety, school employee misconduct, administrator reporting, superintendent, law enforcement notification

Summary: The Senate Education Committee considered a long agenda of education-related bills, including school calendar changes, scholarship and tax credit cleanup, charter school facilities, apprenticeship expansion, testing windows, and teacher staffing rules. Several measures were framed as technical or clarifying changes, while others drew more substantial debate over accountability, eligibility, and funding. The committee also heard a bill to extend the sunset of the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education and another to allow certain military dependents to start kindergarten based on their home-country age rules. Among the more debated bills, House Bill 3590 updated the Opportunity Scholarship Fund Act by changing reporting and income-verification language; senators questioned whether the bill effectively expanded eligibility or added accountability, but the author said it was a cleanup measure and the title was struck before passage. House Bill 3151 would raise the minimum school year from 166 to 173 days beginning in 2027-28, contingent on an additional $175 million in common education funding; supporters argued Oklahoma students need more time in front of teachers, while opponents questioned the evidence and fiscal impact. House Bill 4359 moved statewide assessments to the last four weeks of the school year, with an amendment changing the window from three to four weeks, and House Bill 4427, as amended, continued limits on adjunct teachers in early grades while clarifying qualifications and timelines for existing adjuncts. The committee also advanced House Bill 2398, which would create “credentials of value” to help students and families evaluate postsecondary programs based on workforce demand and economic return, and House Bill 3372, which would create a charter school facilities fund and loan/collateral mechanisms; the latter passed on a narrower vote after questions about asset disposition and state control. Other bills passed with little or no opposition, including a 24-hour reporting requirement for school abuse to outside law enforcement, an expansion of youth apprenticeship eligibility, adoption-related maternity leave, and a pilot for teacher growth metrics and NBCT funding. Most measures were reported out favorably, with several title-stricken amendments adopted along the way.

Bills: SB2042, SB2892, SB1163, SB2076, SB2116, SB2122, SB99, SB2088, SB2114, SB2117, SB2118, SB2245, SB2386, SB2079, SB2043, SB2155, SB2268, SB2932, SB3240

Keywords: SB2042, Hawaii insurance, captive insurance, sponsored captive, class 4 captive, minimum capital, surplus requirement, unimpaired capital, insurance commissioner, HRS 431:19-104, commercial insurance, risk retention, insurance regulation, financial solvency, captives, Ways and Means, CPN, feral chickens, chickens, animal control