Transcript Highlights:

• We evaluate those applications and make determinations. Determinations on those as well too.
• Are there specific application windows, or is it year-round? Is it open all the time?
• Application windows are typically about 30 to 60 days long. Somewhere around that.
• Okay, so does the agency assist the applicant prior to the window?
• know exactly how to design their applications.

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

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

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, applicants for communities submit an application that we provide.
• Transport project applications, just like all permit applications, are processed pursuant to the requirements
• This allows the public the opportunity to review those proposed applications as well as work with their
• This allows the public the opportunity to review those proposed applications as well as work with their
• Relating to an application for a permit for transfer of groundwater out of a groundwater conservation

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• In this case, the board may approve the application, approve the application with conditions, or deny
• the application.
• They can choose to, after that, approve the application, approve the application with conditions, or
• deny the application.
• They may deny the application for approval if the board determines that the applicant has owned— They

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions, then moved into a series of special-order bills and House messages. Early floor action included passage of a claim bill for Mandy Penny Lemon (HB 6503) and bills on sewer collection systems (HB 1123) and farm products (HB 211), all passing unanimously. The chamber also took up an ad valorem tax exemption resolution for agricultural tangible personal property (CS/HJR 1215), which passed 37-0. Several other measures were temporarily postponed before the Senate recessed and later returned to House messages and additional special orders. The Senate then addressed multiple House amendments and conference-style motions. It concurred in amended versions of SB 994 on driver safety, SB 180 on emergency preparedness and response, and HB 1609 on waste incineration/auxiliary containers after extended debate over hurricane recovery rules, local government restrictions, and plastic container preemption. The chamber also concurred in CS/HB 1205 on citizen initiative petitions, increasing the number of petitions a volunteer may carry from 2 to 25, and in CS/HB 733 on Brownfields. Other House amendments were rejected or sent back, including SB 234 on offenses against law enforcement, SB 116 on veterans policy, SB 168 on mental health, and HB 1101 on out-of-network provider referrals. Later, the Senate approved CS/HB 1255 on education and CS/HB 875 on educator preparation, with discussion focused on school readiness, teacher training, and changes to certification and testing requirements. It also concurred in CS/HB 1427, a broad health care bill, after the House added a major nursing education amendment that tightened Board of Nursing oversight, required standardized evaluation and remediation, and imposed accountability measures tied to NCLEX pass rates and program performance. Several members raised concerns or praised negotiated compromises throughout the day, but the recorded actions were mainly concurrence motions, refusals to concur, and final passage votes on the bills considered.

Transcript Highlights:

• and that application is due on May 2nd.
• We're working on that application.
• We originally submitted our application for primacy for Class 6 wells in December of 2022.
• Had been working with the last administration's EPA to complete the final application package.
• We resubmitted that application to EPA's Region Six on February 20th, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and that application is due on May 2nd.
• And we're analyzing those applications to decide which. projects that we will fund, and that's for the
• We're working on that application.
• However, in November of last year, we withdrew that application to make some modifications.
• Today, some of my members are telling me 80% of their residential and commercial applications... applications

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Of applications, renewals, and, unfortunately, complaints.
• Here's a little bit of that breakdown: I expect an increase in exam applications.
• Before we receive an application for licensure, we receive applications for exams.
• Now, these are just examined applications. This doesn't reflect the passage of the examinations.
• I also expect, with those increases, we'll have a projected increase in license applications.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• new section which simply clarifies that this statute is not retroactive and applies only to new applications
• request the list of people the PUC can hire when making a determination about a renewable energy application
• <00:08:49.560> to<00:08:49.720> include<00:08:50.120> consultants, application to
• include consultants, application to include consultants, temporary<00:08:51.320> employees,<00
• applications and petitions. applications and petitions.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House took up two committee of conference reports. On House Bill 639, relating to genetic data privacy, members suspended the rules for immediate consideration and adopted the conference report. The conference compromise settled a dispute over cure periods by allowing a 30-day cure period for business activities of genetic data privacy businesses, effective January 1, 2027, with the cure period lasting 18 months and then repealing on June 30, 2028. A House member explained the House had sought a narrower cure period than the Senate, and the final report was adopted by voice vote. The House then suspended the rules to take up House Bill 710, relating to defining electricity generating facilities, and also adopted that conference report by voice vote. The bill updates the definition of a “single plant” to focus on facilities using the same point of interconnection, clarifies the change is not retroactive and applies only to new permit and certificate applications, and adds a Department of Public Service report on farmland conversion to solar by January 15, 2027. It also expands Public Utility Commission hiring authority for complex renewable energy cases, creates a decommissioning fund for abandoned clean energy facilities, requires the PUC to report on the decommissioning fee formula, and sets an effective date of July 1, 2026. The conference committee reported unanimous support. After the two reports were adopted, the House stood at ease, then returned briefly for announcements. Members offered remarks thanking the Speaker for her service after news she would not run again, invited members to view an end-of-year legislative slideshow, and wished a member from Randolph a happy birthday. The House then adjourned until the next day at 10:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• The TCEQ application is administratively incomplete for the developer. tend to create a mud within its
• Okay, the other way... is you can go through the TCEQ and once the TCEQ has your application... for a
• And with all due respect to the representatives from Kauffman County, a notice before the application
• I cannot file an application to create a MUD at the TCQ. including in that application evidence that
• a notice prior to the application was submitted to the county.

Bills: HB23, HB363, HB447, HB954, HB23

Keywords: third-party review, property development, local government, permits, construction inspection, regulatory authority, land development, liability, occupancy certificate, municipal utility district, petition, county clerk, water code, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, traffic impact studies, bonds, road projects, eminent domain, extraterritorial jurisdiction, county authority

Transcript Highlights:

• So what this represents is the demand of our application round.
• So we have had an increase in the number of applications that we're seeing each year.
• So this is the multifamily projects that were selected in our 2025 September application round.
• And so we award half of it, and then the second-half application is due here in May.
• Chairman Sorvaag, what happens is the applications are due and then we rank and score them.

Summary: The committee met as the Regulatory Division budget section and first reviewed the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency’s budget and program update. Legislative Council outlined the agency’s base budget and historical funding, and Housing Finance staff reported on homeownership lending, housing incentive fund (HIF) awards, and homeless grant spending. Agency officials said the five new FTEs approved last session are mostly filled, with one homeless program manager still open. They described strong demand for HIF, noting that September 2025 multifamily requests exceeded $73 million while only $25 million was available, and that single-family and homeless programs are also heavily subscribed. Members discussed the agency’s local loan servicing workload, interest-rate benefits, down payment assistance, and the need to coordinate housing discussions with Commerce and site-preparation efforts. The agency asked that HIF, single-family, and homeless funding be maintained or increased, and committee members emphasized accountability and statewide access for homeless prevention and rapid rehousing funds. The Department of Mineral Resources then presented its budget and agency initiatives. Staff reported that the department is on track financially, that most of the five new reclamation-related FTEs are hired, and that litigation costs tied to oil and gas matters are expected to continue appearing late in the biennium. The director reviewed ongoing modernization and organizational efforts, including the North Star IT project, succession planning, training, and rulemaking for oil and gas and critical minerals. Members asked about longer laterals, spacing, and production trends; the department said operators are increasingly drilling three-, four-, and even an initial five-mile lateral, which is helping keep North Dakota oil production relatively flat even as rig counts ease. The director also discussed oil price volatility tied to Middle East conflict, hedging practices among producers, gas capture remaining around 95%, and the likelihood that current production levels will stay near flat unless prices or geopolitical conditions change significantly. An update on the enhanced oil recovery grant program followed. The Industrial Commission’s grant administrator said the full $25 million appropriation was allocated in the fall to six projects, and because the oil and gas research fund also had carryover and biennial tax revenue, total awards reached about $45.1 million. The projects are expected to run two to four years, with meaningful results not likely until mid-2026 or later. Members questioned whether the public would have access to the research findings and how accountability would be maintained; staff said the grants are reimbursement-based, require regular status reports, and will culminate in public final reports. The committee also heard from the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, which updated members on natural gas transmission projects, especially WBI Energy’s proposed Bakken East pipeline. The authority said the project has advanced through a nonbinding and then binding open season, with WBI now securing survey permissions and moving through regulatory and landowner processes, while other related gas transmission projects near Minot and Epping are also in development.

Transcript Highlights:

• Processing future applications.
• analysis that helps support the application to show that... ...the project won't injure other water
• And so one of my questions was, you know, so for instance, when an applicant applies for a permit under
• The question was whether, after five years, applicants simply add the last five years to the existing
• Is that not applicable for your permit?

Summary: The hearing focused on oversight of AB 658 and the State Water Resources Control Board’s five-year temporary permits for groundwater recharge. Assembly Member Arambula and committee members discussed how the permits are intended to help capture high flows during wet periods, support SGMA implementation, and store water underground for later use. The State Water Board chair said the five-year permits have become an important tool, with seven five-year permits issued this season and over 43,000 acre-feet authorized, but noted that actual recharge depends on hydrology and that the board is open to improvements. Members and witnesses discussed several possible changes to make the program more effective: allowing a two-year delay before the five-year permit clock starts, codifying CEQA exemptions that have been used through executive order, and shifting from a public objection model to a public comment model to reduce delays. There was also discussion of water availability analyses, with some members asking whether the state could develop a broader statewide assessment to reduce consultant costs and make permitting more predictable. The board said such an effort would be large and costly, but could potentially save applicants money and improve consistency. District representatives described their experiences. Stockton East said the five-year permit was more cost-effective than repeated 180-day permits, but that the 90-20 methodology, consultant costs, and a burrowing owl survey condition made use difficult. Omaha-Hartnell Water District said its recharge work depends on simple, low-cost infrastructure and that five-year permits, CEQA reform, and lower upfront fees would help small districts. A consultant working with Scott Valley and Sierra Valley said five-year permits can work well in different basins, but local infrastructure, stakeholder coordination, streambed alteration agreements, and upstream flow constraints can limit recharge. Members also raised concerns about basin connectivity, downstream water rights, and the need to pair recharge with sustainable groundwater pumping and broader water storage planning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We currently have six applications, and we're working on additional items in the pipeline and notices
• We currently have 19 applications distributed between 9% tax credits and 4% tax credits.
• as part of the fourth round of applications, about $73 million.
• of the fourth round of applications, about $73 million.
• There are eight applications for about $73 million.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill creates a fall and spring application window for scholarship programs. application window for
• scholarship programs and requires the use of a single application for all scholarship programs.
• My question is, in addition to cross-checking the applicants, cross-checking and...
• First, because we are simplifying the application process. We are requiring a monthly notice of...
• It will expand application to political subdivisions of the state and expand application to regulate

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Anyway, it's really going to be a heavy lift for the applicant to get this incentive.
• It came and it went, and I didn't get my application in.
• And then when they found out, they didn't And I didn't get my application in.
• So as they apply and these applications are coming in, that is what we are vetting.
• He then raised another area: flexibility with the application deadline.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to continue its tax reform and relief study agenda, approved the December 3, 2025 minutes, and announced a new subcommittee to examine property tax statement issues with counties, auditors, and the tax office. Representative Headland was named chair, Senator Rummel vice chair, and Representatives Dressler and Dr. Dr. and Senator Patton were also assigned. The chair noted the group may need an additional meeting and thanked staff and attendees. A major portion of the meeting focused on economic development incentives. The Department of Commerce presented on the Renaissance Zone program and TIF districts, describing Renaissance Zones as locally tailored tools that combine local property tax relief with state income tax incentives. Commerce said the program has supported thousands of projects since 1999 and cited examples from Beach and Mandan showing increases in property and taxable value, business retention, housing, and downtown revitalization. Committee members raised concerns that smaller rural communities often lack the staff and expertise to apply, and Commerce said it provides outreach through conferences, office hours, and one-on-one assistance. League of Cities and local officials from Bismarck and Ellendale echoed the capacity issue, discussed how the programs have worked in their communities, and suggested possible reforms or more targeted support for small towns. Ellendale’s mayor also described two TIF districts, one for industrial infrastructure in Oaks and one for housing infrastructure tied to a data center project in Ellendale. The committee then turned to stripper oil taxation. The Tax Department gave a comparison of oil and gas tax structures in selected states, noting that most have some form of stripper or marginal well provision, while Alaska does not appear to have a specific stripper-well exemption. Members asked for more detail on definitions and North Dakota’s annual adjusted rate. The Department of Mineral Resources followed with a detailed presentation on North Dakota stripper wells, explaining the statutory thresholds, the 12-consecutive-month production test, and the fact that once a well qualifies it remains on stripper status even if production later rises. DMR said about 11,332 stripper wells are active, representing roughly 54% of wells and about 16% of state production, and emphasized that stripper status can extend well life, preserve tax revenue, and reduce orphaned wells. Committee members and industry witnesses discussed refracs, the economics of keeping marginal wells active, and the competitive disadvantage created by North Dakota’s oil price discount. No votes were taken on these informational items.

Transcript Highlights:

• If a district covers the cost of certification exams and associated requirements such as application
• Districts must submit a formal application and documentation verifying the cost incurred, and the TEA
• will then reimburse them the full amount, provided the application is approved.
• Districts must submit a formal application and documentation verifying the cost incurred, and the TEA
• will then reimburse them the full amount provided the application is approved.

Summary: The Subcommittee on Academic and Career-Oriented Education met briefly and considered only House Bill 1061, laid out by Representative Bojani. The bill would expand reimbursement for career and technology education (CTE) certification exam costs for students, teachers, and school districts. For students, it removes the current limit of one reimbursement so they can be reimbursed for multiple certification exams if they pass. For teachers, it broadens reimbursement beyond cybersecurity certifications to all CTE-related certifications. It also allows school districts that pay exam-related costs, including application or processing fees, to seek reimbursement from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) through an application process. During questions, members clarified that reimbursement would not be available if an individual failed the certification exam. Representative Schoolcraft asked about how the subsidy amount is determined and how the program is funded; the bill author said the amount is unchanged from current law and said he would follow up on funding details. No one testified for or against the bill. Representative Bojani closed on the bill, and the subcommittee left HB 1061 pending without objection. With no further business, the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And telephone applications.
• You have 30 days to get it, or they don't approve the application.
• The election code provides that a candidate's application is public upon filing.
• were not able to get those applications timely.
• Be the recipients of the applications for a place on the ballot.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• about being applicable to the building or to the operation, or is it if you have local building and
• Could you help me understand exactly what that if applicable means?
• being applicable to the building about being applicable to the building or<01:28:27.760> to<01
• exactly what that if applicable means? exactly what that if applicable means?
• So you must have sign-off if applicable. If there's no one to sign off, you can't do that.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• MMCDC reviews all applications for completeness and ensures equal access to complete applications on
• We assign complete applications to partner DPA lenders across the state to support those lenders.
• MMCDC reviews all applications for completeness and ensures equal access to complete applications on
• <01:09:51.080> we<01:09:51.199> had<01:09:51.480> applications applications we had
• applications applications we had applications submitted<01:09:52.799> that<01:09:52.960> did

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• time frames to process these applicants.
• can appear to be delayed is because the board must wait for the applicant to provide missing information
• time to review of the authority in the bill to charge a fee to qualified applicants is unclear as the
• board does not follow a different process when reviewing expedited applications.
• It is not expected to make a substantial reduction in the time needed to review an application and issue

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These employee panelists review and score applications based on the significance of the adverse or positive
• may not have the expertise or background in military culture to accurately evaluate these grant applications
• the panel of Governor's Office employees and places responsibility for evaluating and scoring applications
• It takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes per application with 12 applications.
• owned or operated radar or military installation within 15 nautical miles of the tower, and the applicable

Bills: HB2564, HB2760, HB2765, HB2898, HB3260, HB3800, HB4341, HB4396, HB5195

Keywords: Defense Economic Adjustment, grant applications, economic assistance, local government, Evaluation panel, judicial review, Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment compensation, legal proceedings, labor law, rural development, infrastructure, Texas economic fund, private investment, job creation, meteorological evaluation towers, wind resources, aviation safety, regulations, construction notice

Transcript Highlights:

• These employee panelists review these and score applications based on.
• the panel of governor's office employees and places responsibility for evaluating and scoring applications
• DAG grant applications and save the office of gov of the governor time and effort.
• we have 12 applications.
• owned or operated radar or military installation within 50 nautical miles of the tower and the applicable