Transcript Highlights:

• from state agencies, including the Department of Revenue, the Employment Security Department, the Utilities
• Again, it just validates the need for that level of program here within the state.
• It just validates the need for that level of program here within the state.

Summary: The committee held a work session focused on the effects of tariffs on Washington’s economy, agriculture, and small businesses, followed by updates on emergency management, cybersecurity, disaster resilience, tsunami preparedness, and World Cup security planning. Office of Financial Management economist Abdelamintrawe Trieri said tariff increases are expected to raise prices, reduce output and employment, and lower state revenue over a four-year horizon, with the hardest-hit sectors including aerospace, food and beverage manufacturing, and agriculture. Members asked about updated tariff scenarios, crop-specific impacts, inflation versus deflation in different goods, and whether some manufacturing sectors could benefit; staff said updated numbers would need to be rerun as tariff rates changed. Washington Department of Agriculture representative Ryan Hamm described how tariffs raise costs for farm inputs such as equipment, parts, packaging, and fertilizer, while also affecting exports of key commodities like wheat, potatoes, apples, cherries, dairy, and wine. He said some sectors support tariffs on competing imports, but retaliation and market restrictions have hurt exports, especially to China and, in the wine sector, Canada. Department of Commerce representative Andrea Chartock outlined export assistance, business finance, recruitment, and industry-sector development programs, and proposed expanding tariff-resilience support through market diversification, supply-chain optimization, and efforts to attract investment and federal funding. She also noted uncertainty around delayed federal STEP funding for small business export assistance. Emergency Management Division Director Robert Ezell warned that federal disaster and mitigation funding is becoming less reliable, citing the denied bomb cyclone disaster declaration, delays in FEMA grant processing, and possible restructuring of FEMA that could shift more responsibility to states. He said Washington may need stronger state-funded public assistance, individual assistance, and mitigation programs, along with broader coordination among state agencies and local governments. Cybersecurity staff described state efforts to support local governments through the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, threat intelligence sharing, vulnerability assessments, and a proposed volunteer incident response team, while noting the loss of MS-ISAC funding and the importance of continued state matching funds for cybersecurity grants. Hazard mitigation and tsunami staff emphasized the need for sustained investment in flood, wildfire, earthquake, lahar, and tsunami resilience, including vertical evacuation structures and language-access outreach. Ezell also briefed the committee on World Cup security preparations and federal grants for counter-unmanned aircraft systems, explaining that the state can buy mitigation capabilities but current authority to use them remains largely federal; the committee asked follow-up questions about fan zones, training, and the meaning of drone mitigation. No votes were taken, and the meeting ended with adjournment after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• How at time of delivery, utilize peer support and family support workers at our local hospitals.
• already taking medications for substance use disorder and the health care providers can determine and validate
• Any of the medications for substance use disorder, and the health care providers can determine and validate

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, our hands are pretty tied on being able to utilize that public outcry for whatever reason
• If they are working, then the other part of that is we validate what we've done because we spent hundreds
• But if you do, you validate them and we keep them. It's that simple.

Bills: HB202, HB42, HB146, HB492, HB285, HB7, HB454, HB42, HB7

Keywords: law enforcement, immunity, civil liability, use of force, recruitment, bail reform, cash deposit, judicial discretion, criminal justice, Alabama law, youthful offender, capital murder, public safety, victims' rights, juvenile offenders, delinquent acts, juvenile court, nonfelony offenses, water safety offenses, illegal immigration

Transcript Highlights:

• professional engineers have to submit a lengthy packet of documents to ensure the license remains valid
• The ability for a small and large operation to utilize 5 tasting rooms in the state without the regulatory
• Kansas City, Kansas, but they can't work in Kansas City, Missouri simply because their license is not valid

Transcript Highlights:

• professional engineers have to submit a lengthy packet of documents to ensure the license remains valid
• Utilize five tasting rooms in the state without the regulatory burdens that come with those.
• Missouri simply because their license is not valid in that state.

Bills: HB589, HB705, HB1842, HB1874, HB2349, HB2614, HB2827, HB3012, HB3214, HB3308, HB3385, HB3529

Keywords: cosmetology, licensure, interstate compact, state regulations, public safety, workforce mobility, charitable raffles, nonprofit, wildlife conservation, ticket sales, fundraising, master electrician, electrical work, occupational licensing, work scope, Texas law, Texas Real Estate Commission, TREC, real estate broker, sales agent

Transcript Highlights:

• recommendations include a change to the key reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency in how funds are utilized
• I think what Senator Kolkhorst is saying is a very valid point and a common concern that we have to ensure
• I think what Senator Kolkhorst is saying is a very valid point and a common concern that we have to ensure

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If we ever do, because even when we utilize the Forfeiture Act to take the funds that are in the machines
• They have very valid reasons not to risk their licensure through the state, rather.
• They have valid reasons not to risk their licensure through the state, rather it's business in hotels

Summary: The Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee met to hear a panel on the prosecution and enforcement of illegal gaming in Florida. The chair opened with a video showing seized machines at a Florida Gaming Control Commission warehouse and described the scale of illegal operations. Panelists included the commission’s executive director, local sheriffs and police officials, and state attorneys from several counties, who described widespread illegal slot-machine locations, often in strip malls or convenience-store-type settings, and said the machines are typically used in organized criminal activity rather than legitimate amusement gaming. Witnesses repeatedly said the current penalty structure is ineffective because possession and operation of illegal slot machines are generally second-degree misdemeanors, which they described as too minor to deter operators who can quickly reopen after paying fines or completing diversion. They said enforcement is resource-intensive, requiring undercover work, search warrants, machine seizure, storage, forensic review, and long prosecutions, often while the same operators reopen elsewhere. Several panelists cited associated crimes such as robberies, firearms offenses, prostitution, drug activity, human trafficking, and at least some homicides tied to illegal gaming locations. Members also asked about the difference between legal amusement devices and illegal slot machines, online gambling, illegal horse racing, local licensing and ordinances, and whether manufacturers or distributors could be pursued. The commission and prosecutors said legal slot machines are limited to specific regulated locations and that lawful amusement machines lack a material element of chance. They said many illegal machines are imported or reworked versions of gaming devices and that upstream accountability is difficult under current law. Panelists also discussed cooperation with licensed casinos, tribal gaming entities, and local governments, noting that some local ordinances have tried to permit or limit these businesses. The main policy takeaway from the panel was a call to increase penalties, likely to felony-level offenses, and to consider stronger forfeiture and enforcement tools. No vote or formal action was taken at the meeting, and the chair adjourned after thanking the panelists.

Transcript Highlights:

• intent and the restrictions of the prohibitions of telehealth for weight loss is founded in a very valid
• Those guidelines are updated every four years, and we are still utilizing a 2014—and I would stress pre-COVID—version
• Those guidelines are updated every four years and we are still utilizing a 2014 and I would stress pre-COVID
• lost family members, friends to opioid addiction, and want to know whether these dollars are being utilized
• value of the training, the competency levels and all of that, is the LSBME standing behind that and validating

Bills: HB946, HB1093, SB26, SB29, SB30, SB195, SB219, SB222, SB255, SB314, SCR2, SCR22

Keywords: healthcare transparency, hospital pricing, consumer protection, collection actions, fines, naturopathic medicine, Louisiana Board of Naturopathic Medicine, licensing, healthcare, prescriptive authority, natural therapies, opioid treatment, regulation, addiction recovery, state law, SB 29, Act 732, coroner, autopsy, child death

Summary: The committee first heard and favorably reported SB 255, which expands the educational qualifications for psychosocial rehabilitation services to include health sciences and therapeutic recreation degrees, and SB 314, which cleans up prior language on community psychiatric support and treatment services so a limited scope certified social worker license can still be issued even if the applicant is slightly late renewing. Members and witnesses said both bills were intended to improve access to behavioral health services, especially in rural areas, and there was no opposition on either measure. The committee then advanced SB 26, which repeals facility need review for opioid treatment programs to make it easier to open more OTPs in Louisiana, and SB 29, which requires child autopsy reports to include immunization records and access to the LINKS vaccine database. SB 29 drew some concern about whether singling out immunizations could imply causation, but the author and supporters said the bill is only about adding data and that the records would be part of broader medical information. Both bills were reported favorably. Members also reported favorably SB 30, as amended, to allow telehealth for obesity/weight-management treatment with synchronous interaction and other safeguards, though some providers warned the language should not unduly limit future board authority. SB 219 was approved to create an Office of Health and Nutrition within LDH, with testimony from the department, the Alzheimer’s Association, and Pennington Biomedical supporting the focus on nutrition, physical activity, and brain health. SB 222 was reported favorably with amendments to reduce duplicative behavioral health administrative requirements, streamline supervision rules, and expand telehealth for psychosocial rehabilitation. The committee also approved SB 195, the “Danny’s Dose” EMS bill, allowing EMS personnel to administer a patient’s own prescribed time-critical medication in emergencies; testimony from families with rare conditions described life-threatening delays under current rules. Finally, SCR 2 was adopted to update hospital construction standards to the most recent Facility Guidelines Institute edition, and SCR 22 was reported favorably to request a more detailed legislative auditor report on opioid settlement spending and outcomes. The committee then began hearing HB 1093 on naturopathic medicine, with the author proposing a licensing framework under the State Board of Medical Examiners and a large amendment set; members raised questions about scope, prescriptive authority, training, and whether the profession should have its own board, but no final action on the bill was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• making sure that the things we're doing and we're spending money on and investing resources in are valid
• We have been able to utilize our QA lab, which we opened the doors on, to do some of that testing.
• Some of our methods are validated, and some are still going through the process.
• people to get healthier so that we have, on the back end, hopefully, we can decrease the costly utilization
• Do they have lights at their parks where those parks can be actually utilized if it starts to get dark

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• thing that this will do, by providing an actuary to what I would say is our side, is to be able to validate
• told by either AHCA or the managed care plans about what they're going to do. ...is to be able to validate
• either AHCA or the managed care plans about what the costs are, what the actual rates are, what our utilization
• it requires professional and practical nursing education programs to establish admission criteria, utilize
• Education programs to establish admission criteria, utilize an exit exam, which cannot be the sole excluder

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up a series of health and human services bills, beginning with CS/SB 1602, which would require hospital emergency departments to have evidence-based pediatric care protocols, staff training, child-sized equipment and medications, a pediatric care coordinator, and participation in a national pediatric readiness assessment. The bill was reported favorably after no public opposition. CS/SB 1224, aligning Florida law with federal requirements for paramedics to administer controlled substances under physician or nurse practitioner direction, also drew supportive testimony from the Florida Fire Chiefs Association and was reported favorably. CS/SB 1182, requiring coverage of continuous glucose monitors under both pharmacy and durable medical equipment benefits, was likewise reported favorably after brief support from AARP. The committee then considered CS/SB 890, the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, which addresses venous thromboembolism by defining certain conditions as chronic diseases, creating a statewide registry, and requiring screening and training in hospitals, surgical centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Family members and blood clot advocates strongly supported the bill, but assisted living representatives objected to being included, arguing the bill would impose unrealistic medical expectations and liability on residential care facilities. Senators also raised concerns about the assisted living provisions, but the bill was reported favorably after the sponsor said more changes were likely later. CS/CS/SB 954, dealing with recovery residences and treatment centers, was amended to reduce the number of active patients from 500 to 300 and then reported favorably after extensive debate over zoning, clustering, neighborhood impacts, and access to recovery housing. CS/SB 1050, which expands the developmental disabilities pilot program and creates an adult pathways waiver option, generated the most extensive testimony. Supporters said it would help reduce the long APD waitlist and expand services, while many families and advocates warned against managed care, citing provider shortages, weak oversight, and the importance of consumer-directed care. Committee members emphasized that participation is voluntary and that people can disenroll, and the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 614, requiring a public educational webpage about background screening and level-two screening requirements, and CS/SB 1578, expanding breast cancer screening coverage, were both reported favorably with little opposition. CS/SB 1060 created a joint legislative oversight committee for Medicaid financing and operations; after an amendment expanding the committee from three to five members, it was reported favorably. CS/CS/SB 1240, updating DCF substance abuse and mental health procedures including 988, methadone assessment, forensic evaluators, and Baker Act transfer timing, was amended and reported favorably after debate over transfer deadlines and facility responsibilities. Finally, the committee began hearing CS/SB 526, a major nursing education bill aimed at improving Florida’s low NCLEX passage rates by tightening program standards, requiring exit exams and remediation, mandating reporting and inspections, and limiting accreditation extensions. A strike-all amendment was introduced that would also require certain low-performing programs to offer a three-month graduate preceptorship. The transcript cuts off before the bill’s full debate and final action are completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Secondly, nearly half of all pediatric inpatient utilization is for a psychiatric condition.
• I don't have the solution today. think we do but we choose not to utilize it so but get those very clear
• provide care in communities. of need, they reduce inpatient stays, they reduce emergency department utilization
• Senator. and I think it's interesting and I hear your I hear your The points that you've made are the validation
• what you said yourself, it shouldn't be questioned. but the religious or conscientious is just as valid

Bills: SB500, SB719, SB912, SB1232, SB1467, SB1777, SB1864, SB2023, SB2119, SB2458

Keywords: SB 500, Texas adoption law, Family Code, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child-placing agency, prospective adoptive parents, adoption records, confidential information, nondisclosure agreement, child history report, health history, social history, educational history, genetic history, termination of parental rights, permanency plan, single source continuum contractor, privacy, redaction

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaks to the fact that it has to have a valid teaching certificate and other professional credentials
• the clear theme of the answers to those surveys was it needs to be less complex in order to fully utilize

Bills: HB17, HB21, HB24, HB41, HB42, HB45, HB1134, HB1237

Keywords: HB 17, District Attorneys' Retirement System, retirement system, reemployed retiree, reemployment, supplemental retirement benefit, service credit, benefit suspension, public retirement, district attorney, assistant district attorney, Louisiana District Attorneys' Association, employer reporting, annual report, retirement benefits, state employees, local funds, state funds, Municipal Employees' Retirement System, part-time retirees

Transcript Highlights:

• schools, places of worship, single-family homes, and multiple-family duplexes, but people that are utilizing
• However, in cases where an administrative law judge refuses to certify a question, regardless of its validity

Bills: SB2082, SB2203, SB2351, SB2550, SCR48

Keywords: concrete crushing, hospital proximity, environmental regulation, public health, zoning laws, SB 2203, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, State Office of Administrative Hearings, SOAH, contested case, administrative law judge, ALJ, discovery, scope of discovery, certification, administrative procedure, permit dispute, agency rules, Government Code

Transcript Highlights:

• One other example: in some cases there's a polling place with limited parking, so parking is utilized
• One other example: in some cases there's a polling place with limited parking, so parking is utilized
• One other example: in some cases there's a polling place with limited parking, so parking is utilized
• <01:10:29.440> the<01:10:29.640> data envelope and there's validate the data envelope
• and there's validate the data for<01:10:30.159> lack<01:10:30.320> of<01:10:30.400>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• statement made about the utilities statement made about the utilities having<00:50:55.680> to
• <00:59:56.400> regulation around uh around utility regulation around uh around utility regulation
• The utility, the owner-operator, may develop a method for the owner to inform the utility of the wattage
• <02:53:02.640> um governor's advisor for utility um governor's advisor for utility um critical
• uh manager of the New England utility uh manager of the New England utility cyber<02:53:08.080><

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're another key partner that has provided corals to KML and all the partners that utilize KML to
• They're another key partner that have provided corals to KML and all the partners that utilize KML to
• And they understand that if you follow the rule, you can get a permit and you can be valid.
• So they do dairy and they do also municipal utility waste. This is a 4,000-cow dairy in Indiana.
• And then this is their Seattle facility which handles municipal utility waste that you're used to.

Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard a series of presentations focused on coral reef restoration, artificial reefs, biosolids management, and a proposed biosolids processing facility. Mote Marine Laboratory described the severe decline of Florida’s coral reefs, its restoration methods using microfragmentation, genetic banking, selective breeding, nurseries, and outplanting, and asked for a long-term state commitment to help restore reef areas. The Keys Marine Laboratory and Florida Institute of Oceanography highlighted their role as a hub for coral rescue, holding, propagation, and research, including emergency response during the 2023 bleaching event. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discussed the scale of reef loss, the state’s coral rescue and propagation efforts, and the economic and habitat value of artificial reefs, while noting permitting delays and material-selection concerns for reef projects. The committee then received a DEP update on the Osborne Reef tire cleanup. DEP explained that the original tire reef was a failure, that nearly 500,000 tires had been removed by 2024, and that the current effort is funded at $5 million for the fiscal year, with cleanup now shifting from large tire clusters to more difficult individual tires and coral relocation. Members asked about the future of the site after cleanup; DEP said that phase two decisions, such as whether to restore or monitor the area, have not yet been made. DEP also presented on biosolids rules, explaining that the 2021 rule tightened nutrient management, groundwater, and surface water protections, reduced the number of active land-application sites, and contributed to a shift away from Class B land application toward Class AA, landfill, or out-of-state disposal. Senators raised concerns about PFAS, nutrient loading, and the loss of disposal options, and a public speaker warned of a statewide septage disposal crisis. Finally, Sedron Technologies presented its VARCOR system and a planned Indiantown facility that would process dewatered biosolids into clean water, ammonia, and a dry Class AA product or fuel, with the company saying the process can destroy PFAS and help relieve regional disposal pressure. Senators expressed support for the technology as a potential solution to Florida’s biosolids challenges. No formal votes were taken on the presentations themselves, and the only action at the end of the meeting was adjournment after Senator Polsky moved to do so.

Transcript Highlights:

• , regardless of the utility. ...actual ratio.
• AEP Texas is one of the fastest-growing utilities in the state.
• This policy is already in place for non-ERCOT utilities and other utilities outside of Texas.
• in Texas outside of ERCOT and the gas utilities in Texas.
• You mentioned gas utilities.

Bills: HB551, HB 1281, HB1378, HB1617, HB2868, HB2881, HB3374, HB4439, HB4726, HB4732, HB4878, HB4914, HB4921, HB4958, HB5200, HB5318, HB5360, HB5402, HB5568, HB5573, HB5623, HJR218

Keywords: political contributions, address privacy, Texas Ethics Commission, election transparency, campaign finance, international organizations, World Health Organization, jurisdiction, state law, enforcement, United Nations, World Economic Forum, attorney general, Texas attorney general, state sovereignty, legal enforcement, Texas Attorney General, electric energy storage, municipal regulation, county regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:12:48.320> visa<00:12:48.639> or So, if they don't have a valid visa or So, if
• they don't have a valid visa or work<00:12:49.200> employment<00:12:49.600> card,<00:12
• 12:58.480> a<00:12:58.639> license<00:12:59.120> based<00:12:59.440> on valid
• <00:26:32.880> reason<00:26:33.200> we<00:26:33.360> can a valid reason we can
• the the results of the election validate the the results of the election based<05:05:39.520> on

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:16:38.880> In<01:16:39.120> fact, we pass this is just not valid.
• In fact, we pass this is just not valid.
• Utilities, $300. Child care, $1,200. Transportation, $500. Phone and internet, $150.
• <04:00:58.080> Utilities<04:00:59.239> 300, Rent $1,800 a month.
• Utilities 300, Rent $1,800 a month.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and the uh of the the utility and the uh of the organization<03:46:36.720> going<03:46:37.000
• But I hear what you're saying, and you raise a valid point.
• <04:10:12.159> point raise a a valid point raise a a valid point any<04:10:15.080> other
• case then you'll represent have a valid case then you'll represent them<04:39:35.199> before<
• one variable at a time is a valid one variable at a time is a valid scientific<05:17:16.600>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met for its first meeting of the new session with opening remarks, member introductions, and a discussion of committee logistics. Members described their backgrounds and priorities, including criminal justice, right-to-know and privacy issues, domestic violence, death-with-dignity legislation, abortion, firearms, landlord-tenant policy, housing, and technology/privacy concerns. The chair noted there were already 34 bills assigned to the committee and expected more, and said the committee would likely continue to have a heavy workload this session. The chair also outlined how the committee would operate: meetings would generally be on Wednesdays, with possible Mondays as needed; hearings would not require a quorum, but executive sessions would; and members were asked to provide updated phone numbers and email addresses, especially cell numbers. He explained that the committee would continue its practice of seating members in a mixed partisan arrangement to encourage communication, and that the new clerk had joined the committee. A significant portion of the meeting focused on procedures for executive sessions and meeting times. The chair said the committee would follow the traditional rule allowing executive sessions on bills heard that day if proper notice was given, but he would avoid taking up controversial matters without full attendance. Members then discussed whether meetings should start at 9, 9:30, or 10 a.m., with concerns raised about long commutes, evening obligations, and winter driving after dark. No formal vote was taken in the portion provided, but the chair indicated he would try to accommodate the committee’s preference while balancing the workload.