Transcript Highlights:

• Higgins, who's the principal transportation engineer for Caltrans District 7.
• But my name is Tasha Higgins, principal engineer.
• Higgins, who's the principal transportation engineer for Thank you. We'll next go to Ms.
• Higgins, who's the principal transportation engineer for Calatans District 7.
• But my name is Tasha Higgins, principal engineer.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The hearing focused on Los Angeles’ preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with an emphasis on infrastructure, transportation, sustainability, community benefits, and legacy planning. Members and witnesses discussed venue readiness, state and local coordination, public safety, accessibility, and how the Games can leave behind lasting improvements such as transit upgrades, streetscape work, energy and utility improvements, and potentially permanent community assets. LA28 also highlighted its broader planning goals, including a transit-first, no-new-permanent-build approach and the use of temporary venues that could later serve communities. LA28’s Joey Freeman reported on ticket sales, volunteer interest, sponsorships, and recent legislative wins, including laws to support the games route network, temporary infrastructure, medical staffing, and out-of-state EMS deployment. He said LA28 has reached $2.5 billion in corporate sponsorships, sold more than 4 million tickets in the first drop, and launched a local presale with roughly half a million $28 tickets and a community ticketing program. However, several senators sharply criticized the ticketing rollout, saying low-cost tickets were too limited and that the committee lacked basic data on how many tickets were available, sold, or priced affordably. Members also raised concerns about ensuring access for low-income residents, schools, nonprofits, and the broader Los Angeles community. Mayor Karen Bass said the city’s theme is “Games for All” and described efforts to prepare small businesses, improve infrastructure, and create a citywide Cultural Olympiad and fan-fest style viewing sites modeled partly on Paris. She asked for state help with permitting, mutual aid for law enforcement, and cleanup of state-owned corridors and highways, and said the city wants local businesses prioritized over a broader Southern California definition of “local.” Other witnesses from Exposition Park and the Rose Bowl described major venue-specific needs, including accessibility, traffic and safety upgrades, utility replacement, site improvements, and legacy investments. No formal votes were taken in the portion provided, but members requested follow-up meetings and additional information on ticketing, community access, procurement, cultural programming, and infrastructure plans.

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:10:15.599> I [clears throat] standard fee. Yes. I [clears throat] standard fee. Yes.
• whole planning process and engineering whole planning process and engineering and<02:55:21.920><
• You guys don't engineer it.
• engineering, and then you use your own licensed engineers to oversee the consultant that's overseeing
• it you guys pay you guys don't engineer it you guys pay an<02:57:37.840> engineering<02:57:38.399

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also would not stop safety reviews, the enforcement of engineering standards, or any other reasonable
• <01:35:07.280> standards,<01:35:08.240> or enforcement of engineering standards, or
• enforcement of engineering standards, or any<01:35:08.560> other<01:35:08.800> reasonable<
• To qualify, the shelter must comply with FEMA and International Code Council standards, and the homeowner
• degree in civil engineering. degree in civil engineering.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:04:06.239> And<00:04:06.400> then national national standard.
• And then national national standard.
• builders, the engineers, the architects that<00:32:26.559> we<00:32:26.720> work<00:32
• <00:58:18.880> to identified by the structural engineer to identified by the structural engineer
• It's the beginning of that journey as far as having that type of standardization.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary met without a quorum and heard an update from the Administrative Office of the Courts on the judicial branch budget. AOC Director Zach Ramsey and budget director Carol Henderson outlined the branch’s current funding structure, noting that fiscal year 2026 general fund support is about 2.77% of the state general fund, below the National Center for State Courts’ typical 2% to 4% range. They emphasized Kentucky’s unusual responsibility for courthouse facilities, with the judicial branch directly involved in construction, maintenance, and operations across 229 facilities in all 120 counties. AOC said nearly 91% of its general fund is spent on personnel and other non-discretionary costs, and that the branch has long relied on agency revenue, restricted fund carryforwards, and vacancy credits to balance court operations. Members were told that Senate Bill 25 required a $34.5 million transfer into a reserve account, part of which was used to purchase the Chamberlain Avenue building in Frankfort. AOC reported that only $11.9 million remains in restricted funds, while it projects needing about $13.5 million to cover fiscal year 2026 obligations, not including roughly $9 million in flood-related remediation costs for Hardin and Franklin counties, much of which it expects to recover through insurance and FEMA. Looking ahead to the next biennium, AOC said it will seek full funding of court operations at $341 million annually, a $13.5 million increase to bring current services into the base appropriation rather than relying on reserves. It also previewed additional requests, including a 15% across-the-board pay parity plan for Kentucky Court of Justice personnel, replacement of declining master commissioner fee revenue tied to 141 deputy circuit court clerk positions, funding for technology subscription and case management system costs, JAV audiovisual system upgrades, AEDs and medical kits for courthouses, and other staffing and operational needs. Senator Funky Frommeyer asked whether the 15% salary proposal was included in the $13.5 million increase; AOC said it was not, and that it would be an additional request. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's federal standard.
• And then the idea of federal standard.
• <02:30:43.359> or raising the risk for standard or raising the risk for standard or stranded
• that can legally connect to standard that can legally connect to standard home<03:04:10.000>
• It's a great way for standards.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1789 creates statewide standards and inspections for utility poles. I move passage.
• 1948 by Perry, relating to the authority of a political subdivision to regulate fire prevention standards
• you also aware that over $10 million of taxpayer dollars have already been spent on planning and engineering
• Spent more than 10 million dollars on the engineering and design of this reservoir, only for a handful
• guidance on asset valuation and investment policy to ensure that the reserve operates at the highest standards

Bills: SB4, SB23, SB3, SJR2, SJR85, SB34, SB60, SB75, SB706, SB1814, SB1220, SB523, SB565, SB1253, SB840, SB764, SB2383, SB2155, SB1535, SB1405, SB1423, SB1566, SB1804, SB1728, SB1816, SB1952, SB1948, SB2037, SB2068, SB1455, SB213, SB243, SB627, SB646, SB670, SB896, SB917, SB1184, SB971, SB1255, SB1261, SB1283, SB1358, SB991, SB1733, SB21, SB231, SB739, SB1252, SB1371, SB664, SB40, SB9, SJR1, SB687, SB1332, SB458, SB482, SB927, SB984, SB651, SB1620, SB2124, SB2448, SB841, SB843, SB402, SB2662, SB2053, SB2332, SB2112, SB745, SB1247, SB1789, SB27, SB207, SB2938, SB1901, SB1227, SB1248, SB912, SB1321, SB2143, SB2145, SB1497, SB1239, SB2180, SB1388, SB1662, SB1951, SB1537, SB493, SB378, SB1020, SB1018, SB992, SB958, SB920, SB1350, SB1762, SB552, HCR109, SB2185, SB4, SB23, SB3, SJR2, SJR85, SB34, SB60, SB75, SB706, SB1814, SB1220, SB523, SB565, SB1253, SB840, SB764, SB2383, SB2155, SB1535, SB1405, SB1423, SB1566, SB1804, SB1728, SB1816, SB1952, SB1948, SB2037, SB2068, SB1455, SB213, SB243, SB627, SB646, SB670, SB896, SB917, SB1184, SB971, SB1255, SB1261, SB1283, SB1358, SB991, SB1733, SB21, SB231, SB739, SB1252, SB1371, HB2970, HB 109, SB2308

Keywords: property tax, homestead exemption, school funding, state aid, constitutional amendment, elderly, disabled, ad valorem taxation, school district funding, SJR 2, Senate Joint Resolution 2, property tax relief, school property tax, ad valorem tax, residence homestead, school district taxes, Texas Constitution Article VIII, public school finance, homeowner exemption, elderly exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• concern with the implementation of this bill because it is property taxes and property taxes are standard
• concern with the implementation of this bill because it is property taxes and property taxes are standard
• area will come to me with a two-million-dollar project that's already been funded by Army Corps engineer
• That is the important part, like with federal funding, Army Corps of Engineers, everything else.
• If they need to... ...that is the important part, like with federal funding, Army Corps of Engineers,

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a dedicated team of staff, analysts, engineers, supervisors, and new technicians that CPU and
• engineers can work together to make sure that we have supervisors, managers that work hard every day
• They also have a series of gates by which they are engineering and preparing and constructing the networks
• existing infrastructure, to coordinate on traffic control, ensure the work is built to required standards
• So the design and engineering is based on resiliency and meeting the maximum of the 105 FFA grant recipients

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to the best standards to the best standards um<02:38:49.040> so where<02:38:51.640> do
• it's a written there's an exam standard it's a written closed<02:49:53.239> book<02:49:53.439
• The supervisory license is held to a standard of an oral exam.
• That is the primary function of our engineering and permitting section.
• <04:38:38.719> and<04:38:38.879> permitting engineering and permitting engineering and

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Environment and Agriculture Committee held an introductory orientation for members, many of whom were new or newly assigned to the committee. Leadership emphasized that the committee is intended to operate in a nonpartisan, collaborative way, and members introduced themselves and described their backgrounds in farming, gardening, food service, environmental work, water and waste issues, veterinary work, and related fields. Several members noted personal ties to homesteading, livestock, orcharding, food security, landfill concerns, and animal welfare, while others said they were eager to learn the committee’s work. The chair then reviewed committee procedures and expectations. Members were told the committee would generally meet on Tuesdays, with hearings starting around 10 a.m. and often running until about 4:30 p.m., and that absences, substitutes for executive sessions, and email communications would be handled through House rules and the committee’s email system. The chair also covered decorum rules for live-streamed meetings, including professional dress, limiting food and drink at the table, and giving full attention to witnesses. Members were reminded that legislative emails are subject to public records laws and that the committee may soon transition to a new email domain. The chair also explained logistics such as bill folders, committee room storage, and emergency procedures for evacuation or shelter-in-place. No bills were debated or voted on in this meeting, but the chair noted that the committee already had roughly two dozen bills pending, including animal welfare, landfill, policy, and cat-and-dog related measures. Members were told to expect a broad mix of topics beyond agriculture, including solid waste and animal-related legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• That one actually goes back to when a motor vehicle was described as something with an engine that was
• That one actually goes back to when a motor vehicle was described as something with an engine that was
• However, there are certain standards that govern the issuing of that license in the first place.
• However, there are certain standards that govern the issuing of that license in the first place.
• What we do is not emissions testing; it's an engine code read.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 758, which would establish a study committee on airport operation hours and possible noise abatement measures, including whether New Hampshire should prohibit departures between midnight and 6 a.m. The sponsor said the committee would examine the pros and cons and consult stakeholders. The Bureau of Aeronautics testified neutrally, noting that New Hampshire has 25 public airports, 12 with federal funding and grant assurances that may require them to remain open during those hours, and that cargo operations, including at Manchester, commonly occur overnight. Members also discussed existing noise abatement programs and how mitigation is determined by noise contours and FAA funding decisions. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing after testimony. The committee then heard House Bill 489, allowing voluntary emergency workers to use rear-facing blue lights on private vehicles when responding to emergencies. The sponsor said the bill corrects an oversight in existing law, would not cost the state or towns money, and would improve visibility and safety, especially in rural areas. Supportive testimony from a volunteer responder emphasized that blue lights help cut through fog, snow, and nighttime conditions, and that the bill would only add a single rear-facing blue light to existing red, amber, and white emergency lighting. The New Hampshire State Police opposed the bill, arguing that expanding blue lights to private vehicles would confuse the public and desensitize drivers to blue lights, which are associated with law enforcement. The hearing closed without action. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 533, which the sponsor and State Police clarified is actually two separate changes: one authorizing civilian automotive equipment inspectors to assist with vehicle inspection work, and another expanding language in motor carrier enforcement to include new entrant safety audits and compliance reviews. The State Police explained that civilian inspectors are hired and trained through the department and that any findings of state-law violations would be referred to troopers; they also said the new motor carrier language was requested to satisfy federal audit concerns about right of entry. The New Hampshire Motor Transport Association said it had no position if the civilian inspectors were not doing commercial truck inspections, but would oppose the bill if they were. Members asked about the difference between audits and compliance reviews, and the State Police said audits are for newer carriers and are non-enforcement, while compliance reviews look for violations. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 533. After a brief reset, the committee opened House Bill 594, which would repeal an alternate definition of “way” for the driving-after-suspension statute. The sponsor said the change was requested by the Department of Justice. Representative Erica Leon opposed the repeal, explaining that the prior language was intended to avoid criminalizing people who mow lawns or perform similar work near property edges while suspended, but she worried the repeal could create a loophole allowing driving on places like highway medians. Members questioned whether the issue was limited to mowing or broader vehicle use on property edges, and Leon said she would work with agencies to clarify the language so it protects lawful mowing without allowing misuse. No vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we should think about standards. Other than move paper.
• And so we should think about standards.
• that it meets the standards of the city for eventual annexation.
• And review of development applications to the city to their standards.
• You know, similar things with sidewalks and street standards you heard about.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The testimony today seems to set a pretty darn low standard.
• Absolutely unacceptable if that is our standard. Privacy.
• Absolutely unacceptable if that is our standard.
• I urge this committee to set a high standard. The voters are watching. Thank you.
• The same standard should apply here. AB 1560 is a targeted, timely step to address that.

Summary: The Assembly Elections Committee met on March 25, 2026, with nine measures on the agenda and three bills taken on consent. The committee approved the consent calendar for AB 1736, AB 1853, and AB 2153. The committee also heard several election-related bills, including AB 1993 on ballot-envelope privacy, AB 1788 on nonprofit disclosure of travel payments for elected officials, AB 1560 on barring people convicted of public corruption from lobbying, AB 1539 on presidential and vice-presidential ballot eligibility certifications, AB 1919 on Santa Cruz Metro local tax initiative procedures, and AB 1562 on county selection of poll workers. The chair also noted membership changes and welcomed new and returning members and staff. AB 1993 drew the most debate. The author argued it was a common-sense safeguard to prevent voters’ choices from being visible through ballot-envelope holes, citing a Sacramento County incident and public concern about ballot privacy. County election officials, the Secretary of State’s office, and Disability Rights California opposed the bill, saying the holes also serve accessibility and processing functions, that existing voter instructions already address privacy, and that the measure would create implementation problems and an unfunded mandate. After extended discussion, the committee voted the bill out on a 2-6 roll call and it failed. AB 1788 was supported by the FPPC and the League of Women Voters and passed as amended to Appropriations, with members emphasizing transparency while seeking to avoid unintended coverage of organizations like NCSL and CSG. AB 1560 passed 6-0 despite the Secretary of State’s implementation concerns about how the office would learn of relevant convictions. AB 1539, which would require party representatives to certify presidential and vice-presidential nominees’ constitutional eligibility, passed 7-0 as amended. AB 1919, which would clarify procedures for a Santa Cruz Metro voter initiative to place a transit tax on the ballot, passed 6-2, and AB 1562, which would allow counties to randomly select poll workers, passed 7-1 after discussion about civic engagement, guardrails, and election administration. The committee then completed roll-call adjustments for absent members and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 4, before you today, meets the one-person, one-vote standard.
• Senate Bill 4, before you today, meets the one-vote standard.
• And it is just a standard; it's been likened to buying a gun website background check.
• And it is just a standard; it's been likened to buying a gun website background check.
• were no changes in any type of standard release to the public.

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum call, invocation, and approval of the previous day’s journal, then observed a moment of silence after Senator Eckhardt referenced a mass shooting in Austin. The chamber also agreed to postpone reading and referral of bills until later in the day. Early procedural business included a motion not to print Senate Bill 3, which was adopted without objection. Later, Senator Mendez raised a parliamentary inquiry about moving flood relief bills to the top of the calendar, but the presiding officer said the order of business was up to the chair. The main floor action centered on Senate Bill 4, the congressional redistricting bill. Senator King laid out the bill, describing it as the companion to the House version, based on 2020 census data, and arguing it was legal, race-blind, more compact, and likely to elect more Republicans. Senators asked extensive questions about the process, public hearings, and the map’s effects on districts and communities. The Senate voted to suspend the regular order of business and the three-day rule, then passed SB 4 to engrossment and finally passed it, with the recorded votes showing 19 yeas and 2 nays. The Senate also took up Senate Bill 6, relating to abortion and civil liability for the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs. Senator Hughes argued the bill was needed to stop illegal abortion pills being mailed into Texas and harming women and unborn children. The Senate suspended the regular order of business and the three-day rule, passed the bill to engrossment, and then finally passed it, with the recorded votes showing 18 yeas, 10 nays, and one present not voting. A lengthy discussion followed on the committee substitute for Senate Bill 14, which would standardize law enforcement personnel and departmental files statewide. Senator King said the bill codifies a TCOLE model policy and limits public access to personnel files to substantiated misconduct, commendations, and evaluations, while keeping other records available through other legal processes. Senators Eckhardt, West, Hinojosa, and others questioned how the bill would affect transparency, meet-and-confer agreements, civilian review boards, and access to unsubstantiated complaints. An amendment by Senator Hinojosa of Dallas to narrow the bill to unfounded complaints failed, and SB 14 was then passed to engrossment on a vote of 18 yeas and 10 nays. The final major item was Senate Bill 1, the natural disaster omnibus bill responding to the July flooding. Senator Perry said the bill addresses camp and RV park safety, evacuation plans, emergency rooftop access, lines of succession for local emergency management, annual drills, volunteer management, drone restrictions over disaster areas, small-business recovery loans, and a statewide data hub for flood and weather monitoring. Senators Menendez, Eckhardt, and Kolkhorst asked about autopsies, volunteer background checks, liability, warning systems, floodplain mitigation, and coordination with FEMA and local governments. Perry said the bill focuses on preparation, response, and recovery, while broader prevention and mitigation issues may be addressed later. The transcript ends during this extended discussion, before final action on SB 1 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• going very well, but essentially it's to require street, highway, bridge, road, utility, and light engineering
• not have approved apprenticeship programs are still highly trained and are held to the same safety standards
• as all contractors, including state and federal safety standards.
• H is heavy engineering, your dams and such. They pay into it. C is your residential.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Development Board with coordination responsibilities, including the development of common technical standards
• The American Society of Civil Engineers just recently downgraded our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure
• That said, oversight and performance accountability standards within SB 7 are essential to any state
• proposed to be spent will yield water at the tap, water in the fields, and water to drive the economic engine

Bills: SB7

Keywords: water infrastructure, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, water supply, environmental sustainability, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:47:42.599> and 2006 State social studies standards and 2006 State social studies standards
• Ed oversight on State academic standards Ed oversight on State academic standards and<00:48:46.319
• standards approval and State academic standards developed<00:59:37.079> by<00:59:37.200> the
• <01:00:30.319> Define most of you know these standards Define most of you know these standards
• and state academic standards.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 749, which would require high schools to provide at least one hour of instruction on the nature and history of communism. The prime sponsor said the bill was prompted by concerns that students lack basic historical knowledge about communism and its effects, and argued that a short, flexible requirement could be embedded in an existing course without creating a new full class. He described communism as a totalitarian ideology and cited historical examples including the Soviet Union, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Cold War, and current events involving Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan as reasons students should understand the topic. Members asked whether the subject is already covered in current social studies standards, whether one hour is enough, and whether the bill would apply to public, private, parochial, and charter schools. The sponsor said he did not believe communism is specifically required in current standards, that he would prefer a full course but was proposing a minimal requirement, and that he intended the bill to apply broadly to schools under the Department of Education’s umbrella, though he acknowledged the wording may need clarification for charter schools. He also said the proposal was both reactive and proactive, based on anecdotal concerns and his teaching experience. A second supporter testified that he was born in the Soviet Union and favored the bill, but suggested the instruction should emphasize critical thinking and explain both why communism can appeal to some people and why it can have harmful consequences. No vote or final committee action was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Electronic payments are already standard for state and federal taxes.
• Standards, not having to do the groundwater availability study in very sensitive areas. Okay.
• Not inside the city and the county's area to put some standards in? In the unincorporated, right.
• adopt, you know, building code road standards already in the code without...
• So it's not the concern about the standard of the road so much as it is setting the standard higher than

Bills: SB467, SB325, SB867, SB994, SB1052, SB1237, SB1449, SB1531, SB2063, SB2172, SB2173, SB2520, SB2529, SB2538, SB2541, SJR46, SJR84

Keywords: SB 467, Texas property tax, ad valorem tax, homestead exemption, residence homestead, fire damage, house fire, destroyed home, temporary tax relief, appraisal district, chief appraiser, local taxing unit, tax rollback, tax refund, Tax Code Chapter 11, prorated exemption, homestead improvement, disaster relief, property tax exemption, residential property

Transcript Highlights:

• has been called on your bill, Representative Butler, and we will not be voting on that today as is standard
• Stratospheric aerosol injection is a solar radiation management geoengineering or climate engineering
• And in 2022, the White House announced a new research initiative exploring solar engineering, which involves

Bills: HB248, HB311

Keywords: weather modification, atmospheric pollution, chemical dispersion, environmental law, public health, improvement districts, assessment collection, property taxes, local governance, foreclosure procedures, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• By including good faith in the definition, we set a standard and that is important.
• SB 56 reflects our responsibility to protect the public from unauthorized geo-engineering and weather
• This ensures that taxpayer dollars are used responsibly following goals for legal standards.
• kids who made it through public school, I always thought there was too much emphasis placed on standardized
• The fact that there is so much stress and anxiety around the standardized tests, particularly the two

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• locally administered state transportation funding programs by Mister Rudy Powell, who is the chief engineer
• My name is Repo and I'm the chief engineer of operations for the Florida Department of Transportation
• The FAA just came out with some fur deport standards in addition to pilot information, but we still have
• You have small standard aviation have commercial liners.
• You have EV small standard aviation have commercial liners. You have EV toll aircraft.

Keywords: 999, senate, all