Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not an expert on it, but I'm fascinated by all things. Cold War 2.0 is what I'm calling it.
• I'm not an expert on it. But I'm fascinated by all things. Cold War 2.0 is what I'm calling it.
• What is really important today, and you have the whole space commission here, so there's a lot of experts
• You have a warranty, you have a subject matter expert, and you have something that you can call back
• to the vendor and say, hey, the... ...you have a subject matter expert, and you have something that you

Bills: HB2809

Committees: House Science & Technology , House House Science & Technology Committee of Reference

Keywords: cybersecurity, post-quantum encryption, CMMC 2.0, state agencies, data protection, US-based vendors

Transcript Highlights:

• The council is advised of key industry players, made up of expert members in Minnesota.
• appreciated their collaboration and partnership, my first biennium and ongoing, having a council of experts
• having an a um first bium and ongoing um having an a council<00:10:28.640><c> of</c><00:10:28.880><c> experts
• across</c><00:10:30.040><c> the</c><00:10:30.240><c> lab</c><00:10:30.640><c> across</c> council of experts
• across the lab across council of experts across the lab across the<00:10:31.079><c> clinic</c><00:10

Summary: The committee heard House File 1501, which would fund the Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council and make the current fiscal year 2025 budget its permanent base. Representative Murphy said the bill would provide about $342,000 in general fund money for the 2026-27 cycle and argued that the council helps shorten diagnosis times, support research, and keep Minnesota a leader in rare disease work. Erica Barnes, the council’s executive director, testified in support and explained that the council was established in 2022 to improve care for the estimated one in 10 Minnesotans living with a rare disease. She said the council needs the full $668,000 level it operated with this year to maintain its statutory duties, noting that the current ongoing base is about $326,000 and that the extra funding was previously one-time money. Barnes described the barriers faced by rare disease patients, including long diagnostic delays, limited provider knowledge, and the fact that only a small share of rare diseases have FDA-approved treatments. She said rare disease care is costly to the health system and that the council has used prior funding to convene the community more regularly and carry out its work. Representative Leing questioned why the budget should be doubled and asked what additional work the council would do with the higher amount; Barnes responded that without the larger ongoing appropriation the council would fall back to 1.8 FTE and would have to stop some programs. Representative Hingson Jger spoke in support, saying the council’s collaboration has been valuable for policy work in the genetic and rare disease space. In closing, Murphy emphasized Minnesota’s leadership in rare disease and shared a personal story about how diagnosis and treatment changed his family’s life. No public testimony was offered. The chair then laid House File 1501 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not saying she's an expert, but she's an expert to me.
• I'm not saying she's an expert, but she's an expert to me.
• I'm not saying she's an expert, but she's an expert to me.
• I'm not saying she's an expert, but she's an expert to me.
• I'm not saying she's an expert, but she's an expert to me.

Committee: Senate Economic Development and Tourism

Summary: The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism heard several governor’s message nominations to the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s advisory board. The first nominee, Daniel O’Leary, received strong support from HTA leadership and Deputy Director James Kunane Tokioka, who praised his visitor-industry knowledge and work on brand marketing and tourism planning. O’Leary said he hoped to contribute his experience and strengthen the organization’s integrity. Joel Guy was also supported by HTA, Tokioka, and several community testifiers, who highlighted his long work in Hana, his film-industry background, and his role in community-focused tourism planning. During questioning, Guy said the advisory board should still have influence, especially on strategic planning and community concerns, even though its role is advisory rather than decision-making. The committee then considered Linda Wong’s nomination. HTA and Tokioka strongly supported her, citing her long community experience and familiarity with HTA work. Wong said the new advisory board was collaborative, had no conflicts so far, and was trying to balance resident concerns with attracting higher-value tourists. Senator Kim questioned her about the advisory structure, and Wong said she believed the Legislature had reduced HTA’s authority because of past conflicts but that the new board could help turn things around and possibly regain more authority in the future. The committee also heard testimony on Kimberly Algos and Terry Fisher. Algos was described by HTA and Tokioka as a strong leader and solid board member; Tokioka explained that she and another co-chair were selected because of their busy schedules and that the advisory board’s committees were created so members could contribute beyond the single statutory duty of selecting the chair, president, and CEO. Fisher was supported for his tour-operator experience and strategic planning work. In questioning, he endorsed performance-based contracting and accountability for contractors, while acknowledging that external events can affect results. He also said the convention center is critical infrastructure that should be repaired and used to help fill tourism lulls and attract major conferences. The hearing included supportive testimony from industry representatives, but no votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• . at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University and Nicole Rocha, a subject matter expert.
• So I'll defer to my expert witnesses to talk about what happened with the prior program.
• And I have my expert witness. And David Campos is coming. Okay. And so they're in the building?
• Experts use detailed modeling, comprehensive data collection, and long-term...
• Do we want scientific experts making this decision?

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills related to reproductive access, child safety online, immigration enforcement in schools, health privacy, location data, digital provenance, reparations, and age assurance. AB 54 would protect the medication abortion supply chain and shield providers and others from liability; AB 1137 would strengthen reporting and enforcement tools for child sexual abuse material on social media; AB 49 would limit ICE activity at California public schools; AB 82 would expand privacy and safety protections for gender-affirming care patients and providers; AB 1355 would restrict the collection, use, and sale of precise location data; AB 853 would expand provenance requirements for AI-generated and authentic content; AB 62 would create a pathway for restitution for racially biased eminent domain takings; and AB 1043 would create a device-based age assurance framework for online services. Supporters generally framed the bills as necessary responses to current harms: reproductive rights advocates emphasized California’s role as a safe haven; child safety witnesses described the persistence and re-victimization caused by CSAM online; immigrant rights and education advocates said schools should remain safe from immigration enforcement; health and LGBTQ+ advocates stressed privacy and safety risks tied to tracking and harassment; privacy and consumer groups backed limits on location data and stronger provenance tools; and reparations advocates said AB 62 would help address historic injustices. Opposition came from family policy, tech, business, law enforcement, and industry groups, who raised concerns about safety claims, constitutional issues, implementation burdens, transparency, law enforcement access, and the need to preserve existing privacy frameworks and voluntary standards. The committee members largely expressed support for the policy goals while noting implementation concerns on some measures. Several members asked for or were offered coauthor status on bills. AB 1137, AB 54, AB 49, AB 82, AB 1355, AB 853, and AB 62 all received do-pass votes to Appropriations, with some members voting no or not voting on certain bills. AB 1355 and AB 853 were advanced with amendments or ongoing work promised with opponents, and AB 1043 was presented with discussion of possible amendments on parental consent and age assurance details, though the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I appreciate the science experts.
• They are listening to the people who have experts who are expert in this, and um, that we are judicious
• They are listening to the people who have experts who are expert in this, and um, that we are judicious
• They are listening to the people who have experts who are expert in this, and um, that we are judicious
• Our literacy coalition and the experts in the field, so there isn't a question in there, but I would

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• and guide but in terms of expert and guide but in terms of deciding<00:32:00.760><c> whether</c><00:
• He admitted that neither the clinic he works for nor he were experts in this area, and they only later
• He said he is not an expert on whether these requirements are for the better or the worse for the ROI
• He admitted that neither the clinic he works for nor he were experts in this area, and they only later
• He said he is not an expert on whether these requirements are for the better or the worse for the ROI

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• audits, it establishes a work group, including key state elections stakeholders and national audit experts
• audits, it establishes a work group, including key state elections stakeholders and national audit experts
• As you've heard from my expert colleagues on this panel, this bipartisan bill would strengthen the election
• So, as you discovered, Mark Lindeman is the nation's preeminent expert on audits. Debatable.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Election Laws

Summary: The Committee on Election Laws held a hearing on election security bills, focusing first on S. 517 and H. 876, which would strengthen Massachusetts’ post-election audit process. Testimony from the Brennan Center, Common Cause Massachusetts, Verified Voting, and the League of Women Voters supported expanding audits to include all ballot types, increasing audit frequency from every four years to every two years, requiring statewide audit reports to be posted within 30 days and kept online for six years, and allowing municipalities to conduct audits under state standards. Witnesses also praised the bill’s creation of a work group to study risk-limiting audits and other improvements, emphasizing public confidence, transparency, and the ability of audits to detect errors or deter fraud. Committee members asked detailed questions about how Massachusetts compares with other states, how risk-limiting audits differ from current tabulation audits, how audits are selected and expanded if discrepancies appear, and what the costs and mechanics of different audit methods would be. Witnesses explained that current audits are typically random, hand-count-based checks of selected contests and batches of ballots, that risk-limiting audits use statistical sampling and can escalate to a full recount if needed, and that Massachusetts’ local-control structure makes a collaborative work group useful. They also noted that audits generally confirm results but can uncover errors that do not change outcomes, and occasionally more serious problems. The committee then heard testimony on H. 832, which would authorize the Secretary of the Commonwealth to take emergency actions affecting elections during declared emergencies. Supporters said the bill would create a clear statutory process for rescheduling or adjusting elections during severe weather or other crises, including allowing emergency absentee ballot accommodations for civilian responders, and would reduce the need for court intervention. No votes were taken on the bills during the hearing, and the meeting ended with adjournment after no additional testimony was offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we've gone from what they're doing is comparing AI's ability to do a task that a human expert would
• So they've said that a human expert could do a task that takes roughly 10 minutes. AI could do it.
• Having talked with industry experts and even representatives from the state chamber and the technology
• We did an interim study last year, so we heard from some youth health experts.

Bills: SB1670 , SB1716 , SB1521

Committee: Senate Technology and Telecommunications

Keywords: higher education, state regents, university research, technology transfer, intellectual property, patent ownership, royalty income, commercialization, startup companies, research partnerships, public universities, faculty inventions, student inventions, innovation policy, economic development, medical technology, biotechnology, energy technology, telecommunications, aerospace and defense

Transcript Highlights:

• authorizes a court to award a prevailing plaintiff reasonable attorney's fees, which could include expert
• authorizes a court to award a prevailing plaintiff reasonable attorney's fees that could include expert
• shared their feedback both through the testimony that we heard and offline, including 3D printing experts
• lethal as those made in a factory, and that's why we've worked so closely with hobbyists, 3D printing experts

Summary: The Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee met on February 4th and took executive action on five bills. Staff summarized House Bill 2255 on litigation finance, House Bill 2354 on Waukiawa and small common interest communities, House Bill 2595 on extending the time to bring post-conviction collateral attacks, House Bill 2320 on restricting certain 3D-printed and CNC-manufactured firearms and related code, and House Bill 2597 on civil remedies for constitutional violations during immigration enforcement. Members discussed each bill’s purpose and, in several cases, the committee heard support for transparency, reduced regulation for smaller communities, expanded access to justice, public safety concerns about untraceable firearms, and the need for remedies when constitutional rights are violated. The committee adopted an amendment to the proposed substitute for House Bill 2320, removing rebuttable presumption language related to intent to unlawfully distribute digital firearm manufacturing code or manufacture a firearm. Members also discussed the substitute versions of House Bills 2354 and 2597, which narrowed or clarified the original bills in various ways, including changes to audit thresholds, immunity language, attorney fee provisions, and the statute of limitations. No amendments were offered to House Bills 2255, 2354, or 2595. All four bills that reached final action were reported out of committee with a due pass recommendation: House Bill 2255 passed 12-1, House Bill 2354 passed 13-0, House Bill 2595 passed 8-5, House Bill 2320 passed 8-5 after the amendment was adopted, and House Bill 2597 passed 8-5. The chair then adjourned the meeting and thanked staff for their work.

Transcript Highlights:

• opportunity to learn and get to know Sergeant Dooley, the Florida Highway Patrol, one of the renowned experts
• opportunity to learn and get to know Sergeant Dooley, the Florida Highway Patrol, one of the renowned experts
• way and not just telling the story and the challenges that we have, but putting our subject matter experts
• way and not just telling the story and the challenges that we have, but putting our subject-matter experts

Committee: Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security

Summary: The committee heard two presentations on domestic security. Deputy Commissioner David Binder of FDLE described the state’s domestic security structure, including FDLE’s coordination role, the fusion center system, regional task forces, and private-sector infrastructure partnerships. He emphasized the Domestic Security Oversight Council’s grant-ranking process and warned that federal homeland security funding has dropped sharply over time, with possible future cuts threatening fusion center analysts and other capabilities. Binder also focused on emerging threats, especially drones and counter-UAS issues, noting current legal limits on mitigation authority, concerns about tethered drones and drone use near correctional facilities and military sites, and the need for a turnkey solution if state or federal authority expands. He also highlighted FDLE’s cataloging of critical infrastructure sites through Florida Kicker and the growth of trusted private partners. Director Dave Kerner of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles then outlined the Florida Highway Patrol’s role in domestic security. He paid tribute to a fallen sergeant and discussed FHP’s structure, criminal interdiction work, border integrity and trafficking enforcement, dispatch and communications, aviation and drone use, and immigration enforcement under 287(g). Kerner said troopers have seized large amounts of narcotics and currency this year and have arrested thousands of unlawful immigrants. He also described FHP’s involvement in operations such as Lone Star, Vigilant Sentry, and Faithful Service, and said the agency is working toward expanded counter-UAS authority through federal discussions and Sergeant Dooley’s testimony. Members expressed support for both agencies, discussed the dangers and potential benefits of drones, and the committee adjourned without objection after no public testimony was offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• Expert witnesses from both organizations are available to take your questions.
• Amy Smith, to provide her expert testimony on the impacts of these bills. Thank you. Thank you.
• But she is the expert on water use instead of me.
• One, are you the water expert that was referenced? No, I'm not. She's coming. Yeah.

Bills: SB840 , HB2025 , HB2512 , HB3139 , HB3798 , HB3892 , HB4373 , HB4398 , HB4582 , HB4689 , HB5187 , HB5658 , HB5666

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: HB 2025, Texas Property Code, plat filing, replat, amended plat, condominium plat, subdivision, county clerk, tax certificate, ad valorem taxes, delinquent taxes, property records, real property, land use, local government, property development, subdivision recording, condominium recording, tax receipt, eminent domain

Transcript Highlights:

• Experts in the field disagree on whether AGI has yet to be achieved, a point Experts in the field disagree
• But we also need expert witnesses, and Dr.
• I could think of a few people who are experts in this topic that I could recommend.
• Experts in education to come and talk to you.
• I'm not an expert in it, but folks that are..."

Committee: Joint Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Experts in the field disagree on whether AGI has yet to be achieved, a point Experts in the field disagree
• But we also need expert witnesses, and Dr.
• I could think of a few people who are experts in this topic. I could try to recommend.
• I could think of a few people who are experts in this topic that I could recommend.
• I'm not an expert in it, but folks that are... ...expert in it, but folks that are, things that I've

Summary: The committee held its first meeting on artificial intelligence and data centers, established a quorum, and heard introductory remarks from Majority Leader Hogue and the chair about the committee’s charge. Members said the goal was to build a factual foundation on AI, hear from experts and stakeholders, and develop practical North Dakota-focused recommendations rather than simply produce a large volume of bills. Legislative Council also reviewed interim committee rules and procedures before the informational presentations began. Staff and NCSL presenters then gave overviews of AI concepts and the state and federal policy landscape. The background memo and presentations covered AI categories and terms, state laws in areas such as consumer protection, algorithmic discrimination, deepfakes, chatbots, children’s safety, health, education, and government use, as well as data center siting and economic impacts. NCSL described a growing number of AI bills introduced and enacted across the states, with comprehensive laws in places like Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, and Illinois, and noted recurring issues around transparency, privacy, liability, and protections for minors. A major focus of the discussion was federal preemption and the tension between state regulation and national AI policy. NCSL said a recent White House executive order and related federal framework seek a light-touch, innovation-friendly national standard, with possible challenges to state laws and possible funding conditions tied to compliance, though no broad federal preemption has yet been enacted. Members asked about Commerce Clause concerns, industry pushback, oversight models, and whether AI policy is bipartisan; presenters said the issue cuts across party lines, with broad agreement on child safety and deepfake restrictions but more disagreement on broader regulatory approaches. No votes or formal actions were taken at the meeting, and the committee recessed briefly for technical issues during the second presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, examples of these services are court filing costs, processing server with the sheriff, even expert
• Um, examples of these services are court filing costs, processing server with the sheriff, even expert
• Um, examples of these services are court filing costs, processing server with the sheriff, even expert
• Non-legal experts in a case, uh, if they're working on a contingency, which we see that a lot.
• Um, examples of these services are court filing costs, processing server with the sheriff, even expert

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, again, um, there's a lot of information out there that's erroneous, and we have the experts that
• We heard from experts.
• We heard from experts. eight meetings. We heard from experts.
• We had expert testimonies.
• </c> basically have our staff be the experts basically have our staff be the experts and<01:14:38.239

Bills: HF3919 , HF3467 , HF3741

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:20:57.320><c> all</c> our case manager our compost expert all our case manager our compost expert
• The Board of Animal Health has subject matter experts, so they work with you to essentially tell you
• They're experts in it. They have the equipment.
• But those compost piles get built, and so the subject matter experts help you with that.
• Chair, and Senator, there may be an expert like Dr.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• There are many, many, many experts that talk about climate change and the real conversation ought to
• There are many, many, many experts that talk about climate change and the real conversation ought to
• There are many, many, many experts that talk about climate change and the real conversation ought to
• </c><00:31:19.240><c> are</c> climate that's not what experts are climate that's not what experts are
• </c><00:32:05.880><c> that</c> there are many many many experts that there are many many many experts

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and with that, I'm hoping that if I turn around my three subject matter experts, my plant industry
• She is our subject matter expert here today.
• </c><00:28:37.560><c> and</c> to our subject matter expert and to our subject matter expert and Jennifer
• You guys the experts. I really don't like do your job for you.
• You guys the experts. I What's the plan? You guys the experts.

Bills: HB389 , HB1166 , HB1510 , HB1541 , HB1605 , HB1661 , HB1663 , HB1678 , HB1769 , HB1785 , HB1801 , HB1802 , HB1815 , HB1824 , HB1838 , HB1840 , HB1853 , HB1860 , HB1891 , HB1952 , HB1960 , HB1969 , HB1970 , HB1972 , HB1976 , HB2050 , HB2094 , HB2104 , HB2158 , HB2165 , HB2171 , HB2208 , HB2246 , HB2271 , HB2300 , HB2310 , HB2315 , HB2319 , HB2338 , HB2339 , HB2343 , HB2443 , HB2498 , HB2551 , HB2599 , HB2606 , SB17 , SB83 , SB99 , SB148 , SB411 , SB709 , SB847 , SB874 , SB888 , SB1032 , SB1166 , SB2001 , SB2014 , SB2031 , SB2041 , SB2050 , SB2057 , SB2061 , SB2074 , SB2075 , SB2089 , SB2095 , SB2101 , SB2102 , SB2108 , SB2109 , SB2110 , SB2125 , SB2135 , SB2138 , SB2140 , SB2146 , SB2151 , SB2152 , SB2175 , SB2203 , SB2239 , SB2246 , SB2247 , SB2253 , SB2261 , SB2268 , SB2271 , SB2272 , SB2320 , SB2340 , SB2347 , SB2353 , SB2363 , SB2367 , SB2372 , SB2376 , SB2386

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we are starting to have discussions with experts to uncover the level of connectivity.
• I'm not an expert on how these protections happen, but yes.
• Well, I would say, one, you heard much on that front from subject matter experts earlier.
• Stewart, and we have subject matter experts in industry.
• But right now, we've not been successful in hiring expert witnesses, so all of our expert witnesses are

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• We engaged deeply with 40 early care and education providers as well as experts from the field, and then
• </c><00:01:06.240><c> from</c><00:01:06.479><c> the</c> providers as well as experts from the providers
• as well as experts from the field<00:01:07.520><c> and</c><00:01:07.760><c> then</c><00:01:08.080><c
• The board would be made up of providers, families, early care and education experts.
• </c><01:13:10.080><c> from</c> providers and families and experts from providers and families and experts