Transcript Highlights:

• There's even a greater need to continue enhancing the needs of our state highway system.
• We've got a lot of needs.
• And the study suggested that that assessment started $0.50 per capita and that that it be kept at a dollar
• needs.
• We need to get that's not what we're doing.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Through this need report, we are continually assessing our assets to identify our need.
• We need to projects need to be designed.
• :19:55.840> continually need report, we are continually need report, we are continually assessing
• our assets to identify our assessing our assets to identify our need.<00:20:00.080> Our<00:20
• We need better need different space.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• helping those who need mental health. helping those who need mental health.
• It's requiring that every municipality and county do a housing needs assessment and report to the Department
• Those housing needs assessments are starting to come in.
• It requires that every municipality and county do a housing needs assessment and report to the Department
• Those housing needs assessments are starting to come in.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:07:17.319> to academic preparation that they need to academic preparation that they need
• I'm just trying to get some clarification whether I need a laptop up here or not.
• <00:46:46.520> a some clarification whether I need a some clarification whether I need a laptop
• I'm looking at a study that was done at the University of Michigan.
• Need help with the FAFSA? Talk to Miss Wilkins in your guidance counseling office.'

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee received an informational presentation from the Office of Higher Education on college access efforts, with a focus on FAFSA outreach, the Get Ready program, and Direct Admissions Minnesota. Wendy Robinson said OHE’s role is to provide nonpartisan information, partner with K-12, colleges, and community groups, and use statewide programs to expand awareness of higher education options and financial aid. She highlighted outreach through brochures, virtual sessions, conferences, the State Fair, and events serving specific populations, as well as the Lumina-funded Connect College grant and the federally funded Get Ready program, which serves about 7,500 low-income students across 14 capacity-building schools and 28 additional schools with tutoring, college visits, application help, and financial aid support. A member asked for demographic data on Get Ready students, and staff said they would provide it later. Robinson also reviewed FAFSA outreach, noting that last year was especially difficult for students because of federal FAFSA problems. OHE’s Ready Set FAFSA sessions drew 1,300 unique registrations in October and 939 in January, and the agency continued training K-12 and college staff on state aid programs, FAFSA simplification, and implementation of North Star Promise. OHE said it also held FAFSA completion events with partners, including at the State Fair, and planned another financial aid event in Duluth. The bulk of the presentation covered Direct Admissions Minnesota. Robinson said the program is now in its fourth year, with 55 participating colleges and universities and 182 participating high schools in the third cohort, serving just over 32,000 students. She described the program as a broad, collaborative model that sends students letters listing colleges that would admit them based on junior-year performance, while preserving student choice and waiving application fees for participating schools. She said the program is intended to reduce anxiety about admissions, encourage FAFSA completion, and keep more Minnesota students in-state. Robinson previewed second-year data showing continued positive outcomes, including higher FAFSA completion, increased college enrollment, and more students staying in Minnesota. Participation increased among students eligible for free and reduced lunch, rising from 21% in the first year to 40% in the second year. She noted a continuing concern about American Indian and Alaska Native students, whose FAFSA completion declined and whose participation numbers were lower in the newest cohort, and said the agency would continue to study that data. She also said some of the increase in free-and-reduced-lunch participation may reflect the impact of North Star Promise and related financial aid messaging. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• The COLA study required by the needs.
• No need to introduce back up.
• Meanwhile, day in and day out, we continue to meet with clients, assess their needs, and provide them
• c> need to have a part-time job and I need need to have a part-time job and I need to<01:31:56.560>
• Why we need the federal number. Why we need the federal identification<01:50:39.360> number?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That was one study. not three studies, but EdChoice counts it as three studies because it contained sites
• But that study was a three-year study. year study, I mean, they said that the scores had evened out,
• needs.
• We need to just need to be putting that money where it's needed the most.
• A recent study showed 50% of students in the U.S. are in need of a second job. 82% of teachers work a

Bills: HB3, HB3

Keywords: education savings account, educational expenses, certified educational assistance organization, school choice, funding, special education, tuition reimbursement, emergency communication, public safety, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, grant program, emergency communications, public safety radio, first responders, radio system, dispatch, 911, emergency management, Texas Division of Emergency Management

Transcript Highlights:

• and we um many times I I haven't studied and we um many times I I haven't studied this<00:14:52.040
• Chair, it extrapolated to over a billion dollars because that original study only studied a segment of
• Chair, it extrapolated to over a billion dollars because that original study only studied a segment of
• Chair, it extrapolated to over a billion dollars because that original study only studied a segment of
• ><00:36:28.560> move a area that we need to we need to move a area that we need to we need to

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So both of our two case studies of late, and the ones that we are looking at presently, the assessed
• I want to give a quick case study.
• we need to act quickly.
• we need to act quickly.
• they you need to know the number. Sure. they you need to know the number. Sure.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• because really I mean the fourth mill needs to be assessed and I think that for me is the real sticking
• point is we haven't assessed a fourth mill and because we haven't assessed the fourth mill there's a
• mill needs to be assessed<00:37:26.960> and<00:37:27.119> and<00:37:27.440> I<00
• mill we haven't assessed the fourth mill we haven't assessed the fourth mill there's<00:37:34.640
• Wyoming to assess four mills up to five. And so to assess four mills up to five.

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee met to consider amendments to House Bill 111. It first adopted amendment number one without objection. Members then discussed a Senate amendment related to a $750,000 state match for the Central Wyoming College Jackson project, with Senator Laursen explaining the request as a way to leverage local fundraising for the final phase of the project. He said the project had been underway since 2018, that the building was nearing completion, and that the amendment was intended to encourage a local fundraising campaign rather than wait for a later appropriation. Representative Lien questioned whether the funding had gone through the usual approval process, and other members raised concerns about bypassing standard procedures, while Laursen argued the request was consistent with prior late-stage project adjustments and reflected local skin in the game. The discussion also covered a Senate amendment concerning University of Wyoming land use, specifically whether language should remain requiring open space or allow trustees more flexibility to decide between open space and parking. One member moved to delete the Senate amendment and reinsert the stricken language, but after discussion the motion was withdrawn so the committee could consider all amendments together. Members noted that the university had already been discussing the plan and that the language change would not necessarily alter the trustees’ authority, though it might protect the university. The committee then turned to a Gillette College/Enzi building amendment. Senator Driscoll said the proposal was his own and not requested by the college, and Janelle Overberlander, founding president of Gillette Community College District, testified about the history of the project, including the 2021 separation from the Northern Wyoming Community College District, prior planning for a STEM building, and the later decision to revive the project as an academic building honoring Senator Enzi. She said the building is intended to address lab space needs and support industry partners, including companies expected to bring jobs to Campbell County. Driscoll explained that the amendment would provide a dollar-for-dollar match for non-state money and require Gillette College to move to a four-mill levy, which he said would eventually make the college a net contributor to the system. The committee continued discussing the amendment and its long-term fiscal effects, but no final vote on the later amendments is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Their needs, their treatment needs are the same. Thank you. And now to the Penal Code...
• It shows up on the assessment.
• , a greater need there.
• , a greater need there.
• once our study was complete.

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on Proposition 36 and its implementation, with judicial and budget officials describing it as a major shift from misdemeanor to felony processing for repeat drug possession and certain theft offenses. Witnesses explained that the law creates a treatment-mandated felony process that can lead to dismissal if a defendant completes treatment, but also requires evaluations, court monitoring, and potentially long, open-ended supervision. Judicial representatives said the new law is already generating large numbers of filings, creating workload, staffing, courtroom, and facility pressures, and that access to treatment beds, housing, and evaluation capacity is limiting participation. Several speakers emphasized that collaborative courts are effective but are not a perfect fit for Prop. 36 because those programs are typically probation-based and serve different risk/need populations. Court officials from San Bernardino and Orange counties said the impacts vary by county but are severe, with some counties seeing hundreds or more filings in a short period and others moving more slowly to build treatment infrastructure first. They argued that Prop. 36 is effectively an unfunded mandate unless the state provides more resources for judges, staff, facilities, treatment, housing, and supervision. The Legislative Analyst’s Office noted that Prop. 36 will reduce the Proposition 47 savings that fund mental health and substance use treatment grants, but said the near-term reduction is relatively modest and that the full effect will take time to appear because of the way those savings are calculated. Members of the committee repeatedly raised concerns that the state is underfunding the courts and counties needed to carry out the new law. The committee also reviewed the Governor’s proposed trial court operations budget, including a partial restoration of a prior $97 million cut and additional ongoing funding. Judicial branch officials said the restoration helped avoid furloughs, hiring freezes, and service reductions, and supported cybersecurity, technology, staffing, and records management. The LAO recommended that the Legislature seek more detail on how midyear restorations are handled and consider clarifying language for transferring unspent trial court trust fund monies to the General Fund. Finance said the flexibility in the ongoing funding was intentional and would be taken back for consideration. In a separate item, the committee heard testimony on a $6.3 million increase for Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal appointed counsel programs. Judicial officials and appellate project representatives said the system is facing a crisis because indigent appeals have risen sharply while the number of panel attorneys has fallen, leaving many cases waiting months for counsel. They argued the proposed increase would help but is still below what is needed to recruit and retain attorneys and prevent delays that affect criminal, juvenile, and child welfare cases. The committee also discussed the Tracy courthouse project in San Joaquin County, where local officials said reopening a courthouse closed since 2011 is necessary to serve a growing population and relieve overcrowding elsewhere. The LAO and Finance both noted the project is next in line under the facilities plan, though LAO suggested the Legislature could consider whether other facility priorities should come first.

Transcript Highlights:

• We might not need to reduce that 10%.
• , two to three studies.
• However, this is what the studies do.
• And often when we hear studies, we're like, oh, we're just paying for a study.
• So we also don't believe that DNR needs this legislation. ...by this.

Summary: The committee met in public hearing on Senate Bill 1586, sponsored by Sen. Ben Brown, which would address abandoned, ownerless landfills in Missouri. Brown described the bill as a response to a constituent who discovered contamination near property in Franklin County, and said the measure had evolved through multiple versions. He explained that the bill would give the Department of Natural Resources clearer authority over ownerless landfill sites, direct 10% of tipping fees from solid waste districts toward assessment, investigation, testing, remediation, and management of those sites, create an interim committee for further study, and tighten seller disclosure requirements to require written, dated notice by mail. Brown said the state has 29 such sites and argued that counties and DNR lack the resources to study or clean them up. Support testimony came from Marisa Grosoccoe, dean of engineering at the University of Missouri, who said the bill provides both a regulatory framework and a steady funding stream, and that environmental studies are a necessary first step to determine the scope and cost of cleanup and potentially return contaminated land to productive use. She said the funding would likely support only a few studies per year, but would reduce uncertainty and help unlock other funding sources. Opposition came from representatives of solid waste districts, including Chris Bussin and Diana Bryant, who argued the districts already perform important recycling, household hazardous waste, and grant administration work, and that the proposed diversion of tipping fees would reduce funding for those programs. They said the districts are already tightly regulated, that the abandoned landfill issue has been known for years, and that DNR already has authority to act. Lacey Miller, speaking for informational purposes, said the districts support local recycling and community programs, especially in small counties and schools, and warned that consolidation or funding cuts would hurt local services. No vote was taken; the hearing on Senate Bill 1586 was concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need that to support the United...
• We need to tell the stories of what the impacts are when we cut clinical trials.
• We need it at this point. Next, we'll have Mary Halterman from the Department of Finance.
• Simply put, these assaults on children need to stop.
• How would you assess where we are really financially in this, if you're looking back?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I don't think we need to study helping the people.
• We don't need to interim study it. We can pass this right now.
• need to study helping I don't think we need to study helping the<02:34:32.240> people.
• We can bring an need to in study it.
• We can We don't need to intro study it.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , Information Technology Staffing and Capability Assessment, Independent Study, favorable. >> Recognizing
• that includes an assessment of information technology and cyber security staffing needs across principal
• Study, favorable. Study, favorable.
• the bill is needed. the bill is needed.
• Because I don't think we need to do studies.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Monday, April 13, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened on the final day of session, heard an invocation, recognized guests and pages, and outlined a tentative plan for multiple sessions and breaks through the day. The chamber then took up several messages between the Senate and House, including a refusal to concur in House amendments to Senate Bill 311 on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and the appointment of conferees, as well as a House message on House Bill 9007 establishing a conference committee on third-degree assault. The Senate also considered a series of second-reader bills. House Bill 6, requiring MHEC to collect data on pregnant and parenting students, was amended to exempt Maryland Global Campus and limit certain provisions to public senior higher education institutions and community colleges before being ordered to third reading. House Bill 182, concerning replacement of faithless electors, was amended to conform with Senate Bill 237 and then passed. House Bill 575, creating excused absences for student civic engagement, drew the most discussion; senators asked about the definition of civic engagement, county discretion, and whether students could use the bill for repeated protests. The floor leader explained that county boards would retain discretion and that the bill would not require weekly absences. The bill’s two amendments were adopted and it was sent to third reading. Additional measures passed with little or no opposition. House Bill 640 revised boards, commissions, and reporting requirements; House Bill 1335 required an independent study of IT and cybersecurity staffing and pay; House Bill 587 created a work group to review transportation procurement procedures; House Bill 854 established a nonpublic special education school renovation program; and House Bill 898 adjusted economic development provisions, including VLT proceeds and film tax credit language, after questions about the general fund impact. The Senate also advanced House Bill 1247 on Prince George’s County tax increment financing for an immersive entertainment venue, with amendments making it an emergency bill and addressing zoning and outdoor advertising issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• They all agree that our current approach needs to change.
• Yeah, this isn't a study bill.
• We need a comprehensive approach for the state, and... ...bullet for our housing crisis, we need a comprehensive
• You know, all of that needs to be taken into consideration.
• I do believe we need to build more.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It mandates also a comprehensive statewide study on barriers.
• Are those same districts going to be hiring, supervising, and studying... ...programs?
• You don't need an individual's home address.
• They need protection as well. And with that, I would ask for your favorable support.
• They need protection as well. And with that, I would ask for your favorable support.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and moments of silence, including tributes to those affected by the Florida State University shooting and recognition of Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, John Thrasher, student advocacy groups, conservation organizations, and visiting school groups. Members also adopted Senate Resolution 1878 honoring Coach Abdur-Rahim. The chamber then moved into special order business and considered a series of bills, many of them with House companions substituted in and passed by wide margins or unanimously. Among the measures passed were bills updating child care and early learning provider regulation, imposing costs on false swatting reports, extending protections against extraordinary hospital collection actions, expanding hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren, creating young adult housing support for foster and homeless students, clarifying school choice disclosure requirements under the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, adjusting interest rules for trust accounts supporting legal aid, revising transportation and traffic enforcement provisions, expanding public records exemptions for certain judicial and health care investigators and appellate clerks, changing municipal water and sewer utility rates in Miami-Dade, strengthening motor vehicle offenses involving impersonation and obscured plates, increasing trespass penalties at certain law-enforcement-controlled sites and large ticketed events, requiring refunds of patient overpayments, authorizing certain stem cell therapies, allowing relatives and direct support professionals to administer insulin in group homes, addressing rideshare impersonation and transit funding rules, and updating the Uniform Commercial Code for digital assets and emerging technologies. Several bills drew notable debate. The trust fund interest bill prompted extended discussion over legal aid funding, bank participation, and whether the measure would reduce support for legal services; it ultimately passed 28-10. The transportation bill was heavily amended, including removal of speed-limit increases and changes to school bus camera enforcement and micromobility rules, and passed 37-0. The Miami-Dade water and sewer rate bill sparked debate over fairness, fiscal impact, and accusations of racism, but passed 36-2. Public records bills protecting agency investigators and JQC employees also drew questions about accountability and transparency before passing. Most other measures passed with little or no opposition, and a few bills were temporarily postponed or set aside.

Transcript Highlights:

• who assesses that, but do an extra study.
• who assesses that, but do an extra study.
• who assesses that, but do an extra study.
• who assesses that, but do an extra study.
• > uh think we need to study uh before we uh think we need to study uh before we uh announce<06

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My colleague Dan Meyer and I studied what happened in the state of Wisconsin when the interest rate assessed
• One of the things that we... addressed in our couple of studies was this idea that high interest rates
• That's what we assessed. If you want a figure, I can give you that figure. ...that on hand here.
• We feel that these judges, more than just probate court judges, need this type of training.
• I need somebody to help me."

Bills: SB629, SB1015, SB2501, SB2933

Keywords: child support, interest accrual, family law, delinquency, financial judgment, statutory probate courts, probate court fees, judicial fund, county reimbursement, comptroller, Texas Government Code, Local Government Code, court fees, fee allocation, excess contributions, judicial education and support fund, presiding judge salary, county finance, court administration, Texas judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• But as an individual judge, I need to manage my case.
• We also use this data in a really for assessment of judicial need that I mentioned the Supreme Court
• record need.
• I think whatever we're doing, we need to be consistent and we need to make sure all people are represented
• If they're assessing their needs to be completed at their strain and needs to be completed by the staff

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , different needs by the grower community, different need by the policy makers.
• There's a separate study in FIU looking at There's a separate study in FIU looking at flood-prone regions
• will need to access that data.
• Created, the more data that needs to be accessed, I think the more power that we will need to access
• Definitely going to need help answering, or definitely need help pronouncing names for a while, so I'll

Summary: The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee met to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in emergency management and related public-safety applications. The panel included the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the University of Florida, and Florida International University. FDEM described current uses of AI for invoice anomaly detection, automated situation report drafting, and data synthesis in WebEOC, emphasizing that AI is used to speed analysis and improve efficiency but not to replace human decision-making. The agency also said counties retain access through backup communications such as Starlink and generators, and that WebEOC provides shared visibility, archived documentation, and a common operating picture across all 67 counties. University of Florida representatives highlighted Beacon, an AI-enabled public safety audio service developed with FDEM and public media partners to distribute official alerts across multiple platforms, including mobile devices and digital streams. UF IFAS described a geospatial AI “Gaia bot” that turns satellite data into natural-language answers and maps for crop damage assessment and flood-risk mapping, with a focus on making complex Earth-observation data more accessible to growers and policymakers. FIU presented AI models that predict water levels and flood mitigation settings much faster than traditional simulation tools, with comparable or better accuracy, and said the work includes explainability features and broader research on compound flooding. Members asked extensive questions about storm surge, hallucinations, whether generative AI or large language models were being used, data vetting, and hardware needs. The witnesses repeatedly stressed that their systems are not autonomous, that human review remains central, and that the models used are primarily data-driven predictive tools rather than chatbot-style generative AI. The meeting ended with thanks to the panelists and an announcement that the committee’s policy chief was leaving for another position. Representative Mooney then moved that the committee rise, and the meeting adjourned.