Transcript Highlights:

• departments to make expenditures for educational and training supplies and fire prevention promotional materials
• departments to make an expenditure for educational and training supplies and fire prevention promotional materials
• Ingrossed committee substitute for committee substitute for house. materials.
• departments to make expenditures for educational and training supplies and fire prevention promotional materials

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate reconvened, returned to the third order of business, and took up House amendments to Senate Bill 155 on adjunct teaching permits. The Senate adopted its amendment, which created an exception so a criminal history check would not be required every year and was described as giving county boards another tool to fill vacancies, especially in shortage areas. The Senate then concurred in the House amendment as amended and passed SB 155 by a vote of 33 yeas, 0 nays, with one member absent and not voting. The chamber then received a series of committee reports advancing House bills on a wide range of topics, including economic development, education, finance, energy, health and human resources, and the judiciary. Measures reported favorably included bills creating Team West Virginia Corporation and the West Virginia Collaboratory, the Foster Youth Post-Secondary Transition Awareness Act, business-ready site programs, volunteer fire company allowances, extending qualified opportunity zones, natural resource police retirement, school transfer eligibility, the West Virginia Load Forecast Accountability Act, oil and gas well plugging requirements, PEIA treatment flexibility, PANS/PANDAS, ALS care services, abuse prevention, the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, peer support services, tax lien sales, the Neighborhood Investment Program, bonds for the West Virginia Science and Culture Center, a comprehensive energy development policy plan, TANF applicant drug screening, and child protection commissioners. Most of these bills were taken up for immediate consideration, read a first time, and advanced. One bill, House Bill 5381 on a comprehensive energy development policy and plan, was also referred to the Committee on Rules. The Senate then moved to adjourn until the next day at 11 a.m., after announcements of upcoming committee meetings, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:25:42.400> would our in our materials here today. would our in our materials here today
• I'm going to provided some materials.
• So that's a material contribution that.
• <01:54:04.080> but IT budgets so it's not very material but IT budgets so it's not very material
• because they're not again very material because they're not again very material um<01:54:15.119>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• benefit of the committee I think there could be a broad agreement on tax incentives for those that use materials
• /c><00:04:57.240> use tax incentives for those that use tax incentives for those that use materials
• > would<00:04:59.000> harden<00:04:59.600> their<00:04:59.840> homes materials
• that would harden their homes materials that would harden their homes and<00:05:00.360> other
• :05:22.960> sales That a tax break, maybe eliminating sales tax or reducing sales tax for materials

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 4223 was presented as an appropriation to implement and jump-start the Strengthening Our Homes program enacted in 2023. Rep. Elkins said the goal is to help homeowners strengthen roofs using standards promoted by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, citing other states such as Alabama as examples where hardened homes performed better in major storms. He emphasized rising homeowners insurance costs, especially for affordable apartments, older condo buildings, and seniors on fixed or limited incomes, and said the grants would help people who may not have the upfront cash to make improvements. Committee members generally supported the concept, describing it as a way to reduce storm damage and lower insurance premiums. One member highlighted that the income threshold for grant eligibility could reach a large share of Minnesota homeowners and potentially harden nearly a million homes, while another noted the program’s focus on lower-income households. A Commerce Committee discussion was referenced in which an alternative approach was raised: tax incentives, including possible sales tax relief, for materials and labor used to harden homes against hail and other weather risks. Rep. Elkins responded that labor is an important part of the cost and that many potential beneficiaries are seniors with little taxable income, making a grant program more practical than a tax-based incentive. Another member agreed the upfront cost is a major barrier and said the grant design appears thoughtful. No vote was taken; the bill was laid over for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the Delaware County RMA from issuing oil rig permits for vehicles transporting hazardous materials
• The other issue is dealing with hazardous materials.
• to ensure that we keep proper oversight of all corridors, especially those that carry hazardous materials
• An 80,000-pound truck is normal; they can travel anywhere they want to, even with hazardous materials
• Exporting oversized materials through designated corridors provides the most direct route from the...

Bills: HB2026, HB2427, HB2455, HB2560, HB3510, HB3966, HB3986, HB4429, HB5436, SB3062

Keywords: memorial highway, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, Archer County, highway designation, vehicle weight, ports of entry, Texas Transportation Code, truck regulations, load limits, Adopt-a-County Road, funding, road maintenance, county partnership, public recognition, memorial designation, highway, Sergeant Mark Butler, transportation, Brazos County

Transcript Highlights:

• should develop a comprehensive plan by 2026 that identifies recycling goals based on sustainable materials
• recommendations for a possible reinstatement; and develop and promote plans for markets for recycling materials
• should develop a comprehensive plan by 2026 that identifies recycling goals based on sustainable materials
• will help Florida move toward reducing the overall amount of waste produced through diversion of materials
• will help Florida move towards reducing the overall amount of waste produced through diversion of materials

Summary: The Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee met to consider three bills before moving to its budget presentation. HB 843, relating to Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trust funds, was explained as a set of clarifying changes to improve budget flexibility, including use of certain trust funds for law enforcement and other conservation-related purposes. After questions about whether the bill would shift resources away from conservation, an amendment removed the sections dealing with the Administrative Trust Fund and the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund. The amended bill received support in public testimony and was reported favorably. The committee then heard HB 295, which directs the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan by 2026 based on prior recycling recommendations. Supporters, including students involved in an “Ought to Be a Law” program and representatives from the waste and recycling industry, said the bill would create a roadmap for improving recycling and waste diversion. An opponent argued the state should instead enact more direct statutory changes on issues such as food waste, yard waste, and manure handling rather than study them further. Members praised the student participation and the bill passed. HB 339, creating a temporary alternative credentialing pathway for surveyors and mappers, was presented as a response to workforce shortages and an aging profession. The sponsor said the bill would help meet demand while preserving oversight, and an amendment added a four-year work requirement and adjusted renewal provisions. After brief supportive debate, the amended bill passed. The subcommittee then received its Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget proposal, which emphasized spending reductions, vacant-position cuts, and a smaller overall budget than the current year while still funding water resources, Everglades restoration, resiliency, land management, cleanup programs, agriculture facilities, and other projects. Members closed by thanking the chair for an inclusive budget process, and the meeting adjourned after a motion to rise.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:03:39.839> direct<01:03:40.240> admissions as College material direct admissions
• Some of those students are college material and completely unaware of their options.
• My brother doesn't see himself as college material and has chosen to quit the whole process.
• but it will who is college material but it will create<01:21:40.600> a<01:21:40.760> path<
• are college material are college material we<01:25:25.800> can<01:25:26.000> address

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We would harvest wild material from the field, gather that in a laboratory for rearing, and we'd start
• from those locations and merge those with wild-type material to update the genetics and create a...
• ...material from those locations and merge those with wild-type material to update the genetics and create
• What we're seeing right now is the exploding material at the top of this... As a sort of a volcano.
• The challenge is that that's... ...and materials can accommodate the Novo Fly.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, it's always fun for me to put the materials together because I get to do some deep dives into the
• them once is not enough; we want to see them constantly and be that resource for them, providing materials
• support is to put those resources into support is to put those resources into classrooms, providing materials
• These materials bring the tools and the storylines that really bring science to life for those bring

Bills: HB447, HB447

Keywords: HB447, school buses, student transportation, public schools, local boards of education, dual enrollment, career technical education, CTE, community college, trade school, technical college, offsite educational venues, student access, transportation policy, school bus law, Alabama education law, Montgomery County, probate court, judge of probate, will registration

Transcript Highlights:

• So the bid is when we say lump sum, that is labor and materials.
• So the bid is, when we say lump sum, that is labor and materials.
• So the bid is, when we say lump sum, that is labor and materials.
• For this upcoming bond, the estimated sales tax cost on just the materials is over $175,000.
• Like, you can twist it around, but it's literally twice in our materials in front of us today.

Bills: HF1698, HF632, HF1352, HF2197, HF618, HF1248, HF1697

Keywords: property tax, exemption, leased land, public use, commercial property, HF632, Minnesota property tax, conservation easement, conservation restriction, assessed value, property valuation, tax assessment, real property, land conservation, farmland preservation, natural areas, riparian buffer, water quality, water quantity, county assessor

Transcript Highlights:

• companies cannot claim to represent a restaurant or process its orders without the restaurant's explicit
• showing up to do an audit, you know, and an enforcement process like, we're going to confiscate your materials
• process like we're going to confiscate process like we're going to confiscate your<04:23:40.960> materials
• your materials, um, type of thing. your materials, um, type of thing.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed a budget-related issue involving liquor commission enforcement staff and tobacco enforcement funding. A member explained that proposed cuts to “group two” enforcement positions at the liquor commission could jeopardize the tobacco enforcement money that flows to Health and Human Services, and expressed confidence that the enforcement division would ultimately be preserved. The main hearing was on Senate Bill 19, which would modernize hotel and motel statutes by repealing outdated requirements. The sponsor and the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association said the bill would remove obsolete rules such as the old guest book/card system and antiquated posting requirements for room rates and motel signs. Members questioned whether the bill would eliminate the requirement to record guest departure dates or affect inspection rights, and the witnesses said the intent was only to remove the book-and-card reference while leaving the rest of the recordkeeping requirement in place. Supporters argued the rate-posting rules are widely ignored, hard to enforce, and outdated in an era of digital reservations and variable pricing; the committee also discussed whether any consumer-protection purpose remained. The public hearing on SB 19 was then closed. The committee then heard Senate Bill 280FN, which would require food delivery services to have an agreement with a restaurant or food retail store before offering delivery from that business. The sponsor said the bill restores a prior law that had sunset and was intended to prevent third-party platforms from listing restaurants without consent. Restaurant industry testimony strongly supported the bill, describing problems with unauthorized listings, delayed deliveries, and reimbursement disputes, and saying the agreement requirement protects restaurant brands and consumer expectations. Members shared examples of delivery problems and voiced support for reinstating the safeguard.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:09.920> the providing on construction materials the providing on construction materials
• By providing a refundable sales tax, sales and use tax exemption on construction materials, this bill
• <00:04:55.080> this exemption on construction materials this exemption on construction materials
• This bill would give a construction material sales tax exemption for the city of Maple Grove.
• This bill would give a construction material sales tax exemption for the city of Maple Grove.

Bills: HF1833, HF148, HF1127, HF1227, HF1681, HF1974, HF1106, HF1016, HF2197

Keywords: sales tax, education funding, construction, Aitkin Public Schools, tax exemption, refundable credit, HF148, use of force training, deadly force, peace officer training, police training, law enforcement, POST Board, Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, scenario-based training, de-escalation, defensive tactics, force-on-force training, stress management, officer wellness

Transcript Highlights:

• Transportation hazardous materials emergency preparedness grant.
• What we're looking at here is hazardous materials awareness and operations.
• It's expressly for hazardous materials mitigation and education.
• hazardous material related courses.
• Materials are going up, rates are going up.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 210; 22 January, 2026: 1:30 PM, 925, all

Summary: The meeting began with a budget presentation from the insurance commissioner’s office. The commissioner said most of the request was for personnel costs, including an increase above LBO and two additional IT positions tied to a possible conversion to a state-based system and cybersecurity needs. The office also discussed travel costs, contractual expenses, vehicle replacement, and hurricane mitigation funds, noting that some funds are in trust accounts and require legislative authority to spend. The commissioner also briefed members on possible policy changes affecting the ACA exchange and a proposed low-cost plan for the high-risk pool, warning that if coverage options are not developed, more people could shift into uncompensated care. Members asked about the budget request, the IT positions, and a constituent question about propane meter regulation, which the commissioner said falls under the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, though his office sometimes checks related issues informally. The committee then moved to the State Fire Academy hearing. The academy director described a workforce stabilization proposal focused on retaining and recruiting fire instructors, citing competition from local fire departments that pay more, a shrinking applicant pool, and a growing number of retirement-eligible staff. He said the academy’s instructors are being recruited away by municipalities, that recent applicant pools have produced very few qualified candidates, and that the academy may soon have to cut advanced courses if staffing does not improve. He referenced a State Personnel Board review that supported the need for compensation changes and said the academy is trying to remain competitive while continuing to train firefighters, hazmat responders, EMS personnel, and fire officers statewide. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken in the portion provided. Members mainly asked questions, requested written follow-up on some budget items, and indicated they would work with the agencies later in the session if pending bills or funding needs changed.

Transcript Highlights:

• These teams respond to really critical hazardous materials incidents.
• These teams respond to really critical hazardous materials incidents.
• These teams respond to really critical hazardous materials incidents.
• These teams respond to really critical hazardous materials incidents.
• <00:21:58.919> that<00:21:59.000> is sexual abuse material that is sexual abuse material

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• makes any materially false, fictitious or<00:09:32.880> fraudulent<00:09:33.360> statement
• <00:09:38.320> false,<00:09:38.720> fictitious<00:09:39.519> or materially false
• , fictitious or materially false, fictitious or fraudulent<00:09:40.399> statement<00:09:40.640
• all their materials to the county clerk. all their materials to the county clerk.
• Um, and again, I don't want to belabor that; you have it in your materials from November.

Bills: SF0028, SF0030, SF0031, SF0032

Keywords: voting, elections, electronic voting systems, transparency, public testing, voter registration, qualified elector, residency requirements, voting rights, mortgage modification, priority, electronic signatures, real property, financial covenants, 911 services, emergency response, grant funding, next generation technology, government accountability, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• However, in adaptive reuse projects, 70% of the cost is labor and 30% is material.
• We are reusing material.
• We are reusing material. When you labor. We are reusing material.
• <00:33:07.039> We're the cost goes to material. We're the cost goes to material.
• But I sustainability, reusing material.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , you want to use of child substance abuse material.
• is available and accessible to ...or court-controlled locations while ensuring that the material is
• So when it's known child sexual abuse material, that hash is already identified.
• The fear of what we're discussing is when new child sexual abuse material is produced.
• So depending on the totality of the case, this material is already known.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety and criminal justice bills. AB 837 by Assemblymember Davies would add ketamine transportation to existing drug trafficking law; supporters, including district attorneys and peace officer groups, said it would address a growing and dangerous drug trend, while opponents argued increased penalties do not reduce drug supply and can worsen health harms. The bill was approved on a due-pass-as-amended vote and sent to Appropriations. AB 352 by Assemblymember Pacheco would make threats against judges and court commissioners an aggravating factor in sentencing; judicial and law enforcement groups supported it as a response to rising threats, while ACLU and criminal justice advocates said existing law already covers threats and the bill is unnecessary. It also passed to Appropriations. The committee then took up AB 938 by Assemblymember Bonta, which expands vacatur and affirmative-defense relief for survivors of human trafficking, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence, including for some violent offenses. Survivors and advocates testified that the bill would allow people coerced into crimes to tell their full stories and seek relief, while district attorneys and sheriffs warned it could sweep too broadly and affect public safety. The chair and several members strongly supported the measure, and it passed as amended to Appropriations. AB 475 by Assemblymember Wilson would make prison work assignments voluntary and is tied to a broader effort to remove involuntary servitude language from the state constitution; supporters framed it as a rehabilitation and dignity issue, while one member objected to the premise and cited the defeat of a related ballot measure. The bill was voted out to Appropriations but left on call pending additional votes. Assemblymember Lowenthal presented AB 704, which would allow people convicted of low-level offenses before age 26 to petition to seal and destroy records after a waiting period. Supporters said the bill addresses the limits of expungement in the digital age and recognizes young adult brain development; prosecutors and police groups raised Brady/disclosure concerns and objected to treating 18- to 25-year-olds like children. The committee debated those issues at length before sending the bill to Appropriations. Lowenthal also presented AB 812, which would expand resentencing opportunities for incarcerated firefighters who serve on conservation fire crews; supporters emphasized rehabilitation, wildfire response, and reduced recidivism, and the hearing continued with support testimony and the start of opposition testimony as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• from this uh event into that material from this uh event into that landfill<00:28:16.279> he<
• I'm just an old coal miner, and I know what moving material costs are, especially in this day and age
• I'm just an old coal miner, and I know what moving material costs are, especially in this day and age
• I'm just an old coal miner, and I know what moving material costs are, especially in this day and age
• The estimate was about 41,000 cubic yards of material, and that's just the spot checks that are just

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Senate Roll Call 00:00:00 House Roll Call 00:00:10 Discussion of Recent Disaster 00:01:18 House Adjourned 00:42:28 SB 218 Discussion 00:43:00 SB 218 Vote 00:46:46 SB 186 Discussion 00:47:22:00, 958, all

Summary: The concurrent House-Senate meeting opened with a roll call and then received a briefing from Kentucky Emergency Management and the Transportation Cabinet on the February storms and flooding. Officials described the event as ongoing and statewide in scope, beginning in western counties and then heavily affecting Eastern Kentucky, including major impacts in Perry, Letcher, Clay, Bell, Martin, Pike, and other counties. They reported widespread power and water outages, nearly 600 people initially sheltered, more than 1,500 water rescues, over 250 National Guard members activated, and substantial mutual aid from other states and FEMA. They also said 73 counties had declared emergencies, 23 fatalities had been confirmed at that point, and individual assistance had already distributed $5.5 million to residents after the federal declaration was signed. The administration emphasized that recovery needs were still being assessed but were already significant. Kentucky Emergency Management said public assistance estimates were about $58 million and rising, with about 2,005 homes and 272 businesses inspected so far. Debris removal was identified as a major issue, and officials said they had requested Category A federal assistance for debris in four counties while continuing to seek more as assessments continued. They also noted that disaster recovery centers were opening and that teams were going door to door in affected areas. On transportation, KYTC reported 39 counties affected, a peak of 355 road closures reduced to 49, 18 damaged bridges, 94 bridges with debris on them, and 579 roadway damages, while continuing to clear roads and move supplies such as water, food, blankets, and heaters. Secretary Hicks then asked lawmakers to consider additional funding mechanisms. He said the current $50 million emergency cap in the budget was likely to be exhausted, with $21.5 million already allocated, and proposed either lifting the cap or creating a new “safe fund” for this disaster, similar to prior funds used after the western Kentucky tornadoes and the 2022 eastern Kentucky floods. He said the state could redirect about $25 million from an unused western Kentucky economic development allocation and about $20 million from an eastern Kentucky transportation allocation, for a total of $45 million, to help with this response. Members and officials also discussed debris disposal, with the Pike County landfill expansion identified as a possible site to receive some of the debris and reduce costs. Representative Fugate thanked the agencies for their response and described severe local impacts, including water outages, road slides, damaged water treatment plants, and heavy debris in homes and driveways.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, that material breach really covers quite a bit of things.
• Those types of things. into the material breach. into the material breach.
• <01:08:46.160> breach<01:08:46.560> really Uh and so, that material breach really Uh
• something that fits under material something that fits under material breach. breach. breach.
• You know, there's a lot of things that fall under the material breach.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our top exports include soybeans, corn, wheat, grain, and recycled materials.
• Our top exports include soybeans, corn, wheat, grain, and recycled materials.
• Our top exports include soybeans, corn, wheat, grain, and recycled materials.
• Our top exports include soybeans, corn, wheat, grain, and recycled materials.
• That still allows a lot of rainwater to filter through the materials, carry any contaminants from those

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we're also looking at Generation 4 reactors, and those are the ones that use different materials
• as coolants, sodium, other materials, liquid metal.
• There is a fuel called TRISO fuel that is encapsulated into a graphite material, which makes them much
• But we're also looking at Generation 4 reactors, and those are the ones that use different materials
• as coolants, sodium, other materials, liquid metal.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 03:09 SB 57 Discussion 04:03 SB 57 Roll Call Vote 38:37 SB 172 Discussion 41:27 SB 172 Roll Call Vote 50:23, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including a prayer, the pledge, recognition of an Energy and Environment Cabinet leadership academy group, a roll call establishing quorum, and approval of the previous meeting’s minutes. The main item was Senator Danny Carroll’s presentation of legislation to create a nuclear-ready site readiness pilot program in Kentucky. He said the bill is intended to help build a nuclear ecosystem in the Commonwealth by supporting early site permits, construction permits, or combined licenses, with the state contributing up to $25 million per project and a total of $75 million for up to three projects. He emphasized safeguards such as refundable funding if conditions are not met, legislative rather than authority-only selection of projects, and oversight by the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (NIDTA). He also described related provisions on cost recovery through the Public Service Commission, tax incentive eligibility for nuclear ecosystem projects, training and consultant support for the authority, and eligibility for fusion projects. Carroll and Rodney Andrews said the proposal is meant to attract utilities, developers, and large industrial users such as data centers, and to spread projects geographically, with particular attention to Eastern Kentucky and other rural areas. They said selection criteria would include site suitability, prior site use, regional economic need and impact, geographic diversity, additional investment, federal funding status, and whether a community has applied to be designated nuclear-ready. They stressed that communities would not be forced to host reactors and could choose which parts of the nuclear ecosystem to participate in. Carroll also said the bill could help Kentucky compete with states like Texas and Tennessee, and Andrews said industry contacts viewed the proposal as a signal that Kentucky is open to investment. Members generally expressed support for the bill and its goals, while asking about taxpayer exposure, site size, permitting, grid needs, national security, and reactor technology. Carroll said the state’s direct commitment would be capped at $75 million, with any additional cost recovery depending on PSC approval and project specifics. He said small modular reactor sites would be much smaller than traditional plants, and described a model in which a utility partners with a developer and a data center, with power contracts helping offset costs over decades. On security and technology, Carroll and Andrews said newer reactors would still be subject to the same standards as larger units, and Andrews explained that next-generation designs may use different fuels and materials such as TRISO and high-assay low-enriched uranium. No vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided, and the chair noted time limits and that additional members still had questions, including one witness expected to speak against the measure.