Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Nichols asked whether, if a data center consumes a certain amount of demand regardless of where
• Chairman and members, Senate Bill 2902 relates to the collection of consumer debt incurred by certain
• debt from a victim of identity theft if the consumer provides a court order or a copy of a Federal Trade
• First, the substitute streamlines the definitions of delivery consumer, delivery person, and delivery
• protections against fraud and title disputes, and many of us know exactly what that's all about.

Bills: SB438, SB512, SB647, SB648, SB1495, SB2121, SB2145, SB2154, SB2167, SB2184, SB2211, SB2268, SB2349, SB2443, SB2629, SB2702, SB2902

Keywords: SB 438, Texas, State Office of Administrative Hearings, SOAH, administrative law judge, ALJ, public information act, open records, confidentiality, privacy, home address, home telephone number, emergency contact information, social security number, family members, Government Code 552.117, Government Code 552.1175, Tax Code 25.025, public records, government transparency

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce met with a quorum and took up several pending bills, voting favorably on SB 1612, SB 2717, SB 1468, SB 1642, and SB 1789. SB 1612 was reported favorably with objections to the local and contested calendar, while SB 2717, SB 1468, SB 1642, and SB 1789 were reported favorably, with SB 1642 and SB 1789 sent to the floor. SB 2717 would create the Texas Energy Efficiency Council; SB 1642 would add an executive director to the Texas Department of Insurance structure; and SB 1789 would establish pole standards and clarify PUC authority and remedies. The committee also heard an ERCOT update from CEO Pablo Vegas on the updated long-term load forecast, which showed a much higher unadjusted growth projection driven largely by data centers. ERCOT described an adjusted forecast using historical delays and lower realized build rates, and members discussed reliability, generation timelines, and the importance of SB 6 for demand response and flexibility. The committee then heard and left pending SB 2629, which would allow condominium and property owners’ association meetings and voting by electronic means; SB 2702, which would let nationally certified professionals test backflow prevention assemblies without a separate TCEQ license; SB 2167, which would let TDLR pause new license applications tied to human trafficking emergency orders or pending SOAH cases; SB 2349, which would exempt short-term leases and certain leasebacks from flood disclosure requirements; SB 2121, which would tighten the data broker registry law; and SB 2443, which would authorize TDLR electronic delivery of notices and other documents. Testimony generally supported these bills as cleanup, modernization, or workforce-streamlining measures, with some members expressing caution about electronic meetings and emphasizing in-person accountability. The committee also heard SB 2902 on coerced debt and identity theft, with testimony from a law professor and family violence advocates supporting stronger protections for survivors and suggesting a police report as an additional proof option. SB 512, a refiled bill restricting money transmission license holders from fining users for terms-of-service violations, also received supportive testimony and was left pending. Later, the committee heard SB 2145 on allowing certain TIF boards to meet virtually in narrow circumstances, SB 2268 on extending Texas Energy Fund loan deadlines in some cases, SB 1495 creating an EV supply equipment advisory board, SB 2154 regulating delivery network companies under a statewide framework, SB 2184 lowering the age for pyrotechnic operator and fireworks display permits from 21 to 18, SB 2211 on combining data centers, power generation, and produced-water desalination projects, and SB 647 on title theft protections and clerk authority to refuse fraudulent filings. Most of these bills were left pending after brief testimony and questions, with members focusing on reliability, regulation, and safeguards against fraud.

Transcript Highlights:

• If the data center consumes X number of demand, regardless of where this power plant's coming in, you're
• Chairman and members, Senate Bill 2902 relates to the collection of consumer debt incurred by certain
• debt from a victim of identity theft if the consumer provides a court order or a copy of a Federal Trade
• The substitute streamlines the definitions of delivery consumer, delivery person, and delivery network
• protections against fraud and title disputes, and many of us know exactly what that's all about.

Bills: SB438, SB512, SB647, SB648, SB1495, SB2121, SB2145, SB2154, SB2167, SB2184, SB2211, SB2268, SB2349, SB2443, SB2629, SB2702, SB2902

Keywords: SB 438, Texas, State Office of Administrative Hearings, SOAH, administrative law judge, ALJ, public information act, open records, confidentiality, privacy, home address, home telephone number, emergency contact information, social security number, family members, Government Code 552.117, Government Code 552.1175, Tax Code 25.025, public records, government transparency

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce met with a quorum and first voted out several pending bills. Senate Bill 1612 was reported favorably to the full Senate with objections sent to the local and contested calendar. The committee then adopted committee substitutes and favorably reported Senate Bills 2717, 1468, 1642, and 1789, with 1642 and 1789 sent to the floor. SB 2717 would create the Texas Energy Efficiency Council and add agencies to it; SB 1468 and SB 1642 were discussed as changes affecting utility and insurance-related structures; and SB 1789 would establish pole standards, with the author saying it would clarify PUC authority and create more practical statewide standards. The committee also heard an ERCOT update from Pablo Vegas, who said Texas load growth remains strong but ERCOT is adjusting its large-load forecast downward using historical delays and realization rates for data centers and other large loads. He said the adjusted forecast is still very high, but more realistic for planning, and members discussed reliability, generation timelines, demand response, and the role of Senate Bill 6 in helping model large data centers as flexible load. The committee then took testimony on a series of bills and left most pending after public comment. SB 2629 would allow condominium and property owners associations to hold meetings and vote electronically; testimony supported it as a way to improve access, though some members expressed concern about overuse of virtual meetings. SB 2702 would let nationally certified professionals test backflow prevention assemblies instead of requiring a separate TCEQ license, and was supported as a workforce and public health measure. SB 2167 would let TDLR pause new massage-establishment license applications when an applicant is subject to a human trafficking emergency order or pending SOAH case. SB 2349 would exempt short-term residential leases and certain leasebacks from floodplain disclosure requirements while allowing the notice to be included in the lease packet. SB 2121 would tighten the data broker registry law from the prior session, and SB 2443 would allow TDLR to use electronic delivery for notices and contested-case documents. Additional bills focused on consumer protection, housing, and regulatory administration. SB 2902 would help victims of coerced debt and identity theft stop collection efforts by requiring proof such as a court order or FTC report; advocates said it would protect survivors while still preventing fraud. SB 512 would bar money transmission license holders from fining users for terms-of-service violations in a way that forfeits account funds, and supporters framed it as a protection against private financial penalties. SB 2145 would allow public improvement districts and tax increment finance districts to meet virtually with at least one member physically present, while SB 2268 would give the PUC flexibility to extend Texas Energy Fund loan deadlines in certain cases. SB 1495 would create an advisory board for electric vehicle supply equipment standards, SB 2154 would extend statewide regulation to delivery network companies, SB 2184 would lower the age for pyrotechnic operator and fireworks display licenses from 21 to 18, SB 438 would expand confidentiality protections for SOAH administrative law judges, SB 2211 would treat digital products and desalinated water as industrial products to support combined energy-water projects, and SB 647 would strengthen title-theft protections by improving notice and clerk authority to reject fraudulent filings. Most of these bills were left pending after testimony, and several drew support from industry, consumer, or advocacy witnesses along with some member concerns about electronic meetings, licensing, and data accuracy.

Bills: HB461, HB467, HB522, HB565, HB673, HB799, HB917, HB937, HB956, HB977

Keywords: building codes, construction standards, state uniform construction code, local option, municipal ordinance, parish ordinance, resilient construction, FORTIFIED Home, IBHS, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, hurricane resistance, storm resilience, roof replacement, residential construction, certificate of occupancy, code enforcement, building resilience, home hardening, wind mitigation, residential roof

Transcript Highlights:

• that at the point of sale a consumer<00:25:08.880> would<00:25:09.200> potentially<00:
• We understand, and again we're trying to protect consumers and protect our environment, but we do have
• We understand, and again we're trying to protect consumers and protect our environment, but we do have
• We understand, and again we're trying to protect consumers and protect our environment, but we do have
• This would provide consumers that information at the point of sale.

Bills: HB2425, HB2596, HB2573, HB2017, HB1931, HB1736, HB1594, HB1828

Keywords: agriculture, sugarcane, permitting process, land use, conservation district, diversified agriculture, economic impact, invasive species, plant sales, weed risk assessment, consumer protection, environmental impact, workforce development, biosecurity, training program, partnerships, tax credit, Hawaiian home lands, investment costs, nonrefundable

Summary: The committee heard opening remarks and then took testimony on several agriculture-related bills. HB 2425 would exempt agricultural enterprises on former commercial sugarcane lands in conservation use districts from certain permitting and site plan requirements. The Department of Agriculture supported the measure and stood on written comments. The Hawaii Farm Bureau supported the intent but said the bill appeared to cite the wrong statute and suggested amending the conservation district law instead. Other testimony was generally supportive, while some witnesses raised concerns about using the right statutory vehicle. Committee members questioned whether the bill should be redirected through a different chapter. The committee then heard HB 596, which would require retail sellers of plants to disclose invasiveness risk, direct the Invasive Species Council to create a labeling system and weed risk assessments, and establish fines. The Department of Land and Natural Resources strongly supported the bill, saying point-of-sale labels would help consumers make informed choices. Supporters from the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species said the state’s noxious weed and restricted plant lists are outdated or incomplete and that the bill would help prevent harmful species from being purchased and planted. Opponents, including the Hawaii Farm Bureau and Hawaii Food Policy Foundation, argued the measure was too broad, could stigmatize plants and producers, and might be better implemented through voluntary education or narrower definitions. Committee discussion focused on possible amendments, including using printable labels from a website and limiting the bill to larger commercial retailers. HB 2573 would create a five-year agriculture and biosecurity workforce development pilot program involving the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Leeward Community College, and the Department of Human Resources Development. DHRD said it supported the intent but wanted clearer responsibilities; the University of Hawaiʻi, the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, the Hawaii Food Policy Foundation, and others supported the proposal. DAB said the program would help build needed biosecurity staffing and training, and that law-enforcement-related curriculum could be incorporated. Finally, the committee began hearing HB 207, which would expand the important agricultural land qualified agricultural tax credit to include certain Hawaiian homelands and additional agricultural costs such as orchards, fruit crops, and clearing former sugar and pineapple lands. The Department of Taxation and DAB stood on written comments, while the Department of Hawaiian Homelands strongly supported the bill, calling it a potential game-changer for developing agricultural lands and offsetting infrastructure costs; the department also asked that the credit be broadened beyond agriculture alone.

Transcript Highlights:

• for legal services independent of the Attorney General and appropriates $5 million from the Consumer
• Protection, Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund to the Peace Officers Training Fund in fiscal year 2027.
• Protection, Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund to the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement
• through the current system, and we might lose some of those protections if we change things.
• Parents are a child's first line of protection, but the truth is sexual abuse often happens when parents

Bills: HB2063, HB2271, HB2416, HB2478, HB2593, HB2692, HB2813, HB2992, HB2993, HB4044

Keywords: corrections oversight, appropriation, independent office, public safety, funding, firefighters, insurance rates, workers' compensation, firefighter cancer reimbursement, rate deviations, cost analysis, premiums, border security, drug trafficking, human smuggling, law enforcement funding, Arizona, immigration, education reform, K-12

Summary: The committee heard several appropriations and policy bills, with testimony often focused on public safety, education, and procurement. HB 263 would appropriate $1.5 million in FY2027 to the Independent Correctional Oversight Office; the sponsor and supportive testimony argued the office is needed to address serious problems in the corrections system, and the bill received a due pass recommendation, 17-1. HB 2993, as amended, would allow DPS to spend on legal services independent of the Attorney General and redirect $5 million from the Consumer Protection/Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund to the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission Fund; the Speaker framed it as supporting law enforcement and public safety, and it passed 17-0. HB 2271 dealt with firefighter cancer coverage and insurance rates. The bill would allow an insurer covering firefighters and fire investigators to file a uniform rate deviation only if it is not reimbursed by the municipal firefighter cancer reimbursement fund. Testimony described the measure as a temporary shell pending a broader consensus agreement to bring fire districts into the reimbursement system; members stressed that firefighters should not see changes in claim handling, but several said the bill still needed work. It received a due pass recommendation on a 16-1-1 vote. HB 2416 would appropriate $20 million to DPS for local border support, including law enforcement positions, prosecution and detention costs, and equipment; sheriffs and the Arizona Sheriffs Association supported it as a continuation of existing funding for drug interdiction and border-related crime, and it passed 11-6-1. The committee also advanced HB 2692, which revises public construction procurement rules and authorizes progressive design-build and one-step competition for certain federally funded projects. Construction and procurement stakeholders said the bill was the product of a long consensus process, while some members worried about taxpayer impacts and the move away from standard procurement; it passed 10-7-1. HB 2478, as amended, creates the Arizona Commission on Student Outcomes to study K-12 accountability, standards, graduation requirements, early childhood education, and a trade pathways diploma, funded by Classroom Site Fund dollars; members debated whether the work should instead be done by ADE or the State Board, and the bill passed 11-7. The committee also heard HB 4044, which would create a Public Safety Parity Fund to support DPS and corrections salaries using investment earnings from the Budget Stabilization Fund and proceeds from forfeited digital assets; the sponsor and a troopers association witness argued it would provide a stable long-term funding source to address chronic vacancies and pay gaps.

Transcript Highlights:

• protect the fund, and they preserve the corpus of the fund.
• So, there were a lot of protections put in the bill back in the...
• , and I think that is a goal of a lot of what. of what is happening in trying to get notices out to consumers
• , consumers of their rights and responsibilities.
• Again, members, HB3002 is a consumer protection bill.

Bills: HB1342, HB2889, HB3002, HB3254, HB4820, HJR40, HJR40

Keywords: private activity bonds, housing, residential rental projects, low-income, affordable housing, bond measures, funding equality, political subdivisions, public communications, election fairness, debt collection, consumer rights, disclosures, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, settlement agreements, State Board of Education, group benefits program, health insurance, state employees, dependents eligibility

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're taking another shot at making sure consumers aren't being taken advantage of by anti-competitive
• One of his first official acts of office as acting U.S.
• In fact, one of the most infamous examples of that is the case of one manufacturer who has filed over
• The threat of losing all of the net profits earned from the sale of any drug by a company that's engaged
• Now, what more do you need to encourage innovation in the United States than 12 years of patent protection

Bills: SB1040, SB1041, SB1095, SB1096, SB1097, SB527

Keywords: drug competition, product hopping, generic drugs, biosimilars, federal regulations, FTC Act, patent, biological products, healthcare access, affordable prescriptions, Medicare, Federal Trade Commission, sham petitions, competition, public health, unfair competition, healthcare, pharmaceutical, antitrust law, pay-for-delay

Summary: The meeting focused on addressing the high cost of prescription drugs and the abusive practices that contribute to elevated prices affecting American families. Several bills were presented, including proposals to end pay-for-delay deals and to enhance transparency in the operations of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The discussion was notable for its emphasis on consumer protection and ensuring that cheaper generic drugs reach the market more effectively. Members expressed frustration over past attempts to pass similar legislation stalling in the Senate, leading to renewed efforts to push these bills forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Certification regulation of certain out-of-state certified public accounts sure moves that SB 522 amendment
• The chair of the committee substitutes... action to the option of a committee substitute, the chair hears
• the full House of Recommendation.
• McQueeny's bill that we previously voted out relating to the temporary sale of of alcoholic beverages
• the Texas Department of Health.

Bills: HB2450, SB378, SB764, SB917, SB1254, SB1255

Keywords: elevator inspection, building safety, construction standards, health and safety code, regulatory requirements, SB 378, Texas Occupations Code, barbering, cosmetology, barber, cosmetologist, licensing, professional licensing, unauthorized practice, medical procedures, skin incision, dermis, injections, devices, consumer safety

Transcript Highlights:

• We're convening the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.
• First up is DCC, Division of Consumer Advocates. conference committee if they don't do conference committee
• First up is DCC, Division of Consumer Advocates. >> Chair, Vice Chair, members, Min Oaks for the domestic
• <01:12:26.640> of<01:12:26.760> Consumer First up is DCC, Division of Consumer First
• up is DCC, Division of Consumer Advocates.

Bills: SB3302, SB2061, SB2050, SB2102, SB2694, SB2089, SB847

Keywords: SB3302, homemade food products, farm kitchens, home kitchens, Department of Health, DOH, food safety, food labeling, value-added agriculture, small farms, agricultural land, commercial food establishment permit, cottage food, direct-to-consumer sales, local food systems, Hawaii Revised Statutes, chapter 91, farm-to-table, food processing, public health regulation

Summary: The committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on April 9, 2026, and heard testimony on several measures. SB 3302 SD1 HD1, dealing with homemade food products, would require the Department of Health to adopt rules for farm kitchens producing homemade food products that are no more stringent than rules for home kitchens. The Department of Health said it supported the bill with technical amendments, and the Hawaii Food Industry Association and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii also supported it. No opposition was heard. A lengthy discussion focused on SB 2061 SD2 HD1, which concerns a 99-year leasehold residential condominium project and HCDA’s rules for sales, income restrictions, and buyback pricing. HCDA supported the bill and said the House draft clarified unclear provisions and would help move the project to pre-sales. Testimony and committee questions centered on whether the project should remain owner-occupied in perpetuity or allow investor purchases after an initial sales period. HCDA explained that the bill was revised to make the project feasible in the market, that 60% of units would be income-restricted for buyers at or below 140% of area median income, and that the remaining units could be sold without owner-occupancy restrictions. Some members and testifiers expressed concern that the bill had shifted away from the original owner-occupancy vision and could become an investment property model, while others argued the changes were necessary for the project to pencil out and compete with fee-simple developments. No vote was taken during the discussion shown. The committee also heard SB 2050 SD1 HD1, which would allow chiropractic students in accredited programs to engage in clinical practice beginning July 1, 2028. The Hawaii Board of Chiropractic and the Hawaii State Chiropractic Association supported the measure, and one testifier described personal experience with student chiropractic care in California. Members questioned why the board requested delaying implementation until 2030, and the board said it needed more time to develop rules because it meets only a few times a year and rulemaking is lengthy. Finally, SB 2102 SD2 HD1, on industrial hemp in commercial feed, was introduced; the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity offered comments, the Department of Health raised concerns about regulating pet food and possible jurisdictional conflict, and a farmer testifying in support suggested narrowing the bill to federally approved livestock feed rather than pet food.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think it encourages protection of labor, protection of individual employees, and it's certainly
• employee privacy by limiting disclosure of personal information, and you protect employers' rights by
• All of our surrounding states have some form of it.
• I believe the Department of Consumer Credit did say that should help cover further questions.
• I think one of the most important things of this bill is that we are adding the CEO of the workforce

Bills: SB1327, SB1372, SB1403, SB1937, SB277, SB2131, SB1749, SB1348, SB1469, SB2018, SB1931, SB1530, SB2155

Keywords: tourism, recreation, economic development, Oklahoma Commission, executive director, probation, credits, educational advancement, Oklahoma Statutes, criminal justice reform, job incentives, tax rebates, Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program, employment growth, wage requirements, labor organization, incentives, employer practices, union neutrality, worker rights

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Chief Counsel of the Division and Executive Director of the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board.
• The Civil Rights Division is the only state agency here that protects the civil rights of all Arizona
• The Civil Rights Division is the only state agency here that protects the civil rights of all Arizonans
• Modern protest movements. of protected First Amendment rights.
• from abuse, neglect, exploitation of... ...to protect themselves from abuse, neglect, exploitation of

Bills: HB2495, HB2557, HB2594, HB2615, HB2800, HB2861, HB2862, HB2931, HB2995, HB4042, HB4070, HB4117, HB4136

Keywords: vulnerable adults, sentencing, felonies, criminal justice, enhanced penalties, medical records, patient rights, healthcare access, privacy, healthcare providers, timeliness, address confidentiality, domestic violence, privacy protection, voter registration, court proceedings, parenting time, supervised visitation, family court, high-risk cases

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2931, which would continue the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board for eight years. Staff and the sponsor described it as a continuation measure to preserve the board’s civil rights reporting and advisory role. One supporter from the Civil Rights Division testified that the board is a volunteer, nonpartisan body that issues reports on civil rights issues, while the division itself protects Arizonans in employment, housing, voting, and public accommodations. The bill passed on a 5-3 vote with a due pass recommendation. Members then considered HB 2862, a strike-everything amendment creating a sentencing enhancement for crimes committed while wearing a mask to conceal identity, narrowed by amendment to Title 13 offenses only. Supporters argued it would deter offenders and help law enforcement, while opponents from CAIR Arizona and the ACLU warned it could burden religious expression and expressive protest, including niqabs, hijabs, motorcycle helmets, and protest costumes. The committee adopted the striker and an additional amendment, then advanced the bill as amended on a 7-2 vote. HB 4042, dealing with paternity actions in the adoption/termination context, would require service of a filed paternity action to prevent waiver of paternal rights and allow failure to do so to support termination of the parent-child relationship. An adoption attorney said the change would close a loophole that can leave children in legal limbo, and the bill passed unanimously. HB 4136 created unlawful entry into a residential structure where a vulnerable adult resides as a felony, but several members and an opponent argued the conduct was already covered by existing trespass, burglary, abuse, and aggravating-factor statutes; the bill nevertheless received a due pass recommendation on a 6-3 vote. The committee also advanced HB 2995, which rewrites child custody/domestic violence standards to make domestic violence a dominant factor in legal decision-making and parenting time, expand the definition to include coercive control, and create a rebuttable presumption against custody for a parent who committed domestic violence. The sponsor and a bereaved mother testified that the bill is intended to better protect children from lethal domestic violence; it passed 8-0 with one member present. Later measures included HB 4070, which would bar certain convicted individuals from serving as nonprofit officers/directors and expand civil liability related to trafficking; supporters called it a prevention tool, while opponents said it was overbroad and could chill nonprofit services, especially for immigrants and DACA recipients. The bill passed 7-2. HB 2861, codifying post-nuptial agreements and setting standards for enforceability, passed 9-0. HB 2800, increasing penalties when someone knowingly lends a vehicle to a restricted DUI driver and a serious injury or death results, passed 9-0 after emotional testimony from the victim’s family and MADD. HB 2495, adding sentencing enhancements for offenses against vulnerable adults and limiting early release, passed 8-0 with one present. HB 2557, requiring health care providers to produce patient medical or payment records within seven business days after a written request, passed 9-0 after discussion about electronic records and timing. Finally, HB 2594, concerning the Address Confidentiality Program, would require family courts to use the participant’s state-issued address, limit access to a child’s records in certain cases, and make illegally obtaining or attempting to obtain a confidential address a class six felony; the sponsor and a participant described repeated attempts by abusers to uncover protected addresses.

Transcript Highlights:

• I understand the length of time that this is going to happen. What is the scope of the pilot?
• Some of those can be 7 by 7 feet, but some of these could be maybe for something this extensive.
• of it.
• They just want to be a part of it. They want to sell the product at the end of the day.
• So what this does is kind of gets rid of Some of the inefficiencies, removes language such as petty cash

Bills: HB3126, HB3177, HB3311, HB3465, HB3786, HB3915, HB4333, HB4476, HB3403

Keywords: education funding, concurrent enrollment, school aid, Oklahoma State Regents, permanent school funds, higher education, revolving fund, court reporters, salaries, legislation, employment compensation, state administration, Oklahoma, community development, infrastructure, economic development, local government, financing, pooled finance, Oklahoma Emission Reduction

Transcript Highlights:

• of consumers.
• So they are simply removing themselves from all of the consumer protection, which is within our laws,
• the protection of the Military Lending Act.
• That sounds like consumer protection. It's not.
• disclosure requirements and enshrine into law the consumer-protective features of the product.

Bills: HB2118, HB2181, HB2308, HB2309, HB2402, HB2476, HB2682, HB2698, HB2875, HB2877, HB2903, HB2910

Keywords: mobile food vendors, licensure, food safety, statewide regulations, health standards, zoning, temporary vendors, HB2181, death certificate, death certificates, vital records, funeral establishment, funeral home, human remains, medical certification of death, death registration, state registrar, local registrar, county medical examiner, alternate medical examiner

Summary: The House Commerce Committee heard and advanced several bills. HB 2181, as amended, would extend the deadline for funeral establishments to submit death certificates from 7 days to a maximum of 14 days and clarify that a provider’s medical certification period excludes weekends and holidays. The sponsor and a mortuary owner testified that the current timeline is often difficult to meet because of weekends, holidays, doctor availability, county delays, and family circumstances. Several members said the bill did not fully address the underlying compliance problems, but the committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill 6-4-1. HB 2682 would create a DES rental assistance program offering up to two months or $5,000 in aid, with a $5 million general fund appropriation for administration. The sponsor and a tenant advocate described the bill as a short-term bridge to prevent eviction and homelessness, while an industry representative said rental assistance is an effective early intervention tool. Some members raised concerns about limiting eligibility to households with children and about program administration, but the bill passed 7-4. HB 2698 would create a rental assistance study committee to evaluate program effectiveness and repeal in 2028; it passed on a 7-4 vote. HB 2476 would revise CPA certification and reciprocity requirements, creating multiple pathways to licensure and updating related rules and fees. Supporters said it would help address a CPA shortage and align Arizona with other states; after clarification from the sponsor and the State Board of Accountancy, the committee passed it unanimously, 11-0. The committee then heard HB 2308, which would bar dental insurers and certain holding companies from owning dental practices; the Arizona Dental Association supported it as a safeguard against vertical integration, while Delta Dental opposed it as overbroad and burdensome. The bill passed 8-0-3. Finally, the committee began hearing HB 2118 on mobile food vendors and local permitting, with the sponsor and food truck operators arguing for streamlined county/state licensing and reduced local duplication, while a vendor representative warned the proposal could affect existing local ordinances and private-property vendors.

Transcript Highlights:

• Protect the interest of this network of technology CEOs, promoting the growth of innovation in the economy
• How can we work together to make sure that we protect the rights of innocent people?
• Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which is a division of the Treasury Department, they said
• Merchants absorb 47% of the fraud. Banks take one-third, and consumers take the rest.
• Frank in 2010, including the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bills: SB231, SB584, SB600, SB668, SB841, SB986, SB1003, SB1244, SB1625, SB1960, SB1963, SB1964, SB2026, SB2056, SB2368

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have investigators in our Consumer Protection Division who will sit down one-on-one with the
• I'm Sandy Havlal, President of the Texas Consumer Association.
• With over eight years of experience protecting Texas homeowner rights, I am here in support of SB600
• With the passage of Dodd-Frank in 2010 and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
• the customer has no... or we have to come up with a consumer protection way of ensuring.

Bills: SB231, SB584, SB600, SB668, SB841, SB986, SB1003, SB1244, SB1625, SB1960, SB1963, SB1964, SB2026, SB2056, SB2368

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have investigators in our Consumer Protection Division who will sit down one-on-one with the
• customer, go through... ...our Consumer Protection Division, who will sit down one-on-one with the customer
• This is what it is: this reporting of information that’s prohibited by a consumer protection agency—by
• information that's prohibited by a consumer protection agency by consumer protection agency they should
• The bill's core protections of heir property—this is a property protection bill.

Bills: SB231, SB584, SB600, SB668, SB841, SB986, SB1003, SB1244, SB1625, SB1960, SB1963, SB1964, SB2026, SB2056, SB2368

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce met with a quorum and first took up several pending and uncontested bills. It favorably reported SB 1405, SB 1762, SB 1977, SB 2077, SB 2148, and SB 1968, and also moved SB 2321 to the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then heard SB 819, which would change how the Public Utility Commission reviews proposed utility-scale solar and related interconnection projects. The committee substitute would shift the default so interconnection is allowed unless the PUC affirmatively prohibits it within 180 days, limit denial to cases where harm substantially outweighs benefits, remove public meeting requirements, retain setback and financial assurance provisions, add optional application materials such as national security and environmental information, and restore local control over county tax abatements. The substitute was adopted and SB 819 was favorably reported to the full Senate on a 7-3 vote. The committee then took up SB 231, focused on CenterPoint’s use of large emergency generators after Hurricane Beryl. Senator King explained that the original bill was intended to prevent customers from being charged for non-mobile generators that were leased at great cost and did not match the bill’s emergency-response purpose. CenterPoint’s Jason Ryan apologized for the company’s communication failures and said the company would make customers whole through a combination of rate reductions, foregone storm-cost recovery, and a donation of the 15 large generators to ERCOT for about two years to address a San Antonio-area reliability issue, with the company absorbing the associated costs. PUC Executive Director Connie Corona said the commission could enforce the agreement through its contested-case process. Public testimony included consumer and reliability advocates, one of whom argued utility-scale microgrids should be preserved as a policy option. SB 231 was left pending. The committee also heard SB 986, which would create an alternative process for routine Public Information Act requests so local governments can make initial redactions without sending every routine exception to the Attorney General, while preserving an appeal path and training requirements. Supporters said it would reduce backlog and speed access to records; opponents argued it would shift the burden to requesters and encourage delay. The AG’s office testified that the process could improve efficiency and still fit within current timelines if used promptly. SB 986 was left pending. Finally, SB 584 was briefly laid out to require consumer reporting agencies that buy data from others to ensure the information complies with Texas law on excluded items such as bankruptcies, judgments, and tax liens, and SB 600 was heard on heir property. SB 600’s substitute would strengthen notice, require an attorney ad litem, add an heir’s bill of rights, allow settlement conferences, and require fair-market-value sales protections; supporters said it would curb predatory partition practices, while opponents warned some provisions could burden or diminish minority heirs’ property rights. SB 584 and SB 600 were left pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• approval of the staff amendment? approval of the staff amendment?
• office of the attorney general? office of the attorney general?
• office of claims and appeals. office of claims and appeals.
• Staying in Public Protection Cabinet, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 804 KAR 4:415, with staff
• I'm the director in the Division of Protection and Permanency at DCBS. Thank you so much.

Keywords: 0:16 – CALL TO ORDER 0:20 – ROLL CALL 0:56 – ELECTION OF CO-CHAIRS 1:54 – APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2:10 – OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 3:28 – PERSONNEL BOARD 4:30 – EDUCATION AND LABOR CABINET, BOARD OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 5:18 – PUBLIC PROTECTION CABINET, OFFICE OF CLAIMS & APPEALS 12:03 – PUBLIC PROTECTION CABINET, DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL 12:54 – CABINET FOR HEALTH AND FAMILY SERVICES, DEPARTMENT FOR MEDICAID SERVICES 14:54 – CABINET FOR HEALTH AND FAMILY SERVICES, DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES 31:44 – NEXT MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT/ADJOURNMENT, 958, all

Summary: The Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee met to reorganize its leadership for the new term, renewing Representative Derek Lewis as House co-chair and Senator Steven West as Senate co-chair. The committee then approved the minutes and moved through a series of agency regulations, generally adopting staff-suggested amendments without objection. Among the regulations reviewed were an Attorney General rule changing how a commission reviews and distributes funds and how grant reporting is handled; Personnel Board changes abolishing and renaming certain job classifications and adjusting probationary periods; an Education and Labor Cabinet rule removing references to local board of education members; several Public Protection Cabinet rules covering Board of Claims and Crime Victims’ Compensation procedures; an Alcoholic Beverage Control rule on direct-to-consumer shipping forms; and a Medicaid Services emergency regulation establishing the Kentucky Trauma Hospital Rate Improvement Program for rural hospitals serving many Medicaid patients. The committee also heard that the Board of Claims and Crime Victims’ Compensation regulations included both staff and, in one case, an agency amendment, which were approved. The most extended discussion came on the Department for Community Based Services’ regulation increasing per diem rates for private child-placing therapeutic foster care levels 2 and 3. Committee members questioned the estimated $10 million biennial cost, the source of the funding, and why the cabinet had not yet filed regulations implementing Senate Bill 151 on kinship care. DCBS staff said the rate increase was discretionary and intended to address placement crises for children with high needs, while acknowledging they could not personally explain the budget decisions. A kinship caregiver testified in support of the rate increase but urged the cabinet to also implement SB 151 and expand support for kinship families. The committee expressed frustration over the lack of SB 151 implementation but stated the rate increase itself was appropriate and allowed the regulation to proceed.

Transcript Highlights:

• of governance, protect them from harm. renew their strength, and remind them daily that their calling
• Thank you for everything you do every day to protect all of our children. in this great state.
• It's a good place, a good place to be able to protect our... five hundred million dollars of taxpayer
• For a child placed in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services to Health
• Senate Bill 1559 by Zaffirini relaying the transfer of a protective order to jurisprudence.

Bills: SJR34, SB10, SB18, SB19, SB21, SB72, SB140, SB262, SB370, SB480, SB495, SB627, SB703, SB767, SB790

Keywords: parental rights, parents, children, custody, care and control, upbringing, family law, constitutional amendment, Texas Constitution, child welfare, education policy, medical decisions, parental authority, primary decision makers, family autonomy, education, Ten Commandments, public schools, religious display, First Amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• how can we make consumer protection stronger?
• This particular practice of bundling brings Prevent consumers for having choice and this particular bill
• I think the legislature has told TDI to protect consumers, clearly, but if they're going to take that
• . of the competition, but actually it's anti-competitive behavior because it's forcing consumers to make
• And SCR 8 expresses the opposition of the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas to the creation of a

Bills: SB213, SB378, SB610, SB681, SB918, SB1172, SB1252, SB1343, SCR8

Keywords: SB 213, Texas insurance, Insurance Code, Chapter 551, Chapter 541, bundling, tying arrangement, cross-selling, homeowners insurance, residential property insurance, auto insurance, personal automobile insurance, consumer protection, unfair trade practice, deceptive insurance practice, property and casualty insurer, Lloyd's plan, county mutual, reciprocal exchange, farm mutual

Transcript Highlights:

• He's got a lot of personal experiences of how that's affected him.
• <00:02:54.080> of<00:02:54.319> how lot of personal experiences of how lot of personal
• >> No, it would be part of the cost of the project. >> No, it would be part of the cost of the project
• Second of So, I'm appreciative of that.
• And Stockton, with its sensitive wetlands and protected species, is exactly the type of place where careful

Bills: SB341, SB340

Keywords: SB341, Alabama, veteran license plate, veteran tag, distinctive license tag, specialty plate, radiation exposure, atomic bomb testing, ionizing radiation, World War II veterans, Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, Cold War veterans, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, Department of Veterans Affairs, probate judge