Transcript Highlights:

• when receiving a fee waiver.
• The selected month for this fee waiver is October, giving students an opportunity to submit their application
• early in the application process while also not picking the months with the most application submissions
• Free college application time periods are not uncommon.
• Appreciate that... those applications are in those two months Free college application time periods are

Bills: SB530, SB757, SB769, SB1085, SB1241, SB1242, SB1409, SB1878, SB2138, SB2314, SB2231, SB2361, SB2431, SJR59

Keywords: accreditation, postsecondary education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, baccalaureate degrees, junior colleges, program delivery, faculty recruitment, higher education, performance standards, student loan debt, degree programs, funding, students with disabilities, accessibility, enrollment, report, SB 1085, Sul Ross State University, Rio Grande College, Del Rio

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 met with a large agenda and repeatedly recessed for floor activity and other committee conflicts. The committee heard and left pending several higher education bills, including SB 2361 to transfer University of Houston-Victoria from the University of Houston System to the Texas A&M System and rename it Texas A&M University Victoria; testimony from university officials, local leaders, and industry representatives strongly supported the move as a way to better align degree programs with regional workforce needs in engineering, agriculture, and STEM. SB 530, which would align Texas accreditation statutes with federal rules allowing institutions to choose among nationally recognized accreditors, also received supportive testimony and was left pending. SB 1085, allowing Sul Ross satellite campuses to offer lower-division coursework toward bachelor’s degrees, was laid out and left pending as well. The committee also took up a series of education policy bills. SB 1241 would expand the standardized tests Texas public universities may accept for admission beyond the SAT and ACT, with supporters from the Classic Learning Test, homeschool advocates, and student-choice groups arguing it would increase access and competition; it was left pending. SB 769 would require a TEA/Higher Education Coordinating Board report on barriers faced by students with disabilities in higher education, and testimony from The Arc of Texas and others emphasized the need for better data and accessibility; the bill was left pending. SB 2231 would designate the second week of October as Free College Application Week, and SB 1878 would modernize terminology and support workforce-oriented programs at the Josie School; both were laid out and left pending. The committee reported several bills favorably after adopting committee substitutes. SB 605, concerning charter school expansion applications while under conservatorship or a management team, passed on a 9-0 vote. SB 1871, SB 1873, and SB 1874, all related to school discipline and teacher immunity/placement review provisions, were adopted and reported favorably, with members noting the need for further discussion on some language. SB 762, dealing with flag displays in public schools, passed on a 7-1 vote. SB 1962, relating to public school accountability and challenges to school system operations, passed 7-1 after a corrected vote. SB 1750, replacing a $60 million statewide charter facilities cap with an attendance-growth-based allotment, passed 7-1 with one member voting present not voting. SB 2252, supporting kindergarten readiness and early literacy/numeracy, SB 2253, concerning educator preparation and certification, SB 2365, on student use of wireless devices during instructional time, and SB 1924, restoring local peace officer citation authority for school offenses and adding reporting and parent-notification requirements, were also reported favorably. The committee additionally heard SB 37 on higher education governance and compliance oversight, which passed 7-1 after a substitute that refined curriculum review, governing board authority, faculty senate rules, and a new compliance office within the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Transcript Highlights:

• a joint resolution directing the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to withdraw all waiver applications
• Family Services to withdraw<02:14:13.199> all<02:14:13.440> waiver<02:14:13.920> applications
• <02:14:14.560> that withdraw all waiver applications that withdraw all waiver applications
• Senate Bill 219, an act relating to deferred deposit transaction fees imposed by the commissioner.
• A joint resolution directing the Auditor of Public Accounts to study the applicable statutes, administrative

Bills: HB567, HB776, HB2, HB568, HB619

Keywords: open records, public access, transparency, government accountability, public agency, dental practice, licensing, administrative regulations, dental assistants, supervision, Medicaid, community engagement, healthcare, managed care, eligibility, public assistance, insurance, public adjuster, claim process, contract requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• The first restriction the bill addresses is the 5% limit on finance lender fees.
• Under current Minnesota law, lenders are not allowed to include a lender fee in the principal amount
• , closing costs, including lender fees, closing costs, including lender fees, can<01:19:06.360>
• ,<01:20:05.920> where a lower rate or origination fees, where a lower rate or origination
• fees, where loans<01:20:06.480> without<01:20:07.120> a<01:20:07.200> prepayment

Bills: HF3766, HF3972, HF3437, HF4118

Keywords: travel insurance, regulation, insurance licensing, consumer protection, travel assistance, short-term rental, vacation rental, home sharing, rental marketplace, online platform, property damage guarantee, damage waiver, reimbursement insurance, insurance regulation, commerce department, platform user, Airbnb, Vrbo, host protection, rental home marketplace

Transcript Highlights:

• I do think we need a separate, whole entire bill looking at impact fees, which have to do with the cost
• point about working with the developments to get rid of the costs, if we could redo how we do impact fees
• They don't have to focus on the subscription fee; instead, they can focus on really the life-saving operations
• The other piece of this is that this saves the county millions of dollars in fees, where they can focus

Bills: SB211, SB131, SB183, SB222, SB246, SB254

Keywords: appropriation, local government, Las Vegas, Rodriguez Park, public facilities, zoning reform, building regulations, residential apartments, commercial use, multigenerational housing, local government authority, healthcare, urgent care, emergency services, feasibility study, medical facilities, physician training, medical residency, New Mexico, massage therapy

Bills: SB138, SB166, SB117

Keywords: franchise, franchisor, franchisee, religious freedom, religious accommodation, sincerely held belief, Sunday closing, Sabbath, day of worship, contract law, commercial contracts, renewal, amendment, brand standards, small business, business hours, civil penalties, injunctive relief, attorney fees, Alabama

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2328 would establish a standardized $25 fee per entity for cases where electronic service
• By streamlining the expunction notification process, standardizing service fees, and extending record
• Currently, an expunction is filed by the petitioner and it's a $350 filing fee, and if they retain an
• It's a $350 filing fee, and if they retain an attorney, they have to pay that attorney's fees, and then
• The first is that the fee, there is a fee under this bill that is mandatory.

Bills: HB115

Keywords: public funds, lobbying, political subdivision, government spending, transparency, HB 115, taxpayer-funded lobbying, local government lobbying, county association dues, municipal lobbying, lobbyist registration, Chapter 305, Government Code Section 556.0056, Local Government Code Section 89.002, county government, city government, injunctive relief, attorney's fees, state association of counties, sheriffs association

Summary: The Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence reconvened with a quorum present and announced it would likely not vote that night because of confusion over the bill list; members were told a definitive list would be circulated the next morning and a formal meeting would be scheduled later. The chair then heard a series of bills, generally taking testimony and leaving each pending without action. House Bill 1847 would set maximum caseload standards for private attorneys handling indigent criminal appointments through the Texas Indigent Defense Commission; House Bill 2417 would expand compensation eligibility for some wrongfully imprisoned people; House Bill 2813 would require earlier and more specific victim notice of scheduled court proceedings; and House Bill 2309 would expand state and local authority in certain civil asset forfeiture cases involving human trafficking, health care fraud, and organized crime. Each bill was laid out by its author or a member, with no opposition witnesses registered, and each was left pending. The committee also heard House Bill 4733, which would require sealing records for people acquitted of charges when they were not convicted on the related allegation; House Bill 2328, which would modernize expunction service by encouraging electronic notice, setting a standardized fee when electronic service is unavailable, extending clerk retention of expunction orders, and preserving certain mental health commitment orders; and House Bill 115, which would revise Texas’s “junk science” post-conviction writ law by providing counsel, changing the relief standard, requiring written decisions, and easing procedural barriers. Testimony on HB 2328 was mixed: county clerks supported the bill as a cost-saving modernization, while legal advocates warned that permanent retention of expunction orders could undermine true expunction and create privacy risks. HB 115 drew support from innocence and defense organizations, with some concern about a provision affecting subsequent writs. All were left pending after testimony. Later, the committee heard House Bill 2046, which would allow affirmative family-violence findings for any Penal Code offense rather than only Title V offenses; testimony from a Dallas County prosecutor and a committee member emphasized that family violence can involve arson, burglary, fraud, and other non-Title V conduct, and the bill was left pending. House Bill 1765 would tighten restrictions on no-knock warrants by requiring higher-level approval, judicial review, and identifiable officers; members discussed the dangers highlighted by the Harding Street raid and similar incidents, and the bill was also left pending. The meeting ended with the chair noting that some bills had been removed from the agenda at the author’s request and that members should be prepared to finalize the vote list the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• And what this does is attorneys representing indigent clients are often paid flat fees, for example $150
• I guess it depends on the judge that is basically going to consider an application, you know.
• free card because the state of Texas does not want that child to engage in sex with an adult for a fee
• But He taught me so much in that time that I was in that is now applicable in my life out here.
• Things like peace, like patience, which is especially applicable dealing with I-35 traffic day in and

Bills: HB200

Keywords: HB 200, emergency communication, backup communications, satellite phone, portable satellite equipment, radio, floodplain, 100-year floodplain, FEMA, natural disaster, disaster preparedness, emergency preparedness, vulnerable populations, children, elderly, seniors, people with disabilities, care facilities, residential care, assisted living

Bills: SB 1468, SB 1612, SB 1789, SB 2530, SB 2571, SB 2717, SB 2967

Keywords: utility systems, Texas A&M, regents authority, construction, improvement, construction contracts, trust funds, property rights, mechanics lien, contractors, trustee liability, mechanic's lien, liability, attorney's fees, windstorm insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, insurance regulation, administrative penalties, coastal counties, catastrophe year

Bills: SB 1468, SB 1612, SB 1789, SB 2530, SB 2571, SB 2717, SB 2967

Keywords: utility systems, Texas A&M, regents authority, construction, improvement, construction contracts, trust funds, property rights, mechanics lien, contractors, trustee liability, mechanic's lien, liability, attorney's fees, windstorm insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, insurance regulation, administrative penalties, coastal counties, catastrophe year

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 28 is creating a tax and fee structure that is similar to that for alcohol.
• McQueeney has a question because you asked about the tax and the fee money.
• So, this application would contract with DPS, we'll call it, because they administer the program for
• The $5,000 annual license fee per store and $2,500 annual renewal fees are not safe... Measures.

Bills: HB28, SB3, SB 3

Keywords: hemp regulation, consumable products, cannabinoids, state health, youth protection, licensing fees, criminal offenses, flash flood, flood warning, outdoor warning siren, emergency alert, disaster preparedness, flood mitigation, Hill Country floods, Texas Water Development Board, municipalities, counties, local government mandate, public safety, grant program

Transcript Highlights:

• Retailers and wholesalers must register, pay license fees, and are subject to inspections just like alcohol
• HB 28 will hurt the small, clean business owners with excess fines and overpriced licensing fees, making
• Additionally, it's estimated that only 30% of the current fees these retailers pay go towards enforcement
• I see no applicability in how the language attempts to recognize the alleged life-threatening, unrelated
• I see no applicability in how the language attempts to recognize the alleged life-threatening, unrelated

Bills: SB 3, HB28, SB3

Keywords: flash flood, flood warning, outdoor warning siren, emergency alert, disaster preparedness, flood mitigation, Hill Country floods, Texas Water Development Board, municipalities, counties, local government mandate, public safety, grant program, backup power, weather siren, emergency management, flood-prone area, warning system, hemp regulation, consumable products

Transcript Highlights:

• believe that he was a doctor and to believe they were applying for a real position, part of his application

Bills: HB47

Keywords: HB 47, Texas Tax Code, ad valorem taxes, property tax, voter-approval tax rate, tax rate election, taxing unit, injunction, taxpayer rights, property owner, local government finance, tax refund, attorney's fees, court costs, voter-approved tax increase, tax reform, municipal taxes, county taxes, school district taxes, bond election

Bills: HB 7, HB 100, HB 121, HB 124, HB 1175, HB 1458, HB 2249

Keywords: instructional materials, education code, public schools, rejected materials, open education resources, local funds, school safety, emergency response, mental health, peace officers, educational security, crisis intervention, threat assessment, training programs, restorative justice, student transcript, school district, education, electronic records, accessibility

Bills: HB 7, HB 100, HB 121, HB 124, HB 1175, HB 1458, HB 2249

Keywords: instructional materials, education code, public schools, rejected materials, open education resources, local funds, school safety, emergency response, mental health, peace officers, educational security, crisis intervention, threat assessment, training programs, restorative justice, student transcript, school district, education, electronic records, accessibility

Transcript Highlights:

• the existing bill language regarding early return of a rental to ensure there is no additional CDW fees
• returned early or the damage waiver is canceled earlier than thought for our customer, no additional fees
• The committee substitute removes the application stage award, and I believe we have some witnesses here
• They are making new medical devices and all kinds of applications to help people maintain their health

Bills: HB 186

Keywords: public funds, lobbying activities, political subdivisions, government expenditure, transparency, local government, political subdivision, county, city, municipality, special district, taxpayer-funded lobbying, lobbying restriction, registered lobbyist, government association, county association dues, Texas Legislature, injunctive relief, attorney's fees, Chapter 556

Transcript Highlights:

• If you reduce that impact fee, the impact fee should be at cost and therefore you would hurt the city's
• those fees back.
• We get very little from fees, from court fees.
• that probably, first of all, the impact fees... ...fees probably are not a hundred thousand dollars
• And so those impact fees, if the developer then negotiates to get those impact fees paid, there's still

Bills: HB26, HB73, SB 14, HB46

Keywords: HB26, law enforcement contracts, sheriff, constable, county commissioners court, commissioners court, private security, special law enforcement district, property owners association, POA, municipal utility district, school district, junior college district, local government, contract policing, supplemental police services, large counties, population over 3.3 million, Texas Local Government Code, Harris County

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:31:56.799> U Charging an administrative fee. >> Members, we have first up testimony in
• Department of Human Services, upon obtaining a federal waiver, to establish a pre-release SNAP application
• Department of Human Services, upon obtaining a federal waiver, to establish a pre-release SNAP application
• >> That would be one of the applicant groups, yes.
• >> That would be one of the applicant groups, yes.

Bills: HB2264, HB2336, HB2298, HB1518

Keywords: protective orders, military, law enforcement, judicial coordination, victim safety, community safety, federal military installations, disaster response, emergency services, state funding, transportation department, public safety, Hawaii, education, high school diploma, veterans, wartime practices, armed services, HB1518, Hawaii SNAP

Summary: The committee opened by announcing that it would hear testimony but would not take decisions on the day’s bills, with action deferred to a later decision-making agenda. The first measure, HB 2264, would require notification to military security forces when a protective order is issued involving a military-affiliated person. Support came from the U.S. Defense State Liaison Office, the Hawaii National Guard, and DBEDT’s Military Affairs office, all emphasizing better coordination and faster notice to help protect victims and support command oversight. Family Court Judge Jesse Hall supported the intent but asked for deferral, explaining that a prior fax-and-email notification system had broken down and that the military had not re-engaged with the court. The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence supported the bill but recommended narrowing it so it applies only when the respondent is actually marked as military-connected and delaying the effective date to January 1, 2027 to allow implementation. In questions, members discussed the current breakdown in communication, the number of military-marked TROs statewide, and whether the bill would be necessary if the old system were restored; the military witness said she would try to reestablish contact with the court. The committee then took up HB 2336, which would authorize the Department of Transportation to enter into agreements with the U.S. Department of Defense for services at federal military installations and charge an administrative fee. DOT and the Military Affairs office supported the measure, describing it as a way to speed projects, combine state and federal resources, and strengthen infrastructure that also supports disaster response and the economy. Members questioned why the bill was needed if similar arrangements had existed before, and whether Title 23 federal highway funds could be used; DOT responded that the bill would help expedite projects and supplement, not supplant, federal funding, while each project would still require review of the appropriate funding source. The committee also heard HB 2298, which would allow the Department of Education to award high school diplomas to qualified people whose schooling was interrupted by military service or wartime practices during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. The U.S. Defense State Liaison Office, the Hawaii Office of Veterans Affairs, and DOE supported the bill, and DOE said implementation would have only a minimal printing cost. Finally, the committee heard HB 1518, which would require DHS, upon obtaining a federal waiver, to create a pre-release SNAP application process for inmates nearing release by January 1, 2028. DHS said it was already working on a pilot and stood on its testimony; the County of Hawaii, the Correctional System Oversight Commission, the ACLU of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Public Health Institute supported the measure, arguing it would improve reentry outcomes and would not cost the state additional money. No votes or final committee actions were taken on any of the bills during this meeting.

Bills: HB445, HB477, SB274, HB441

Keywords: hemp-derived cannabinoids, CBD, THC, delta-8, delta-9, delta-10, consumable hemp products, psychoactive cannabinoids, cannabinoid regulation, hemp licensing, ABC Board, Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, retail hemp sales, wholesale hemp distribution, hemp tax, excise tax, age verification, underage sales, product testing, certificate of analysis

Transcript Highlights:

• dozen, but what's important about this sort of analysis is the... very first step is figuring out applicability
• And that's primarily because we might have a fee schedule that would pay a certain amount say to a freestanding
• to co-chair Governor Abbott's Small Business Freedom Council, which is the design to reduce costs, fees
• deductibles and co-pays and co-insurance. and out-of-pocket maximum and whatever other out-of-pocket fees

Bills: HB138, HB335, HB388, HB138

Keywords: health impact analysis, cost analysis, coverage mandates, health insurance, legislative analysis, health care data, education, funding, classroom resources, teacher support, student outcomes, health benefits, provider dentists, payment reimbursement, insurance code, noncontracting, dental care, reimbursement, health benefit plans, noncontracting providers

Transcript Highlights:

• Are y'all willing to supply that data as far as your administrative fees or costs?
• Okay, well I'm worried about the administrative fee that y'all are going to charge us to make us pay.
• So the increase of insurance more to take care of an administrative fee you're talking about well I'm
• We're not talking about, I'm not talking about administrative fees, I'm talking about administrative
• But if this cost is already included and the fees you're getting now.

Bills: HB138, HB335, HB388, HB138

Keywords: health impact analysis, cost analysis, coverage mandates, health insurance, legislative analysis, health care data, education, funding, classroom resources, teacher support, student outcomes, health benefits, provider dentists, payment reimbursement, insurance code, noncontracting, dental care, reimbursement, health benefit plans, noncontracting providers