Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, currently you have to be 10 to start hunting bear.
• They would not be able to hunt, but then by the time they're 10, they could be able to hunt bear.
• <01:56:44.960> bear.
• <01:56:46.320> Uh, could hunt bear. The DNR likes this. Uh, could hunt bear.
• <01:57:02.480> Vote hunting. Thank you, Mr. President. Vote hunting. Thank you, Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First, let me say, Louisiana Wildlife Federation completely supports hunting as well as hunting with
• There was a consensus that the use of dogs, particularly for deer hunting and hog hunting on Kisatchie
• This is just for hunting deer; this is allowed during regular hunting season, and all we’re doing is
• This is allowed during regular hunting season.
• So bear with this. Ms. Winkler. Yes, sir.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee took up a series of natural resources, wildlife, environmental, and infrastructure measures. HCR 79 by Chairman Butler, which memorializes Congress and the U.S. Forest Service to allow dog hunting in Kisatchie National Forest, drew testimony in support from hunters and a former NRCS official describing it as a rural Louisiana tradition, and opposition from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, which said it supported hunting with dogs generally but opposed the deer/hog hunting portions while favoring the recovery-of-wounded-deer component. The committee reported HCR 79 favorable. It also reported favorable on SB 419, allowing pre-charged pneumatic devices for deer during primitive firearms season, and on SCR 29, creating a study committee on Atchafalaya Basin water quality and sediment impacts, and SB 111, setting black bass and crappie bag and size limits in the basin, with Wildlife and Fisheries saying it would monitor the effects through sampling and creel data. Several resolutions and bills focused on environmental management and state property. SB 174 authorized transfer of certain state property in Caddo Parish from Louisiana Tech University to the Caddo Parish School Board and was reported favorable. SB 189, a preemptive ban on intentional release or dispersion of fuels or chemicals to affect temperatures, was also reported favorable after discussion of geoengineering-related additives. SB 99, which updates DEQ communications to allow optional electronic notices for permits and public notifications, was supported by DEQ and reported favorable. HCR 104, from Rep. Coates, asked the Department of Conservation and Energy and the Louisiana Geological Survey to study and recommend improvements to subsurface data collection and access; testimony described efforts to modernize core and well-log records and build a statewide 3D subsurface model, and the resolution was reported favorable. The committee also considered river, boating, and wildlife-related measures. SB 331 would temporarily remove portions of the Louisiana Scenic Rivers Act for five years to allow work on the lower Pearl River, including dredging and channel realignment, while prohibiting commercial development and reservoir construction; environmental groups opposed it as a bad precedent and urged a shorter sunset, but the bill was reported favorable. HCR 54 urged a federal study of flooded corn and migratory waterfowl behavior and was reported favorable after support from the Flyway Federation and Louisiana Wildlife Federation. HCR 94 would require annual Wildlife and Fisheries reports on boating safety data, and HCR 87 expressed support for a U.S. senator’s correspondence on migratory flyways; both were reported favorable. SB 505, dealing with the Motor Fuels Underground Storage Tank Trust Dedicated Fund, was reported favorable after testimony that it would expand grant capacity, create a two-cycle application process, and address LLC-related issues. The committee also advanced several measures on public policy and cleanup issues. HCR 85 created a task force on illegal dumping; after amendments added Keep Louisiana Beautiful and the Louisiana Police Jury Association, members discussed statewide tire dumping problems, DEQ staffing, and cleanup funding, and the resolution was reported favorable as amended. HR 216, as substituted, was changed from a repudiation of the Louisiana Climate Action Plan to a resolution authorizing the committee to hold a hearing and receive input from agencies and stakeholders on the plan; after reconsideration and adoption of the substitute amendment, it was reported favorable. One item, SB 243, was voluntarily deferred.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is in regards to hunting.
• And doesn't say when you're hunting or when you're going to hunt or when you already have hunted.
• you're hunting.
• So it only applies while you're hunting.
• Don't hunt at all. But I do see deer.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then received a gubernatorial message listing numerous bills signed by the governor. The chamber also handled conference committee business, including appointing conferees for House Bills 1003 and 1169 after refusing to concur with Senate amendments, and adopting a conference committee report on House Bill 1053, which repealed a Century Code section related to the length of the state highway system. A major portion of the meeting focused on Senate Bill 2137, which would allow supplemental feed for hunting and include an expiration date. The House divided the proposed amendments into two parts. Division A, dealing with baiting limits and setbacks near livestock facilities, drew extensive debate over private property rights, enforceability, livestock protection, and hunting access, and failed 14-76. Division B, requiring chronic wasting disease surveillance and a report to Legislative Management, also drew debate over whether the reporting requirement was necessary or too late to be useful; it failed 44-46. With both divisions defeated, the House then passed the underlying bill 56-34. The House also laid over Senate Bills 2340, 2326, and 2289. Later, it defeated Senate Bill 2325, which would have created a process for non-federal easements on wetland areas, by a vote of 4-84. It passed Senate Bill 2210, directing a legislative management study on watershed-based water management, 85-3; Senate Bill 2387, establishing rights for sexual violence survivors, 89-0; and Senate Bill 269, allowing state agencies to satisfy legal notice requirements by posting on their websites if newspaper publication is missed, 72-17. The House then excused absent members and adjourned until Monday, April 14, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• Bear to designate Wednesday, May 13, as Louisiana Realtors Day at the State Capitol.
• Bear moves to adopt the resolution. Without objection.
• asked a question about whether federal legislation was trying to tell Louisiana that it could not hunt
• Chairman, please bear with me if I repeat anything, I could not hear all of the questions.
• Bear, for a personal privilege.

Bills: HR275, HR276, HR277, HR278, HR279, HR280, HR281, HR282, HR283, HR284, HCR112, HCR113, HR265, HR266, HR267, HR268, HR269, HR270, HR271, HR272, HR273, HCR107, HCR108, HCR109, HCR110, HCR111, SCR63, SCR66, SCR67, SB414, SB484, SB513, HR168, HR174, HR194, HR216, HR264, HCR54, HCR74, HCR79, HCR85, HCR87, HCR94, HCR95, HCR97, HCR98, HCR104, SCR23, SCR29, SCR33, SCR38, HB75, HB705, SB54, SB56, SB72, SB79, SB97, SB105, SB123, SB125, SB129, SB163, SB171, SB252, SB287, SB375, SB386, SB461, SB466, HR84, HR188, HR205, HR3, HR197, HR243, SCR19, SCR3, SCR6, SCR18, SCR11, SCR22, SCR2, SCR20, SCR24, SCR35, HCR6, HB301, HB359, HB657, HB675, HB680, HB727, HB39, HB58, HB112, HB134, HB155, HB187, HB287, HB462, HB782, HB825, HB846, HB903, HB904, HB929, HB941, HB962, HB1200, HB4, HB623, HB944, HB986, HB1098, HB1222, SB45, SB58, SB71, SB81, SB92, SB100, SB109, SB141, SB156, SB181, SB203, SB204, SB205, SB207, SB213, SB214, SB216, SB229, SB257, SB274, SB290, SB304, SB374, SB379, SB396, SB410, SB425, SB427, SB429, SB479, SB522, SB34, SB164, SB172, SB198, SB208, SB232, SB281, SB286, SB317, SB322, SB334, SB380, SB385, SB409, SB417, SB421, SB430, SB439, SB447, SB458, SB510, HB842, HB633, HB1191, HB625, HB1255, HB251, HB582, HB646, HB819, HB998, HB1257, SB197, SB436, SB78, HB901, HR20, HR74, HCR65, HCR71, HB284, HB302, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1240, SB82, SB89, HB258, SB149, SB382, SB441

Keywords: highway maintenance, signage, transportation safety, DOTD, infrastructure, public safety, federal grants, job creation, carbon storage, carbon dioxide storage, carbon capture and storage, CCS, mineral rights, mineral owners, oil and gas, disposal wells, injection wells, advanced drilling, carbon sequestration, Louisiana energy policy

Transcript Highlights:

• species habitats and support communities where deer have become so numerous that their recreational hunting
• A targeted tool for a specific situation is not about removing hunting rights or encouraging widespread
• Due to the preserve's proximity to so many homes, public hunting is not as safe. or viable option.
• We had a part break on a tractor that day, a bearing this size.
• Our bill is $50,000 to fix that bearing at John Deere. That is 5% of our whole budget on repairs.

Bills: HB43, HB519, HB1275, HB1592, HB2842, HB3088, HB3479, HB4163, SB823, HB609

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• I am John Hunt.”
• John Hunt says they will start by going around.
• Unlike Chairman Hunt, I have not been here since 1890.
• We're working out the kinks; bear with us.
• Thank you, Chairman Hunt.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with introductory remarks for new and returning members of the House Commerce Committee, led by Chairman John Hunt. Members briefly introduced themselves and their backgrounds, and several noted the committee’s bipartisan, collegial tone. Hunt explained the committee’s structure and traditions, including the division into three subcommittees: banking and business, consumer protection, and liquor commission matters, with insurance now handled as a single area. He also reviewed basic hearing procedures, including decorum, questions for information only, and the committee’s practice of moving bills through subcommittees before full committee executive sessions. The committee then heard an overview from the New Hampshire Insurance Department, led by Commissioner DJ Bettencourt and staff. The department described its mission as promoting a safe and competitive insurance marketplace and emphasized consumer protection, market competition, and affordability. Officials outlined the department’s responsibilities, including licensing insurers, producers, adjusters, and TPAs; reviewing insurance forms; regulating companies and market conduct; overseeing financial solvency; and investigating insurance fraud. They also noted that the department is self-funded through assessments on insurers, collects premium taxes and fees for the state, and returned more than $2.7 million to companies in fiscal year 2024 due to underspending. The presentation also covered the broader regulatory framework for insurance, including the role of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in promoting uniform standards across states and territories. Officials said New Hampshire licenses about 1,200 insurance companies and roughly 245,000 producers and adjusters, and that the department’s financial examinations are part of an accreditation system used nationwide. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided; the session was primarily organizational and informational, with the insurance department presentation beginning the committee’s substantive work for the term.

Transcript Highlights:

• They were told Bear County, and it was really Travis County.
• I do have one that I think just bears significance here, and I want to make sure it's abundantly clear
• Hunt, as well as nearby Ingram and Kerrville, were both specifically identified as locations that would
• The image used by the National Weather Service specifically showed Hunt within the warned area.
• The image used by the National Weather Service specifically showed Hunt within the warned area.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Paul, Oakdale, Vadnais Heights, Shoreview, Woodbury, New Brighton, White Bear Lake, and White Bear Township
• Paul, Oakdale, Vadnais Heights, Shoreview, Woodbury, New Brighton, White Bear Lake, and White Bear Township
• Paul, Oakdale, Vadnais Heights, Shoreview, Woodbury, New Brighton, White Bear Lake, and White Bear Township
• so<00:37:18.119> um<00:37:18.319> not white bear White Bear Township so um not
• white bear White Bear Township so um not just<00:37:18.680> for<00:37:18.880> my<00:37:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Um Daniel Hunt, are you Daniel? Record shows you're Daniel Hunt.
• My name is Daniel Hunt. I'm here to speak in favor of HB 1743.
• Daniel Hernandez, Daniel Hunt, Jacqueline Klein, and Karen Crawford.
• Daniel Hunt.
• County, Travis Harris, Harris, did you say Bear?

Bills: HB 256, HB 1308, HB 1554, HB 1743, HB 2308, HB 2351, HB 2858, HB 3676, HB 3784, HB 4312, HB 4552, HB 4823, HB 4852, HB 5007, HB 5010, HB 5520, HB 5524, HCR 19

Keywords: E-verify, employment verification, illegal employment, state contracts, government entities, license suspension, immigration compliance, state grant funding, E-Verify, compliance, penalties, immigration, government contracts, employee status, state contractors, E-verify program, legally present, employment practices, legal services, public money

Transcript Highlights:

• We were facing challenges in White Bear Lake.
• We were facing challenges in White Bear Lake.
• We were facing challenges in White Bear Lake.
• I still see people go deer hunting. They still have their shacks.
• Paul, and White Bear Park.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:43:34.800> fish, Minnesota, the ability to hunt, fish, Minnesota, the ability to hunt
• So by the time they are 10 years old, then they would be able to hunt bear.
• So if it takes five years to get enough points, they might not be able to hunt bear till they're 12.
• And again, this isn't allowing anyone under 10 to start hunting bear.
• bear.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Given the impact of our decisions on tribal treaty rights, the right to hunt, fish, and gather, we think
• And that's what you saw around Bear Gulch and some of those.
• Individuals would get hunting and fishing licenses from the county as well.
• They also establish hunting and fishing seasons. Next slide.
• To wildlife conservation-type individuals to the hunting group. I have a Zoom call this.

Summary: The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a work session with an update from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Commissioner Dave Upthe Grove outlined DNR’s size and scope, previewed agency-request legislation, and emphasized budget priorities. He said DNR will seek authority to sell ecosystem service credits, better use underutilized water rights with tribal consultation, add a tribal representative to the State Board of Natural Resources, make minor timber-sales efficiencies, and include wildland firefighters in the LEOFF pension system. He also urged restoration of wildfire prevention and preparedness funding, warning that reduced funding would mean fewer firefighters, less forest health work, and less support for rural fire districts. He noted DNR’s wildfire suppression costs are rising and argued prevention spending can reduce larger, more expensive fires. State Forester George Geisler followed with a detailed wildfire season review. He said Washington now responds to fires year-round and also assists other states, including Texas. He described DNR’s use of 31 aircraft, 691 firefighters, and corrections-based crews, and said the agency’s success rate for keeping fires under 10 acres improved slightly from 93.7% to 94.1%. He highlighted increased arson activity, especially around Spokane, and described the Crescent Road Fire as an example of early detection, rapid response, and the use of bulldozers, aircraft, and hand crews to contain a fire to 182 acres with no structure losses. Senator Saldan praised the emphasis on prevention and the use of bulldozers as cost-effective tools. Assistant deputy supervisor Dwayne Emmons then reviewed the trust land transfer program, which was codified in statute in 2023 after being funded through the capital budget for decades. He said more than 130,000 acres of underperforming trust land have been transferred since the 1990s to other public or tribal entities for more appropriate use, while DNR acquires replacement lands to keep the trust whole. He described the current application and ranking process, including tribal input, and said DNR is requesting funding for remaining parcels from the last round, including portions of Tract C, Babcock Bench, and Middle Fork Snoqualmie. In questions, Senator Wagoner raised concerns about DNR’s decision to remove some acres from timber harvest rotation and its impact on local revenue and mills; the commissioner responded that current five-year harvest plans provide short-term stability and that any changes would be explored through the Board of Natural Resources process, not through immediate reductions in supply. The committee then received a history briefing from staff member Jeff Olson on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission and agency structure. He traced the evolution from early fish and game commissioners to the current commission-appointed director model adopted by voter-approved Referendum 45 in 1995. Olson explained the commission’s statutory duties, membership requirements, and how Washington compares with other states. Chair Chapman said he had no plans to hear a bill this session changing the commission’s makeup, but he expressed personal interest in exploring reforms, accountability, and possibly a future broader coalition or referendum process. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational only, and the chair adjourned the session with holiday and New Year’s wishes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Bear. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• Representative<01:18:35.360> Bear. Representative Bear. Representative Bear.
• .<01:46:07.920> Um,<01:46:09.119> but hunt.
• Um, but hunt.
• ,<02:08:09.360> Brady, Bear, Brady, Bear, Brady, Bratton.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• providing the the hunting community with access<00:10:18.480> to<00:10:18.640> that<00
• So, I have some notes, so bear with me.
• <00:14:53.440> Uh,<00:14:54.079> but, some notes, so bear with me.
• Uh, but, some notes, so bear with me.
• I mean maybe hunting and fishing public.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because everybody's loaded for bears. That's why. We need to stand up, protect our children.
• People's trucks during hunting season. That was a common thing.
• There were guns at my school every day the entire time, not just hunting season.
• Louis County Black Bear District. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• They did not have grandpa take them hunting. They didn't understand and have respect for that.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the House Journal by a 123-0 roll call vote. Members then used points of personal privilege to recognize National Police Week, honor Rep. Prouty, and share personal remarks, followed by numerous introductions of special guests, including school groups, interns, a militia reenactment group, and student teams from the University of Missouri and Hallsville FFA. The chamber then handled Senate messages and committee reports before taking up House Bills 1839, 2921, and 3015. Rep. from Cass explained a Senate amendment as a technical correction to House Bill 1839, which would add age-verification requirements for online pornography; the House concurred 104-30 and then finally passed the package 112-25. The House also adopted and then passed the conference committee report on House Bill 2596, which was described as modernizing pooled health plan language for small businesses and adding a provision expanding contraception insurance coverage from a six-month to a 12-month supply, while removing a Senate-added blood pressure cuff provision. The conference report was adopted 120-26 and the bill was third read and passed 119-27. The final major item was Senate Bill 905, creating the Missouri Ranger training program and allowing school districts to optionally place highly trained rangers on campus with narrow law enforcement powers. Supporters argued it would give districts another local-control option to improve school safety, especially where school resource officers are unavailable, and emphasized that it could be volunteer-based and not require state funding. Opponents argued the bill would add guns to schools, increase trauma and liability, and fail to address underlying mental health and school safety needs. After extended debate and a successful previous-question motion, the House adopted the amendment and continued consideration of the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratton, Brown, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratton, Brown, Gary,<00:00:34.000> Brown,
• ,<01:20:27.280> Brady, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear,
• What is your pleasure, Chairman Bear? What is your pleasure, Chairman Bear?
• See you at 2 p.m. for tracking black bears and Senate file for tracking black bears and Senate file 124
• >> Chairman<01:59:00.400> Bear. >> Chairman Bear. >> Chairman Bear.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bear Christina members of the committee.
• <03:42:20.479> in that is something important to bear in that is something important to bear
• It's just on hunting?
• hunting license. hunting license.
• that hunt. Um, and they know each other. that hunt. Um, and they know each other.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• who protect the people and their rights, the autonomy of our states, and I believe he will bring to bear
• And to see what they're going through now with this purge, this witch hunt, awful for such dedicated
• building, including, by the way, a prosecutor named Emil Bove, one of the guys leading this witch hunt
• Now he's the guy helping. to lead the Inquisition in the FBI, purging the witch hunt.
• in committee let me let me just read the questions I asked him for the record and his answers and bear

Bills: SB331

Keywords: fentanyl, controlled substances, drug trafficking, public health, research regulations, law enforcement, Kash Patel, FBI director nomination, S331, Fentanyl Act, committee meeting, legislative discussion

Summary: In this committee meeting, the primary focus was on the nomination of Kash Patel for the position of director of the FBI, which had sparked considerable debate over the past week. Members discussed the extensive vetting process Patel underwent, including a lengthy hearing where he addressed numerous questions, which emphasized his qualifications and the support he received from various law enforcement organizations. The meeting included significant arguments from both sides, reflecting the polarized nature of the nomination, especially regarding the allegations made against Patel by some committee members. As discussions continued, the committee decided to hold off on the Fentanyl Act, listed as S331, until the next meeting, indicating a prioritization of the nomination vote over new legislative measures at this time.

Transcript Highlights:

• Christy Hunt, RKM Primary Care, and Dr.
• Christy Hunt: ...consideration as well, too.
• Christy Hunt: This is what's going on multiple times in the classroom.
• Christy Hunt: I'm sorry, Christy Hunt. And I'm with R.K.M. Primary Care. Christy Hunt: Thank you.
• Bear, St.

Summary: The committee first heard SB 206, which would require cardiovascular pre-screening and blood pressure testing for student athletes beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Chairman Miller said the bill was prompted by concerns about undiagnosed hypertension and sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes, and Coach Marcus Scott testified about his own kidney transplant after years of untreated high blood pressure. Members asked about who would perform the screenings and how follow-up would work; the American Heart Association said existing athletic physical processes and referral networks could handle it. An amendment was adopted, and the committee reported SB 206 favorably as amended. The committee then took up SB 305, which would require a publicly available statewide career-alignment dashboard showing how degree programs connect to workforce outcomes, including completion, employment, wages, and high-demand jobs. Chairman Edmonds and student task force member Cruz Cassard said the goal was to help students understand job opportunities in Louisiana and reduce the number leaving the state after graduation. Workforce and higher education stakeholders supported the measure as a transparency and workforce-planning tool. The committee reported SB 305 favorably. Next, the committee considered HB 624, a school safety cleanup bill updating references from crisis management plans to emergency operations plans and aligning school emergency language with national standards. Representative Johnson and the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools said the bill would not create new mandates or costs, but would clarify existing requirements. The committee reported HB 624 favorably. The committee then heard HB 1022, as substituted, concerning school-based health care services. Representative Jackson said the bill was intended to clarify that medical decisions in school-based health centers should be made by licensed health professionals, not school staff, while preserving parental consent. Testimony from school-based health center providers supported the bill, but several members raised concerns about consent, parental authority, and whether the language shifted too much responsibility away from schools; the Charter School Association suggested adding more collaborative language. After discussion, the committee adopted the substitute and reported HB 1022 favorably by a 10-4 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• We got a nice conversation about hunting and, uh, and then gun rights.
• We got a nice conversation about hunting and, uh, and then gun rights.
• here with their own lived experiences and the people they meet, uh, and they're able to bring that to bear
• here with their own lived experiences and the people they meet, uh, and they're able to bring that to bear

Keywords: 1187, senate, all