Transcript Highlights:

• This is a great opportunity to develop our tourism through biking, through long trails, trails, trails
• </c> part of our state to survey that trail. part of our state to survey that trail.
• </c> mountains are on a biking trail. mountains are on a biking trail.
• </c> get involved with these long trails. get involved with these long trails.
• </c> nation to be able to go on a long trail. nation to be able to go on a long trail.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need concrete data on the impacts emergency regulations have on agricultural products, cattle products
• Open spaces or regional trails also exist currently.
• Most of these newly acquired parklands have roads or trails that connect to existing roads and trails
• Trail system in collaboration with Caltrans, creating three accessible bridges over sensitive wetland
• They stay on that trail. They can see other animals, other species.

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Summary: The committee heard a series of water, parks, transportation, energy, and fisheries bills, with authors and supporters generally emphasizing targeted exemptions, improved access, or regulatory clarity. AB 430 would require the State Water Resources Control Board to study and publicly release the economic and environmental impacts of repeated emergency water curtailment regulations; farm, water, and local government groups supported it as a transparency measure. AB 1139 would expand a CEQA exemption so county park agencies can open existing roads and trails for non-motorized recreation, with supporters citing outdoor access and opponents warning about impacts to species, riparian areas, tribal resources, and fire risk. AB 929 would temporarily exempt small community water systems and managed wetlands from certain SGMA pumping reductions and fees; supporters said it protects vulnerable communities and wetlands, while agricultural and water interests argued it undermines basin-wide groundwater management and could worsen SGMA implementation. The committee also heard AB 1225, creating an Accessibility Advisory Committee for State Parks, which drew broad support from disability advocates and committee members and no opposition. Additional measures focused on infrastructure and environmental policy. AB 975 would give Sutter County a narrow, temporary exemption from streambed alteration agreements for certain damaged small bridges and culverts, with county officials describing long delays in repairing flood-damaged crossings and no opposition heard. AB 514 would declare state policy encouraging local water suppliers to develop emergency water supplies for drought or service interruptions; it received broad support from water agencies and no opposition. AB 550 would allow incidental take permits for species under consideration for listing, aimed at reducing delays for clean energy projects; supporters said it would prevent regulatory limbo, while environmental groups sought amendments to clarify the permit standard, limit the use of scientific research as mitigation, and add a fee provision. The committee also took up AB 697 on the Highway 37 corridor, authorizing an incidental take permit for the near-term project between Mare Island and Sears Point to advance mobility and habitat restoration. Supporters from local transportation agencies and county officials said the corridor is a major bottleneck and the interim project is needed now, while environmental and tribal opponents argued it would fast-track highway widening, increase emissions, and affect tribal cultural resources. Members discussed tolling limits, equity, and the long delay on the corridor; the bill was moved out on a vote, with some members noting they would continue to monitor it. Finally, AB 1056 would phase out transferable set gill net permits after 2027, allowing only limited family transfers thereafter; supporters framed it as a gradual conservation reform consistent with Fish and Game Commission findings, while fishing groups opposed it as harmful to working fishermen.

Transcript Highlights:

• options like a new CT scanner equipped to handle the wide variety of patients from corals to dairy cattle
• So the Tree Top Trail—try saying that many times.
• The Tree Top Trail was privately funded, correct?
• Madam Chair, committee members, the Tree Top Trail was driven by a private donor initially, with a $10
• The Tree Top Trail, although obviously it seems like a public-facing project and not like an emergency

Transcript Highlights:

• Trails became supply lines, camps evolved into towns, and civic and religious organizations flourished
• And I had my son along with me because he was like a little campaign trail happy, healthy helper, right
• 1207, Idaho Code, relating to posting of notices of traffic regulations regarding horses, mules, and cattle

Transcript Highlights:

• And I jotted down a few notes this morning because I tend to chase a rabbit down a trail sometimes, and
• And I jot it down a few notes this morning because I tend to chase a rabbit down a trail sometimes, and
• I'm telling the truth that I rode over every inch of it and caught cattle for him in there.
• Many of our members, And we care for about 9 million head of cattle annually.
• And so to the cattle raisers or any of the other stakeholders who we've heard from.

Committee: House Natural Resources

Summary: The committee held a hearing on high-capacity groundwater wells proposed in Anderson, Henderson, and Houston counties, with members framing the issue as one of local water supply, fairness, and the need to modernize groundwater law while protecting private property rights. Opening remarks focused on the scale of the proposed Redtown Ranch and Pine Bliss projects, the potential export of tens of thousands of acre-feet of groundwater annually, and concerns that the applications lacked sufficient technical detail and could harm nearby landowners, cities, agriculture, and manufacturing. Members also noted the broader context of the recent flooding tragedy in central Texas and the Legislature’s intent to address water-related loss of life in the upcoming special session. Witnesses from the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts and the Texas Water Development Board explained the current groundwater management framework. They described groundwater conservation districts as the state’s preferred management method, the role of groundwater management areas and desired future conditions, and how the Water Development Board uses those conditions to calculate modeled available groundwater. They emphasized that districts rely on local data, monitoring wells, and planning processes, but that information is often more limited in areas without a district, where the rule of capture applies. Members pressed witnesses on recharge rates, export permits, subsidence, the effect of pumping on nearby wells, the age and real-time availability of model data, and whether the proposed project would exceed modeled available groundwater in some counties. TCEQ explained its limited oversight role over groundwater conservation districts, including inquiries, compliance actions, and, in extreme cases, dissolution authority. Water Development Board staff also outlined funding programs, saying the New Water Supply for Texas Fund is limited to projects such as brackish desalination, reuse, ASR, and other new-supply projects, and does not fund fresh groundwater exports alone. They said the project at issue had not applied for board funding. A water lawyer then testified on the rule of capture, ownership in place, and district regulation, arguing that districts must use permitting and other tools to manage production within modeled available groundwater and that the Legislature could consider additional authority over groundwater exports under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• So there'd also be passive recreation, like trails. That's my...
• So there'd also be passive recreation, like trails and areas to picnic and birdwatch.
• That's my, so there'd also be passive recreation, like trails and areas to picnic and birdwatch.
• State Coastal Conservancy is conducting restoration, sea level rise adaptation, land acquisitions, trails
• Conservancy, where we've invested $70 million in the last five to ten years for the Santa Ana River Trail

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the May Revision from the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office, focused on resources, environmental protection, energy, and related budget issues. Finance said the May Revision keeps the budget balanced in 2026-27 and 2027-28, narrows the structural deficit, and proposes major investments in natural resources, including Proposition 4 bond funding for the Golden Gate Fields acquisition, wildlife refuge and wetland projects, Fort Ord Dunes campground operations, Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, wildfire-human coexistence, and beverage container recycling. The LAO praised stronger-than-expected revenues but argued the state still has a structural deficit and is relying too heavily on reserves, recommending more reserve deposits and fewer new discretionary expenditures. Members questioned several proposals, especially the Golden Gate Fields purchase and the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program. Agency officials said the Golden Gate Fields site is a time-limited opportunity, would be remediated by the current owner, transferred to East Bay Regional Park District after closing, and restricted to park/open-space uses rather than commercial development. On Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, Finance and the Natural Resources Agency said the $25 million request would help launch year one of the program, support scientific monitoring, and maintain commitments to environmental flows and habitat restoration; the LAO said the request was premature because the Bay-Delta plan has not yet been formally adopted and the state’s total funding commitment remains unclear. Officials also discussed water storage, subsidence, and the need for ongoing investments in aquifer recharge, aqueduct repairs, and recycling. The committee also reviewed a proposed $1 million shift for the Coexisting with Wildlife Initiative. Fish and Wildlife and the Cattlemen’s Association said the money would support limited-term staffing, deterrence tools, and livestock-loss compensation, while acknowledging the amount is modest compared with the need. Members emphasized the growing human-wildlife conflict problem and the importance of nonlethal deterrence and public education. The discussion then turned to greenhouse gas reduction fund revenues and transit; members warned that lower auction revenues and possible CARB rule changes could leave little or nothing for Tier 3 programs such as transit, clean water, and air-quality programs. Finance and the LAO said the Legislature should plan for multiple revenue scenarios and consider whether the existing cap-and-invest spending framework still matches current revenue expectations and priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• The history that comes down, and the Santa Fe Trail—I mean, we all know the history. west—all of those
• Same number of cattle, same using their base water source for a fraction of what they could eventually
• they could hunt until their stomachs busted, where they could raise their thousands of sheep, goats, cattle

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• From sheep to cattle, wheat to sugar beets, and corn, agriculture is the backbone of our economy, as
• Uh, from sheep to cattle,<00:45:32.720><c> wheat</c><00:45:33.040><c> to</c><00:45:33.200><c> sugar</
• Beth Butler, and I'm a fifth-generation cattle rancher out of Converse County, and I would just like
• hard hikes, and I mean really hard hikes, in rough country to observe the sheep, using optics and trail
• hard hikes, and I mean really hard hikes, in rough country to observe the sheep, using optics and trail

Bills: SF0025 , SF0027 , SF0043 , SF0066

Committee: Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• was a very large and complex bill, and it does merit a more thorough review, as it'll impact our cattle
• <00:13:59.839><c> it'll</c><00:14:00.160><c> impact</c><00:14:00.480><c> our</c><00:14:00.680><c> cattle
• </c><00:14:01.199><c> producers</c><00:14:02.199><c> um</c> as it'll impact our cattle producers um as
• , it becomes very problematic for them because they got to fence the lands too, yeah, to keep the cattle
• We've been pretty successful in some areas in some islands being able to beef up the trail and access

Committee: House Agriculture & Food Systems

Transcript Highlights:

• know, I campaigned in a bunch of elections with assessors. ...and you would see them on the campaign trail
• When you get to grassland where people have cattle, livestock, you take what their machinery costs, what

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Transcript Highlights:

• That's my... so there'd also be passive recreation, like trails.
• That's my, so there'd also be passive recreation, like trails.
• That's my, so there'd also be passive recreation, like trails and areas to picnic and birdwatch.
• State Coastal Conservancy is conducting restoration, sea level rise adaptation, land acquisitions, trails
• Conservancy, where we've invested $70 million in the last five to ten years for the Santa Ana River Trail

Transcript Highlights:

• the urban growth boundaries, or in protected areas in our community, like Badger Mountain and the trail
• going to try to take away things that are important to us like our community preserves and our hiking trails
• My great-great-grandfather registered the first cattle brand in the Washington Territory.

Bills: HB2103 , HB2388 , HB2316 , HB2006 , HB2224

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: renewable energy, nonemitting generation, public entities, contracting, electric generation, distributed energy, agricultural land, energy generation, renewable resources, siting regulations, land use, urban development, vegetation management, shrubsteppe, environmental regulation, economic development, sales tax, rural counties, industrial land banks, growth management

Transcript Highlights:

• I speak to you today not as a representative of Chico State, but as a researcher and a cattle rancher
• Specifically, our trail camera data showed that nearby bone piles received an average of 341 predator
• Specifically, our trail camera data showed that nearby bone piles received an average of 341 predator

Summary: The Assembly Agriculture Committee met as a subcommittee at first because a quorum was not yet present, then adopted its committee rules for the 2025-2026 legislative session by a 5-0 vote. The committee heard a series of agriculture-related bills, with most measures receiving broad support and moving forward. AB 1142 by Assemblymember Hoover would raise the fee thresholds for small public horse events that are exempt from equine medication monitoring rules; supporters said the current limits are outdated and hurt small riding clubs, and the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 411 by Assemblymember Papin would allow ranchers to compost livestock carcasses on-farm; supporters cited cost, environmental, and predator-control benefits, while rendering industry representatives asked for amendments to protect existing services and limit the bill’s scope. The bill passed to Natural Resources. AB 482 by Assemblymember Solache would modernize the California Table Grape Commission law and raise assessment caps without increasing assessments themselves; it passed to Appropriations. AB 312 by Vice Chair Alanis would shorten the holding period for ag theft property from six months to three months; it also passed to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 937 and AB 947 by Assemblymember Connolly. AB 937 would make technical changes to the Organic Transition Pilot Program to improve access to organic transition support, with testimony from a farmer who said the program helped him pursue organic certification; the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 947 would expand and refine technical assistance under the Healthy Soils/Climate Smart Agriculture programs, including training, grant writing, matching funds coordination, equipment sharing, and outcome monitoring; supporters said the changes would help small and organic producers access state climate programs, and it also passed to Appropriations. AB 1486, presented by the chair, would use Proposition 4 funding to start grants for public postsecondary agricultural research farms focused on climate resiliency; members praised the role of CSU and UC research farms, and the bill passed to Natural Resources as amended. The most extensive discussion centered on AB 928 by Assemblymember Rogers, the California Cockfighting Cruelty Act. Supporters argued the bill would help law enforcement target cockfighting and rooster trafficking, reduce avian disease risks, and protect public health and animal welfare; opponents, including poultry hobbyists, breeders, and 4-H-related participants, said it would overreach into lawful poultry keeping and harm heritage-breed and youth programs, urging instead that cockfighting penalties be increased to a felony. Committee members echoed concerns about unintended impacts on legitimate poultry owners and requested continued work on exemptions and language. The bill passed to Judiciary on a 5-2-1 vote, with one no vote and one abstention, and the chair noted that further committee review would continue as the bill advances.

Bills: SR28 , SB201 , SB1379 , SB1525 , SB1966 , SB2112 , SB2170 , HB2749 , HB3262 , HB3265 , HB3673 , HB3781 , HB3040 , HB3076 , HB3369 , HB3982 , HB3462 , HB3465 , HB3521 , HB3796 , HB3800 , HB4095 , HB4298 , HB4316 , HB4338 , HB4408 , HB4454

Keywords: alpha-gal syndrome, alpha gal, tick-borne illness, tick bite allergy, red meat allergy, meat allergy, dairy allergy, anaphylaxis, Lyme disease, public health, tick prevention, vector-borne disease, allergy awareness, May awareness month, Oklahoma Department of Health, outdoor safety, health education, research funding, minimum salary, education funding

Bills: HR1055 , SB2170 , SB1833 , SB1198 , HR1056 , SB1730 , SB563 , SB1379 , SB1645 , SB2155 , SB1280 , SB1455 , SB1456 , SB1461 , SB1457 , SB1463 , SB1465 , SB1466 , SB1344 , SB1309 , HR1054 , SB2159 , SB1948 , HB1371 , SB1365 , SB1976 , SB1975 , SB2026 , SB1565 , SB1621 , SB237 , SB933 , SB1427 , SB1642 , SB171 , SB1873 , SB2067 , SB1623 , SB1771 , SB1805 , SB1826 , SB2072 , SB444 , SB2184 , SB1966 , SB1812 , SB2117 , SB2135 , SB330 , SB1239 , SB1428 , SB1531 , SB1484 , SB1405 , SB3

Keywords: Oklahoma Agriculture Day, agriculture, farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, food production, wheat, cattle, beef, dairy, soybeans, cotton, poultry, pork, rye, rural economy, urban-rural, trade, commodity production, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture

Bills: HR1055 , SB2170 , SB1833 , SB1198 , HR1056 , SB1730 , SB563 , SB1379 , SB1645 , SB2155 , SB1280 , SB1455 , SB1456 , SB1461 , SB1457 , SB1463 , SB1465 , SB1466 , SB1344 , SB1309 , HR1054 , SB2159 , SB1948 , HB1371 , SB1365 , SB1976 , SB1975 , SB2026 , SB1565 , SB1621 , SB237 , SB933 , SB1427 , SB1642 , SB171 , SB1873 , SB2067 , SB1623 , SB1771 , SB1805 , SB1826 , SB2072 , SB444 , SB2184 , SB1966 , SB1812 , SB2117 , SB2135 , SB330 , SB1239 , SB1428 , SB1531 , SB1484 , SB1405 , SB3

Keywords: Oklahoma Agriculture Day, agriculture, farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, food production, wheat, cattle, beef, dairy, soybeans, cotton, poultry, pork, rye, rural economy, urban-rural, trade, commodity production, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're trying to have parity for an OHV because there are certain miles, OHV trails in Arizona, that
• They are not meant for trails. They should not be on trails.
• So I absolutely am against anything that would make it easier for them to be on those trails.
• And we just heard that these may, these heavier vehicles may be not... ...those trails.
• And they don't need to be the ones on the trails, literally destroying the trails that we walk on and

Bills: SB1041 , SB1088 , SB1118 , SB1128 , SB1168 , SB1176 , SB1189 , SB1207 , SB1250 , SB1272 , SB1274 , SB1286 , SB1428 , SB1457 , SB1461 , SB1503 , SB1519 , SB1537 , SB1582 , SB1618 , SB1654 , SB1713 , SB1827 , SCR1012 , SCR1020

Committees: House Appropriations , House House Appropriations Committee of Reference

Keywords: electronic monitoring, nursing care, assisted living, resident rights, privacy, consent, surveillance, cybersecurity, homeland security, artificial intelligence, state appropriation, VPN security, zero trust, housing, zoning, middle housing, urban development, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes

Transcript Highlights:

• floodwaters pass through a large animal confinement, which is a dairy feedlot housing thousands of cattle
• counties, and preserving and managing local open space, coastal access, parklands, watersheds, and trails

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several Senate bills focused on water, conservation, parks, and flood protection. SB 224 by Senator Hurtado would require the Department of Water Resources to implement audit recommendations to improve water supply forecasting and climate-change modeling, with annual legislative updates; supporters said better forecasting would reduce water losses and improve transparency. SB 556, also by Hurtado, would fund floodplain restoration in the Tulare Basin and around McFarland to reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, and provide habitat and other co-benefits; local officials, River Partners, and others supported it, and several initially opposed groups moved to neutral after amendments. Senator Allen presented SB 630, which streamlines real property acquisitions for State Parks and raises the threshold for DGS review of state real estate transactions, with supporters saying it would reduce delays and help clear a backlog of small conservation acquisitions. Members raised concerns about oversight and fiscal controls, but the bill passed as amended. Allen also presented SB 718, which would lower hunting and fishing license costs for low-income Californians; supporters described it as an access and subsistence measure, and it passed unanimously as amended. Senator Blakespear’s SB 427 would extend the Habitat Conservation Fund sunset from 2030 to 2035, preserving a $30 million annual funding stream for habitat, parks, and related conservation projects. Supporters emphasized its role in climate resilience, biodiversity, and local access, and the bill passed to Appropriations. Senator Jones’s SB 586 on e-moto off-highway vehicles also advanced with little debate, and Senator Ashby’s SB 639 would extend the deadline for Sacramento flood-control areas to achieve urban-level flood protection from 2025 to 2030; city, county, and flood agency representatives said the extension is needed to finish remaining projects and avoid delays to development, and it passed as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm gonna go off. ...on a little bit of a rabbit trail, because we talk so much about ASR in this committee
• So we also have in Cypress Creek. ...So we also have landowners that are watering their cattle along

Bills: HB5208 , SB863 , SB1243 , SB1624 , SB1965 , SB2660 , SB2702 , SB2885

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: water filtration, public drinking water, health and safety, well maintenance, water quality, Edwards Aquifer, water conservation, reclaimed water, aquifer storage, environmental protection, public utility agency, dissolution, local government, regulatory framework, municipal authority, Texas Water Bank, Texas Water Trust, water rights, water banking, instream flow

Transcript Highlights:

• Founded in 1884, Reeves County is a proud community of founded as a camp for cattle drives traveling
• referred to the Committee on State Affairs, HCR 33. by coal designating Pflugerville as the official trail