Transcript Highlights:

• Of traditional knowledge and customs and a nuanced understanding of water law.
• We'll never do it, and our state law also requires that we Adjudicate.
• When the solution is pretty simple: follow our law.
• , messing up that whole relationship with Arizona.
• But we don't follow our own laws.

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and Oklahoma are all aggressively attracting aerospace companies, including
• Also, Arizona reconstituted their Arizona Space Commission.
• They've got roads, they've got everything they need, and they will go to Texas and Arizona if we don't

Committee: House New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, I didn't live here, but I've heard horror stories where every other city, San Antonio, Arizona,
• Go to where we get 50% of our power in Arizona, in Palo Verde, the nuclear plant.
• So I'm looking at this and I'm looking to us as New Mexico or California, Arizona.
• You have relationships with four states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

Transcript Highlights:

• Floyd has dedicated his life to serving and protecting fellow Oklahomans by also serving 40 years in law
• His daughter-in-law works in the Craig County sheriff's office.
• following his service to our country, Staff Sergeant Bobby Joe Floyd dedicated more than 40 years of law
• Wants to attend Central Arizona College to study Polysci.

Bills: HR1037 , HR1043 , SB1491 , SB1451 , SB1286 , SB1581 , SB1521 , SB201 , SB1290 , SB169 , SB1377 , SB1991 , SB1346 , SB1509 , SB1928 , SB2028 , SB2071 , SB2110 , SB2117 , SB2127 , SB2134 , SB722 , SB3

Keywords: National Poetry Month, poetry, education, cultural celebration, arts and humanities, child abuse, prevention, community support, family safety, child welfare, presidential electors, vacancies, oath of office, political party, elections, voter registration, election integrity, Secretary of State, cancellation of registration, gender neutrality

Transcript Highlights:

• By law, right now that's Yucca Mountain, right?
• My daughter and son-in-law lived up there for about 10 years and helped on some of the projects, or they
• So because of the upswing of, uh, um, in Arizona and some in the Colorado area, that's had an impact
• And this is just an example of the output for a case we did for Arizona Public Service.
• We did for Arizona Public Service just to show you kind of the nature of the work we do.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the availability of presentation materials, then moved into a series of technical briefings from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent federal and DOE efforts to streamline nuclear regulation for advanced reactors, including NRC Part 53 and upcoming Part 57 rulemaking, DOE authorization updates, crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements, and use of AI to speed licensing communications and document review. He emphasized that the goal is to align safety standards for advanced technologies, reduce rework for developers, and support deployment for commercial, defense, and research uses. In response to questions, he said there is no current plan to merge agencies, but there is more information-sharing and embedded NRC staff at DOE facilities; he also noted public outreach is supported through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, covering uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and recycling. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, and the need to expand domestic enrichment, deconversion, and transportation capacity to support advanced reactors and the 2050 nuclear growth goal. He also reviewed used fuel management, including on-site storage at operating and shutdown reactors, the Center for Used Fuel Research at INL, a high-burnup research cask project, and the long-term repository question, which he said is ultimately political as well as technical. He outlined reprocessing approaches—aqueous/Purex, pyrochemical, and fluoride volatility—describing INL’s work on electrochemical processing of EBR-II fuel and noting industry interest from several companies in recycling technologies. Ashley Shields presented on AI for nuclear applications, describing INL’s use of generative AI, high-performance computing, and digital-twin tools to accelerate reactor design, licensing, operations, and materials development. She highlighted the Prometheus effort to pursue highly automated reactor design and operation, the large documentation burden for reactor licensing, and ongoing work on autonomous control, remote operation, and AI-assisted materials qualification through the Vulcan challenge and related data platforms. In questions, she said AI tools are used under data-governance and security controls, with different models chosen for different tasks, and argued that software engineers and human oversight remain necessary. The session ended with a brief recess announcement and a transition to a later presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• And unfortunately, I think history with other laws such as the UCL, the Unfair Competition Law, we've
• This change is consistent with existing law.
• We have been trying to enforce the law, and we found extreme difficulties in doing that.
• of incorporation, paying taxes, following unemployment laws, and very strict...
• taxes, following unemployment laws, and very strong and detailed labor laws.

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Summary: The committee heard several labor-related bills focused on workplace technology, data centers, staffing agencies, and environmental health. SB 947, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” would require human review before automated systems can be used in discipline, termination, or deactivation decisions and would ban predictive behavior analysis; labor groups and worker advocates supported it, while business and industry groups opposed it as overbroad and litigation-prone. After extended discussion about due process, human oversight, and private rights of action, the bill passed 3-1 and was sent to the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee. SB 978, the Data Center Community Accountability Act, would require data centers to pay for new infrastructure costs, create a separate rate structure to protect other ratepayers, and impose skilled-and-trained labor standards for construction. Supporters said it would prevent cost shifts to households and ensure good jobs, while opponents argued the CPUC already has ongoing proceedings and that the bill unfairly singles out one industry. The committee discussed balancing economic growth with labor and ratepayer protections, and the bill passed 3-1 to Senate Appropriations. SB 951, the California Worker Technological Displacement Act, would expand WARN-style notice requirements for AI-related layoffs and require reporting on displaced jobs and first consideration for openings; supporters said it would improve transparency and help policymakers respond to AI-driven job loss, while opponents warned it was too broad and conflicted with existing WARN law. It passed 3-1 to Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection. The committee also considered SB 1032, which would create a licensing and registration framework for temporary staffing agencies. Supporters said it would curb fraud and protect workers from illicit staffing operators, while opponents—many from the staffing industry—said the bill was vague, burdensome, and could hinder small and minority-owned businesses. The bill passed 3-1 to Senate Judiciary. Finally, SB 1046, dealing with protections for lifeguards and park rangers exposed to transboundary pollution in the Tijuana River Valley, would direct Cal/OSHA to develop standards for exposure, PPE, training, and incident reporting. With support from park workers and community groups and no opposition, it passed unanimously 4-0 to Senate Appropriations. The committee also approved a consent calendar item and adjourned after completing the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• we had for those practicing law in Indiana, especially for our rural areas.
• And there are areas of law.
• I'll share that this version is from an organization out of Arizona.
• Will this be challenged in a court of law? I'd say we're going to be challenged in a court of law.
• Going to be challenged in a court of law. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are laws. You will do X, Y, and Z.
• These are laws. You will do X, Y, and Z.
• These are laws. You will do X, Y, and Z.
• ,</c> contradiction to state or local laws, contradiction to state or local laws, gut<00:37:48.880><c
• </c><00:48:21.520><c> or</c> than Minnesota or Florida or Arizona or than Minnesota or Florida or Arizona

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we do lots talking about education in the chamber and with the laws that we passed, but this May
• We pay prevailing wage that's in the law right now.
• President, I'm, I'm gonna give a, a quick little lesson on contract law here.
• President, I urge the body to vote for this amendment, uh, and not pass unconstitutional laws.
• Arizona was developed because of water.

Transcript Highlights:

• The EIS was ignored, basically, and the recommendation on the environmental impact laws.
• Partly as a result of that first-in-the-nation law, we are one of the healthiest states in the country
• They are created by state law, specifically Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 414.
• [applause] Ben's been the chief law enforcement...
• To me, you epitomize the spirit of the law of the splinter paddle. The caring warrior who will...

Bills: HB1800 , HB1860 , HB2250 , HB472 , HB649 , HB1391 , HB1481 , HB1509 , HB1511 , HB1515 , HB1518 , HB1541 , HB1548 , HB1576 , HB1618 , HB1642 , HB1643 , HB1661 , HB1667 , HB1678 , HB1682 , HB1688 , HB1692 , HB1707 , HB1710 , HB1711 , HB1713 , HB1718 , HB1721 , HB1728 , HB1737 , HB1740 , HB1741 , HB1785 , HB1801 , HB1802 , HB1804 , HB1810 , HB1815 , HB1824 , HB1838 , HB1839 , HB1853 , HB1854 , HB1864 , HB1870 , HB1881 , HB1888 , HB1890 , HB1891 , HB1894 , HB1920 , HB1959 , HB1960 , HB1969 , HB1973 , HB1974 , HB2023 , HB2050 , HB2078 , HB2094 , HB2095 , HB2104 , HB2137 , HB2152 , HB2158 , HB2171 , HB2207 , HB2218 , HB2246 , HB2270 , HB2271 , HB2272 , HB2279 , HB2282 , HB2289 , HB2293 , HB2297 , HB2300 , HB2309 , HB2310 , HB2314 , HB2319 , HB2329 , HB2338 , HB2339 , HB2344 , HB2361 , HB2385 , HB2395 , HB2417 , HB2429 , HB2443 , HB2452 , HB2474 , HB2475 , HB2498 , HB2505 , HB2547 , HB2576

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> wherever it's been found in existing law wherever it's been found in existing law and<00:18:06.720
• We have not as in Arizona for example.
• And in Arizona, they have 30 region. And in Arizona, they have 30 Senate<01:19:55.840><c> districts.
• Um the most administrative law judges.
• </c> recent um um chief administrative law recent um um chief administrative law judge<01:47:52.159><

Committee: Senate Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• Bring to them a sense of shared mission in crafting laws that truly serve the people of Florida.
• It's not just a place where laws are debated, but it is a place where futures are shaped.
• Sanchez-Mayan was compliant and responsive to law enforcement.
• Again, I know I'm just going back to what the law is.
• The law is, we are the ones who extend funds on an emergency basis.

Transcript Highlights:

• The transparency software was $668,100, which included access to courts, law books, Lexis, Nexus, and
• How much are we paying when we contract out and send our prisoners to Arizona per day? Director.
• Chairman, Senator Galloway, the contract rate currently for Arizona is about 85.
• So, you know, 2,200 staff, most of whom are law enforcement officers in this state, which I don't think
• So, you know, 2200 staff, most of whom are law enforcement officers in this state, which I don't think

Summary: The committee met jointly with Senate Finance and House Appropriations to review the Idaho Department of Correction budget, beginning with an agency overview from Legislative Services analyst Noah Peterson and then testimony from Director Bree Derrick. Discussion focused on the department’s overall funding mix, declining balances in dedicated funds such as inmate labor and probation/parole receipts, vacancy management, and the impact of the governor’s holdback exemption. Members also asked about software and technology costs, the Hepatitis C Fund, replacement items, and why some positions remain vacant or are held open as a budget strategy. A substantial portion of the meeting covered the department’s major divisions and cost drivers. In state prisons, county/out-of-state placement, community corrections, community-based substance use disorder treatment, and medical services, the analyst and director explained enhancement requests, supplemental needs, and rising operating costs tied to inflation, population growth, and contract rates. Members questioned the inmate labor fund’s decline, the loss of work contracts, the cost and effectiveness of recidivism and transparency software, the Pocatello reentry center, body-worn cameras, RFID and drone detection technology, and the medical contract with Centurion. The department said some cuts were made or planned in response to budget pressure, including reduced spending on Recidivis and other contracts, while body-worn cameras and some public-safety tools were retained. The committee also discussed prison population pressures, county jail and out-of-state placement costs, mandatory minimum sentences, and the use of county jails as overflow. Director Derrick said the department is seeing more admissions than releases and that Idaho’s incarceration rate remains high relative to neighboring states. She also said the department is working to expand county and out-of-state options and to pursue more inmate labor contracts. Several members asked for follow-up information on staffing, contract counts, program impacts, and fund balances. The meeting then moved to the Commission of Pardons and Parole budget, where Director Christine Starr testified that commissioners are part-time but effectively work full-time, are not paid for training or all preparation time, and that turnover remains a concern. No votes were taken; the committee adjourned to resume the next day after work groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's part of the law that we're amending here.
• and put that kind of language into law.
• From the chamber's perspective, public safety staffing is not just a law enforcement issue.
• AFSCME represents corrections officers and law enforcement around the state.
• Officers, law enforcement around the state. This is incredibly important. We're so short-staffed.

Bills: HB253 , HB153 , HB255 , HB287 , HB371 , SB151 , HB8 , SB177

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: distance learning, virtual instruction, public education, student enrollment, school funding, education standards, pandemic education response, low-carbon construction, construction materials, rebate, environmental product declaration, EPD, embodied carbon, carbon intensity, greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonization, industrial incentives, clean manufacturing, cement, concrete

Transcript Highlights:

• And but what law does not provide for is for DOT to place automated speed enforcement cameras on, on
• The House Bill 2 laws of 2021, all of those projects have been completed. Going on to page 3.
• House Bill 2 laws of 2022 and 2023, all of those projects have been completed.
• And then we go to House Bill 2 laws of 2024, Section 11.
• Page number 4, House laws of 2024 Section 11.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those of law enforcement, firefighters, everyone. We just love you.
• Those of law enforcement, firefighters, everyone. We just love you.
• So we've had some laws allowing patients to directly access physical therapy since 2013.
• This law has been around since the 1950s.
• Currently, chiropractic law is silent on, regarding animal chiropractic.

Transcript Highlights:

• Engelbaum, and you can decide who should answer, current law prohibits surviving spouses to maintain
• And what outreach is the VA doing to inform survivors of current restrictions in the law if a survivor
• I'm not prepared to testify about that act, but several provisions have already been signed into law
• In other words, we've made some changes in the law.
• Nowhere could we find anywhere where, in law, it said that.

Bills: SB124 , SB201 , SB275 , SB410 , SB478 , SB607 , SB610 , SB611 , SB654 , SB702 , SB787 , SB831 , SB892

Committee: Senate Senate Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: Department of Veterans Affairs, disciplinary procedures, accountability, personnel actions, whistleblower protection, cancer, military, aircrew, veterans, health study, toxins, morbidity, mortality, service members, mental health, community care, accessibility, treatment programs, substance abuse, appointments

Summary: During the meeting, various members engaged in extensive discussions surrounding 15 proposed bills related to veterans' affairs. Notably, concerns regarding recent VA workforce changes sparked debates, particularly about potential cuts and their implications for veterans' care and benefits. Chairman Moran emphasized the need for thoughtful reforms and coordination with stakeholders, urging responsible measures to prevent negatively impacting service delivery. The meeting highlighted a significant bipartisan effort to enhance veterans' access to essential health services, particularly in light of recent challenges faced by the VA workforce. Senator Blumenthal's assertions about the urgent plight of veterans due to cuts in personnel drew strong reactions, showcasing the deep concern among committee members regarding the current state of veteran services.

Transcript Highlights:

• county commissioners have a wide range of responsibilities, including roads, bridges, taxes, safety, law
• So it seems like science—we follow, Dave always says we follow the science in the law—but it seems, in
• And Dave always says follow the science and the law, but not everybody follows science.
• North Dakota water law assures that no senior appropriator will be unduly affected.
• We want psychology students, law and policy students. We want business students.

Committee: Joint Energy Development and Transmission Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• county commissioners have a wide range of responsibilities, including roads, bridges, taxes, safety, law
• So it seems like science, we follow, Dave always says we follow the science in the law, but it seems,
• And Dave always says follow the science and the law, but that not everybody follows science.
• North Dakota water law assures that no senior appropriator will be unduly affected.
• We want psychology students, law and policy students. We want business students.

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of Minnkota Power Cooperative before hearing presentations on large energy consumers and related infrastructure issues. The first presentation, from the North Dakota Transmission Authority, focused on the need for better local decision-making tools for counties, townships, and planning and zoning boards facing major projects such as transmission lines, pipelines, data centers, wind, solar, and large-scale agriculture. The speaker urged more objective, data-driven analysis, noted that local officials often have limited time and resources, and said the state should support training and tools through groups like the League of Cities and the Association of Counties. Members asked about proactive outreach, data center ordinances, and how to avoid subsidizing large loads or causing reliability problems. The Division of Air Quality then discussed environmental oversight of data centers, emphasizing that North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the country and that the agency’s role is limited to air, water discharge, stormwater, and waste—not zoning or water use. The presentation explained that data centers generally have low direct emissions but may rely on diesel backup generators when the grid is unavailable, which creates air-quality concerns; the department said it is requiring air monitors at some projects to collect real-world data and guide future decisions. Members asked about generator emissions, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession, and the agency said permit applicants pay for the monitors while the state handles some QA work. The Department of Water Resources followed with an overview of North Dakota water law and data center water use. The director explained the state’s prior-appropriation system, the public-interest review for permits, and the large overall water supply available from groundwater and the Missouri River. He said most proposed data centers use closed-loop cooling systems and generally request relatively small amounts of water compared with other uses such as power plants, irrigation, and oilfield operations, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use only a tiny fraction of Missouri River flow. Questions focused on downstream impacts and comparisons to fracking water use, and the director said the state’s use is too small to materially affect downstream users. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd-Erickson testified online about data center zoning and permitting. He asked the committee to have Legislative Council gather information on how other states handle data center permitting and to keep the topic on the interim agenda. He argued that local zoning should remain local, but said counties lack the technical and legal resources to manage complex reclamation or bonding requirements and that state-level enabling legislation may be more appropriate. He also recommended eliminating tax incentives for data centers. The committee chair said staff would prepare a document on other states’ zoning and permitting approaches. After a lunch recess, the committee reconvened at the EERC, where CEO Charles Gorecki gave an overview of the center’s 75 years of work and its role in oil and gas, carbon management, and other energy technologies, highlighting enhanced oil recovery and carbon dioxide utilization as major opportunities for future production and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, current law permits state agencies to conduct studies and training related to radiation control
• This is their bills for this session, so they've got to see how laws are actually made.
• As allowed by current law, the bill's effective date is January 1, 2026.
• And we had Braun and Gresham, a law firm here in Austin, look at some of that.
• Renee Hicks, a UT law professor, is the one that looked at the specifics for this 381 abatement.

Bills: SB913 , SB1086 , SB1087 , SB1143 , SB1534 , SB1553 , SB1718 , SB1754 , SB2004 , SB2322 , SB2448

Committee: Senate Economic Development

Summary: The Senate Economic Development Committee met to hear a series of bills and informational primers, with several resource witnesses from the Governor’s Office, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The chair opened by noting the death of Senator King’s son and asking members to keep the family in their prayers. Most bills were laid out and left pending subject to the call of the chair after brief author presentations and public testimony. The committee heard several local hotel occupancy tax bills: SB 1553 for Kerr County, SB 1086 for Childress County, SB 1087 for Mason County, and SB 913 for Alpine. Supporters, including the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association and local officials, said the measures would allow counties or the city to use hotel tax revenue for tourism-related projects and local development. The committee also heard SB 1534, which would direct a study on health physics education and workforce needs in Texas; resource witnesses from TWC and THECB testified on the bill. All of these measures were left pending. A major portion of the hearing focused on SB 1754, which would prohibit local tax abatements for renewable energy facilities selling power at wholesale, with an exception for certain battery storage tied to dispatchable generation. The bill drew strong support from witnesses who argued counties should not subsidize wind and solar projects that can harm neighboring landowners and that renewables already receive substantial federal support. Opponents from the solar and storage industry argued the bill would remove a voluntary local economic development tool, raise power prices, and discourage investment. Senators also debated landowner impacts, grid reliability, and whether the bill was the right policy tool; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard SB 2322, a committee substitute related to the Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act, which would exempt electric generation facilities from the program’s compelling-factor test so they can qualify for school tax limitation agreements. Supporters said the change would correct an unintended barrier for dispatchable generation, while Senator Johnson argued it would weaken the program’s purpose by subsidizing projects that would locate in Texas anyway. SB 1718 would add the NRA annual meeting to the major events reimbursement program; the NRA supported it, while gun violence prevention advocates opposed using state incentives for the organization. SB 2004 would add the Arlington Grand Prix to the major events program, and SB 2448 would create a rural workforce development grant program; both drew supportive testimony and were left pending. The committee also heard SB 1143, a substitute bill aimed at improving transparency and coordination in programs serving opportunity youth ages 14 to 24, with witnesses supporting better reporting and workforce alignment. At the end of the meeting, Senator Johnson moved that the committee stand in recess subject to the call of the chair.