Transcript Highlights:

• We're also grateful for the introduction of the DRIVE Act.
• This represents a $94 million, or 8%, increase over last year's General Appropriation Act, or GAA.
• Because I understand you guys are acting at the direction of the Governor and the Legislature.
• And then also in the Mass Ready Act, we know that our grants alone can't keep up.
• We can talk about that, but talk about it and act on it, we must. Agreed.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• representing the the Texas Coalition for Healthy Minds, as well as Mental Health America of Greater Houston
• thank you, Senator Huffman, and the members of the committee for raising the issue. recognizing and acting

Bills: SB260 , SB263 , SB293 , SJR18

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a terrible act.
• Adam Blaylock, followed by Tripp Hunter. Thank you, Chair.
• For violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act?
• Every week, it is exactly why the legislature must act.
• We have to think before we start acting.

Bills: S0036 , S0620 , S0796 , S0934 , S1080 , S1096 , S1366 , S1536 , S1548 , S1580 , S1588 , S1620 , S1756 , S7034 , S7044

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The committee first took up SB 354, the “Blue Ribbon Projects” bill, which creates a framework for large planned communities on at least 15,000 contiguous acres with 60% reserved area and a streamlined local review process. Senator McLean presented the bill and a strike-all amendment, and members raised concerns about local control, conservation enforceability, data centers, concurrency, multi-county projects, and whether reserve lands could later be converted. Audubon Florida and 1,000 Friends of Florida opposed the bill, arguing the conservation protections were not permanent enough and that the reserve areas could be changed later; small-county representatives also worried about tax-base impacts. Supporters argued the bill would better manage growth, preserve green space, and provide a more orderly alternative to sprawl. After debate, the committee voted to report the bill favorably. The committee then approved SB 620 on candidate qualifying, which requires candidates for federal, state, county, district, judiciary, school, and school board offices to disclose any non-U.S. citizenship. Amendments added disclosure about whether federal candidates intend to trade stock if elected and adjusted 2026 congressional qualifying procedures in the event of redistricting, including a new qualifying window and petition rules. The bill was reported favorably after brief support from a member of the public and discussion about candidate vetting. The committee also reported favorably CS/CS/CS/SB 1452, a Department of Financial Services bill with amendments addressing My Safe Florida Home notices, condo pilot eligibility, firefighter hiring, unclaimed property, and related financial-services provisions. Next, the committee approved CS/CS/SB 1620, a school board members’ bill of rights. A substitute amendment narrowed the bill to access to records, fiscal transparency, and nondisclosure agreements, while preserving board members’ rights to timely documents, budget information, and public comment, and setting deadlines for records requests. Superintendents and a school board member testified in support, saying the bill clarifies roles and prevents board members from being frozen out. The committee also passed CS/HB 245, which replaces the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material”; one senator supported the terminology change but warned about preserving legal precedent and avoiding appellate issues. The committee then reported favorably SB 1548, an update to the Live Local affordable housing law expanding eligible sites and clarifying setbacks, airport proximity, and fair-housing protections. Finally, the committee took up the veterinary medicine bill creating veterinary professional associates. The bill allows trained master’s-level VPAs to perform limited veterinary services under a veterinarian’s supervision, and an amendment tightened the standard to immediate supervision on premises. Supporters said the measure would expand access to care, especially in rural areas with vet shortages, while opponents argued it added unnecessary regulation. After testimony from veterinary educators and others, the bill continued with support expressed by committee members, including praise for the direct-supervision amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 300 with House Amendment 1, an act to amend Title 14 of the Delaware Code relating to the
• House Bill 165 with House Amendments 1 and 2, an act to amend Title 24 of the Delaware Code relating
• House Bill 420, an act to amend Title 24 of the Delaware Code relating to massage and bodywork.
• House Bill 420, an act to amend Title 24 of the Delaware Code relating to massage and bodywork.
• Act, out of Banking, Business, Insurance, and Technology.

Summary: The Senate received communications from the House listing numerous bills, substitutes, amendments, and concurrent resolutions passed by the House or returned to the Senate, and it also noted a Senate amendment being stricken from House Bill 190. Committee reports were read on a wide range of nominations and bills, including favorable reports on several executive nominations and legislation involving nurse preceptors, voting, agricultural/forestry grants, child care, Title IX coordination, vehicle security devices, dry needling, human remains disposition, child care assistance, autism-related oversight, nursing advancement, correctional oversight, massage and bodywork, probate letters, computer security breaches, automobile insurance, medical debt protection, and technical corrections. The Senate also assigned House Bill 300, House Bill 64, and House Bill 385 to the Finance Committee. The chamber confirmed several gubernatorial nominations by roll call vote, each receiving the required majority: Heidi J. A. Gilmore to the Marijuana Appeals Commission; Lee Wynne and Ruth J. Tucker to the Delaware River and Bay Authority Board; Jennifer R. Hallman and Lindsay E. Alexich to the Professional Standards Board; Jason M. Munion and F. Todd Kulata to the Environmental Appeals Board. The Senate also passed House Substitute 1 for House Bill 383, which changes overtime eligibility for certain DelDOT employees and clarifies covered positions, and Senate Bill 315 with Senate Amendment 1, which revises the Delaware Technical Innovation Program to give the Division of Small Business more flexibility in using federal grant funds. Consent Agenda M passed unanimously, including Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 319 on menopause and perimenopause coverage, House Bill 411 on alcohol/tobacco/marijuana enforcement, House Bill 271 on marijuana establishment spacing, House Bill 258 on alcohol licenses, House Bill 303 on juvenile probation/parole officers and DCYF employees, and House Bill 377 on Ocean View municipal election deadlines. Consent Calendar 63 also passed unanimously, including resolutions recognizing Day of Service, National Adoption Month, National Coaches Day, Free Speech Week, Women’s Equality Day, and Spirit of America 250, along with resolutions encouraging a veteran cemetery in Kent County, seeking plans for repurposing underused public buildings, and honoring Delaware Boys State. The Senate spent significant time on floor remarks about the Boys State delegates and on a tribute to emergency responders who helped save a seven-year-old child trapped by a seatbelt; the responders were recognized individually and thanked for their work. Additional remarks explained the purpose of the menopause coverage bill, the adoption month resolution, the free speech resolution, and the America 250 resolution. The session ended with no further business and the Senate recessed until June 18.

Transcript Highlights:

• Item A removes funding for the Federal Help America Vote Act and replaces a portion of those funds with
• This increase will help combat acts of violence or terrorism against nonprofit groups.
• **Senator Flores**: ...from the Victims of Crime Act.
• When we say that a third of it, a hundred million, it's going to act as an endowment, right?
• We have some staff in the Sam Houston Building.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Item A removes funding for the Federal Help America Vote Act and replaces a portion of those funds with
• match it to our voter registration database, and then we provide that to the county so that they can act
• We get the data, we provide it to the counties, but it is up to our counties to act on that data if they
• So when we say that, a third of it, $100 million, and it's going to act as an endowment, right?
• We have some staff in the Sam Houston Building.

Bills: SB 1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The committee began with Article I budget items for the Secretary of State. LBB staff outlined recommendations that would reduce the agency’s appropriation by about $40.3 million, including changes to HAVA funding, removal of one-time business system replacement money, and a rider directing the agency to use Fund 5095 first. Secretary Jane Nelson and staff then defended several exceptional items, especially additional staffing for elections and business filings, a new website, digitization of records, cybersecurity tools, and renovation of the James Earl Rudder Building. Members focused heavily on election administration, cross-checking voter rolls, Harris County complaints, call-center response times, and whether online voter registration should be expanded. No votes were taken; the discussion was informational and budget-focused. The committee then heard the Office of the Governor and trustee programs. LBB presented a recommended $2.4 million decrease for the governor’s office proper and a much larger decrease in trustee programs driven by one-time funding and unexpended balances, while still preserving major border security funding and victim assistance funding. Governor’s staff emphasized Texas’ economic growth, the importance of border security, and efforts to seek federal reimbursement for the roughly $11 billion Texas has spent on border operations. Members discussed whether shifting National Guard deployment to federal control could reduce state costs, and they also reviewed the music incubator program, the Governor’s University Research Initiative, and the semiconductor innovation consortium. Staff highlighted a $5 million late-added request for grants to protect nonprofits from violence and terrorism. Again, the exchange was largely explanatory, with no formal action. Finally, the committee took up the Texas Facilities Commission and lease payments for revenue bonds. LBB recommended major reductions overall, including removal of border wall construction funding and capital complex bond funding, but added money for higher utility costs, renovation of the Rudder Building, and additional facilities staff. George Purcell also noted stable maintenance-and-renewal funding and new riders related to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission building, tenant communications, and space utilization. For lease payments, LBB recommended a smaller appropriation tied to revenue-bond costs allocated across agencies. The discussion was informational, with members asking about the Rudder Building renovation, border wall progress, and capital complex construction timelines; no votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Wharton site in northwest Houston.
• I'm real proud of how the grid has acted so far this summer.
• So it has Houston, then north, and then south, and then west.
• This is a lawyer protection act. You got that right.
• and Texas Grid Security Act.

Summary: The Senate Business and Commerce Committee held its third interim hearing on Texas electric grid reliability and 765 kV transmission lines/private property rights. Chair Schwertner opened by noting record ERCOT summer demand of 91,089 MW and emphasized the committee’s focus on managing rapid load growth, ensuring adequate generation, and protecting homeowners, businesses, landowners, and ratepayers. The committee also adopted strict two-minute limits for public testimony and planned to hear invited witnesses first, then public testimony. PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas, and OPUC Chief Counsel Benjamin Barclay testified on Senate Bill 6 implementation, large-load interconnection, transmission cost allocation, and market design. Gleeson said the PUC has adopted or is finalizing rules on net metering/co-location, large load interconnection standards, and a transmission cost recovery rule that would move from 4CP to 12CP, lengthen the interval to 30 minutes, and add a minimum demand charge to better allocate costs to large loads. Vegas explained ERCOT’s new batch process for large loads, saying it provides year-by-year capacity allocations, clearer financial obligations, and a transmission plan; he reported 205 GW eligible for Batch Zero, with 65 GW classified as baseload, 25 GW in an intermediate category, and 114 GW as allocated load. Barclay supported the changes as better protection for residential and small commercial customers, while warning that the minimum demand charge may need an exit-fee concept to address stranded costs if large loads leave. Members pressed witnesses on whether additional market changes are needed to attract dispatchable thermal generation and whether DRS/DRRS Plus could become a capacity-market substitute. Gleeson and Vegas said the current market still favors solar, batteries, and other low-variable-cost resources, and that more incentives may be needed for gas and other thermal generation; Gleeson said the commission’s reliability standard assessment will begin this year and conclude next year with a 2029 outlook. They described DRS as an ancillary service for intraday reliability and DRS Plus as a proposed real-time revenue mechanism for thermal resources during scarcity, not a forward capacity market. Senators also questioned whether 12CP could still be gamed, whether curtailment authority under SB 6 should be expanded from EEA 2 to earlier stages, and whether the batch process should be bifurcated so traditional industrial loads are handled differently from data centers. Witnesses said the batch process is intended to prevent speculative projects from driving transmission costs, that most large-load projects are data centers, and that future rules may need to better distinguish among types of large loads.

Transcript Highlights:

• of pride that I get to introduce them today and welcome them to the Capitol as part of the Missouri ACTE
• House Bill No. 3249, introduced by Hruza, an act relating to sales tax exemption for aviation jet fuel
• House Bill No. 3251, introduced by Gulloch, an act relating to newborn safety incubators.
• The Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed in 1974, the exact same year that this law was created.
• But when voices are silenced by violence, breaking that silence becomes an act of courage and an act

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal by roll call vote, 114-1. Members spent a large portion of the morning introducing guests and recognizing visitors, including career and technical education students, FFA and FCCLA groups, school leaders, interns, a physician of the day, and a Black History Month personal privilege honoring inventor Alice H. Parker and her early central heating design. The chamber then took up several bills for perfection and printing. House Bill 1847, the Missouri Dental and Dental Hygienist Compact, was presented as a workforce and access-to-care measure; members cited dental shortages and broad professional support, and it was ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 1866, dealing with peace officer licensure, was presented as allowing the Department of Public Safety to deny applicants whose licenses were revoked or suspended elsewhere and to require U.S. citizenship; an amendment to allow lawful permanent residents who honorably served in the military to qualify was debated at length but failed 95-52, and the bill was then ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 1908, with a companion bill, was described by its sponsor as ending a Missouri rule that delays divorce when a spouse is pregnant; supporters framed it as a due process and safety issue, especially for abuse survivors, and it was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 1961, creating temporary licensure and a compact for dietitians, and House Bill 2180, changing Department of Revenue notice delivery options for blind pension recipients and taxpayers to include first-class mail and electronic delivery, both drew support as workforce or accessibility measures and were ordered perfected and printed after amendments. House Bill 2591, which would let speech-language pathologists count clinical fellowship experience completed in any state toward Missouri licensure, also passed perfection and printing. The House then moved to announcements and recessed until 2 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• The court is acting like a bank regulator.
• I represented the Press Association for ten years that they should act responsibly because otherwise
• Two stations acted responsibly here and one did not.
• However, it is even worse in the sense that it would eliminate the act reporting privilege for...
• You are welcome to explain the bill. >> Chapter 83 Landlord Tenant Act requires All legal notices to

Transcript Highlights:

• I speak to explain the inherent rights legal doctrine that underlies the Wild Rice Act and to address
• </c> Rice Act or Senate File 1247 within it. Rice Act or Senate File 1247 within it.
• Meaning we act today with respect for the children that will come seven generations from now.
• We have a moral obligation to act to protect it.
• I am the vice president of Minnesota Bow Hunters.

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill makes two simple changes to the current statute for the Self-Storage Facility Act.
• HB 6033 repeals the Florida Labor Pool Act.
• The Labor Pool Act fills key gaps where federal law is silent or just insufficient.
• The Federal Fair Labor Standards Act doesn't even address safety gear at all.
• is in other acts or what is required when you're hiring day laborers.

Summary: The Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee heard and voted on four bills. HB 587 on self-storage spaces would let rental agreements include an alternate contact person and allow default notices to be published online instead of only in newspapers, while keeping existing notice timelines and servicemember protections. Newspaper and press witnesses opposed the online-notice change, arguing it could reduce public reach and transparency, especially in rural areas; the sponsor said newspapers could still be used and the bill was only adding another option. The committee adopted an amendment changing the effective date to October 1, 2025, and then reported the bill favorably 12-2. HB 6033 would repeal the Florida Labor Pool Act. The sponsor argued the act duplicates other state and federal protections, while opponents said it contains unique safeguards for day laborers, including limits on fees, transportation charges, and deductions, and a private right of action. Testimony from labor advocates and workers warned repeal would reduce protections for vulnerable workers; the sponsor and supporters said other laws already cover the issues. The committee reported the bill favorably 11-3. HB 897, dealing with timeshare plan management, was presented as a clarification of conflicts created by recent condominium legislation and would require faster records responses, more disclosure of contracts, and clearer remedies for mismanagement. Support came from industry groups, and the bill passed unanimously, 14-0. The final measure, PCS for HB 1385, created a civil remedy for parental abduction or unlawful withholding of a child in violation of a timesharing order. Family law attorneys opposed it over concerns about added litigation, child involvement, and overlap with existing remedies, while the sponsors and supporters said it would provide needed deterrence and compensation in serious cases. The committee adopted the PCS and reported it favorably 13-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then also through the same act, the Digital Equity Act was created.
• um the digital also through the same act um the digital equity<00:45:25.920><c> act</c><00:45:26.160
• Department of Commerce with the Digital Equity Act.
• </c><01:35:33.520><c> I'm</c> record, my name is Hunter Peterson.
• I'm record, my name is Hunter Peterson.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• after a regular review by the American College of Surgeons at Harris Health Hospital District in Houston
• As an MSB, CoinFlip is subject to the Bank Secrecy Act and the United States Patriot Act, and they're
• This is why businesses cannot enlarge non- Profit healthcare systems like Houston Methodist Hospital
• payday lenders, and because of some workarounds and some loopholes in the Credit Services Organizations Act

Bills: HB1453 , HB1718 , HB2043 , HB2207 , HB2798

Committee: House Pensions, Investments & Financial Services

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the acting director.
• So not the general public or hunters, correct. Yes. And I'm not, again, it's not for a kill.
• So responsible agencies need to be able to act early rather than react to chronic conflict.
• In wildfire prevention, flood control, we actually act on foreseeable risk.
• I'm sorry, in wildfire prevention, flood control, we act on foreseeable risk.

Summary: The hearing focused on human-wildlife conflict in California, especially predator management involving bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and wolves. The chair and Assemblymember Hadwick framed the issue as a balance between protecting people, livestock, and property while preserving wildlife and biodiversity, citing habitat loss, development, drought, wildfire, and climate change as drivers of conflict. Department of Fish and Wildlife officials described their conflict-response work, including public education, depredation permits, wildlife incident reporting, and coordination with sheriffs, counties, and other agencies. They also noted that wildlife sightings and conflicts are increasingly common in both rural and urban areas, including recent mountain lion activity in San Francisco and ongoing bear conflicts in places like Tahoe and Sierra Madre. CDFW staff outlined the department’s human-wildlife conflict program, including the WEIR reporting system, a public toolkit, limited-term staff, and regional response efforts. They said the program grew out of drought-related incidents and later state funding, but that one-time money has expired, creating service gaps. Officials also discussed specific management approaches such as Tahoe’s trap-tag-haze bear program, DNA-based incident tracking, and the use of nonlethal deterrents before lethal action. For wolves, they explained that the species is protected and managed differently from bears and lions, that there is no general depredation-kill process for wolves, and that the department is working on data-sharing agreements, county liaisons, compensation programs, and improved coordination with ranchers and local law enforcement. Members pressed the department on underreporting, trust in state agencies, the need for sheriffs to participate in investigations, and whether more authority should be given for public-safety removals or hazing. Assemblymember Gonzalez also raised wildlife trafficking and border enforcement issues in Southern California. The panel repeatedly emphasized that more resources, technology, and local partnerships are needed. Officials gave budget context, saying roughly $17 million in one-time funding over several years supported conflict response and wolf compensation efforts, but that staffing and program capacity remain limited. The chair concluded by noting interest in further work on technology, funding, and institutionalizing collaboration, and the hearing then moved to a second panel of university researchers who presented on wolf and mountain lion conflict, habitat planning, trust, and the need for flexible, science-based, locally tailored mitigation strategies.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Acting Chair and committee. Good to see today.
• Thank you, Acting Chair, Representative Eccles. We have two amendments.
• Thank you, Acting Chair, Representative Eccles. We have two amendments in this set.
• Acting Chair. Larry Freeman, Chief Deputy Attorney General.
• And I appreciate that the bill complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Bills: HB414 , HB786 , HB1041 , HB1052 , HB1118 , HB1139 , HB1182 , HB1185 , HB1214 , HB1217 , HB1231 , SR63 , SCR27 , SB5 , SB194 , SB415 , SB433 , SB451 , SB462 , SB516

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: healthcare, criminal convictions, employment, background checks, prohibited offenses, Medicaid, claim payments, extrapolation, provider audits, medical freedom, discrimination, access, medical intervention, child protection, confidentiality, multidisciplinary teams, child advocacy centers, public records, investigations, hospital

Transcript Highlights:

• And making a slight change based on modernization of wording is a reasonable act. Thank you.
• Making a slight change based on modernization of wording is a reasonable act. Thank you.
• Louisiana Medicaid programs, through a consolidated appropriations act.
• They rectified it through an Appropriations Consolidation Act in 2021.
• Waddell, we passed some reforms in 2023, but at the time, I think Representative Presley, Act 312.

Bills: HB288 , HB403 , HB420 , HB783 , HB815 , HB915 , HB927 , HB933 , HB944 , HB962 , HB971 , HR74 , SCR3 , SCR20 , SB5 , SB34 , SB37 , SB190 , SB255 , SB270 , SB273 , SB314 , SB415

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: medical terminology, documentation, miscarriage, spontaneous abortion, healthcare, medical records, billing, homemade food, food safety, small business, exemption, regulation, Department of Children and Family Services, background checks, child welfare, employee screening, safety regulations, criminal history, non-lactational dairy, labeling requirements

Bills: HB431 , HB466 , HB523 , HB521 , SB182 , SB300 , HB431 , HB466 , HB523 , HB521 , SB182 , SB300

Committee: House Ways and Means General Fund

Keywords: Monroe County, sheriff, sheriff compensation, county salary, expense allowance, local act, county general fund, retirement contributions, law enforcement pay, public official salary, county budget, Alabama local legislation, service contracts, consumer protection, advertising disclosure, insurance, contract cancellation, parole procedures, advocacy, parole board

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and members, Senate Bill 1572, or the Return to Civics Instruction Act, requires each public
• the school or school employee receives at least one prior report that another student committed an act
• the school or school employee receives at least one prior report that another student committed an act
• the student and the school ...receives at least one prior report that another student committed an act
• report a school district that is out of compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Bills: SB1004 , SB1424 , SB1497 , SB1507 , SB1572 , SB1684 , SB1711 , SB1741 , SB1754 , SB1763 , SB1798 , SCR1012 , SCR1041 , SCR1051

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Senate Education Committee of Reference

Keywords: sex offender registration, sex offender registry, A.R.S. 13-3821, sexual offenses, public safety, GPS monitoring, electronic monitoring, transient offender, homeless registrant, online identifiers, internet identifiers, sheriff notification, Department of Public Safety, DPS, DNA collection, juvenile adjudication, kidnapping of a minor, unlawful imprisonment of a minor, lifetime registration, community notification

Transcript Highlights:

• For far too many years, banks have acted as a backstop, volunteering to provide necessary education on

Bills: SB5849 , SB6278 , SB6130 , SB6222 , SB6206 , SB6260 , SB5346 , SB6263 , SB6268 , SB6247

Committee: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

Keywords: financial education, graduation requirement, student curriculum, financial literacy, education reform, teacher preparation, principal preparation, educator preparation, alternative route certification, teacher certification, principal certification, Washington Professional Educator Standards Board, PESB, field placement, student teacher, residency, mentoring, school district partnerships, K-12 education, preK-12

Transcript Highlights:

• As I understand this bill, that 10-year implementation acts as a base.
• recall, in 2022, both bodies passed the Wire Intercept Law, which was called the Billy Clar the Third Act
• There were some folks, including me, that were concerned about the balancing act of making sure that
• regarding the repeal of the agency, Billy Clarity the... ... repeal of the agency, Billy Clarity the Third Act
• Warrants that have been issued and never been acted upon.

Bills: HB2 , HB43 , HB49 , HB94 , HB137 , HB156 , HB200 , HB250 , HB3 , HB42

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: vaccination, parental consent, minors, medical consent, guardian approval, criminal procedure, split sentencing, probation, Class A felony, Class B felony, minimum confinement, HB49, Alabama criminal code, capital offense, capital punishment, death penalty, rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, sexual torture, child sexual abuse