Transcript Highlights:

• And prior to testifying, it is required that everybody fill out an electronic witness affirmation form
• CGIS information, TCIC, NCIC, NETS, TLEETs, computerized criminal histories, UCR, sex offender registration

Transcript Highlights:

• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.
• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.
• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.
• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.

Summary: The committee met in hybrid format, approved the June 24 and June 25, 2026 minutes, and then heard several bills and a joint resolution. On House Bill 382 with House Amendment 2, Senator Hoffer explained the measure as a technical correction to prior rental-car and peer-to-peer car-sharing law that would clarify when loss-of-use damages may be recovered while preserving recovery for intentional, willful, or criminal conduct. Avis Budget Group and Enterprise Mobility supported the bill, saying it resolved ambiguity and restored limited common-law recovery, while Allstate and Toro opposed it, arguing the bill could reintroduce unfair and unpredictable fees and leave too much discretion to rental companies. No vote was taken in the transcript, and Senator Townsend said he still had questions about how the bill would operate. The committee then considered House Bill 476, a Frederica charter change that would reduce town council meetings from twice monthly to monthly and make ordinances effective immediately unless otherwise stated. Representative Postles presented it as a simple, noncontroversial change, though members noted Senator Buckson, the Senate sponsor, was not present at the time. No public comment was offered on that bill. The committee also heard House Joint Resolution 13, which directs the Department of Labor to study a Delaware health care apprenticeship degree program and report recommendations; the Delaware Health Care Association supported the resolution and urged coordination with existing workforce efforts. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 458 with House Amendment 1 on backflow devices in low-hazard buildings. Senator Pardee said the bill would exempt residences and office-type buildings from costly backflow retrofits until regulations are updated, and DHSS said the current regulations do not clearly define low hazard but that the bill’s list of exempted buildings would not raise immediate public health concerns. The Delaware Association of Realtors supported the bill, arguing the regulations were overbroad and costly, while the Delaware Rural Water Association opposed it, warning that weakening backflow protections could threaten drinking water and aquifers. The committee then adjourned without any recorded votes on the substantive bills in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there any appearance form?
• Okay. >> And we have any appearance forms. We have several boat here. Okay.
• We do have some appearance forms on the amendment.
• Are there any appearance forms for the bill?
• Are there any appearance forms?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm sorry, to box four, regarding not knowing how to fill the form out.
• Commission enough time to make all necessary changes to forms and instructions so that new thresholds
• You know, those events are not going to... trigger lobby registration.
• And it's left up to the Ethics Commission to create a form by which this person describes or reports
• Therefore, we worked with them to create the reporting form.

Keywords: Texas Ethics Commission, legislative recommendations, general counsel appointment, foreign lobbying, political contributions, quarterly meetings, public testimony, rule amendments

Summary: The meeting focused on the Texas Ethics Commission's (TEC) evaluation of legislative recommendations and personnel updates, including the appointment of a new general counsel and discussions about upcoming quarterly meetings. Commissioner Schmidt reported on the progress of various bills, including amendments to existing laws, the need for increased regulation on foreign lobbying, and the publication of new rules in the Texas Register. Public testimonies were heard regarding compliance issues and proposed changes in political contribution regulations. The Commission agreed to schedule further review on the legislative items discussed and the proposed rule amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• I move the A1 author's amendment so you get the bill in the form the author wants.
• I would recommend that we form a working group to update our watercraft safety and registration laws.
• Yeah, so I would recommend that we table this bill and that a working group be formed to look at all
• I'm just curious how this bill is going to move forward in the form that it is.

Transcript Highlights:

• “Then her Department of Revenue issues tax forms that assume full conformity, which is a practice and
• Why don't we just pass a bill that is identical to the forms that your agency issued?
• of each year to JLBC on the progress in improving Motor Vehicle Division wait times and vehicle registration
• The Senate amended the bill by prohibiting an employee from facilitating any form of social transitioning

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• DMV has the ability to do inflation adjustments on registration license fees, but they have not exercised
• Does your department have any form of a calculator where we can put job growth numbers in?
• That's the biggest factor on the personal income side, and other forms of income are growing as well.
• On the personal income side, and other forms of income are growing as well.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met with a quorum present and first approved the minutes from the January 15 morning meeting. The main agenda item was the Department of Revenue’s budget and revenue presentation from Secretary Eric Nelson, Deputy Secretary Peter Shirley, and Deputy Secretary Mark Mucco. Nelson said the state remains double-A rated with a positive outlook, the budget includes a 5% personal income tax reduction, and the 2027 general revenue estimate is $5.493 billion, up $170 million from the prior year. Shirley gave an economic overview, saying West Virginia is forecast to see continued but slowing employment growth, continued wage growth, gains in private education/health services and business services, declines in some sectors, improving labor force participation relative to the nation, and strong recent net in-migration. He also noted continued growth in natural gas production and a modest rebound in coal production, though coal faces longer-term demand pressure. Mucco reviewed revenue trends and said 2025 collections were about $5.5 billion, below the prior year but above estimate, with personal income tax and sales tax driving the surplus. He explained that the forecast incorporates the 5% PIT cut and annual conformity to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including changes such as Section 179 expensing, bonus depreciation, R&D expensing, business interest deductions, and a new manufacturing facility expensing provision. He also discussed the effects of tax credits, severance tax volatility, declining tobacco revenues, and health care provider tax changes tied to federal Medicaid rules. He said road fund revenues are largely flat absent policy changes, and county commission revenues are growing faster than state revenues. Members asked about when new economic development projects like NewCore would appear in the projections, how much 20,000 new jobs would matter, whether the department had a calculator for job-growth impacts, the status of recent tax cuts, road fund growth, tobacco/vape taxation, and whether migration data could be broken down by county. The witnesses said major projects are not yet in the S&P-based forecast but would likely add jobs, wages, and tax revenue over time; they estimated 20,000 jobs would be a significant increase. They also said the state is unlikely to hit the current personal income tax trigger in the near term. No substantive votes were taken beyond approving the minutes, and the committee adjourned after a motion carried by voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• required to be in those patient care areas that are not providing direct medical care, such as registration
• I had given birth to what looked like a fully-formed... ...intact, 14-week-old fetus, covered in blood
• Believe it or not, Danco was formed for the purpose of... ...producing abortion drugs.
• They're legal and they're legitimate forms of protest.

Bills: SB 8, SB 1, SB 2, SB 5, SB 10, HB27, HB7, HB17, HB1, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, HB20, HB18, HB7, HB17, HB1, HB20, HB18, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, SB1, SR85, SR87, SB8, SB5, SB2, SB10, HB27

Keywords: sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, abortion, healthcare, jurisdiction, civil action, qui tam

Transcript Highlights:

• for or against the bill today, please make sure you've filled out the electronic witness affirmation form
• on the registration kiosk in the hallway.
• If you have any issues filling out the form, please ask a staff member to assist.
• And I particularly am talking about reuse in the form of non-potable, so for irrigation and toilet flushing

Bills: SB 7

Keywords: water infrastructure, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, water supply, environmental sustainability

Transcript Highlights:

• Registration stays open until 2 o'clock. Let's see, we have a number of bills.
• This bill requires the TEA to produce a standardized, accessible, non-medical accommodation form enabling
• A child's view is still being formed, and they just really don't have a place on this board.
• That is a form of electioneering because then you are a persona non grata; everyone knows it.

Bills: SB2920, SB2929, SB2398, SB865, SB401, SB2619, SB2927, SB1395, SB1972, SB2540, SB1635, SB1581, SB2008

Keywords: steroids, student athletes, athletic competition, University Interscholastic League, medical purpose, gender transition, school athletics, spectator conduct, referees, ejection policy, extracurricular activities, concussion, brain injury, school policy, academic accommodations, student welfare, cardiac arrest, emergency response, CPR training, automated external defibrillators

Transcript Highlights:

• :46:31.119> Is<00:46:31.280> that<00:46:31.599> am<00:46:31.760> I registration
• Is that am I registration without a fee.
• As far as a $30 registration fee goes, we are very amicable to it. We are a business.
• As far as a $30 registration fee goes, we are very amicable to it. We are a business.
• <00:48:28.800> fee Um as far as a $30 registration fee Um as far as a $30 registration fee

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• minutes to provide his or her testimony, and, uh, the kiosk is just outside the hearing room for registration
• Uh, we'll close, uh, public testimony registration by 2 o'clock this afternoon and for those submitting
• Registration did not go through, so we'll open up public testimony on committee substitute for Senate

Bills: SB 37

Keywords: fetal development, education, public health curriculum, middle school, age-appropriate instruction

Transcript Highlights:

• Both of these programs will fill up probably with the first day of open registration, right?
• first<00:11:25.240> day<00:11:25.320> of<00:11:25.440> open<00:11:25.720> registration
• first day of open registration, right? first day of open registration, right?
• And any improvement in the registration fee income coming to the agency?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Joint Fiscal Committee met on May 15 at 10:00 a.m. and first approved the April 17 minutes. It then took up a consent calendar covering tabs three through seven, with items 089 and 097 removed for separate discussion. The committee approved the remainder of the consent calendar and then adopted item 089, which involved Department of Safety/Homeland Security grant funding for active shooter incident management and school reunification training. Officials said the project is a mandatory Homeland Security grant set-aside, with training for public safety officials and school districts and internal social media used only to promote training schedules; members asked about marketing, outcomes, and how success would be measured. The committee next considered item 097 for the Division of Historical Resources. Agency officials said the request was driven by a decade-long increase in Section 106 and state historic preservation reviews, many tied to disaster-related infrastructure work such as culvert and road repairs, and that the grant would add capacity to handle roughly 1,000 to 1,500 reviews per year. The committee approved the item after brief discussion. Under the regular calendar, the Department of Transportation presented a fuel-related transfer. Members questioned the decline in the highway fund balance, which staff said was being affected by rising expenses, flat-to-moderate revenue, and a rough winter that increased maintenance costs. DOT officials said they were considering toll rate increases and noted the agency pays market wholesale fuel rates; they also discussed prior fuel hedging decisions and said they have authority to hedge again if it makes sense. The committee approved the DOT item, then approved a miscellaneous action item to fill a position at the LBA. Members also asked the chair to remind the Attorney General to appear at a future meeting regarding the YDC claims report. The committee set its next meeting for Friday, June 19 at 11:00 a.m., and adjourned after a brief note of appreciation for recent corrections and changes reported by the liquor commission.

Transcript Highlights:

• And deterrence, in this case, came in the form of the National Guard and setting it.
• And deterrence, in this case, came in the form of the National Guard and setting up boundaries in the
• In its current form, it does not go far enough. AB 1108.
• In its current form, it does not go far enough. Impacted families deserve better.
• Secondly, we appreciate the spousal co-registration. We advocated that all along.

Summary: The committee first adopted a seven-bill consent calendar, then heard several public safety measures. AB 1127 by Assembly Member Gabriel would restrict sale of certain semi-automatic handguns that can be easily converted to automatic weapons with “switches”; supporters, including Everytown and Moms Demand Action, said it targets a specific Glock-style design flaw linked to mass shootings, while the NRA and gun-rights groups argued the bill duplicates existing federal law and effectively bans popular handguns. The bill was moved on a due-pass-as-amended motion to Judiciary and remained on call. AB 468, also by Gabriel, would increase penalties and clarify offenses involving looting and impersonating emergency personnel in evacuation zones and during disasters; firefighters, district attorneys, and law enforcement supported it as a deterrent, while public defenders and justice advocates warned it was overbroad and could worsen racial profiling. The committee approved the bill on a due-pass-as-amended motion to Appropriations, also held on call. The committee then heard AB 1187 by Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez, which would require eight hours of firearm safety training, including live-fire instruction, before obtaining a firearm safety certificate and would add a requirement for new residents who import firearms. Supporters said California should require training comparable to other safety-sensitive activities and that the measure would reduce gun deaths; opponents argued the bill misunderstands the existing FSC process, would be hard to implement because of range and instructor limits, and would burden a constitutional right. The bill passed on a due-pass-as-amended motion to Appropriations and was held on call. The committee also heard AB 1424 by Rodriguez, which would require CDCR climate resiliency and heat-safety measures in prisons, including temperature monitoring, shade, showers, fans, and emergency planning. Prisoner-rights and labor groups strongly supported the bill, citing extreme heat, wildfire, and flooding risks, while one opponent said the monitoring mandate could be too costly; the bill was moved on a due-pass motion to Labor and Employment and held on call. Finally, the committee began hearing AB 1258 by Assembly Member Kalra, which would extend the sunset of the Young Adult Deferred Entry Program through 2029 for selected counties. Kalra and Santa Clara County Judge Erica You described the program’s success in reducing recidivism and providing wraparound services for young adults with felony charges, including housing, counseling, and parenting support. The transcript cuts off before the committee completed action on AB 1258.

Transcript Highlights:

• If anyone wants to testify, hand in an appearance form to the Sergeant's office.
• Any appearance forms? Chair: Seeing none. Motion to recommend confirmation?
• and it is expanding, and this protects everyone who may be allegedly assumed to be engaged in any form
• Unfortunately, we stand in opposition of this bill simply on the form of we have been operating off of
• And the bill prescribes a universal detailed form for local governments to post their budget information

Bills: S0598, S0934, S1260, S1300, S1452, S1510, S1566, S1580, S1668, S7034

Keywords: funeral homes, cemetery law, cremation, embalmer, funeral director, preneed contract, preneed funeral, human remains, unclaimed cremated remains, disposition of remains, hospice, palliative care, end-of-life care, direct disposal, mortuary science, funeral service arts, licensure by endorsement, cemetery license, contiguous acres, consumer services

Transcript Highlights:

• on for or against the bill today, please make sure you fill out the electronic witness affirmation form
• in the registration kiosk in the hallway.
• If you have any issues filling out the form, please see a staff member to assist.
• something we're, we should have come out in the committee substitute, uh, the bill in its current form
• have an, uh, instru TCEQ has a provider that, uh, instructs the course and also, uh, gives them the form

Bills: HB 5208, SB 863, SB 1243, SB 1624, SB 1965, SB 2660, SB 2702, SB 2885

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:

• True protection requires addressing all forms of discrimination, regardless of who the perpetrator is
• And I worry that these creative forms of education, a disciplinary procedure.
• And I worry that these creative forms of education, But it was to explore different ideas.
• And I worry that these creative forms of education, which are currently offered to UT Austin undergrads
• It said on the kiosk registration was closed after 2 o'clock.

Summary: The Senate Education Committee K-16 resumed public testimony on Senate Bill 735, a Holocaust education bill. Alice Min spoke in support, saying learning about difficult parts of history is important for understanding American history and the experiences of minority communities. Sheila Hemphill also supported the bill but urged broader language to include multiple genocides and more instructional material. After a brief exchange, public testimony on SB 735 closed and the bill was left pending. The committee then heard Senate Bill 800, which would strengthen higher-education orientation materials on sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking policies, and Senate Bill 2310, which would require public institutions to post clearer online degree and transfer requirements. Both bills were explained by their authors, committee substitutes were adopted, no public testimony was offered, and each bill was left pending. Senate Bill 2055, a cleanup bill for the Texas Leadership Scholars Program, was also heard and left pending after no testimony. A major portion of the meeting focused on Senate Bill 1069, which would require investigations and mandatory termination for faculty found to have discriminated against students based on religion, with a department placed under conservatorship after a termination. The author said the bill was meant to address religious discrimination and protect students; several witnesses, including Muslim and Jewish law students and other advocates, argued it was too vague, lacked a definition of religious discrimination, threatened academic freedom, and could chill speech. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard Senate Bill 2972, which would set new limits on expressive activity on public university campuses, including restrictions on encampments, masks, sound amplification, and protests during finals; opponents said it would restrict free speech and protest rights, while the bill was adopted as a committee substitute and left pending. Senate Bill 2815, allowing students to choose the diploma name after a university merger or renaming, was briefly heard and left pending. Later, the committee took up pending business and voted out several bills. SB 2920, SB 2398, SB 2927, SB 2929, SB 1241, SB 1395, SB 401, SB 1972, and SB 2540 were reported favorably, with some committee substitutes adopted and several placed on the local and uncontested calendar. SB 1241’s substitute would have the Higher Education Coordinating Board study standardized test equivalency scores for admissions. The committee then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, the committee will be utilizing electronic registration in this session.
• Electronic registration in the session.
• It clarifies that a collector shall accept all forms of electronic payment listed in the bill.
• Senate Bill 1531 requires all tax collectors to accept common forms of electronic payment, credit card
• Clarifies that a collector shall accept all forms of electronic payment listed in the bill.

Bills: SB467, SB325, SB867, SB994, SB1052, SB1237, SB1449, SB1531, SB2063, SB2172, SB2173, SB2520, SB2529, SB2538, SB2541, SJR46, SJR84

Keywords: SB 467, Texas property tax, ad valorem tax, homestead exemption, residence homestead, fire damage, house fire, destroyed home, temporary tax relief, appraisal district, chief appraiser, local taxing unit, tax rollback, tax refund, Tax Code Chapter 11, prorated exemption, homestead improvement, disaster relief, property tax exemption, residential property

Summary: The committee heard several local government and property tax bills, with most testimony focused on appraisal disputes, tax administration, and development rules. Senate Bill 1052 by Senator Hinojosa would address coastal county appraisal litigation by requiring property owners in certain large-value disputes to report an uncontested taxable value while appeals are pending, so taxing units can base truth-in-taxation calculations on more realistic revenue. Nueces County, Del Mar College, and Corpus Christi ISD testified in support, describing major budget shortfalls caused by refinery valuation disputes; the committee substitute narrowed and clarified the bill’s scope. No opposition was heard, public testimony closed, and SB 1052 was left pending. The committee also heard Senate Bill 1531, which would require local tax collectors to accept common electronic property tax payments such as credit cards, debit cards, and e-checks. Witnesses supported modernizing payment options and the committee substitute removed ACH/electronic funds transfer language to avoid bank-account disclosure concerns. Public testimony closed and the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 325, by Senator Perry, would restore platting and groundwater-certification requirements that were unintentionally weakened by prior legislation; supporters from county government, water groups, and builders’ representatives debated whether the real issue was groundwater protection or road standards for private roads. The bill was left pending after extensive testimony and no vote. The committee then took up Senate Bill 994 and SJR 46, which would exempt certain livestock feed inventory from property tax and provide the constitutional amendment needed for that change. Feed store and Farm Bureau witnesses supported the measure as relief for seasonal inventory taxes, and the bills were left pending. Senator Paxton presented SB 467 and SJR 84 to create a temporary property tax exemption for homes completely destroyed by fire, with refunds or corrected bills based on the date of loss; both were left pending. SB 1237 would clarify charitable property tax exemptions for senior housing and retirement communities, with testimony from Catholic and Baptist retirement organizations and a resident describing rising costs and exemption revocations; it was also left pending. The committee later voted 6-0 to report SB 2073, a pending bill on appraisal district authority to purchase or finance real property, and recommended it for the local and uncontested calendar. Finally, the committee heard SB 2172, SB 2173, and SB 2063, all related to property tax administration. SB 2172 would limit when appraisal districts can require homeowners to reapply for homestead exemptions, requiring a specific reason and written notice; SB 2173 would protect new homeowners from surprise tax liabilities caused by prior owners’ erroneous homestead exemptions, with testimony describing large back-assessment bills; both were left pending. SB 2063 would bar appraisal districts from using market-value evidence in unequal appraisal protests, and testimony sharply divided between taxpayer advocates, who said market data improperly overwhelms equity claims, and appraisal district representatives, who argued market value is inherently tied to equal-and-uniform taxation and cited a recent Texas Supreme Court decision; the bill was left pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• The witness registration will close at 2 p.m., and each public witness will be given two minutes to provide
• Arlington ISD, which held that homeschooling is a legal and legitimate form of education.
• To mitigate this concern, House Bill 367 requires that school districts adopt a form with all of the
• To avoid inconsistency, TEA is mandated to create a model of this form post-examination.
• Outside of the form, House Bill 367 will prohibit school districts from requiring the use of... ...in

Bills: HB322, HB126, HB3062, HB1481, HB2310, HB2674, HB121, HB2243, HB3627, HB1178, HB367, HB5515, HB126, HB121

Keywords: JET Grant Program, career education, technical education, community colleges, technology solutions, high demand jobs, student athletes, name image likeness, compensation, intercollegiate athletics, representation, fentanyl prevention, drug poisoning awareness, higher education, mental health resources, substance abuse education, student policy, communication devices, school regulations, disciplinary measures

Transcript Highlights:

• on for or against a bill today, please make sure you filled out the electronic witness affirmation. form
• on the registration kiosks in the hallway.
• If you have any issues filling out the form, please ask a staff member to assist.
• HGRI 7 is a legacy investment in water, like other forms of infrastructure.
• How does the PUA being newly formed create or get a credit rating? It's the underlying.

Bills: HB 1089, HB 1163, HB 1177, HB 1238, HB1318, HB1400, HB1407, HB1532, HJR7, HJR7

Keywords: coastal protection, environmental management, Gulf Coast, storm risk management, funding, Texas General Land Office, healthcare, insurance reform, patient access, insurance regulation, affordable care, health insurance, consumer rights, coverage transparency, claims process, insurance regulations, aggregate production, environmental impact, financial responsibility, reclamation