Transcript Highlights:

• We don’t want anyone who would harm children to be able to get a job where a child might be.
• would have directed the Department of Health State Services to conduct a study on the prevention and reduction
• I'm a board-certified physician and a senior fellow with Do No Harm Action, an organization that works
• discrimination in the provision and delivery of health care, as well as to... protect children from harmful
• Despite this, Do No Harm Action has documented over... 400 Texas children who have been subjected to

Bills: SB397, SB481, SB596, SB760, SB855, SB1195, SB1196, SB1233, SB1257, SB1318, SB1368, SB1388, SB1398, SB1524, SB1558, SB1589, SB1677, SB1792, SB2034

Keywords: SB 397, telemedicine, telehealth, teledentistry, remote care, virtual care, consent documentation, patient consent, data collection, data sharing, audio-only telehealth, in-person examination, irreversible medical procedure, health professional regulation, Occupations Code, Texas Health and Human Services, medical records, provider compliance, data privacy, consumer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• It doesn't harm the groundwater. It's not retrievable.
• It doesn't harm the groundwater. It's not retrievable.
• So there's a reduction in the amount of time, or the amount of patients, that those facilities can see
• And, you know, the executive branch has asked for reductions in all these areas.
• can't forget the overall budget because we're going to be under a lot of pressure to find some reductions

Summary: The committee first approved the previous meeting minutes and then heard a detailed annual report from Dr. Thomas Arnold, chair of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, on maternal mortality trends and policy issues. He explained the committee’s review process, confidentiality protections, and national and North Dakota data showing that most maternal deaths are preventable and that mental health conditions, substance use, cardiovascular issues, infection, hemorrhage, and embolism are the leading causes. Members asked about suicide, domestic violence, midwife training, home births, and whether pregnancy testing at death scenes should be expanded; Dr. Arnold said better coroner education, more investigation of unexplained deaths, and possible post-mortem pregnancy testing could improve case identification, especially in rural areas. He also noted that deaths often occur well after 42 days postpartum and that mental health-related deaths remain a major concern. The committee then heard from State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark on cigarette reduced-ignition-propensity standards and related fire prevention issues. He recommended updating the state’s cigarette propensity law to current national standards and also raised a separate recommendation to require fast-breakaway oxygen tubing for home oxygen users, citing fatal fires linked to smoking around oxygen. Members asked about implementation, cost, insurance coverage, and whether the standards apply in tribal communities; Dr. Clark said he would provide follow-up information and was willing to help with any legislation, but no agency bill had yet been planned. Next, Christine Greff of the Department of Health and Human Services reported on the North Dakota Stroke System of Care. She described the statewide network of stroke-ready hospitals, registry-based quality improvement, and performance data showing continued improvement in stroke recognition, imaging, thrombolytic treatment, transfers, and EMS pre-notification. She highlighted new quality measures for inter-facility transfers and intracerebral hemorrhage care, and said the system remains strong but depends on continued legislative and hospital support. Committee members asked about participation by the VA hospital and were encouraged to consider outreach to include it more fully in the stroke system. Finally, the committee began a presentation on prior authorization and non-opioid pain treatment from Taha Khan of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He argued that prior authorization can delay access to non-opioid acute pain medications, especially in the 24- to 72-hour post-discharge window when pain is most severe, and said delays can push patients toward opioids. He emphasized that prior authorization has a role in utilization management but should not create barriers in acute pain care, and he noted that current use of the company’s non-opioid product remains very low. The discussion was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS BILL INSTRUCTS THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE WASTE REDUCTION
• REPRESENTATIVE CASELLO AND OTHERS: HOUSE BILL 295, ENTITLED AN ACT RELATING TO A COMPREHENSIVE WASTE REDUCTION
• RELATING TO A COMPREHENSIVE WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING PLAN. ARE THERE AMENDMENTS?
• if the person makes a false report that results in an emergency response resulting in great bodily harm
• The arguments and discussions brought up there are physically constrained counties this would harm.

Bills: SB 2, HB 2, HB 2000, HB 2196, HB 213, HB 222, HB 645, HB 1458, HB 1022, HB 141, HB 502, HB 643, HB 3093, HB 1700, HB 117, SB 503, SB 2, HB 120, HB 20, HB 150, HB 6, HB 100, HB 210, HB 215, HB 1393, HB 1151, HB 1268, HB 142, HB 451, HB 124, HB 2, HB 2000, HB 2196, HB 213, HB 222, HB 645, HB 1458, HB 1022, HB 141, HB 502, HB 643, HB 3093, HB 1700, HB 117

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, child grooming, sex offender registration, criminal justice, reportable conviction, law enforcement, virtual education, hybrid learning, school funding, average daily attendance

Transcript Highlights:

• the city charges or a municipality or a county charges an impact fee and the developer creates a reduction
• The bill doesn't speak specifically to changing the size of the meter, simply to the reduction of the
• Keith Bell: I don't read that those fit directly in as reductions.
• the developer and the builder can work together to include those types of value propositions as a reduction
• So there are already provisions that protect schools from harm, if you will, for a student that moves

Bills: HB8, HB12, SB 3, HJR1, SB 11, SB 16, SB 14

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• harm.
• A dog might has been a significant enough to cause physical harm.
• And some people are reading it that you have to prove substantial harm.
• Basically the bottom line is, listen of it create substantial harm in.
• As we mentioned, substantial harm develop.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• they're called cost sharing reduction they're called cost sharing reduction plans.<01:47:44.560>
• There were originally cost-sharing reduction subsidies.
• If you recall those reduction subsidies.
• reductions subsidies. reductions subsidies.
• So, we see with the Inflation Reduction Act that went into effect, I think, 2020, shortly thereafter,

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• received exceeds expectations, but more importantly, the work I've done has led to a measurable reduction
• As a result of that, I would like to give a shout out to the New Mexico Department of Health Harm Reduction

Transcript Highlights:

• not allowing planning and zoning commission to be an advisory committee for impact fees could be harmful
• It's intended to help another thing is that parking reductions is about the only tool cities have have
• It's necessary to be able to provide an economic incentive and parking reductions is the most successful

Bills: HB602, HB1322, HB1930, HB2225, HB2304, HB2494, HB3275, HB3810, HB3919

Keywords: affordable housing, land use, zoning, urban planning, community development, housing crisis, mixed-use development, sustainability, municipal utility district, board of directors, qualifications, land ownership, Texas, taxation, residency, municipal approval, subdivision plans, local governance, plats, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• And rolling back net metering could greatly slow the expansion of rooftop solar and ultimately harm the
• Even better than we're doing because reductions are great, but the baseline is, and, and I think Mr.
• ultimately the department would be the ones that are expected to foot that bill, which would result in a reduction

Bills: HB 13, HB143, HB144, HB145, HB366, HB470, HB805, HB912, HB13, HB143, HB144, HB145

Keywords: emergency communication, infrastructure, first responders, grant program, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, local governments, HB 143, Texas Railroad Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Natural Resources Code, oil and gas, well site, surface facility, electrical power line, National Electrical Code, NEC, electrical safety, utility disconnect, service disconnection

Transcript Highlights:

• What our chief financial officer was highlighting was the reductions recommended by the LAO.
• I heard differently that the $45 million is a reduction of your current spending for the year, and so
• We calculated... ...slight reduction, I think, about 5% over the prior year level.
• So, we've learned from the pilot that it does lead to a reduction of about one FTES position, but really
• And we know that it means that there could be upwards of a 50% reduction for some of our A&R staff in

Summary: The committee heard an overview of the California Community Colleges budget proposal, including Proposition 98 funding, a 2.41% COLA for apportionments, enrollment growth funding, repayment of an apportionment deferral, and one-time investments for a student support block grant and deferred maintenance. The Department of Finance described the Governor’s package as providing significant new resources, while the LAO recommended prioritizing COLA and enrollment growth within available funds but raised concerns about some smaller proposals, including making the Healthy School Food Pathways Program ongoing and adding more funding for credit for prior learning before outcomes are known. The Chancellor’s Office supported the COLA, enrollment growth, and one-time investments, and said current projections suggest enrollment growth closer to 3%, with about $85 million to $90 million in ongoing costs if fully funded. Members focused heavily on enrollment growth, the 10% district cap, and whether the state should continue funding growth in the current year and budget year. The Chancellor’s Office said some districts, especially in the Inland Empire and Central Valley, are growing rapidly and that about seven districts are above the cap, with roughly 1,563 FTES and about $30 million in ongoing costs tied to that issue. Members also discussed hold-harmless districts and whether declining campuses should be required to produce turnaround or right-sizing plans. The Chancellor’s Office said districts are already having local conversations and that state funding provides time to adjust, but no formal plan requirement was proposed. The committee then took up common course numbering, where the Chancellor’s Office said all 115 community colleges have implemented the first phase and more than 550,000 students enrolled in the first six commonly numbered courses. The office argued that CCN improves clarity but does not yet guarantee that credits will transfer with full value across UC and CSU, because articulation is still handled campus by campus and can require more than 3,500 separate reviews. Members expressed concern that students can still be forced to retake courses such as calculus or ethnic studies even when they have the same common number, and urged the systems to develop a stronger statewide articulation mechanism tied to outcomes and transparency. The item was left open. Finally, the committee heard the Governor’s proposal to make Calbright College’s funding ongoing at $53.1 million. The LAO recommended instead transitioning Calbright to the student-centered funding formula, with one-time bridge funding in the meantime, arguing the Governor’s proposal lacks a clear enrollment-based rationale and performance expectations. Calbright’s leadership defended the college’s competency-based, flexible model for adult learners, citing more than 6,800 students served, over 2,200 certificates awarded, and wage gains for graduates; they said enrollment is expected to grow from about 7,000 students now to roughly 8,000 to 9,000 next year and around 10,000 over the next couple of years. Members pressed for clearer enrollment and funding data before deciding how Calbright should be funded going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, this is something that could prevent the harm, could help prevent the harm before it happened
• You... >> House Bill 20 1060, natural organic reduction human remains. >> Right up there with the end
• Human remains natural reduction soil. He's piling it on. Literally, the act authorizes...
• ... ...container wherein natural reduction produces soil.
• And so you can't even start the reduction.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• rooms and sports does nothing but harm rooms and sports does nothing but harm my<01:15:00.600>
• <01:55:33.079> by intrinsically threatening or harmful by intrinsically threatening or harmful
• <01:59:47.840> for exist while creating real harm for exist while creating real harm for transgender
• I ask you to carefully consider the harm I ask you to carefully consider the harm such<02:45:58.600
• <04:10:33.920> in their communities from future harm in their communities from future harm

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, which Rep. Jim Kofalt said is the same language as last year’s HB 396, vetoed by the governor. He described the bill as allowing, but not requiring, separation by biological sex in three areas: bathrooms and locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions. Kofalt argued the bill would give local school boards and other policymakers discretion to set practical rules, citing concerns about safety, privacy, and a Milford incident involving a biological male in girls’ locker rooms. Committee members pressed him on the lack of a definition of “biological sex,” and he said he did not think one was necessary because males and females are commonly understood. He also said the bill was meant to address situations where outside groups threaten lawsuits and leave local boards with no latitude. Testimony then split sharply. Supporters, including Executive Counselor Karen Hill and several others, said HB 148 would roll back anti-discrimination protections, contradict New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” values, and harm transgender and non-binary people. Opponents described the bill as discriminatory and unnecessary, arguing that existing bathroom and sports policies already work and that the bill would invite harassment, invasive enforcement, and legal conflict. Several speakers, including trans residents and parents of trans children, said they had used public restrooms without incident and warned that enforcement would be impractical or abusive. One supporter argued the bill was needed to protect girls’ privacy and safety and cited school sports disputes and a concern about a sex offender at a game as examples of why sex-segregated rules should be restored. Committee members asked questions about how biological sex would be defined, whether the bill was responding to real incidents in New Hampshire, and how any restrictions would be enforced. Kofalt said he was aware of issues in several school districts and at the State House, but did not have detailed documentation for every case. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided; the chair instead moved through public testimony under a strict two-minute limit and noted that follow-up questions would be limited so the committee could hear multiple bills that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• establish a new maintenance payment, which is about 80% of the proposed formula and about a $20 million reduction
• They do not ask for harm, and they certainly do not deserve to suffer further by having the very resources
• balance between enhancing stability through performance maintenance payments and encouraging further reductions
• in prison admissions, where appropriate, through refresh... ...further reductions in prison admissions

Summary: The committee heard a broad public safety budget hearing focused on youth justice funding, probation incentive grants, and disaster response and recovery. On the youth justice item, the Office of Youth and Community Restoration described a proposed change to the JJRBG funding formula that would shift resources away from a DJJ-based measure and toward county youth population, serious offenses, and step-down placements in less restrictive programs. Members asked about data on Native American youth; OYCR said statewide data are limited, but its SYTF data show about 1% of youth in secure youth treatment facilities were Native in 2024. The Department of Finance had no objections, and the item was discussed as a way to support alternatives to long-term incarceration. The committee then reviewed the community corrections performance incentive program for county probation departments. The Department of Finance proposed stabilizing the program with a maintenance payment, updating the performance baseline, and adding a growth factor; the LAO agreed the formula needed changes but recommended using 2022-23 data instead of 2021-23, using marginal rather than average cost assumptions, rejecting the growth payment and minimum guarantee, and adding stronger oversight through the BSCC. Finance said it was open to some technical changes but opposed a new BSCC audit framework, noting Judicial Council already surveys probation departments and that evidence-based practice use has increased over time. Members and staff indicated the proposal still needed further work. A major portion of the hearing focused on the January 2025 Southern California wildfires and state disaster response. A resident of Altadena gave emotional testimony about evacuation failures, loss of home, and the need for accountability. LAO and Cal OES outlined the disaster response and recovery system, including mutual aid, alert and warning, debris removal, FEMA and state funding streams, and the long timeline for reimbursement. Cal OES said it had pre-positioned resources, temporarily took over the county’s wireless emergency alert function for about three weeks, coordinated debris removal and recovery operations, and had already allocated more than $286 million in state funds. Officials also discussed the 100% federal cost share for emergency work for 180 days and the uncertainty created by changing federal processes and the cancellation of the BRIC resilience program. The committee also heard two smaller Cal OES items: a request to reappropriate about $22 million for the law enforcement mutual aid reimbursement program, which the LAO said should be placed in statute with clearer goals and reporting, and an update on Victims of Crime Act funding, where Cal OES said federal VOCA allocations have fallen sharply and that roughly $224 million would be needed to maintain current service levels if federal funding does not improve. Public comment included a request for funding to expand datacasting and emergency alert receivers for wildfire and earthquake warning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Camp Allen already works through scholarships and reductions in price as much as we can, but simply,
• If we have a reduction in income, which I foresee being pretty dramatic... ...It would cause us several
• wouldn't be able to maintain our facilities as we have been, and it would inevitably cause us to have a reduction
• As we did not have a project to move forward with at that time, we felt there was no harm, so there was

Bills: HB 1039, HB2289, HB2370, HB2404, HB3066, HB3076, HB3117, HB3118, HB3169, HB3178, HB3179, HB3182, HB3196, HB3241, HB3377, HB3500, HB3567, HB3715, HB3954, HB4098, HB4109, HB4222, HB4226, HB4412, HB4659, HB4682, HB4683, HB4755, HB4926, HB5165, HB5562, HB5596

Keywords: hotel occupancy tax, municipal revenue, tax authority, border counties, tax legislation, municipalities, hotel tax revenue, convention centers, economic development, local government authority, HB 2370, HOT tax, venue projects, convention center, municipal finance, local government code, Section 334.0082, tourism tax, debt financing, bond repayment

Transcript Highlights:

• This is why we continue to advocate for amendments to go beyond a narrow lens of harm reduction to genuinely
• We continue to advocate for amendments to go beyond a narrow lens of harm reduction to genuinely address
• that<00:08:26.759> they main harms that many harms that they main harms that many harms that
• aunties it's time to rectify the harms aunties it's time to rectify the harms that<00:09:06.000>
• <00:25:09.559> Hawaiian disproportionately harming Hawaiian disproportionately harming Hawaiian

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services committee heard extensive testimony on HB 1194 HD2, a bill to regulate midwifery and require accredited education for licensed midwives. Supporters, including the Midwives Alliance of Hawaii, ACOG, a pediatrician, and several licensed midwives, argued the bill would improve maternal and newborn safety, clarify the definition of midwife, strengthen accountability, and align Hawaii with national education standards. They said accredited training is necessary to avoid gaps in knowledge and to support safe transfers and collaboration with hospitals. Opponents, including many midwives, parents, cultural practitioners, and community groups, argued the bill would restrict access to care, criminalize traditional and apprenticeship-based midwifery, and undermine reproductive autonomy and Native Hawaiian and other cultural birthing practices. Several asked for amendments to preserve a birth attendant exemption, the PET/portfolio pathway, and cultural and religious protections. Others said the bill would disproportionately harm rural, Indigenous, and low-income families by making training and licensure less accessible. The committee also heard testimony from state and county entities and professional organizations, with some standing on written testimony and others offering brief comments. The chair repeatedly reminded testifiers of the one-minute limit and the possibility that final decision-making would be deferred if quorum was lost. The transcript does not show a final vote or action taken during this segment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Who would the harm be caused to would be the focus of your amendment.
• Who would the harm be caused to if your amendment is not adopted? Senator Arrington. Thank you, Mr.
• Citizens would be obviously harmed. Us as candidates, we know what that validation rate is.
• premium reduction.
• And the... ...such as a 15% parking reduction rather than a 10%.

Summary: The Florida Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including interns, Denim Day awareness for sexual assault survivors, a resolution honoring Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and a memorial proclamation for former Senator Karen Johnson Gendron. The chamber then moved to special-order bills, with senators also briefly discussing the session’s pace and thanking staff and colleagues for their work. The first major bill, on driving and boating offenses, was amended and passed 37-0. As amended, it increases penalties for repeat DUI/BUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide/vessel homicide offenses, and adds notice requirements and misdemeanor penalties for refusing lawful breath or urine tests. Senators also passed SB 306 on Medicaid providers 37-0, requiring Medicaid managed care plans to offer more after-hours and holiday access and ensuring more primary care appointment availability outside regular business hours. The Senate then passed a major condominium and cooperative associations bill, also 37-0, after extensive debate and multiple amendments. The measure extends deadlines for structural integrity reserve studies, adds flexibility for reserve funding and budgeting, tightens rules for managers and inspectors, limits certain requirements to buildings of three or more habitable stories, and extends the rescission period for condo purchases. Senators from both parties praised the bill’s sponsors for years of work responding to post-Surfside safety and affordability concerns. The longest and most contentious item was SB 7016/HB 1205 on constitutional amendment petition procedures. Sponsors said the bill responds to fraud and abuse in the citizen initiative process by tightening circulator rules, requiring faster submission of signed petitions, adding voter notification, increasing penalties, and shifting costs to sponsors. Opponents argued it would burden volunteers and make it harder for citizens to qualify initiatives. The chamber adopted a series of amendments, including changes to the petition-circulator threshold, volunteer protections, submission timing, invalid-signature investigation thresholds, and notice/cure provisions, while debate continued over whether the overall package would protect election integrity or suppress citizen-led amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is a 9% reduction in car prices.
• with their dealers because it harms with their dealers because it harms their<03:50:56.239> reputation
• I mean, the purpose of legislation is to identify a failure or consumer harm.
• I mean, the purpose of legislation is to identify a failure or consumer harm.
• Um, in this case, there is no harm. The bill is totally unnecessary.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's due to an estimated recapture reduction of $1.1 billion.
• On a reduction that would save an average homeowner about $100,000.
• The reduction removes money from fiscal year 23 that was brought into 24.
• So they might actually see a net spending reduction or a net revenue reduction.
• Those premium reductions went into effect on January 1st of this year.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• lessen the need for seclusion and restraint, which we know is not a best practice and can increase harm
• practice and can increase harm to youth. practice and can increase harm to youth.
• Reduction of seclusion and restraint by preventing crisis through early identification, de-escalation
• Reduction of seclusion and restraint by preventing crisis through early identification, de-escalation
• Reduction of seclusion and restraint by preventing crisis through early identification, de-escalation

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's pretty simple; it doesn't harm the map.
• Cities is harmful, and I get winning.
• Messed up and harmed other people in their districts.
• So, members, I ask you to think about the harm that's happening.
• That's a 38% reduction in Valley Hispanic voices.

Bills: HB4, HB 4

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, 997, house, all