Transcript Highlights:

• So the change, members, that gets me to the green vote that you accommodated by us working together was

Transcript Highlights:

• And if you need more than that, we'll accommodate. Mr.

Bills: SCR13, SB1248

Keywords: water rights, treaty compliance, Rio Grande, agriculture, drought, international water, Texas water supply, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TPWD, harvest reports, wildlife harvest data, public information act, open records, confidentiality, hunter privacy, angler data, game animals, game birds, fur-bearing animals, nongame animals

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't want that to happen, but we'll do our best to accommodate everybody that we possibly can.
• and its specifics, always willing to work through things if changes need to be made, special accommodations
• PT1 rides, which are things that are afforded and have to be set up in advance, cannot accommodate unpredictable

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing opened with the Senate and House chairs of the Joint Committee on Financial Services explaining that the day’s agenda would focus on health insurance and other insurance matters, with a large number of witnesses and a request for brief testimony. Legislators were taken out of order to accommodate their schedules, and the committee heard testimony on several bills, including coverage for hair prostheses for alopecia (H. 1223/S. 832), medically necessary oral and dental care for head and neck cancer survivors (H. 1258), modernizing fertility and family-building coverage (H. 715/H. 1190 and related bills), coverage for prosthetic devices to support physical activity for people with limb loss (the “So Everybody Can Move” bill), remediation coverage for home heating oil releases (S. 813/H. 1302), and expanded access to physical therapy for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (H. 1170). A separate bill on sickle cell care and registry development (S. 788) was also discussed by Senator Liz Miranda. Witnesses largely offered personal stories and expert testimony in support of the bills. Advocates for alopecia coverage described the medical and emotional impact of hair loss, the high cost of quality wigs, and the argument that scalp and facial hair prostheses should be treated like other medically necessary prosthetics. Cancer survivors and supporters of H. 1258 said oral and dental care after head and neck cancer treatment is a quality-of-life issue and often not covered despite major out-of-pocket costs. Fertility specialists, LGBTQ+ advocates, and legislators supporting the modern family-building bills said the current infertility definition is outdated and discriminatory, excluding same-sex couples, people needing donors or gestational carriers, and others with medical barriers to conception. For the limb-loss bill, parents and adults with prosthetic needs stressed that activity-specific prostheses are essential for children and adults to run, swim, play sports, and stay healthy, but are often excluded from coverage. The home heating oil testimony focused on the financial devastation caused by residential oil spills and the need to make spill coverage automatic in homeowners policies. Environmental professionals and homeowners described cleanup costs ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, the strict liability homeowners face, and the fact that many policyholders do not know the rider exists. The insurance industry testified in opposition to the mandatory-coverage approach, arguing for clearer distinctions between first- and third-party coverage, risk-mitigation standards, a delayed effective date, and more emphasis on education and notification rather than mandates. Committee members pressed the industry witness on why agents do not routinely tell customers about the rider and suggested that the issue may require broader disclosure by insurers, agents, and fuel dealers. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony and discussed possible compromise language and future action.

Transcript Highlights:

• County, I'm able to practice my religion without obstruction, and the department recognizes and accommodates
• County, I'm able to practice my religion without obstruction, and the department recognizes and accommodates
• And the law often changes far in advance of any system anticipating that change and trying to accommodate

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met at 10:07 a.m. and approved the minutes from its February 9 meeting. The commission said it would accept Department of Correction testimony in writing because of a scheduling issue, and then spent most of the hearing hearing from people with lived experience in county and state correctional settings. Members repeatedly reminded witnesses to keep remarks to about three minutes and focused the discussion on correctional consolidation, collaboration, programming, and reentry. Testimony from multiple sheriff’s offices was broadly supportive of county-based programming, treatment, education, and reentry services. Witnesses from Hampshire, Barnstable, Hampden, and Franklin counties described access to GED and college courses, vocational training, recovery meetings, therapeutic groups, housing and ID assistance, work release, and reentry centers. Several said these programs helped them gain sobriety, employment, family reunification, and parole readiness. Hampden County witnesses emphasized immediate reentry planning and individualized case management; Franklin County witnesses praised respectful treatment and an accessible off-site reentry center; Barnstable witnesses highlighted the women’s therapeutic treatment program, creative writing, and the Bridge Center; Hampshire witnesses described the Bridge House, work release, and transition supports. Several witnesses contrasted those experiences with what they described as limited or delayed programming in DOC facilities, especially for people serving longer sentences or with restrictive classifications. One witness said DOC programming was hard to access because shorter sentences and offense labels affected eligibility; another described overcrowding, little counseling, and no reentry planning in state prison. A juvenile lifer testified that classification barriers and lack of tailored programming left him feeling unprepared, and another witness said DOC’s handling of classification hearings and records was unfair and opaque. Some speakers also raised concerns about mental health care and visitation policies, especially at Framingham, where one witness said suicidal thoughts were met with inadequate responses and another said family visitation was denied without clear explanation. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about DOC access, step-down opportunities, family support, and whether more transitional housing or acclimation time before release would help. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the prior minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Department of Education and local public school governing authorities to develop and submit a report on accommodation
• the Department of Education and local school boards to develop a report on how they could better accommodate
• the Department of Education and local school boards to develop a report on how they could better accommodate

Bills: HB410, HR310, HR314, HR316, HR317, HR321, HR275, HR276, HR279, HR282, HR286, HR289, HR292, HR295, HR302, HR319, HR307, HR273, SCR59, SCR61, SCR62, SCR68, SCR69, SCR70, SCR54, SCR55, SCR64, SCR75, HCR32, HB776, HB42, HB119, HB159, HB302, HB1017, HB1028, SB217, SB283, HB953, SB208, HR74, HB998, HB901, HR20, HCR65, HCR71, HCR98, HB284, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB625, HB646, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1191, HB1240, HB1255, SB82, SB89, SB97, SB123, SB237, HB36, HB74, HB75, HB258, HB259, HB414, HB459, HB784, HB848, HB956, HB1095, HB1220, HB1252, SB469, SB479

Keywords: recording, privacy, notification, direct conversation, law enforcement, first responder, penalties, oil and gas, orphan wells, inactive wells, shut-in wells, marginal wells, plugging and abandonment, well decommissioning, site remediation, site restoration, Oilfield Site Restoration, OSR program, financial security, bonding

Transcript Highlights:

• now, obviously if I am successful on the policy front and everything, we're going to be able to accommodate
• now, obviously, if I am successful on the policy front and everything, we're going to be able to accommodate
• requesting an addition of a Supervisor I position and two analyst positions in the compliance section to accommodate

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The clerks plan to accommodate the party representatives as best they can, but they want to assure you
• crowded, and especially election time because you have a lot of equipment and a lot of people. accommodate
• the party representatives as accommodate the party representatives as best<00:52:51.599> they

Bills: SF0069, SF0070, SF0016, HB0078, HJ0002, HB0085, HB0086

Keywords: wastewater, stormwater, infrastructure, environmental quality, public data, data collection, funding, study, water development, irrigation, public works, agricultural supply, municipal water, grazing lands, subleasing, non-owned livestock, state lands, rental fees, agricultural policy, land management

Transcript Highlights:

• The travel industry encompasses attractions, arts organizations, entertainment venues, accommodations
• DOI has provided opportunities for innovative practices for districts to customize their plan to accommodate
• For innovative practices, for districts, to customize their plan to accommodate the population that they

Summary: The committee heard several education bills, with most of the discussion focused on Senate Bill 1835, Senate Bill 784, Senate Bill 1049, Senate Bill 2942, and Senate Bill 2928. SB 1835 would raise from 5% to 20% the cap on nonresident students who can receive resident tuition and fees through competitive scholarships at certain regional universities in slower-growing workforce development areas, provided the schools have capacity as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Supporters, including West Texas A&M University, said the bill would help fill underused capacity, attract students who may stay and work in Texas, and support regional workforce needs. SB 784 would strengthen a prior law allowing peace officers’ children to transfer between public school districts for safety reasons by requiring both districts’ approval, making clear that districts of innovation are not exempt, and prohibiting tuition charges. SB 1049 would require districts and open-enrollment charters to excuse students, at a parent’s request, for religious release-time instruction for up to one hour per day and five hours per week; witnesses said the program is constitutional, voluntary, and already operating in other states and some Texas districts. Each of these bills was left pending after testimony, with no public witnesses opposing them. SB 2942 would expand and adjust the state’s adult charter high school pilot program. Senator Creighton said the bill is intended to help the estimated 7 million Texas adults without a high school diploma by removing barriers to expansion, aligning legal protections with ISDs, changing TEA’s disapproval window for expansion amendments to a 30-day period after receipt, and updating funding to reflect part-year attendance. A committee substitute kept the upper enrollment age at 50 and removed a proposed testing change. Testimony from New Heights students and leadership described the program as life-changing, emphasizing that it combines diplomas with career credentials, childcare, transportation, and other supports to help adults stabilize their families and enter better-paying work. TEA witnesses explained the expansion process and said adult charter schools are overseen by the commissioner rather than the SBOE. The committee substitute was adopted, public testimony closed, and the bill was left pending. SB 2928 would set a uniform school start date for public school districts at the third Wednesday in August, while preserving existing district-of-innovation flexibility for current DOI districts and allowing year-round systems to continue. Senator Creighton argued the bill would reduce the patchwork created by DOI exemptions, support students and families, and preserve summer employment and tourism revenue. A committee substitute was adopted. Testimony came largely from tourism, hospitality, and recreation interests, including hotel, water park, zoo, chamber of commerce, and camp representatives, who said later start dates would extend the summer travel season, improve staffing and revenue, and give students more opportunities for summer jobs and camps. Several witnesses cited large economic impacts from tourism and said early school starts reduce August business. Some senators raised concerns about charter schools being excluded and about year-round calendars, but the bill was left pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• To accommodate all... who wish to testify, there will be a time limit of three minutes per witness during
• An existing state-owned office space, we now have the capacity, including parking, to accommodate 100%
• Yeah, and if we've got to tweak some... some things to accommodate the setup farm and, you know, the.

Bills: HB10, HB 12, HB675, HB10, HB12

Keywords: regulatory reform, government efficiency, administrative law, rulemaking, agency deference, judicial review, de novo review, Texas Government Code, Administrative Procedure Act, state agencies, plain language, regulatory burden, regulatory reduction, cost-benefit analysis, fiscal note, public benefits and costs, contested case, rule challenge, Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, advisory panel

Transcript Highlights:

• understand what you're Advocating I think perhaps the language of the bill needs to be modified to to accommodate
• So, Head Start can accommodate both their children at the same time.
• district we're in the process of needing to make capital improvements and build new facilities to accommodate

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• is a mess, but you chose to be here, chose to live here, it's expensive to live here, we make accommodations
• That said, I think the House accommodated some kind of rate change versus ours at the end of the day.
• Our FTE slots to accommodate the staff to run the tests. At 11, you'll see exceptional item four.

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:

• HB 58, which establishes a committee to study legislative protections and accommodations for individuals
• Targeted legislative efforts would reduce those inequalities by improving access to accommodations and
• essential to address the interconnected challenges posed by long COVID, such as ensuring workplace accommodations

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <03:22:40.080> and provision of housing accommodations and provision of housing accommodations
• ,<04:00:22.960> or<04:00:23.199> constitutes<04:00:23.600> an accommodations, or
• constitutes an accommodations, or constitutes an economic<04:00:24.160> or<04:00:24.399> social
• families, and businesses that will be displaced by the project in decent, safe, and sanitary accommodations
• families, and businesses that will be displaced by the project in decent, safe, and sanitary accommodations

Keywords: 920, all

Summary: The meeting included a Senate recognition ceremony honoring the Winona High School boys basketball team for winning the 2026 Alabama High School Athletic Association 5A state championship. A resolution was read commending the team for its 101-40 victory over Silicag, noting the team’s record-setting performance, Brendan Davis’s MVP honor, the contributions of other players, and Coach Cedric Lane’s leadership. Senators and the lieutenant governor praised the players’ sportsmanship, the school community, and the team’s historic season, and copies of the resolution were presented to the team, coaches, and administrators. Several guests and school representatives also spoke briefly, including the coach and principal, who thanked the Senate and noted the team’s success and the principal’s retirement after 35 years. After the recognition, the Senate returned to session and adopted the Committee on Rules report setting the special order calendar. The calendar included Senate Bill 99 on the Ten Commandments, Senate Bill 298 on Class 3 municipalities, House Bill 381 on camp safety, Senate Bill 370 on tax increment districts, Senate Bill 363 on the Department of Economic and Community Affairs, House Bill 466 on firefighters, House Bill 95 on elections, House Bill 259 on stablecoin, and Senate Bill 342 on education. The chamber then took up SB 99, sponsored by Senators Kelly and Sessions. Senator Kelly described the bill as requiring local school boards to display the Ten Commandments, together with founding documents such as the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Alabama Constitution preamble, in certain history classrooms and common areas for grades five through 12, using donated displays and funds when available. He said the bill was intended as a historical and educational measure, not religious instruction, and emphasized the inclusion of a disclaimer stating Alabama is not establishing a religion. After extended debate and a petition to close debate from the Rules Committee, the Senate voted on the bill by long roll and passed SB 99, with the recorded vote announced as 30 yeas and 4 nays.

Transcript Highlights:

• a series of steps, it was to be decreased to 115% with the idea that districts over time would accommodate
• 00:46:52.400> over<00:46:52.640> time<00:46:53.640> would<00:46:54.640> accommodate
• districts over time would accommodate districts over time would accommodate that<00:46:55.680>
• > whether<03:14:58.160> it's<03:14:58.320> whether<03:14:58.680> with accommodated
• whether it's whether with accommodated whether it's whether with the<03:14:59.200> South<03:14

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, Senator Rest, I just indicated that we're looking for the revenue to accommodate the provision
• the<00:24:22.760> revenue<00:24:23.760> to<00:24:24.960> um<00:24:25.480> accommodate
• <00:24:26.480> the The revenue to accommodate the provision, the actual amount of the grant
• <00:24:51.840> way<00:24:52.640> of<00:24:53.919> uh<00:24:54.159> accommodating
• for uh a way of uh accommodating that. for uh a way of uh accommodating that.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I appreciate hearing that immediate has a different interpretation, and maybe we need to make accommodations
• <00:41:26.400> If<00:41:26.640> I<00:41:26.880> may, accommodations for that
• If I may, accommodations for that.
• I don't see any qualification in there to accommodate for that.
• And then um I accommodate uh for that.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• expanding the range area to accommodate expanding the range area to accommodate a<04:13:09.399><
• Are you able to accommodate more and more other departments if we were to get you this money and move
• <04:15:32.159> more<04:15:32.760> and are you able to accommodate more and are you
• able to accommodate more and more<04:15:33.560> uh<04:15:33.960> other<04:15:34.279>
• Outstanding work here includes expanding online services to accommodate requests for duplicate titles

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented its capital budget process and priorities, explaining that it maintains and operates 96 state buildings and uses annual facility walkthroughs, condition assessments, and rough cost estimates to rank projects for the governor’s capital budget. Officials described how requests are triaged, how the governor’s office and Public Works refine estimates, and how the resulting capital budget book serves as legislative intent for approved projects. They also noted that this year the governor’s office asked for estimates on all selected projects, which increased workload but reduced detail. The department highlighted several requested projects, including $1.5 million for the ERP system sustainability fund, which officials said is critical because the state is upgrading its core financial, HR, and budget system to the cloud. Other priorities included courthouse HVAC and boiler work, brick repointing at the State House annex/main building, window replacement at the Spalding building, and elevator replacement on the hospital campus. Officials also said the governor’s proposed capital budget included fewer DAS projects than in past years and asked the committee to consider funding closer to historic levels. The committee then reviewed lapse and reallocation items. DAS said most older projects are still in design, bid, or construction because projects now take four to six years rather than two to three, in part due to ARPA-related workload and post-COVID construction backlogs. Members discussed lapsing $81,000 from the completed Spalding roof project and redirecting small remaining balances from several 2019 projects toward the Hillsboro County South cell block project through the Capital Project Overview Committee. Officials also confirmed ARPA-funded projects are expected to be completed before the December 2026 deadline and explained that the ERP system is the main state IT exception outside DOIT’s usual centralized control, though it still requires DOIT consultation and approval.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><04:31:42.920> the<04:31:43.119> day The only thing is you have to make some accommodations
• , which they didn't do, but I think now we know better to make some kind of accommodations for the fact
• c><04:33:00.359> to<04:33:00.560> make<04:33:00.760> some<04:33:01.080> accommodate
• um is you have to make some accommodate um is you have to make some accommodate which<04:33:02.080
• for the fact that the the accommodations for the fact that the the biggest<04:33:10.119> um<04

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a work session focused on school funding formulas, adequacy aid, and special education aid, with the chair outlining a schedule for the next several Tuesdays and noting that the committee would likely need multiple executive sessions to narrow down the bills. Members discussed the FY 26 formula, including base cost, differentiated aid, extraordinary needs grants, hold harmless provisions, and the roughly $28 million in excess statewide education property tax (SWP) funds that are not currently returned to the state under the existing formula. The first bill discussed was HB 137, which would allow excess SWP funds to remain with the local municipality for school and municipal purposes. Representative Spilsbury argued the issue is fundamental and suggested the state should require excess funds to be remitted back to the state, while Representative Damon said the bill appears to codify current practice and may be unnecessary, especially given possible court action. The discussion then shifted to a related bill from Representative Fellas that would redefine SWP as local money rather than state money and keep the current adequacy aid numbers revenue-neutral for now. Representative Fellas explained that SWP was created in 1999 after the Claremont lawsuit as part of the state’s effort to show increased school aid, but that it effectively labeled part of the local property tax as state money without changing property tax bills. She argued the state should not be tapping local property tax revenue and said her bill would preserve the current distribution while removing the SWP tax label, with future work possible on a different measure of local capacity such as income, home values, or poverty rate. Members also referenced prior discussions of fiscal capacity aid, relief aid, and other formula changes as part of the broader effort to restructure school funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• there is accessibility allowed to access education, as a lot of students use personal devices for accommodations
• But, you know, I mean, we're doing what we can to accommodate the loss in funding.
• With full-day funding, we could potentially accommodate 600 kids, and that's why I'm here today.
• And in order to accommodate as many witnesses as possible, each witness will be limited to two minutes
• All right, we'll now begin public testimony again, in order to accommodate as many witnesses as possible

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think that we ought to adjust our systems to accommodate that.
• <00:34:02.120> our<00:34:02.240> systems<00:34:03.080> to<00:34:03.240> accommodate
• adjust our systems to accommodate that. adjust our systems to accommodate that.
• normal times, these would probably be three bills, but again, logistically we've had to make some accommodations

Keywords: 1189, house, all