Transcript Highlights:

• Prayer by the chaplain. Good afternoon. It's a privilege to be here. I appreciate the invite.
• The chaplain for today is Pastor Ryan Brilley from Central Lutheran Church in Elk River, Minnesota.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House convened with a chaplain’s prayer delivered by Pastor Ryan Brilley of Central Lutheran Church in Elk River, Minnesota. The prayer focused on wonder, attention, and noticing the “burning bushes” in everyday life, drawing on the story of Moses and quoting Abraham Heschel in asking for grace, awe, and mystery. The presiding member then noted that January 27 was Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and asked members to observe a moment of silence in honor of those who perished in the Holocaust. Members stood for the Pledge of Allegiance afterward. No legislation was debated or acted on. The clerk took the roll, and the House was informed that a quorum was not present. As a result, the House adjourned until 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• The House and gallery, please rise for the invocation, which will be offered by Chaplain Richard Stoglin
• State Representative the Honorable David Cook of District 96, my Texas Representative, sponsors Chaplain
• I was the command chaplain of 39 nations of the world.

Bills: HJR99, HB1399, HB1400, HB 1094, HB365, HB 1109, HB647, HCR35, SB14, HB 12, HB1522, HB422, HB675, HB204, HB748, HB912, HJR99, HB1399, HB1400, HB 1094, HB365, HB 1109, HB647, HCR35, HCR123, HCR124, HR57, HR87, HR111, HR228, HR230, HR322, HR624, HR625, HR626, HR627, HR628, HR630, HR631, HR634, HR635, HR636, HR637, HR638, HR639, HR640, HR645, HR646, HR648, HR649, HR651, HR652, HR653, HR654, HR664, HR665, HR668, HR675, HR676, HR678, HR679, HR680, HR683, HR686, HR688, HR689, HR694, HR695, HR697, HR698, HR699, HR472, HR622, HR632, HR633, HR643, HR655, HR657, HR660, HR661, HR662, HR663, HR667, HR670, HR674, HR681, HR682, HR696

Keywords: animal feed, tax exemption, ad valorem taxation, retail, constitutional amendment, retail sale, tangible personal property, Texas tax code, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption, regulation, deceased transportation, HB 365

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Chaplain. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Pro Tem. I rise for personal privilege.
• Thank you, Representative Chaplain. Representative Sandoval. Mr.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior journal, and recognition of the Doctor of the Day and several guests, including advocates for rare diseases, a community civil rights leader, and representatives from Lucid Motors. The chamber also heard multiple personal privilege remarks honoring guests and community figures, and the clerk recorded attendance at 55 present, zero absent, and five excused. The House then moved into Committee of the Whole and considered HB 2022, HB 2122, and HB 2138. HB 2022, an elections bill, was amended to extend provisions affecting overseas military voting and clarify observer access at voting locations; it received a do-pass recommendation. HB 2122, a technical reciprocity correction for engineers, also received a do-pass recommendation. HB 2138, a workers’ compensation cleanup bill clarifying coverage for firefighters as well as police, was amended and recommended do pass. The House adopted the Committee of the Whole report and sent the three bills to engrossing. On third reading, the House passed HB 2022, HB 2046 (probation-related changes), and HB 2116, which appropriates money to the Colorado River Litigation Fund. All three passed 56-0 with four not voting, and HB 2022 was passed as an emergency measure requiring a two-thirds vote. Members speaking on HB 2116 emphasized protecting Arizona’s Colorado River water rights and supporting litigation efforts. The session also included several commemorative remarks and announcements, including recognition of Notre Dame Preparatory’s state hockey championship, a proclamation for Mexican American Heritage Day, and a tribute to Mary Green as an early African-American pioneer in Arizona. The House later received first readings of multiple bills and adjourned until 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• The prayer will now be offered by the guest chaplain, Monsignor Steven J.
• The prayer will now be offered by the guest chaplain, Monsignor Steven J.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, April 14, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chaplain. Thank you. We meditate on the transcendental glory of the Deity Supreme.
• The chaplain for today is Raj Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism.

Transcript Highlights:

• Harry Eberts, Chaplain of the New Mexico Senate.
• And this is my final day as chaplain of this body, and so I give you great thanks for who you are and
• I want to start by just thanking Reverend Eberts, our Senate chaplain.
• And I just like the Senate to give With Senate Chaplain Eberts a big hand for the job he did.

Bills: SB273, SB37, SB100

Keywords: SB273, appropriations, general fund, hold harmless, local government finance, municipal revenue, county revenue, correctional facility, jail contract, private prison, detention facility, immigration detention, revenue bonds, clawback, child welfare, juvenile justice, protective services, school improvement, New MexiCare, aging services

Transcript Highlights:

• The House will come to order by the Chaplain.
• The Chaplain for today is Chaplain Keith Beckwith, Minnesota. Guard, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members offering our invocation today is Chaplain Lonnie Wilson.
• stories with friends, siblings, children, grandchildren, even a support group or, God forbid, a chaplain

Bills: SB1177, HB3705, SB1942, SB2026, SB1533, SB1327, SB2065, SB2155, SB2159

Keywords: education funding, mental health services, public safety, housing, state budget, tax credit, parental choice, private school, income tax, dental insurance, health care, medical necessity, insurance claims, dentist rights, military discharge, veterans, DD Form 214, confidentiality, grandchildren access, veteran burial

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, our invocation will be offered by chaplain Ronnie Wilson, with the members and guests in the
• Members, our invocation will be offered by chaplain Ronnie Wilson, with the members and guests in the

Bills: HB1411, HB3143, HB3144, HB3901, HCR1019, HB3981, HB4248, HB3194, HB3849, HB4095, HB4302, HB3342, HB3344, HB3287, HB3645, HB3647, HB3930, HB3931, HB1818, HB4454, HB4336

Keywords: True Grit Trail, Oklahoma, tourism, signage, Department of Transportation, state parks, historical sites, economic development, medical marijuana, license transfer, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, moratorium, business regulation, commercial grower licenses, licensing restrictions, agriculture, psychological autopsy, mental health, suicide prevention, state health department

Transcript Highlights:

• The Senate will be on the first order of business: prayer by the chaplain.
• The chaplain for the day is Pastor Rich Wyatt of Living Hope Church of the Nazarene.

Bills: SB2401, SB2402, SB2403, SB2404

Keywords: SB 2401, North Dakota, Century Code, occupational therapy, occupational therapy board, criminal history record check, background check, licensee investigation, physician continuing education, medical license renewal, nutrition education, metabolic health, chronic disease prevention, health occupation boards, medical board, licensure fee, audit response, disciplinary action, Title 43, board of medicine

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present. It adopted the procedural employment committee report naming Senate staff for the special session. The chamber then took up several health-care and appropriations measures, first adopting amendments to Senate Bills 2401, 2402, and 2403 before moving them to final passage. Senate Bill 2401 passed 44-2 and requires physicians to complete at least one hour of continuing education in nutrition and metabolic health, part of a broader rural health care package. Senate Bill 2402 passed 46-0 after major amendments negotiated between the medical and pharmacy boards; as amended, it expands pharmacists’ prescriptive authority and therapeutic substitution in limited areas while excluding categories such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, chemotherapy agents, Schedule II drugs, biological products, and narrow therapeutic index drugs. Supporters said it would improve rural access and help secure rural health transformation funding, while questions focused on how pharmacist competence would be measured and enforced. Senate Bill 2403, also passed 46-0, creates a short-term medical facility emergency operating loan program through the Bank of North Dakota, reduced by amendment from $10 million to $5 million, to help a financially distressed rural hospital. Senators discussed the hospital’s mismanagement, the need for a bridge loan, and safeguards including a limited application window and expiration in 2027. Senate Bill 2404 passed 46-0 and provides supplemental appropriations to the Information Technology Department for ADA-related website accessibility compliance and to the Public Service Commission for additional legal costs in federal energy-rate litigation. The Senate then made announcements about a Highway Patrol safety presentation and filing deadlines, excused an absent member, and adjourned until the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I used to work in a youth prison as a chaplain. I've worked as a police chaplain.
• I've worked as a prison chaplain for adults.

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee held an invited-testimony hearing on LR 425, which examines the Whitehall campus in Lincoln and possible long-term options for youth currently served there. Chair Brian Hardin explained that Whitehall houses two separate programs for adolescent males: a substance use program and a youth-who-sexually-harm program. Testimony from DHHS officials described Whitehall as a Joint Commission-accredited psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) that provides about 40 hours of weekly programming, family involvement, school services, and community reintegration activities. Officials said the department is evaluating whether the programs should remain at Whitehall or move to another state-owned facility, with Hastings described as the department’s preferred alternative because it is more residential in design than a youth rehabilitation treatment center (YRTC).

Transcript Highlights:

• And I used to work in a youth prison as a chaplain. I've worked as a police chaplain.
• I've worked as a prison chaplain for adults.

Keywords: 956, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm thrilled to share my testimony alongside Representative Worrell, Representative Garballi, and Chaplain
• My name is Chaplain Clementina Sherry, and I'm the president and CEO of the Louis E.
• My name is Chaplain Clementina Sherry, and I'm the president and CEO of the Louis E.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hybrid hearing on a large group of bills carried over from the previous session, with Chair Jake Oliveira and House Co-Chair Paul McMurtry outlining the process and limiting testimony to three minutes. The committee heard testimony on several labor and workplace proposals, including bills to harmonize employee definitions to address misclassification (SB 1338/HB 2141), expand bereavement leave (including H. 2189/S. 1354 and related bills), protect collective bargaining rights for certain administrative employees (HB 268/SB 1306), expand commuter transit benefits (HB 2153/SB 1345), regulate employer use of credit reports (S. 1286), and require apprenticeship participation or OSHA-related workplace safety measures on public projects. At the end of the hearing, the chairs read into the record additional bills that did not receive testimony that day. Supporters of the misclassification bill, including Greater Boston Legal Services and the AFL-CIO, said aligning the employee-status tests across wage, unemployment, and PFML laws would reduce confusion, improve enforcement, and help workers wrongly treated as independent contractors or managers recover benefits and bargaining rights. NAGE and its representative argued that public-sector employees have been improperly reclassified into management titles to weaken unions, and that the bill would force the Division of Labor Relations to review those titles. On bereavement leave, advocates including the Louis E. Brown Peace Institute, a state representative, the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, and individual survivors described the impact of sudden loss and homicide on families, saying guaranteed leave would help workers grieve, make arrangements, and avoid losing jobs or custody-related stability. The committee also heard support for commuter benefits as a low-cost way to reduce emissions and increase transit use, and for restricting employer credit checks because of inaccuracies and discriminatory effects. There was opposition to some construction-related bills. The Associated Builders and Contractors and the Building Trades Employers Association supported apprenticeship training in principle but said current apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios are outdated or misunderstood, and that the bills should be amended or clarified before advancing. The Massachusetts landscape and snow-removal industry strongly supported a snow-liability limitation bill, arguing that hold-harmless clauses and broad indemnification requirements force contractors to assume liability for conditions they cannot control, drive up insurance costs, and threaten business viability. The committee did not take any votes during the hearing, and the session ended with the chairs thanking members, staff, and the public before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, it's like the Chaplain, uh, measure from two years ago, right? That, that.
• that the majority of this committee voted last session in favor of Senate Bill 763 to allow school chaplains
• And I'm a retired hospital chaplain.

Bills: SB 6, SB 11, SB 33

Keywords: electric power, interconnection, utilities, ERCOT, large load customers, water supply, sewer service, demand management, school prayer, Bible reading, religious text, public schools, Texas Education Code, student prayer, silent prayer, meditation, religious liberty, First Amendment, Establishment Clause, church and state

Transcript Highlights:

• It's like the chaplain measure from two years ago, right?
• Last session in favor of Senate Bill 763 to allow school chaplains in public schools.
• I am also a retired hospital chaplain. We are called to respect the autonomy of Baptist churches.

Bills: SB6, SB11, SB33

Keywords: electric power, interconnection, utilities, ERCOT, large load customers, water supply, sewer service, demand management, school prayer, Bible reading, religious text, public schools, Texas Education Code, student prayer, silent prayer, meditation, religious liberty, First Amendment, Establishment Clause, church and state

Transcript Highlights:

• The House will be on the first order of business: prayer by the chaplain.
• Our chaplain for the day is Pastor Gretchen Deegg with the United Church of Christ.
• Our chaplain for the day is Pastor Gretchen Dieg with the United Church of Christ in Bismarck.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The North Dakota House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then received a gubernatorial veto message on Senate Bill 2261. The governor vetoed the bill creating a prison industries workforce development tax credit, citing dormant Commerce Clause concerns and arguing the tax credit would create an unfair market advantage and not meaningfully help Rough Rider Industries. The House agreed to place SB 2261 on the next day’s calendar for a possible veto override. The chamber also re-referred Senate Bill 2159 to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and appointed a conference committee for Senate Bill 2133 after the Senate refused to concur with House amendments. The House then took up a series of Senate amendments and final passage votes on several bills. It concurred in amendments and passed House Bill 1140 naming the Specialist John P. Fettig, Iraq Bridge; House Bill 1241 allowing funeral home vehicles to display flashing purple lights and clarifying emergency vehicle lamp rules; House Bill 1316 imposing additional penalties for repeated violations of temporary restricted licenses; House Bill 1127 expanding Department of Financial Institutions authority and data security provisions; House Bill 1564 on Indian child welfare; House Bill 1167 requiring AI disclosure statements in political communications; House Bill 1170 on state employee annual leave; House Bill 1447 regulating virtual currency kiosks; House Bill 1278 creating a cash management board for state treasury funds; House Bill 1024, the deficiency appropriation bill; House Bill 1205 on newborn safety devices; House Bill 1204 expanding false-information rules for political ads to text messages and telephone calls; House Bill 1001, the governor’s budget; House Bill 1206 increasing penalties for DUI offenses involving a minor; House Bill 1088 on insurance penalties and restitution; and House Bill 1515 on motor vehicle warranty work compensation. Most passed with strong margins, though HB 1170 and HB 1024 drew notable opposition, and HB 1447 and HB 1204 also had several nays. The most extended debate came on Senate Concurrent Resolution 4008, which proposed a constitutional amendment to change legislative term limits from the current structure to four four-year terms and repeal a constitutional restriction on proposing such changes. Supporters argued the measure would preserve institutional knowledge, allow voters to reconsider the 2022 term-limit decision, and let the public decide on the ballot. Opponents said the people had already spoken, the measure was confusing or unnecessary, and it could distract from other ballot issues. After reconsideration was granted, the House passed SCR 4008 by a vote of 53 yeas to 39 nays. The session ended with announcements, committee meeting notices, and adjournment until April 3, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a chaplain at CDF Christian Church. My name is Captain Passley.
• I'm a chaplain at CDF Christian Church in Miami over prison ministry and veteran affairs, a doctoral

Summary: The Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism considered several bills. SB 1338, by Senator Burton, would strengthen protections for charitable endowment gifts by creating a legal pathway to enforce written donor agreements and by requiring legislative approval for certain charity reporting requirements. The sponsor and Philanthropy Roundtable supported the measure as a way to honor donor intent while protecting nonprofits, and the bill was reported favorably. SB 1080, by Senator DeSigley, would require FDOT to adopt rules allowing direct payments to first-tier subcontractors in certain circumstances; transportation industry testimony supported it as a rare but needed statutory remedy, and it also passed favorably. The committee also adopted a strike-all amendment to SB 1582, by Senator Yarbrough, which would require secondhand dealers, secondary metal recyclers, and pawnbrokers to submit transaction data to FDLE for statewide sharing through systems such as LInX. The sponsor said the bill was developed with law enforcement to improve theft and fraud investigations, while a recycler representative spoke against it. The amended bill was reported favorably. SB 1672, by Senator McLean, creating a home buyer workforce tax credit for employer contributions to help employees make a first-time Florida home purchase, drew support from the Florida Chamber of Commerce and was also reported favorably. A large portion of the meeting focused on SB 1112, by Senator Garcia, which would amend the Florida Labor Pool Act by prohibiting placement fees when a temporary worker is hired permanently by a client employer and by requiring annual registration of labor pools with the Department of Commerce. The sponsor and many speakers from Beyond the Bars, labor advocacy, and reentry communities argued the bill would improve worker protections, transparency, and pathways to stable employment, especially for formerly incarcerated workers. A few cards were filed against, but the bill received broad supportive testimony and was reported favorably. SB 1324 was temporarily postponed, and the committee adjourned after recording members who wished to be noted as voting in the affirmative on the day’s bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• In our tradition, we always start with prayer, and today's chaplain is Rabbi Ariel Leleok Rosenberg from
• In our tradition, we always start with prayer, and today's chaplain is Rabbi Ariel Leleok Rosenberg from

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please rise in the gallery for invocation to be delivered by Chaplain Keith Evans, St.
• Thank you, Chaplain Evans.
• Members, if you have the opportunity, please greet Chaplain Evans before he exits the chamber.
• Thank you, Chaplain Evans.
• Members, if you have the opportunity, please greet Chaplain Evans before he exits the chamber.

Bills: SJR12, SCR39, SB27, SB29, SB241, SB406, SB414, SB464, SB568, SB578, SB609, SB660, SB689, SB693, SB785, SB857, SB879, SB921, SB922, SB955, SB985, SB993, SB996, SB1008, SB1035, SB1036, SB1059, SB1098, SB1120, SB1122, SB1147, SB1188, SB1197, SB1209, SB1227, SB1245, SB1267, SB1307, SB1321, SB1332, SB1386, SB1396, SB1453, SB1484, SB1494, SB1536, SB1537, SB1596, SB1610, SB1664, SB1741, SB1814, SB1822, SB1841, SB1948, SB2065, SB2155, SB2188, SB2230, SB2406, SB2407

Keywords: parental rights, education, constitutional amendment, school choice, child education, border security, southern border, federal immigration policy, illegal immigration, cartels, transnational cartels, fentanyl, drug trafficking, human trafficking, Operation Lone Star, Texas border, National Guard, state guard, border wall, border barriers

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, heard an invocation, and approved the previous day’s journal. The chamber then adopted Senate Resolution 358 honoring the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on its 10th anniversary, with senators highlighting the university’s growth, medical school, research expansion, and role in serving South Texas. The Senate also adopted Senate Resolution 368 honoring outgoing Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, with numerous senators praising his long public career, leadership in higher education, and statewide impact. Senate Resolution 361 recognizing Texas HBCU Day and Senate Resolution 362 recognizing Denton County Days at the Capitol were also adopted, along with other routine recognitions and gubernatorial appointments being read into the record. The Senate then took up several bills. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 27, relating to rights and support for public school educators, was debated and amended to shorten vacancy posting requirements, allow bilingual certification candidates to retake only failed test sections, give teachers more flexibility with paid leave, clarify classroom removal procedures, and ensure parents are informed of appeal rights. The bill passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and it was finally passed unanimously. Senate Joint Resolution 12, proposing a constitutional amendment to establish a parent’s right to direct a child’s education, was also brought up and passed to engrossment after a contested suspension vote. The Senate next passed Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1741, which would require reporting of foreign funding at public universities, bar gifts from adversarial governments, and require training and reporting systems to prevent foreign influence and intellectual property theft in higher education. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 29, the so-called “Dexit” bill, was debated at length for its corporate governance changes, including codifying the business judgment rule and altering internal corporate litigation and records rules; it passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and it was finally passed by a 30-1 vote. Senate Bill 857, allowing law enforcement discretion to tow vehicles driven by unlicensed or uninsured drivers, passed after discussion of towing abuses during flooding and disaster conditions. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1536, requiring dementia and Alzheimer’s training for certain guardians, passed with broad support, and Senate Bill 922, addressing delayed electronic disclosure of sensitive medical test results so physicians can discuss them first, was taken up and passed to engrossment as the chamber continued through its calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

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• doctors nurses illustrate how chaplain doctors nurses illustrate how chaplain doctors nurses and other
• at Fort no serving as a Chaplain at Fort no serving as a Chaplain at Fort no noos his uniform and chaplain
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Bills: SB 26, SB 28, SJR 36, SB 616, SB 565, SB 384, SB 28, SB 28, SR 131, SR 168, SR 174, SR 175

Keywords: teacher compensation, education funding, public school educators, teacher retention, teacher designation, lottery, gambling, internet gaming, mobile application, criminal offenses, aquifer, water management, Edwards Aquifer, sustainability, regulatory framework, SB 565, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, compliance agreement