Transcript Highlights:

• A toll should not be on this type of structure in a community.
• A toll should not be on this type of structure in a community.
• The state has already put in $100 million on its structure.
• It's the exact same type of structure.
• I had to talk to the team at LDH. I said, you can either do this through rule or through law.

Summary: The Finance Committee met on May 27, 2026, with six members present and took up a series of House bills, most of them dealing with education funding, criminal justice staffing, transportation, health care access, and economic development. HB 325 was reported favorably after testimony that it would expand TOPS eligibility by allowing dual-enrollment credits to satisfy eligibility criteria and by making part-time students eligible for TOPS Tech, with supporters saying the program has been underused and the change would help working students. HB 719 was amended and reported favorably to increase assistant district attorney positions in various judicial districts; the Louisiana District Attorneys Association said the changes were based on workload data and local input, and members discussed the need to coordinate any expansion with public defender funding. The committee also reported HB 749 favorably, which would move Louisiana’s 529 savings accounts to a more secure online platform after a cyber incident, and HB 1028 favorably, which concerns transportation reimbursement for providers and was described as already subject to appropriation. Several bills focused on food access and local economic development. HB 1222, the Grocery Initiative Act, was reported favorably to let LED use existing grant resources to map food deserts and develop a program, with members noting it could return for funding later if needed. HB 1194 was amended and reported favorably to define food deserts and direct the LSU AgCenter and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry to identify and map them, with authors emphasizing it was a study and not a government-run grocery program. HB 755, which would create IDIQ contracting for architects and engineers on smaller state projects, was reported favorably with no fiscal impact. HB 823, a local diversion pilot for Orleans Parish, was also reported favorably after the fiscal note was revised to remove state impact and reflect only local costs. The committee spent substantial time on HB 488, a proposal from Plaquemines Parish to use severance-tax revenue to help buy out a private toll concession on the parish’s bridge. The author and local officials described severe toll burdens, economic harm to local businesses, and what they called an unfair contract, but members noted the bill was not funded and ultimately deferred it without a motion. HB 797, the Bayou Gold/Louisiana Sound Money Act, was amended to make implementation subject to appropriation and then reported favorably. The committee also took up HB 198, which would raise Medicaid reimbursement for ambulatory surgery centers for certain outpatient procedures; after extensive discussion about fiscal notes, access to care, and potential long-term savings, the bill was amended to narrow its scope and make implementation subject to appropriation, then reported favorably as amended. The meeting ended with the chair noting it would be the committee’s last meeting and asking members to spread the word.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a mom, I feel our team change.
• It is a failure of will, structure, and accountability. This is not a failure of evidence.
• It is a failure of will, structure, and accountability.
• The imbalance is structural.
• This bill codifies that investment, providing statutory structure, stability, and accountability so those

Bills: S0212, S0656, S0682, S0810, S0812, S0890, S0892, S0900, S0928, S1084, S1284

Keywords: sexual offender, sexual predator, sex offender registry, child protection, residency restriction, loitering, proximity restriction, public swimming pool, school safety, child care facility, day care center, park, playground, conditional release, probation, community control, warrantless arrest, background check, registry screening, minor victims

Summary: The committee took up a series of criminal justice and public safety bills. SB 1084, which exempts certain identifying and location information for non-legal support staff in state attorneys’ offices from public records requests, was supported by prosecuting attorneys and reported favorably. SB 212, as amended, created new restrictions related to sexual offenders and predators, including a 200-foot restricted presence provision near certain locations and updated notification/supervision requirements; it drew strong opposition from researchers, advocates, and affected families who argued it lacked evidence and would increase homelessness, but it was reported favorably. SB 682, addressing domestic violence, coercive control, strangulation, animal abuse, injunctions, and related training and enforcement issues, received emotional survivor testimony and support from animal welfare and law enforcement groups and was reported favorably. SB 656, creating and renaming FDLE Internet Crimes Against Children funding and grant programs, was amended and reported favorably and unanimously. The committee also considered SB 810 on sealing criminal history records, which would expand eligibility for some non-conviction records and one low-level misdemeanor conviction after waiting periods and judicial review; supporters said Florida is unusually restrictive, while one senator raised concerns about the scope, and the bill was reported favorably. SB 890, creating a standalone battery by strangulation offense applicable outside domestic relationships, was reported favorably after the sponsor said it would close a gap in current law. SB 892, revising habitual offender and violent career criminal sentencing procedures and notice requirements, was reported favorably, with defense lawyers supporting the clearer pretrial notice. SB 928, “Missy’s Law,” requiring immediate remand to custody after conviction of certain dangerous crimes, was amended to include computer pornography/child exploitation offenses and reported favorably after a family member of the namesake victim testified in support. Later, SB 1284 modernized arrest and search warrant statutes, expanding judicial summons options for some misdemeanors and broadening warrant/arrest authority in certain DUI, injunction, domestic violence, and misdemeanor force cases; defense lawyers supported the judicial-discretion portions but raised concerns about DUI/BUI arrests, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, SB 812, a technical companion to SB 810 updating public records treatment for sealed criminal history records, was amended to clarify prosecutorial access for later cases and reported favorably. Several bills were supported by law enforcement, prosecutors, and advocacy groups, while others drew opposition from civil liberties, treatment, homelessness, and criminal defense advocates. The meeting adjourned after members recorded additional votes on selected tabs.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the structures range from 18 to 30 percent, each depending on the amount of the loan.
• I think an important note, how we kind of think of that rate structure is really like in three buckets
• And so, You know, when you think of the rate structure in that sense, there's large swaths.
• Our brick-and-mortar laboratories. applications, staffed by our team members, costs a lot of money.
• behalf of over 10,000 direct employees at the Toyota's headquarters in Plano and in San Antonio where team

Bills: SB 1113, SB 1117, SB 1206, SB 1460, SB 1802, SB 1906, SB 1917, SB 2340, SB 2455, SB 2680, SB 2690, SB 705, SB 748

Keywords: SB 1113, converter's license, converter license, motor vehicle dealer, auto dealer, vehicle conversion, converted vehicles, direct sales, retail sales, trailer, semitrailer, manufactured trailer, chassis, manufacturer's statement of origin, MSO, Occupations Code, Transportation Code, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, dealer licensing, general distinguishing number

Summary: The meeting of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee was marked by discussions on several significant bills, with a keen emphasis on legislative updates and committee substitutes. Notably, Senator Blanco presented a new committee substitute for SB2610, which modifies the employee cap from 100 to 250 and extends the update timeline for cyber security programs for small businesses. This substitute was adopted unanimously, reflecting a collaborative agreement among the committee members. Additionally, there were discussions surrounding SB1856 as Senator Crayton provided insights into how stakeholder feedback influenced the bill's committee substitute. The committee ultimately voted in favor, pushing it towards the local and contested calendar, indicating the bill's progression through legislative channels.

Transcript Highlights:

• that's my purpose in trying to bring, I've been trying to bring a cola bill that would create a structure
• In structure to North Carolina's business courts as we have multiple judges across the state similar
• District clerk from Ector County Clarissa Webster to be on the team at OCA.
• Well, that's another level we would love for that to be the case when the legislature kind of structured
• SA's current employment structure after our first sunset in 1999, they sat in this four-step promotion

Transcript Highlights:

• We have continued to have dilapidated 67-plus structures that are just not efficient.
• They're still in an open population setting, but it is a very paramilitaristic or structured environment
• for those proving they need that type of structure and oversight.
• That allows us to be more effective in ensuring everybody is part of the re-entry structure, and we can
• All I want to say is, Secretary Dixon, thank you for the job that you and your entire team do with the

Summary: The Senate Criminal Justice Committee met with Vice Chair Smith presiding in Chair Martin’s excused absence. After opening remarks from several senators, the committee heard a presentation from Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon on the state’s incentivized prisons program and related population-management efforts. Dixon said the department now operates eight incentivized prisons, which use enhanced privileges and programming for well-behaved inmates, and reported major reductions in disciplinary reports, staff assaults, inmate-on-inmate assaults, and uses of force compared with average institutions. He also described administrative management units for more disruptive inmates, short-sentence correctional institutions for those with less than a year to serve, and a reentry strategy that places inmates closer to home within 18 months of release. Dixon said Florida’s recidivism rate has fallen to about 21 percent, among the lowest in the nation, and emphasized that staffing, programming, and facility repairs remain ongoing needs. Committee members asked about access to education and workforce training, staffing levels, contraband, technology upgrades, heating and air-conditioning maintenance, and whether incentivized prisons could be expanded. Dixon said educational access is improving but remains limited by eligibility and staffing, that the incentivized facilities are at capacity, and that expansion depends on adding more administrative management unit beds. He also said the department is increasing use of technology, improving maintenance oversight, and continuing efforts to reduce contraband and improve staff recruitment and retention. Several senators praised the department’s work and urged more funding for prison infrastructure and officer pay. Public testimony largely supported the incentivized prisons model while calling for more seats, better staffing, and broader reforms. Family members of incarcerated people said the facilities were safer, more stable, and better for rehabilitation, though they asked for more programming, better treatment by staff, and clearer access to education and release-related opportunities. A Florida PBA representative emphasized that programs can only succeed with safe staffing levels and better pay and retention for correctional officers. No formal committee vote or bill action was taken, and the meeting ended after public testimony and closing remarks.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:34:56.399> An within the national guard structure.
• An within the national guard structure.
• <00:35:04.320> and<00:35:04.560> missioning force structure and missioning force structure
• At its core, this bill is not about a government structure.
• We have a really good team here in New England and in New Hampshire.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Shen Yang, the dance team that's here in the United States.
• A rescue team in the Hill Country pulling survivors from the floodwaters.
• And so our drone team is able to my big concern.
• team overseeing the technical rescue and drone programs.
• Constitution and vote no on House Bill 70. team. Thank you. Shing? Yes.

Bills: HB17, HB34, HB41, HB 118, HB 119, HB 127, HB 128, HB 129, HB 130, HB132, HB133, HB17, HB41, HB118, HB119, HB127, HB128, HB129, HB130, HB132, HB133

Keywords: foreign ownership, real estate, national security, designated countries, Texas property law, lobbying, foreign adversaries, compensation prohibition, transparency, civil penalties, higher education, foreign adversary, research security, trade secrets, academic partnerships, HB 128, sister city, sister-city agreement, international exchange, municipal diplomacy

Transcript Highlights:

• My daughter Lily was the catcher on the team, but most of the rest of the team also flew in last night
• But I know that the current team and the future...
• I'm looking forward to seeing who your team is going to be around you.
• My commitment is to hire an A plus plus team.
• I have been part of his team for many years now. I believe in his vision.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is about a good tax structure.
• Here, we have essentially one specialized industry team. That is the ACEs team in aerospace.
• We need to have more industry teams.
• How do we build a, whether it's an internal team to commerce or more of a virtual team with these industries
• We're all a team.

Summary: The LEAD Committee met with the Department of Commerce to review a high-level strategic plan for Oklahoma economic development. Commerce Director Bud presented a plan centered on the state’s competitive advantages: central location and logistics, low cost of doing business, energy availability, labor force, tax environment, and partnerships with tribes, local communities, universities, and workforce organizations. He said the agency must focus on industries where Oklahoma has a “right to win,” identifying aerospace and defense, energy, agribusiness, manufacturing, and cybersecurity as priority sectors, with other sectors such as transportation logistics, automotive, finance/shared services, federal offices, bioscience, and broader IT treated as secondary or longer-term opportunities. Members asked about workforce, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, incentives, research and development, housing, and how Commerce should stay focused on its core mission. Commerce said CareerTech remains a major asset, but the state needs better coordination among agencies, universities, and workforce partners. Officials also said entrepreneurship should be encouraged within target industries, infrastructure readiness should be mapped and aligned to industry needs, and incentives should be evaluated against total cost of operations rather than compared only on percentage terms. They noted that the Incentive Evaluation Commission is comparing Oklahoma’s incentives with other states and that closing deals begins early, with the right people and partners involved from the start. The discussion also emphasized the need for stronger statewide marketing, better use of regional development staff, more robust research/data capabilities, and a stronger international strategy. Legislators raised concerns about Commerce being tasked with programs outside its core mission, and Commerce said it must administer those programs unless the Legislature changes the law, though it would like to streamline and reallocate resources where possible. The meeting ended with broad support for the strategic direction, appreciation for Commerce’s work on recent projects, and adjournment without any formal vote or action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Them an HR team member at 3M or a first-time mom, trying to plan their next 6 to 12 months.
• The claims review teams in the paid leave program are fully staffed and, as I mentioned earlier, are
• for those teams to do their work.
• However, it impacts the trust on our team.
• well-resourced program integrity team well-resourced program integrity team that<01:35:27.520>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We've expanded our team at the Division of Apprentice Standards.
• We've expanded our team at the Division of Apprentice Standards.
• I just sent a quick text to a team member to check on Eastern Bank. I'm not sure.
• Or, you know, someone on your team on September Jones's team to be like, okay, here's the person you
• , we have the right team members plugged in.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened with roll call and approved the January minutes. Members then heard from Undersecretary of Labor and Workforce Development Josh Cutler, who gave an update on the Healey-Driscoll administration’s apprenticeship efforts and emphasized apprenticeship as an earn-while-you-learn model that can help address workforce shortages while including people with disabilities. He described growth in apprenticeships across sectors such as banking, bio, early education, health care, and human services, and noted recent milestones including the state’s 10,000th registered apprenticeship, expanded tax credits, reduced program fees, added apprenticeship liaisons, and Grow grants to support program development. Committee members focused on how apprenticeship could be adapted for human services and disability-related jobs, including early education, direct care, PCA work, sterile processing, and related health occupations. They asked about funding structures, employer participation, community college involvement, and how to make programs accessible to people with disabilities. Cutler explained that apprenticeship programs are employer-designed but must meet core requirements such as paid employment, at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning, related technical instruction, mentorship, and progressive wages. He said the state can support programs through the registered apprenticeship tax credit, which he said is $4,800 per apprentice and can be stacked with the disability employment tax credit, and through Grow grants, which were most recently awarded at about $2.1 million statewide. Members and Cutler discussed using intermediaries such as trade associations, nonprofits, and disability organizations to help employers set up programs and navigate incentives. He said the commission could be useful as a convener and suggested a targeted panel or information session with apprenticeship liaisons, employers, and existing sponsors to identify a few specific occupations and build a proof of concept. The meeting ended with agreement to follow up offline on potential partner employers, including Eastern Bank, and on possible next steps for a focused panel or pilot opportunities.

Transcript Highlights:

• I just wanted to, on behalf of the Nucleon team, thank the Advanced Committee for selecting Nucleon to
• This is a 36-year-old moratorium, but it created a regulatory structure for the construction of small
• So how do you work to pricing structure for a kilowatt? Yeah, I can. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead.
• And in many places, the structure is there; it's just silent on nuclear.
• It would put together some structures for facilitating such discussions. It would have at least...

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The legislature was kind enough to provide us funding and authorization for a data team last session.
• The legislature was kind enough to provide us funding and authorization for a data team last session.
• That's the product of our data team on the back.
• However, it must be structured efficiently.
• I'm on the electricity side, but I will double check with our water team, which I suspect is working

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Their children play on the same sports team.
• So we're going to go into structured debate on the House bill.
• Members, we're going into structured debate on HB 1B.
• Let's all get on this team. And we are pulling together everyone that wants to help.
• Let's all get on this team and let's make this great.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, pledge, quorum call, approval of the journal, and adoption of the Rules and Ethics Committee’s special order report for the day. The chamber then took up House Bill 1B, the immigration bill, and members were told they would have one opportunity to question the sponsor on both the House version and the anticipated Senate changes. Representative McClure described the bill as a major immigration-enforcement package creating a chief immigration officer housed in the Department of Agriculture, an Office of State Immigration Enforcement, a local law enforcement grant program, a state immigration council, and new penalties and enforcement tools. He also outlined anticipated Senate language, including stronger 287(g) participation requirements, enhanced penalties for unauthorized aliens, a mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses, and additional coordination with federal agencies. The bill drew extensive questioning from Democrats about due process, constitutional issues, school and workplace impacts, and the treatment of people whose immigration status changes over time. Members asked about birthright citizenship, TPS, asylum seekers, pretrial detention standards, the lawful basis for detaining someone based on suspected status, and whether teachers, social workers, school resource officers, and even children could be required to cooperate with immigration enforcement. McClure and Representative Garrison repeatedly said the bill would require cooperation with federal authorities, that status determinations would be handled under existing court procedures, and that the Senate death-penalty language was intended to fit within Hurst by requiring a jury finding beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was an unauthorized alien. They also said the bill did not provide DMV funding, did not address teacher shortages, and included appropriations such as $25 million for the local law enforcement participation incentive program and broader funding for enforcement and training. Several amendments were considered. Representative Chambliss offered an amendment to protect schools, churches, and places of worship from enforcement activity; supporters argued it would preserve trust in sacred and educational spaces, but the amendment failed. Representative Escamani offered an amendment to preserve in-state tuition for Dreamers; supporters emphasized the educational and economic contributions of Dreamers and the hardship of higher tuition, but that amendment also failed. The debate ended with no bill vote in the excerpt, but the House completed the amendment votes and continued consideration of the immigration measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• vital in those high School jobs, things like showing up to work on time, being able to work well in a team
• So Ohio— Is considering a similar minimum wage, really quite similar structure to Oklahoma.
• the business owners have invested more into in terms of like a building or like maybe a factory structure
• The multi-unit structure, because you're not only usually on the large scale just in one state, but multiple
• Today, I didn't realize we were all going to be standing around the table on the same team.

Summary: The committee held a study on the potential effects of living wage or minimum wage laws in Oklahoma, with the chair emphasizing that the discussion was not intended to advocate for or against State Question 832. The first panel focused on economic and workforce impacts. An Oklahoma Department of Commerce representative argued that living wage calculations vary by region and household type, that Oklahoma’s average wages are already near or above many living-wage estimates, and that higher mandated wages could lead employers to cut hours, reduce hiring, automate, or avoid expansion, especially in rural areas where childcare, healthcare, broadband, and infrastructure constraints also affect labor participation. Committee members asked about wage distributions, rural cost differences, training pathways, and whether higher wages might draw workers or businesses out of state; the witness said many low-wage workers move up over time and that Oklahoma has seen net in-migration. A State Chamber Research Foundation witness then testified that a $15 statewide wage floor would raise payroll costs substantially, especially for small rural employers, and cited examples from California and Seattle to argue that higher wages can reduce hours, jobs, and benefits while increasing consumer prices. She suggested alternatives such as expanding the state earned income tax credit and promoting upskilling through existing education and training programs. A Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry representative described Missouri’s recent voter-approved minimum wage increase to $13.75, rising to $15, along with paid sick leave provisions. She said the chamber opposed the measure because it would raise business costs, hurt rural communities and youth employment, and force some employers to cut hours, reduce hiring, or close. She cited examples from Missouri businesses facing significant added costs and warned that a future ballot initiative could create a patchwork of local minimum wages. In response to questions, she said Missouri’s law did not distinguish by age or industry, that businesses had raised concerns about union contracts and compliance, and that the chamber viewed the measure as harmful to competitiveness. Peter Hansen of NFIB presented the final major testimony, summarizing an NFIB study projecting that a higher Oklahoma minimum wage would produce some short-term GDP gains but longer-term losses, with GDP turning negative by the early 2030s and job losses growing over time. He said businesses respond to higher wage mandates by raising prices, trimming jobs, converting full-time positions to part-time, reducing benefits, and shifting investment toward automation or other capital. He argued that the burden falls most heavily on vulnerable workers such as young or marginal employees, who are less likely to be hired when labor costs rise. In questioning, he acknowledged that higher wages can improve pay for some workers and may have some short-term positive effects, but maintained that the long-term employment and investment effects are negative. No votes or formal actions were taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The team level... Marshal the information we need.
• The team level, or the green bar, focuses on things like how teams work together in our teamwork and
• On the last slide, it focuses on how teams work together inside the jurisdiction, but also how they team
• The CDR team is a function.
• county-level teams.

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SEEING IN SCHOOLS, HOW THEY SUPPORT TEACHERS AND EFFECTIVENESS SUCH SUPPORT, DOCTOR BURNS AND THE TEAM
• , SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL AND REALLY THOSE TEAMS ARE OUT IN
• COPA PRESENTS WE WILL ASK DOCTOR BROWN AND HIS TEAM ANY QUESTIONS WE MAY HAVE.
• REGIONAL LITERACY TEAMS SCALED RAISED SUPPORT AT THE STATE LEVEL.
• THIS LAST SLIDE HIGHLIGHTS ADDITIONAL KEY INITIATIVES OF THE REGIONAL LITERACY TEAM PROGRAM.

Transcript Highlights:

• We aren't here to beat someone else or to have our team win.
• And that is Marcia and her team. So we want to congratulate her today as well.
• My team signed a couple Come together and we solve the property tax crisis.
• We have financing structured over decades.
• We established an annual report for the domestic violence death review team.

Bills: LR509, LR510, LR511

Keywords: congratulations, Nebraska Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame, Deloris Marshall Adamson, recognition, achievement, service, retirement, Nebraska Legislature, public service, legislature, Nebraska, 956, all

Transcript Highlights:

• During her tenure, the foundation built a very capable team and a strong operational infrastructure,
• House Resolution 374, commending the Bruton High School Girls Swim and Dive Team.
• In the gallery today are swimmers and coaches and families of the Bruton High Panthers girls swim team
• Over the past five seasons, this group of swimmers has broken nine out of 11 team records and has broken
• Once again, I would like to commend the Bruton High Panthers girls swim team.

Keywords: March 11, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Who you have before you today is the Oklahoma Task Force One with the canine unit search team.
• I'm really proud because they are a specialized search and rescue team.
• And whereas this exceptional team has gone beyond Oklahoma's borders to provide swift search and rescue
• So this team deploys on a lot of in-state missions.
• And one of the things that our team really, really can appreciate is the fact when we go into another

Bills: SB2065, SB1641, SB1642, SB1589, SB1597, SB1216, SB2173, SB2028, SB2117, SB2127, SB2134, SB2014, SB1805, SB2044, SB1836, SB1380, SB2179, SB1436, SB1558, SB933, SB1651, SB1328, SB1572, SB1966, SB175, SB1475, SB1950, SB2049, SB2052

Keywords: pollinator, state symbols, agriculture, insects, environment, business entities, limited liability company, LLC, foreign LLC, domestic LLC, limited partnership, foreign limited partnership, registered agent, Secretary of State, annual certificate, good standing, certificate of authority, designated office, email address, electronic mail