Transcript Highlights:

• And so it was requested that I remove them. And this is from...
• And so it was requested that I remove them.
• And this is from our own leader, attorney on the House side, and an attorney up in legislative council
• And so I am having an amendment crafted for this.
• And so I am having an amendment crafted for this purpose, and the idea of the sunset clause is, I was

Bills: HB1541

Keywords: septic systems, environmental quality, public health, wastewater management, licensing and permitting, 908, all

Summary: The committee reconvened on April 4 to consider two bills. House Bill 1280, Representative Brandenberg’s bill on election approval of projects, was briefly discussed after the chair said legislative council had raised constitutional concerns and the bill could invite lawsuits. Despite that caution, a member moved a do pass recommendation, it was seconded, and the committee approved HB 1280 by roll call vote. The committee then turned to House Bill 1318. The chair explained that after consulting attorneys, the phrase “notwithstanding any other provision of law” in line 7 was considered problematic and would be removed through a crafted amendment. He also said the proposed sunset clause was not a good idea and indicated the bill would be held until the following Thursday morning to allow further review. A member asked about other lines, and the chair said those provisions remained as previously amended. The committee discussed procedural handling of the bill, including whether reconsideration of a prior motion was needed, and confirmed the bill would remain in committee. No further action was taken before adjournment.

Bills: SB 2122, SB 2050

Keywords: oil and gas waste, application fees, permit amendments, environmental regulation, Texas natural resources

Bills: SB1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Keywords: Local and Private - Room 409, 28 March, 2025; 10:45 A.M., 925, all

Keywords: Highways and Transportation - Room 216, 26 March, 2025; 2:00 PM, 925, all

Keywords: Local and Private - Room 210; 26 March, 2025: 9:00 AM, 925, all

Keywords: Universities and Colleges - Room 409, 20 March, 2025; 9:00 A.M., 925, all

Keywords: Local and Private - Room 409, 18 March, 2025; 9:30 A.M., 925, all

Bills: SB1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Transcript Highlights:

• and, and, uh, valuable contribution.
• Madam Chair, um, you and I have met over those times, and I appreciate your leadership and your understanding
• Item 6, protecting vulnerable adults and children from abuse and neglect and exploitation.
• And $2.9 million in all funds. Moving on to the middle of page 42, Texas Civil Commitment Office.
• and.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Keywords: Local and Private - Room 409, 11 March, 2025; 12:30 PM., 925, all

Keywords: Highways and Transportation - Room 409, 4 March, 2025; 11:00 A.M., 925, all

Keywords: Universities and Colleges - Room 210; 3 March, 2025: 3:00 PM, 925, all

Keywords: Highways and Transportation - Room 216, 28 February, 2025; 9:30 AM, 925, all

Keywords: Universities and Colleges - Room 409, 3 February, 2025; 3:00 P.M., 925, all

Keywords: Universities and Colleges - Room 409, 30 January, 2025; 3:30 P.M., 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the cost is just going to continue to go up and up and up.
• and grow and grow every year.
• on how we want the state to operate with our civil servants and how we're moving forward with the investment
• Yes, and in fact, while we had information around strong cybersecurity practices, standards, guidelines
• we put out also through to our state workforce information about best practices, and we've geared those

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee first heard the Legislative Budget Board and Secretary of State Jane Nelson on the Secretary of State budget. LBB said the recommendation would reduce the agency’s appropriation by about $40.3 million overall, with major changes including removing federal HAVA funding and one-time business system replacement money, adjusting the agency’s base request, deleting an outdated Interstate Crosscheck rider, and directing HAVA funds to be drawn down first. Secretary Nelson and staff defended the agency’s needs, emphasizing election security, business filings, international protocol, and the Texas Register, and requested additional staff, a new website, digitization of records, IT and cybersecurity upgrades, and renovation of the Rudder Building. Senators discussed voter-roll maintenance, cross-checking data, call-center response times, and the need for online voter registration and more efficient election administration. No votes were taken. The committee then took up the Office of the Governor and trustee programs. LBB outlined a $2.4 million decrease for the office proper and a much larger decrease in trustee programs, driven by unexpended balances and the removal of one-time federal and border-security items, while noting continued funding for disaster response, victim assistance, and $2.9 billion for border security at roughly the prior level. Governor’s staff said Texas remains focused on border security, economic development, and public safety, and discussed efforts to seek federal reimbursement for prior border spending. Members asked about the National Guard’s status, possible federal assumption of border costs, the music incubator program, the Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, the Governor’s University Research Initiative, defense economic adjustment grants, and a new $5 million nonprofit security grant proposal. Staff said the semiconductor program has 12 approved projects totaling about 948 jobs and $17 billion in capital investment, and that the nonprofit security request was added late to address threats to houses of worship and other nonprofits. No formal action was taken. Finally, the committee heard the Texas Facilities Commission and lease-payment recommendations. LBB said the Facilities Commission recommendation would reduce appropriations by about $2.0 billion, mainly by removing border wall construction funding and capital complex bond funding, while adding money for higher utility costs, Rudder Building refurbishment, and additional staff. The lease-payment recommendation would decrease general revenue by $9.3 million. LBB also noted new riders related to completing the State Library and Archives building, tenant communication during disruptions, and a space-utilization report. In agency testimony, members asked about border wall maintenance responsibility, total facilities-related debt, and the status of capital complex construction. The Rudder Building renovation and related security needs were repeatedly discussed as important one-time infrastructure investments.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the cost is just going to continue to go up and up and up.
• and grow and grow every year.
• policies on how we want the state to operate with our civil servants and how we're moving forward with
• Yes, and in fact, while we had information around strong cybersecurity practices, standards, guidelines
• through to our state workforce information about best practices, and we've geared those not just toward

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee began with Article I budget items for the Secretary of State. LBB staff outlined recommendations that would reduce the agency’s appropriation by about $40.3 million, including changes to HAVA funding, removal of one-time business system replacement money, and a rider directing the agency to use Fund 5095 first. Secretary Jane Nelson and staff then defended several exceptional items, especially additional staffing for elections and business filings, a new website, digitization of records, cybersecurity tools, and renovation of the James Earl Rudder Building. Members focused heavily on election administration, cross-checking voter rolls, Harris County complaints, call-center response times, and whether online voter registration should be expanded. No votes were taken; the discussion was informational and budget-focused. The committee then heard the Office of the Governor and trustee programs. LBB presented a recommended $2.4 million decrease for the governor’s office proper and a much larger decrease in trustee programs driven by one-time funding and unexpended balances, while still preserving major border security funding and victim assistance funding. Governor’s staff emphasized Texas’ economic growth, the importance of border security, and efforts to seek federal reimbursement for the roughly $11 billion Texas has spent on border operations. Members discussed whether shifting National Guard deployment to federal control could reduce state costs, and they also reviewed the music incubator program, the Governor’s University Research Initiative, and the semiconductor innovation consortium. Staff highlighted a $5 million late-added request for grants to protect nonprofits from violence and terrorism. Again, the exchange was largely explanatory, with no formal action. Finally, the committee took up the Texas Facilities Commission and lease payments for revenue bonds. LBB recommended major reductions overall, including removal of border wall construction funding and capital complex bond funding, but added money for higher utility costs, renovation of the Rudder Building, and additional facilities staff. George Purcell also noted stable maintenance-and-renewal funding and new riders related to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission building, tenant communications, and space utilization. For lease payments, LBB recommended a smaller appropriation tied to revenue-bond costs allocated across agencies. The discussion was informational, with members asking about the Rudder Building renovation, border wall progress, and capital complex construction timelines; no votes were recorded.

Keywords: Highways and Transportation - Room 216, 29 January, 2025; 2:00 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are funded by the state contributions for Government Code, also department contributions, Part 1 and
• We are at capacity practically with our current facility and the annex facility that the agency received
• So one of our charges in the Government Code is that we are trained and accredit all the county veteran
• And this quote, you know, I'm a qualitative researcher, so I do coding and look at how people are talking
• I met Tim Coleman, who was a dear friend, and he and I would get up there and listen and talk and just

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations from the Legislative Budget Board and agency officials on several agencies, starting with the Texas Historical Commission. LBB described a large biennial reduction driven mainly by the removal of one-time funding and discussed capital projects, rider changes, and exceptional items including Presidio La Bahia and the National Museum of the Pacific War. Senators asked about heritage trails, courthouse grants, unexpended balance authority, and the status of historical-site funding. Historical Commission leadership emphasized preservation, courthouse restoration, heritage tourism, coordination with the Alamo and other Texas Revolution sites, and requested additional IT, staffing, and vehicle funding. No votes were taken. The committee then reviewed the Pension Review Board and the Employees Retirement System. The Pension Review Board’s budget was largely unchanged aside from IT maintenance and salary adjustments, with an exceptional item for additional IT enhancements. Members discussed the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System’s funding dispute and the need for a workable restoration plan. ERS presented a much larger budget, including funding for the retirement system, the group benefits plan, and the legacy payment intended to reduce unfunded liability. Senators focused heavily on pension investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health-care costs, especially pharmacy spending driven by GLP-1 drugs; ERS said the plan covers about 540,000 lives and that premiums would rise 8% while benefits remain unchanged. ERS also said it had no exceptional items, and committee members requested more detailed benchmark information. The committee also heard from the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. TESSORS reported an unfunded liability, an infinite amortization period, and requested additional state support, staffing, and IT funding, including a statutory change to allow a higher contribution level; the agency warned that without more funding it may have to cut benefits. CEPRIT’s presentation covered its bond-funded cancer research and prevention portfolio, revenue-sharing from funded projects, and a request to increase salary limits for its CEO and chief scientific officer. Senators questioned CEPRIT’s accomplishments and return on investment, while CEPRIT cited screening, prevention, and research outcomes, including tens of thousands of detected cancers and precursors and hundreds of thousands of first-time screenings. The meeting ended after these presentations and questions, with no recorded committee action or vote.