Transcript Highlights:

• Ladies and gentlemen, this is the appropriation for the Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
• This is to fund a grant program for engineering surveyors at our universities.
• </c><00:51:01.280><c> and</c><00:51:01.599><c> Land</c> Professional Engineers and Land Professional
• Engineers and Land Surveyors.<00:51:02.720><c> Uh</c><00:51:02.960><c> this</c><00:51:03.119><c> is</
• </c><00:51:13.280><c> surveyors</c> program u uh for engineering surveyors program u uh for engineering

Keywords: MS House Floor - 18 March, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, House Bill 1890.
• That request is for the engineers' requested authority to allocate 600,000 for their grant program for
• board of registration<00:47:43.040><c> for</c><00:47:43.359><c> professional</c><00:47:43.839><c> engineers
• </c> registration for professional engineers registration for professional engineers and<00:47:44.560
• </c> that request is for um the engineers that request is for um the engineers requested<00:48:01.760

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 12 March, 2026; 10:30 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and battery electric side are very nascent industries; there's a lot of technical challenges and engineering
• So this is what we are seeing: more folks are choosing internal combustion engines when they go to purchase
• think, importantly here, though, is the differential that you have between an internal combustion engine
• So we need to clean up our buses, trucks, and off-road engines because those are the ones spewing toxic
• So we need to clean up our buses, trucks, and off-road engines because those are the ones spewing toxic

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• assessments, the analytics that will continue to go ahead and take place will be by the district engineers
• I don't know, you know, these projects are done by each region, state engineer, and for us to be able
• We want the highway engineers to determine what needs to be done.
• And we want the highway commission to go with those highway engineers because they're the experts.
• And while I appreciate engineers, also, you know, I appreciate planners.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Army Corps of Engineers on a daily basis, including this morning as recently.
• Army Corps of Engineers had potentially had discussions with as far as solicitations for interest in
• Army Corps of Engineers is in the acquisition process.
• Just candidly, I think historically, we do not have a good track record with the Army Corps of Engineers
• But I think the data that we have... a good track record with the Army Corps of Engineers on expediting

Summary: The joint hearing focused on preparedness for the New World screwworm threat and brought together the House Committees on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and Agriculture and Livestock. USDA officials, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and Texas Animal Health Commission leadership described the pest as a serious risk to livestock, wildlife, rural economies, and beef prices, and emphasized coordination among federal, state, industry, and Mexican partners. Witnesses repeatedly stressed that Texas is currently seeing no confirmed U.S. detections, but that recent confirmed cases in northern Mexico, including Nuevo León, remain a concern because of their proximity to the border. USDA testimony outlined current surveillance and response efforts, including more than 120 screw worm-specific traps along the Texas border and neighboring states, thousands of additional dual-purpose traps, wildlife inspections, weekly coordination with Mexico’s Senasica, and a new USDA New World Screwworm Directorate. Officials said the existing Panama sterile fly facility is maxed out at about 100 million flies per week, while a dispersal facility in Tampico is helping move flies farther north in Mexico. They also described plans for a retrofitted sterile fly facility in Metapa, Mexico, expected to come online in 2026, and a new domestic production facility at Moore Air Base, with phase one targeted for late 2026 or early 2027 and phase two adding substantially more capacity later. Members pressed USDA on timelines, production capacity, the reliability of Mexican reporting, the risk from wildlife, and whether modular or mobile facilities could be deployed faster. USDA said it is also exploring innovative technologies, including a genetically engineered sterile male fly, but that such tools still require EPA review and field validation. Commissioner Miller highlighted Texas biosecurity efforts, five permanent inspection stations, cooperation with FDA and EPA on treatments such as Exzolt, and other pest issues affecting Texas agriculture. He also noted research into fly bait and private-sector efforts to speed sterile fly production. Texas Animal Health Commission officials described extensive state preparedness work, including weekly coordination calls, field response trainings, outreach to producers and veterinarians, and a Texas Screwworm Response Team. They said Texas has trained more than 100 inspectors and other personnel, with additional trainings planned, and that the state is expanding its cattle fever tick rider program. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing; the main action was the exchange of testimony and questions about readiness, surveillance, and facility timelines.

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:50:00.880><c> an</c> left left with the attorney and an left left with the attorney and an engineer
• </c><00:50:03.680><c> In</c><00:50:03.839><c> the</c> engineer type person. Okay.
• In the engineer type person. Okay.
• Our statute requires us to have a lawyer and a professional engineer on board, which we do have.
• </c> a lawyer and a uh professional engineer a lawyer and a uh professional engineer on<00:53:09.200>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 39.119><c> they</c><00:35:39.440><c> chose</c><00:35:39.760><c> a</c><00:35:40.000><c> site</c> but engineers
• that they chose a site but engineers that they chose a site where<00:35:40.800><c> the</c><00:35:41.040
• Uh, prior to that, I worked for an electrical engineering firm doing drafting and electrical designing
• Uh prior to that I worked for electrical<00:41:38.560><c> engineering</c><00:41:38.960><c> firm</c><00
• :41:39.280><c> doing</c><00:41:39.760><c> um</c> electrical engineering firm doing um electrical engineering

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education heard several advice-and-consent nominations to the School Facilities Authority. For GM779, Shelley Pa was introduced as a nominee for a term ending June 30, 2029. The Department of Education supported her nomination, citing her large-scale operations and stakeholder-engagement experience. In her testimony, Pa said she retired from community policing, wanted to give back to teachers and students, and believed her strengths were collaboration, listening to community input, and helping balance differing priorities. Committee members questioned her about the construction and infrastructure focus of the board, her lack of direct construction experience, and how she would handle disagreements and budget limits; she responded that she would rely on collaboration, ask questions, and keep decisions centered on students, teachers, and the community while staying within budget. The committee then heard GM777 and GM778 for Robert Davis, with terms ending June 30, 2025 and June 30, 2029. Davis described more than 30 years with the Department of Education, including roles as teacher, coach, counselor, vice principal, principal, and complex area superintendent, and said he had worked on major facilities projects and managed pandemic-era funding. He emphasized communication, transparency, and trust, and explained that his experience on the Early Learning Board helped him understand how to set policy, identify schools for pre-K, and use data and community factors in decision-making. Members asked how he would handle SFA’s growing pains, the need to balance DOE wishes with practical and budgetary limits, and the board’s role when the legislature controls funding; Davis said the board must keep communication open, include the right people, and make sensible decisions that move projects forward without stalling. For GM780, nominee Michael Unbasami was introduced for a term ending June 30, 2029. The Department of Education supported him, highlighting over five decades of public service and experience in facilities management, finance, and legislative affairs. Unbasami said he had recently retired after 31 years as associate vice president for administrative affairs for the community colleges and had extensive experience with facilities planning, construction, renovation, repairs, and working within budgets. He stated that the DOE should be treated as the SFA’s client because it knows student, teacher, and facility needs best, while SFA’s role is to implement construction work and collaborate on priorities. Committee members pressed him on how to balance DOE requests with practical project delivery, especially for teacher housing and other non-classroom needs, and he said the legislature funds the work, SFA must keep projects moving, and the workflow should involve collaboration but also realistic decisions that fit the budget and avoid delays.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lake Superior College, working with Minnesota State System Office staff, engaged Barr Engineering, a
• very experienced and well-respected Minnesota environmental engineering firm, to assist with these efforts
• staff the Minnesota State System Office staff engaged<00:14:30.880><c> Bar</c><00:14:31.199><c> Engineering
• ,</c><00:14:31.760><c> a</c><00:14:31.920><c> very</c> engaged Bar Engineering, a very engaged Bar Engineering
• firm to assist environmental engineering firm to assist with<00:14:36.399><c> these</c><00:14:36.639

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a lot of architectural and engineering work.
• There's a lot of architectural and engineering work.
• There's a lot of architectural and engineering work.
• conceptual plans; we have rough orders of magnitude that we've collaborated with our consulting engineers
• conceptual plans; we have rough orders of magnitude that we've collaborated with our consulting engineers

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees considered a large number of Senate bills, with many measures advanced either unamended or with technical or substantive amendments. Early action included SB 88 and SB 11 SD1, both passed unamended, and SB 562 SD1 and SB 642 SD1, which were passed with amendments reflecting agency testimony. SB 1133 SD1 was amended to remove duplicative county requirements and clarify tax credit carry-forward eligibility, while SB 1569 SD1 on sports wagering was deferred. Later, SB 933 on nonprofit/federal funding support drew strong testimony from nonprofit and health advocates emphasizing the risk of federal funding freezes and the importance of protecting services such as early learning, domestic violence support, housing, and workforce supports; the committee recommended amendments to define eligible organizations, require reporting, and include the Judiciary. SB 934 and SB 935 were also amended, with SB 934 tying mass transit funding to Honolulu project milestones and SB 935 revising retirement-system language to change “fewer than five years” to “five or more years.” The committees then took up additional measures with targeted amendments. SB 1033 was amended to clarify that the bill applies to legal entities, not individuals, though members noted concerns about closely held family corporations and asked that the issue be reflected in the committee report. SB 1166, SB 1249, and SB 1256 were advanced with amendments or committee-report notes reflecting concerns from the Attorney General, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, and Hawaii Farmers Union United, respectively. SB 1432 and SB 137, both relating to electric utilities, were amended to require retention of covered employees after mergers or acquisitions and to direct the PUC to consider whether proposed transactions further state policy goals. SB 157 on antitrust was narrowed to focus on coordinator conduct in rental housing markets, SB 252 on invasive species received a defective effective date, and SB 336 on defense of state employers and employees passed unamended. SB 536 on the Hawaii Community Development Authority was deferred to a later hearing, and SB 1064 on medical cannabis was heavily amended to authorize cultivator licenses with limits on canopy size, license counts, physician fees, and a special-fund appropriation for enforcement. In the Ways and Means portion, the committee passed several bills unamended, including SB 19, SB 124, SB 264, SB 345, SB 422, and SB 741 and SB 747 later in the agenda. SB 361 was amended to remove references to the attorney general and delete an appropriation section, SB 438 was amended to redefine buffer zones and landfill-unit language, and SB 441 and SB 494 were amended to blank appropriations and, in SB 494, assign charter-school audit responsibility to the state auditor. SB 659 was substantially amended to promote local procurement, including county-level geographic preferences and higher thresholds for locally sourced purchases, and SB 732 was amended to adjust film tax credit provisions, including the streaming-platform definition and sunset-related language. SB 819 was amended to replace references to “educators” with “teachers.” Throughout, most measures were adopted without recorded opposition, though several members noted reservations on particular bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman: value engineering.
• As many of you know, Louisville is an economic engine of the state of Kentucky, and the work these guys
• if I don't take this opportunity, Representative Gentry and others: Louisville is a good economic engine
• from</c><00:33:03.240><c> which</c><00:33:03.639><c> all</c><00:33:03.880><c> across</c> economic engine
• uh from which all across economic engine uh from which all across the<00:33:04.440><c> Commonwealth<

Keywords: Meeting start 00:00:29 Roll Call 00:00:40 HB 2 Discussion 00:02:55 HB 2 Vote 00:14:10 Kentucky Exposition Center Redevelopment Plan Discussion 00:17:22 HB 545 Discussion Only 00:39:15, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2, which would address the taxation of currency and bullion and was presented as a response to last session’s dispute over whether a line-item veto could be applied to a revenue measure. The sponsor said the bill, as amended by Committee Substitute 2, was largely technical but also made the tax exemption retroactive to August 1, 2024 while making the $1,000-per-day penalty prospective only. Members asked about fiscal impact, possible legal liability for executive branch officials, and whether the issue should instead be resolved by the courts. The sponsor argued the Constitution limits the governor’s line-item veto power to appropriations, not revenue bills, and said the bill would create a judicial remedy and refund process if the executive branch continued collecting the tax. The committee approved the committee substitute and then passed House Bill 2 by a vote of 19-1, with two members passing; the bill was reported favorably to the floor. During discussion, Representative Bojanowski voted no, saying he could not support removing taxes on gold bars while parents pay taxes on diapers. Representative Gentry passed, saying he supported the original intent but was not yet convinced and wanted more time to review the issue. The sponsor also clarified that any liability would be joint and several and could involve executive officials or their budgets if the tax collection continued despite the exemption. The committee then heard a discussion-only presentation on the Kentucky Exposition Center Redevelopment Plan Phase 2. Facility representatives described Phase 1 and the planned Phase 2 expansion, saying the center had record attendance and needed more space to remain competitive and meet client demand. They said Phase 1 was about 20% complete, with completion now expected in October 2026 and an opening target of December 31, 2026 after a short testing period. Phase 2 would follow, including demolition of the West Wing, utility work, and improvements to food service and circulation areas. They said the project would be funded without federal dollars and estimated that, once complete, it could generate about $683 million in annual economic impact, $302 million in state sales tax, and 850,000 room nights in Jefferson County.

Transcript Highlights:

• on the vehicles that these batteries come from, the electric vehicles versus internal combustion engine
• The engines, the things that make the car go. I things that make the car go.
• And that's just a standard car battery from an ICE vehicle, from an internal combustion engine vehicle
• drove here today is a... ...the car that I drove here today is a 23-year-old internal combustion engine
• Independent... you what, the the engine health and the you what, the the engine health and the ability

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have done some significant work on that, including engineering, siting, and water study plans produced
• We have done some significant work on that, including engineering, siting, and water study plans produced
• But we have done some significant work on that, including engineering, siting, and water study plans
• uh, siting and water study engineering uh, siting and water study plans<00:20:58.040><c> uh,</c><00:
• </c> some of that preliminary engineering some of that preliminary engineering work,<00:21:51.120><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, you'll have one certified engineer on the board and then uh two technicians or a contractor from
• </c> Uh you'll have one uh certified engineer Uh you'll have one uh certified engineer on<00:05:02.080
• Our board is composed of inspectors, engineers, pipefitters, contractors, one public member, and often
• </c><00:13:18.240><c> and</c> systems with the proper engineering and systems with the proper engineering
• , pipefitters, contractors, one engineers, pipefitters, contractors, one public<00:13:37.920><c> member

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• autonomous or automated vehicle sector, which is the new term in the DE, brings with the jobs in engineering
• autonomous or automated vehicle sector, which is the new term in the DE, brings with the jobs in engineering
• autonomous or automated vehicle sector, which is the new term in the DE, brings with the jobs in engineering
• autonomous or automated vehicle sector, which is the new term in the DE, brings with the jobs in engineering
• autonomous or automated vehicle sector, which is the new term in the DE, brings with the jobs in engineering

Bills: HF3169, HF3749, HF2605, HF3541, HF4102, HF3513, HF268

Keywords: suicide prevention, transportation, mental health, bridge safety, data collection, state law, bridge inspection, active transportation, truck parking, public safety, vehicle registration, fee structure, full-service providers, Capitol security, emergency management, state buildings, law enforcement, Minnesota State Patrol, State Patrol compensation, trooper salary

Transcript Highlights:

• The chief engineer for BGE comes up with a genius idea of how to reroute some power lines in Baltimore
• . the chief engineer and customer service. the chief engineer for<00:31:51.679><c> BG&amp;E</c><00:31
• Our engine is on fire and we want to put a piece of duct tape over the dashboard to make it stop.
• Our engine is on fire and we want to put a piece of duct tape over the dashboard to make it stop.
• Our engine is on fire and we want to put a piece of duct tape over the dashboard to make it stop.

Keywords: House streaming session for Friday, February 6, 2026, 957, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's things like value engineering or kind of changing the footprint of a project to save money on
• </c><00:18:56.200><c> or</c> so it's things like value engineering or so it's things like value engineering
• </c><00:54:17.359><c> design</c><00:54:17.680><c> and</c> study planning engineering design and study
• planning engineering design and construction<00:54:18.359><c> of</c><00:54:18.520><c> the</c><00:54:
• I’m Joel Mueller with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

Bills: HF1167, HF1242

Keywords: Northern Lights Express, NLX, Minneapolis-Duluth rail, passenger rail, intercity passenger rail, high-speed rail, Duluth, Minneapolis, MnDOT, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Council, transportation funding, rail appropriation, general fund, trunk highway fund, rail project cancellation, infrastructure spending, commercial driver training, CDL, financial assistance

Transcript Highlights:

• the Interior Design Council and moves the profession under the board for architects, professional engineers
• Interior designers do not want to be architects or engineers.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My educational background is that I have a degree in chemical engineering. I hold 11 U.S. patents.
• We also spend a lot of time designing and engineering, if necessary, building these reuse and reclaim

Summary: The committee convened and announced that Senate Bill 1041 would not be heard that day, with the meeting limited to a presentation to keep the agenda moving. Brian Jenkins of Nalco Water/Ecolab gave an informational presentation on the company’s work in the microelectronics and semiconductor industry, especially in Arizona. He described Ecolab’s role in helping fabs maximize chip production while reducing water and energy use, including data management, water reuse and recycling, and optimization of cooling towers and chillers. He emphasized the rapid growth of semiconductor manufacturing in Arizona, citing SEMI data projecting four additional fabs in the state over the next several years. Jenkins explained that semiconductor fabs are major water and energy users because of the extreme precision of chip manufacturing and the need to rinse wafers and maintain clean-room conditions. He said Ecolab works with customers to identify reusable water streams, model reuse options, and design, install, and support reuse systems. He gave examples of reclaiming process streams such as hydrogen fluoride, CMP wastewater, and neutralized acid waste. He also presented a case study in which Ecolab helped a fab reduce water consumption by 11 million gallons annually, cut contaminant discharge by 64%, and save about $675,000 per year. Committee members thanked Jenkins for the presentation and referenced a prior tour of the facility, noting its relevance to Arizona’s water challenges and the importance of innovation in supporting growth in chip manufacturing and data centers. Jenkins invited members to visit Ecolab’s facility in Naperville, and the chair encouraged follow-up questions offline. No votes were taken, and the meeting segment concluded with adjournment before the room was reset for the next group.

Transcript Highlights:

• Appropriations B, we'll have an agency budget hearing for Geologist Board, Veterinary Examiners Board, Engineers
• 36.159><c> Geologist</c> An agency budget hearing for Geologist Board, Veterinary Examiners Board, Engineers

Keywords: MS House Floor - 7 January, 2026; 2:00 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Not the Army Corps of Engineers. We have EMA.
• But why not the Army Corps of Engineers, because they are pretty much the experts when you're talking
• So why would you pay that extra money when you got the Army Corps of Engineers that could do it?
• was able, through the help of the Army Corps of Engineers, to develop a subdivision there.
• </c> well as the army core of engineer well as the army core of engineer because<01:08:10.960><c> with

Keywords: 1136, house, all