Transcript Highlights:

• under the same mechanisms that every other traditional IRA operates under in the United States of America
• What about the $250,000 to construct and operate a transition living facility? Where's that at?
• Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs to acquire, construct, and refurbish headquarters and warehouse
• Just no different than how we are currently doing with how some of the T-SET stuff is being operated
• Just no different than how we are currently doing with how some of the T-SET stuff is being operated

Summary: The House considered and advanced a large package of bills, many on joint committee reports, with most measures passing by wide margins and several emergency clauses approved. Early debate centered on HB 4036, which moved $5 million from an existing filmed-in-Oklahoma account to a new revolving fund for the “Bringing Sitcoms Home from Hollywood” pilot program. Supporters said the money was surplus, still controlled by the film office, and intended to create jobs and a strong return on investment; opponents questioned whether the funds should instead go to other state needs and whether the program had enough workforce and infrastructure. The bill passed 53-42, but its emergency failed. The House also passed HB 471, which creates state support for federal “Trump accounts” for children under 18, after debate over federal control, investment risk, and whether the $12.5 million could be better spent on child care, schools, or other services; it passed 61-30 and the emergency failed 62-27. Several education, transportation, and public safety measures then moved through with little or no opposition. HB 4030, described as the education limits bill, passed 93-1 with its emergency. HB 4065 and HB 467 each appropriated $93,000 for security at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics and the Schools for the Blind and Deaf, respectively, and both passed unanimously or near-unanimously with emergencies. HB 4038 directed $5 billion for the eight-year transportation plan and $266,000 for safer school zones; HB 4048 transferred PREP funds to three road projects; and HB 4031 moved up to $41 million into the long-term aerospace and aeronautic stability fund. HB 4047, which used PREP funds for a rural economic development project, fairgrounds upgrades, and university energy improvements, drew the most discussion over whether the spending was truly rural-focused, but passed 81-11 with the emergency approved. The House also approved a series of capital, justice, health, and workforce-related bills. These included HB 452 to buy the Service Oklahoma building it currently occupies; HB 4041 for a two-year trafficking victim pilot program and public safety technology; HB 4056 and HB 4057 for OSBI and narcotics headquarters/warehouse facilities; HB 4044 for current National Board Certified Teachers; HB 4032 on mining fees and agreement language; HB 4034 to raise court reporter compensation; HB 4050 reducing employer contributions while keeping retirement funds growing; HB 4053 and HB 4054 for flagship university capital projects; HB 4072, a public finance/accounting measure involving the Invest in Oklahoma Board and Revenue Stabilization Fund mechanics; HB 4045 and HB 4046 creating military-related funds to support bases and BRAC-proof installations; HB 4040 establishing oversight and a revolving fund for rural health transformation federal money; and HB 4051 clarifying legislative control over the FMAP rate preservation fund. Most of these passed with strong bipartisan support and emergency clauses, and the chamber ended with announcements of committee meetings before adjourning until April 15, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• What happens to a deer breeding operation or Texas businesses, Texas families when state agencies are
• What happens to a deer breeding operation or Texas businesses, Texas families when state agencies are
• What happens to a deer breeding operation or Texas businesses, Texas families when state agencies are
• What happens to a deer breeding operation or Texas businesses, Texas families when state agencies are
• What happens to a deer breeding operation or Texas businesses, Texas families when state agencies are

Bills: HB4568 , HB5458 , HB4543 , HB2703 , HB3728 , HCR113 , HCR126

Committee: House Culture, Recreation & Tourism

Keywords: film industry, incentives, grants, Texas, moving image, economic development, production companies, content standards, HB 5458, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TPWD, chronic wasting disease, CWD, cervids, deer, elk, moose, wildlife management, game animals, disease management

Transcript Highlights:

• Operational impacts, fiscal impacts.
• It's affecting our operational readiness.
• Cal Fire operates 537 fire engines, 300 of which currently meet replacement criteria.
• I know you guys are operating on a way larger scale than I am.
• What are they planning to do as far as their current operations when they do merge?

Committee: House Emergency Management

Transcript Highlights:

• convening a working group to evaluate the feasibility of establishing state-owned or state-controlled warehouse
• feasibility of establishing state-owned or<00:05:35.160><c> state-controlled</c><00:05:36.120><c> warehouse
• </c><00:05:36.880><c> and</c> or state-controlled warehouse and or state-controlled warehouse and logistics

Bills: SB2876 , SB3253 , SB2125 , SB2781 , HB549 , HB1768 , SB2053 , SB2494 , SB2851 , SB3073 , HB1678 , HB1721 , HB2475 , HB2246 , HB1667 , HB1516 , SB2532 , SB3131 , SB3154 , HB2297 , HB1737 , SB2143 , SB2398 , SB2623 , HB1740 , HB1920 , HB1682 , SB2153 , SB3140 , HB1515 , SB2835 , HB2282 , SB3083 , SB2031 , SB2519 , SB2667 , SB2140 , SB2544 , SB2069 , SB2697 , SB874 , SB2043 , SB888 , SB2721 , HB2152 , HB1334 , HB2385 , HB1643 , HB2314 , HB1688 , HB1692 , SB2568 , SB2983 , SB2108 , SB3136 , HB1959 , SB3156 , HB1511 , HB1753 , HB1824 , HB2137 , HB1810 , HB2279 , HB2309 , HB1548 , HB2078 , HB2293 , SB3262 , SB2169 , SB2607 , SB2964 , SB3255 , HB2576 , HB1481 , HB1864 , HB1550 , SB2818 , SB3067 , SB2061 , HB1728 , HB1881 , HB2361 , HB2395 , HB1823 , SB2050 , SB2397 , SB2175 , SB2852 , SB847 , SB3001

Keywords: natural hair braiding, hair braiding, braids, braider, braiding license, cosmetology, barbering, barber board, Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, registration, licensure exemption, sanitation training, health and safety, hair extensions, cornrows, twists, locks, protective hairstyles, beauty industry, occupational licensing

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:05:02.560><c> plan</c> Commonwealth's emergency operation plan Commonwealth's emergency operation
• And that’s kind of how the emergency operations plan and emergency operations center work.
• </c> emergency uh, operations center work. emergency uh, operations center work.
• </c> at the warehouse. at the warehouse.
• We operate a state health operations center at times when the state EOC is not activated.

Summary: The committee met to adopt the minutes of the second meeting by voice vote, then heard an update focused on disaster preparedness, resiliency, response, and coordination among state agencies and partners. The chair emphasized avoiding duplication of resources and highlighted the importance of agriculture-related response issues, including animal evacuation, feed distribution, and the role of extension services during disasters. The Department for Public Health was invited to explain its role in emergency planning and response. Public Health described its Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch as the lead coordinating agency for Emergency Support Function 8, covering health and medical services under Kentucky’s emergency operations framework. Testimony outlined its broad responsibilities, including support for hospitals, morgues, local health departments, behavioral health, crisis counseling, suspicious package testing, disease outbreaks, and coordination with emergency management, EMS, transportation, and nonprofit and private partners. Officials also described the agency’s risk-assessment process, training and exercise programs, and deployed assets such as PPE caches, deployable communications, a federal medical station, a mobile treatment center, and alternate care support used in events like the eastern Kentucky floods and COVID-19. The agency also discussed funding through federal cooperative agreements for public health emergency preparedness and hospital preparedness, noting that these programs have evolved since 9/11 and have been shaped by major disasters and emerging threats. Officials said Kentucky’s funding has declined over time and that current awards are partially funded for the first time in the program’s history. They expressed support for efficiency if federal programs are consolidated, but cautioned that combining programs could risk further funding losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• national security risks that could enable persistent surveillance and/or collection, mapping of operational
• So when you talk about the warehouses, what are some of the likely things that could happen?
• so what are some of the things that a foreign adversary like China or Russia could be doing in a warehouse
• our pilots each and every day, if monitored and surveilled, how the pilots communicate, how they operate
• How the pilots communicate, how they operate, the interoperability of the communications devices, if

Bills: SB1198 , SB1199 , SB1286 , SB1683 , SB1761

Committees: House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs , House House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee of Reference

Keywords: Salt River horse herd, wild horses, feral horses, Arizona Department of Agriculture, Tonto National Forest, Saguaro Lake, lower Salt River, equine genetics, genetic viability, inbreeding, allelic diversity, effective population size, fertility control, population control, horse removal, horse adoption, humane management, free-roaming horses, wild horse protection, stray animal law

Transcript Highlights:

• Are we going to look at our other grocery operators?
• Locations, warehouses, or whatever they're calling them, for people to come to.
• You could sign up to go work in the warehouse doing picking as a shift for DoorDash.
• It seems like this is really a free market business operation is what it is.
• But does DoorDash not operate outside of Lincoln and Omaha? It's my understanding that they do.

Bills: LB815A , LB838A , LB912A , LB972A , LB1126A , LB962A , LB1114 , LB921 , LB937 , LB803 , LB803A , LB1032 , LB1032A , LB1075 , LB1075A , LB889 , LB878 , LB933 , LB304 , LB304A , LB1096 , LB1096A , LB1165 , LB1165A , LB958 , LB958A , LB762 , LB1187 , LB966 , LB929 , LB962 , LB753 , LB788 , LB913 , LB1055 , LB1195 , LB429 , LB721 , LB722 , LB727 , LB743 , LB745 , LB749 , LB778 , LB787

Transcript Highlights:

• Everybody loves a forklift; certainly, all of our operations personnel do.
• Echo is one of the beneficiaries of growth funding to increase their warehouse space.
• Warehouse space and improve their warehouse space.
• And then we're going to talk about how the system is responding or operating.
• Going forward, there will be an increase in the ask to be able to cover the CARE operations.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, we have operated a Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force.
• with the track record of a operations with the track record of a positive<00:24:01.520><c> ROI.
• </c> modern operational systems. modern operational systems. Thank<00:41:42.160><c> you.
• So very slim operational oversight for a large program.
• c><01:40:41.840><c> large</c> operational oversight for a large operational oversight for a large program

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• I can't really talk directly to the way the business operations works for these particular contracts,
• One of the things I look for is whether a bill is operational.
• We have aspirational goals, but then when we actually A bill is operational.
• Food banks, like the one that we operate, counties, schools, nonprofits, health care systems, farmers
• Food banks, like the one that we operate, counties, schools, not...

Summary: The committee heard several measures focused on economic development, procurement, workforce equity, federal infrastructure funding, and food security. SB 1044 by Senator Reyes would raise and then index to inflation the cap for streamlined state contracts awarded to certified small businesses, microbusinesses, and disabled veteran business enterprises for services and IT work; supporters said the current cap is outdated and limits access, while opponents representing goods suppliers and some small business groups argued the bill could disadvantage goods contractors and should preserve lower thresholds for those contracts. After discussion about the ceiling versus floor effect of the cap and the impact on different types of businesses, the bill was approved as amended and sent to Appropriations. SB 247 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas would create a bid preference for projects that hire workers from disadvantaged communities; supporters framed it as a way to connect public infrastructure spending to family-sustaining jobs, while union construction employers opposed it because they said they cannot control worker dispatch through hiring halls and the bill would be difficult to implement. The committee advanced the measure to Appropriations despite those concerns. The committee also approved SJR 6 by Senator Cortese, which urges the federal government to honor commitments under the bipartisan infrastructure law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act, with supporters emphasizing the importance of certainty for California infrastructure, clean energy, and semiconductor investments. SB 1025 by Senator Hurtado would establish an Office of Food Security and Affordability to coordinate food assistance efforts and develop a statewide food security strategy; supporters from a Kern County food bank and the University of California said the state’s response to hunger is fragmented and needs better coordination, while committee members asked about deliverables and timelines. The bill was sent to Appropriations. The committee also took up consent items SB 700 and SB 1340, which were moved on consent to Appropriations, and the hearing ended with the remaining votes recorded and the bills advanced. Throughout the hearing, members repeatedly discussed the need for clearer implementation details, data on program impacts, and how to balance equity goals with operational realities for state agencies, contractors, and small businesses.

Transcript Highlights:

• And what the Manhattan contract does, the original contract, it provides warehouse management services
• to the ABC warehouse that we are building.
• Uh, the warehouse services that it's providing, it collects data through the functions that it follows
• Uh the warehouse services that it's Uh the warehouse services that it's providing, providing, providing
• , we can do that on the day, warehouse, we can do that on the day, make<00:06:07.960><c> a</c><00:06:

Transcript Highlights:

• We're operating as a subcommittee.
• We have both legal and operational concerns. Thank you.
• We are still operating as a subcommittee.
• There are databases and data warehouses being developed across this nation. ...basis and data warehouses
• And second, in our view, this bill is operational as written.

Committee: House Privacy and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• Another example is when we split a risk class, as we did a few years ago with the warehouse risk class
• , where we moved warehouse distribution centers out and split that into two, we capped the warehouse
• Franklin looked at the outcomes of those procedures and found that patients who had had those operations
• I'm here representing the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons, testifying in support of Senate Bill

Bills: SB5847 , SB6067 , SB6136 , SB6014 , SB5972 , SB5869 , SB5874 , SB6058 , SB6039 , SB5944 , SB6188

Committee: Senate Labor & Commerce

Keywords: workers' compensation, industrial insurance, injured workers, medical provider network, occupational health, occupational medicine, medical care access, L&I, Department of Labor and Industries, self-insured employers, state fund claims, utilization review, provider credentialing, provider network, treatment guidelines, evidence-based medicine, claims management, claims managers, temporary total disability, permanent partial disability

Transcript Highlights:

• Another example is when we split a risk class, as we did a few years ago with the warehouse risk class
• , where we moved warehouse distribution centers out and split that into two.
• We capped the warehouse distribution center rate as well because that was an administrative decision,
• Franklin looked at the outcomes of those procedures and found that patients who had had those operations
• I'm here representing the operative placers and cement masons to testify in support of Senate Bill 6067

Summary: The committee first held a public hearing on Senate Bill 6136, which would require Labor and Industries to publish actuarial indicated workers’ compensation rates for each risk class and disclose when rate increases are capped below those indicated levels. The sponsor and supporters from the hospitality, retail, business, and construction sectors said the bill would improve transparency about how rates are set and how reserve funds and investment earnings are used to hold down premiums. L&I testified that the bill would require publication of a large amount of rate-setting information, but said it was already developed in the normal process and that the bill had no fiscal impact. Questions focused on reserve use, advisory committee involvement, and how the actuarial calculations interact with investment returns. The committee then moved to executive session and took action on several bills, adopting substitutes or amendments and advancing bills including SB 5292, 6014, 5972, 5869, 5874, 6058, 6039, 5944, and 6180, with most sent to Rules and SB 5292 sent to Ways and Means. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5847, which would expand injured workers’ access to medical care by allowing treatment outside the L&I provider network when no provider is available nearby, limiting employer steering to specific providers, shortening utilization review timelines, allowing provider deviation from L&I guidelines when medically appropriate, and expanding continued treatment and cancer monitoring. Labor and worker advocates argued the bill would better reflect the Murray decision and reduce delays in care, while L&I and employer groups said the current evidence-based guideline system works for most claims and warned the bill could weaken quality controls, create vague standards, and increase costs. Testimony also raised concerns about the 15-mile access rule, the employer communication restrictions, and the appeal process for provider removal. The sponsor said the goal was to improve individualized care and continue working with stakeholders. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 6067, which would change workers’ compensation time-loss calculations so that 100% of the employer-paid health insurance contribution is included in the benefit calculation instead of the current partial inclusion. Supporters said the bill would help injured workers keep health coverage during recovery and reduce pressure to choose between medical care and income, while opponents argued it would not guarantee the money is actually used for health insurance, could be diverted to other uses or attorney fees, and would significantly increase costs for employers and the accident fund. L&I said the bill would require IT and administrative changes and estimated substantial ongoing benefit costs. The hearing ended without further action on SB 6067, and the chair closed the session after public testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• We employ over 1,300 people, maintain six office sites, 20 early learning centers, and three warehouses
• Maintain six office sites, 20 early learning centers, and three warehouses.
• California state agencies all operate under different and complex rules and processes.
• The commission is an independent bipartisan oversight agency charged with investigating state operations
• We provide over 60 to 70 percent of the local revenue for the city to operate on, and this sign helps

Summary: The Governmental Organization Committee met as a subcommittee for much of the hearing because a quorum was initially absent, and it heard several bills focused on nonprofit support, alcohol regulation, immigration-related funding restrictions, outdoor advertising, and green building standards. SB 1240 by Senator McNerney would create an Office of Nonprofit Empowerment to help nonprofits navigate state procurement, grants, and reimbursement processes; supporters, including the Child Care Resource Center and the Little Hoover Commission, said nonprofits provide essential services but face delayed payments and burdensome bureaucracy. Committee members raised accountability concerns, but the author emphasized the bill does not dispense grants and would cost about $1.7 million in the first year. The bill was later approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 917 by Senator Laird, which would remove the estate-grown grape requirement for wineries selling at farmers markets, allowing more family wineries to participate; winery and grape grower representatives said the change would help direct-to-consumer sales and local growers. SB 1171 by Senator Caballero would make private entities that contract with ICE ineligible for state-funded loans or grants; supporters from immigrant-rights groups described ICE detention and raids as harmful and inhumane, while some members spoke in favor of using state funds to avoid indirectly supporting ICE-related activity. Both bills advanced on party-line or near-party-line votes and were sent to Appropriations or Local Government as noted in the roll calls. Senator Rubio presented SB 1195, which would expand tied-house exemptions for certain entertainment, convention, and sports venues in specified counties, and SB 1228, which would allow a small number of existing outdoor advertising displays to continue operating despite a statutory sunset. Supporters said SB 1195 would create economic opportunity and clarify current law, while SB 1228 was described as a narrow fix to preserve legally permitted signs and local revenue; both bills passed the committee and were sent to Appropriations. The committee also considered SB 1398, which would recognize Green Globes as an alternative green building certification for state projects alongside LEED; supporters argued it would add flexibility and competition, while the U.S. Green Building Council opposed bypassing the Department of General Services’ equivalency review. The bill was approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee also took up a consent calendar and adjourned at 2:55 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• We employ over 1,300 people, maintain six office sites, 20 early learning centers, and three warehouses
• Maintain six office sites, 20 early learning centers, and three warehouses.
• California state agencies all operate under different and complex rules and processes.
• The commission is an independent bipartisan oversight agency, charged with investigating state operations
• We provide over 60 to 70% of the local revenue for the city to operate on, and this sign helps us, helps

Committee: House Governmental Organization

Transcript Highlights:

• national security risks that could enable persistent surveillance and/or collection, mapping of operational
• national security risks that could enable persistent surveillance and/or collection, mapping of operational
• So when you talk about the warehouses, what are some of the likely things that could happen?
• so what are some of the things that a foreign adversary like China or Russia could be doing in a warehouse
• our pilots each and every day, if monitored and surveilled, how the pilots communicate, how they operate

Committee: House House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee of Reference

Summary: The Committee on Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs heard four measures and advanced each on a do pass recommendation. SB 1199 was amended to require the Arizona Department of Agriculture to post the Salt River horse herd agreement on its website. Supporters said the change would improve public transparency and access to the agreement governing the Salt River wild horse herd; the department said it was neutral and noted the agreement is already on the state procurement website. The bill passed 6-3 after members debated whether the requirement should be in statute or handled administratively. SB 1761 appropriates General Fund money to the University of Arizona for the Yuma Center for Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Cooperative Extension, and the Arizona Experiment Station over multiple fiscal years. Senator Tim Dunn and supporters from the Arizona Farm Bureau said the funding would strengthen agricultural research, extension services, rural counties, and water and crop-related innovation. Several members said the bill was important to Arizona agriculture even though the amounts would still be subject to budget negotiations; it passed 6-1 with one present vote. SB 1198, as amended, continued the Arizona Beef Council and the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board for eight years. Testimony from the Beef Council and veterinary board emphasized that both entities are industry-funded or self-funded and provide ongoing services without taxpayer dollars. Some members objected to combining the two continuations and to the eight-year term, but the bill passed 4-3 with one present vote. SB 1683 expanded restrictions on land ownership and related transactions involving foreign adversary nations and agents, especially near critical infrastructure and military installations. Supporters, including representatives tied to Luke Air Force Base and the bill sponsor, argued it would address national security risks and protect training and mission security. Opponents said the bill broadened the scope of prior law too far without enough justification. It passed 5-3 and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a warehouse where bullion is stored on a one-to-one basis.
• It's a warehouse where bullying is stored on a one-to-one basis. The gold is not lending.
• The depository is not a bank; it's a warehouse where bullion is stored on a one-to-one basis.

Bills: HB2123 , HB2140

Committees: House Regulatory Oversight , House House Regulatory Oversight Committee of Reference

Keywords: bullion, depository, legal tender, Arizona, finances, precious metals, financial transactions, investment, state treasurer, gold bullion, treasury management, financial regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• From an operational standpoint...
• We bring in everybody to our emergency operations.
• We bring in everybody to our emergency operations.
• But there are warehouses like this all over the country. We could put all of it in one warehouse.
• or operating a— Recycling facility or operating a nuclear reactor?

Summary: The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee met to hear a series of presentations on the economics, financing, workforce, and community impacts of advanced nuclear deployment in North Dakota. William Bridge of Nucleon Energy presented the committee’s economic impacts and private-sector financing report, estimating construction and operating job impacts, local spending, and state/local tax effects for hypothetical SMR projects. He said the report assumes first-of-a-kind costs are still high, used a $6 million per megawatt nth-of-a-kind proxy, and estimated peak construction workforces of about 500 for a 200-MW plant and 1,000 for a larger facility, with roughly 100 operating jobs for a 200-MW plant. Committee members questioned security costs, capital cost assumptions, water and transmission siting constraints, and whether the model included fuel and waste; Bridge said the report included initial fuel in capital cost and that waste disposal is funded through existing federal mechanisms. Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning efforts. She described declining labor-force participation, retirements, and the need for a much larger future workforce, and said NEI has organized recommendations around career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and nontraditional recruitment. She highlighted tools such as the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, timing for training relative to plant development, and whether advanced manufacturing would reduce staffing needs; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan. The committee also heard from Gary Yaco, mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota, who described Prairie Island’s role in his community. He said the plant provides a large share of local property tax revenue, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to emergency preparedness funding and training, and is broadly supported by the city despite periodic protests and public concerns. He emphasized the plant’s security, regular drills with local and federal responders, and the absence of problems with dry cask storage. Later, Benton Arnett of NEI discussed the current financing landscape for advanced nuclear, explaining how tax credits, federal loan support, off-take agreements, and new business models are helping projects move forward. He said early projects face high upfront costs and long lead-time procurement, but that investor confidence is improving as federal policy and regulatory streamlining continue. The committee asked about waste funding, comparisons with natural gas, the effect of political shifts on investor confidence, and whether the market will narrow to a few winning technologies; Arnett said the industry is still sorting that out, but expects clearer winners in the late 2020s and early 2030s. The meeting concluded with an introductory presentation from Julie Kazeraki of DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, who said the office is focused on accelerating nuclear deployment through financing support.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I have warehouse apartments. So warehouse apartments is in a big building.
• That's what's called warehouse apartments. Now the property tax is about to go up again.
• These apartments now, they're going to be more and more warehouse apartments.

Committee: Senate Housing, Construction, and Community Development

Summary: The Senate Housing, Construction, and Community Development Committee met on February 25 and took up a series of housing-related bills, many of which had previously passed the Senate or been reported by the committee in prior sessions. Measures advanced included bills on NYCHA utility accountability, a small rental housing development initiative, uniform waiting list priorities for domestic violence survivors, protections for dependent children named in eviction papers, expansion of veterans’ housing preferences, inclusion of illegal conversions in the definition of harassment, repeal of obsolete rent formula language, inspection of major capital improvement rent increases and rent stabilization extensions, a community land trust acquisition fund, and an affordable independent senior housing assistance program. Most were reported to finance, Codes, or the floor, typically with some minority negative or “without recommendation” votes noted. The committee then returned to Senate Bill 6718B, sponsored by Senator Jackson, which would eliminate certain surcharges landlords may charge when tenants install appliances in rent-regulated housing. A guest speaker, Mr. Umberto Lopez, argued the bill would further squeeze landlords, especially small property owners, and warned that rising costs and regulation could lead to more units being taken off the market or “warehoused.” Committee members asked about the bill’s practical effect, including whether tenants could install appliances only with landlord approval and how current surcharge amounts are calculated for air conditioners, washers, dryers, and dishwashers. The chair explained that the bill would remove the ability to charge those existing fees, which are intended to cover wear and tear and utility-related costs. After the discussion, the committee voted to report S6718B, with minority negative votes recorded. The chair also noted an upcoming housing budget hearing later that day and repeatedly emphasized time limits during the meeting.