Transcript Highlights:

• HB 5212 by [insert name], relating to the creation of a Texas adoption and education awareness programs
• HB 5212 by [insert name], relating to the creation of a Texas adoption and education awareness programs
• HB 5212 by [insert name], relating to the creation of a Texas adoption and education awareness programs
• HB 5264 by Cunningham, relating to establishing the historic Texas cemeteries designation program and
• HB 5302 by Schatzlein, relating to the establishment of the Texas Foster Care Post Adoption Assistance

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's been a lot of negative press about Texas not participating in the summer feeding programs, the
• Obviously, water availability is the single most pressing issue for Texas citrus growers today.
• So we don't have that on the US side, a place for us to capture water here in Texas.
• , uh, Texas agriculture faces a critical water supply challenge.
• So every year dedicating a portion of existing revenue in the state of Texas to water.

Transcript Highlights:

• trying to maintain or protect our water tables, especially in areas in West Texas that are more so over
• He is the assistant state veterinarian and the deputy director of the Texas Animal Health Commission,
• out, and a system administrator to assist with the IT requests and needs for that program.
• This 10, this request for 10 additional FTEs, uh, to assist epidemiology and program records departments
• out and a system administrator to assist with the 515 IT requests, uh, uh, and needs for that program

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present to hear Article VI Natural Resources agency budget recommendations, beginning with the Railroad Commission. LBB staff summarized the commission’s 2026-27 base recommendation at $458.7 million, down from the prior biennium, with an increased FTE cap. The presentation highlighted reduced federal IIJA funding, volatility in oil and gas regulation account 5155, continued support for IT modernization, and rider changes. The commission’s major exceptional items were then presented, including requests for produced water and injection data reporting, an authorized pit registration system, regulatory filing/permitting upgrades, an underground injection well investigation team, site remediation support, and especially $100 million for orphan well plugging. Members asked about biennium-to-biennium comparisons, salary biennialization, the scale of orphan well risks, federal funding delays, bonding, and whether the state should rely more on industry or general revenue for plugging costs. Commission leadership explained that orphan wells can threaten water and public safety, that plugging costs have risen sharply, and that current funding is insufficient to keep up with emergency wells and the backlog; they also said the agency is moving to cloud-based systems with cybersecurity protections and that the proposed performance measure may need adjustment if funding does not increase. The Railroad Commission testimony was followed by LBB and agency testimony for the Texas Animal Health Commission. LBB described a $42 million recommendation for 2026-27, an increase overall, but with a reduced FTE cap due to turnover and salary reallocation. The recommendation maintained funding for cattle fever tick work, chronic wasting disease, lab testing through an MOU with Texas A&M’s veterinary diagnostic lab, and a new $5 million spay-and-neuter pilot program, while deleting a capital budget rider and adjusting riders tied to entry point inspection stations and clinical trials. Agency leadership then outlined the commission’s mission to protect livestock health and the state’s $22 billion animal industry, and described major disease threats including highly pathogenic avian influenza, cattle fever ticks, New World screwworm, and chronic wasting disease. Their exceptional items focused on recruiting and retaining veterinarians, replacing fleet vehicles, creating an ectoparasite identification lab, adding field staff and IT support, improving records and epidemiology reporting, strengthening central administration, supporting secure food supply planning, expanding chronic wasting disease work, and staffing the new spay-and-neuter program. Members asked about field identification of ticks, the use of disinfectants and PPE, fleet management, the scale of cattle fever tick risk, and chronic wasting disease; the agency explained its current inspection and lab-confirmation process, its reliance on field disinfecting and biosecurity, and the need for more staff and better data systems to keep pace with growing workloads and disease threats.

Transcript Highlights:

• The following water business will be followed today: inspirational message and prayer, pledge of allegiance
• Please welcome Coach Ballard and the team, as well as the assistant coaches and staff, to the House of
• He acknowledged all of his assistant coaches.

Bills: SJR39, SJR47, SB227, SB1942, SB1627, SB625, SB1716, SB1303, SB2180, SB504, SB1209, SB1448, SB1597, SB1679, SB2182, SB2112, SB2170, SB2084, SB1496, SB1595, SB1655, SB1876, SB1621, SB1944, SB1266, SB2072, SB2104, SB1769, SB1827

Keywords: property valuation, tax limit, homestead, income threshold, elderly, constitutional amendment, voter ID, elections, Oklahoma, proof of identity, gross production tax, ad valorem tax, property exemption, Oklahoma Tax Commission, oil and gas production, regulatory impact, economic implications, dental insurance, health care, medical necessity

Transcript Highlights:

• So the Texas Water Development Board has been working on a program called the Brackish Resources Aquifer
• Texas. In September of 2024, we released the latest Texas Water Capital.
• The same year, Texas Living Waters reported that Texas...
• The new technical assistance program.
• Water Fund administered by the Texas Water Development Board is the Clean Water SRF or Clean Water State

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Utility bill payment assistance programs and home weatherization, colonial activities, and regulation
• homebuyers and allocated another 314 million in assistance to communities across Texas for the same
• So most of y'all's, if I understand correctly, most of y'all's direct assistance programs run through
• Yes, so for like the energy assistance program or community service block grant.
• This was developed with the assistance of the Correctional Management Institute of Texas.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Carla Guthrie, Surface Water Division Director for the Texas Water Development Board.
• data, as described in Texas Water Code Section 16.026.
• So this concludes a high-level overview of the TexMesonet program at the Texas Water Development Board
• Texas Water Development Board stations.
• Yes, Carly Guthrie, Texas Water Development Board.

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness and flooding hearing opened with quorum calls, prayer, testimony time limits, and remarks from legislative leaders emphasizing decorum, respect, and the goal of learning from the July 4 flood to prevent future loss of life. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows said the special session and hearings were intended to hear directly from local officials and residents, and that the state would pursue immediate and longer-term legislation and continue working beyond the current session. The committee then heard invited testimony from Kerr County, Kerrville, Kendall County, Real County, and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, followed by member questions. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, and emergency management coordinator William B. Thomas described the flood as a sudden, unprecedented event that overwhelmed local systems before many officials or residents understood the danger. They said the county received multiple National Weather Service and IPAWS alerts, but the rain fell in remote upstream areas with limited gauges, and the flood rose too quickly for normal response. They detailed the emergency response, including dispatchers handling heavy call volumes, deputies and volunteer firefighters conducting rescues, and state and federal partners assisting. County officials said 108 people died, including 37 children, and two remained missing. They called for better real-time flood detection, stronger rural emergency management resources, improved broadband and cell coverage, and more funding for swift-water rescue and warning systems. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring and City Manager Dalton Rice said the city had floodplain rules, emergency plans, and prior preparedness efforts, but the event exposed gaps in communications and regional warning capacity. They urged the Legislature to fund a flood warning system, whether sirens, automated alerts, or a hybrid, and asked for support for predictive weather modeling, broadband expansion, a hazard mitigation fund, and disaster recovery resources. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority said it had long funded gauges and pursued flood-warning and mitigation projects, including a new software-based flood prediction system and possible retention dams, and planned to dedicate reserve funds to feasibility studies and infrastructure improvements. Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk said his county’s emergency action plan and early alerts helped prevent deaths there, and he recommended easier access to alerting tools, a river-wide warning system, simpler grant applications, and regional coordination. Real County Judge Bella Rubio said rural counties face major challenges because of limited cell service, broadband, staffing, and funding, especially for camps and visitors along the Frio and Nueces rivers, and argued that reliable alert systems should be treated as a necessity, not a luxury. Members asked about the timeline of the flood, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and funding, and several witnesses said the key lessons were better communications, better warning systems, and more investment in rural flood mitigation and emergency response.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also do utility bill payment assistance programs and home weatherization, colonial activities and
• Down payment assistance programs for people in a certain income bracket so they can literally move out
• Yes, so for like the energy assistance program or community service block grant, those run through a
• in many other areas of Texas is adequate water supply and the impact analysis of providing that water
• I'm going to not just hand out water because we're still in central Texas.

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• Texas has large mezzanette networks both at TEC, Texas Water Development Board and in private. sector
• Texas Water Development Board.
• Like the National Mesonet Program, of which Texas Mesonet is a member, we have designed our program to
• And so this concludes the high-level overview of the Texas Mesonet Program at the Texas Water Development
• West Texas Mesonet stations and the high-quality Texas Water Development Board stations, and there are

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Nearly 1 in 5 people in Texas get their water from Houston Water.
• So the Texas Water Development Board has, uh, been working on a program called the BRCI Resources Aquifer
• I represent Texas Water Foundation.
• The same year, Texas Living Waters reported that Texas loses approximately 572,000 acre feet of water
• I am here on behalf of the Water Environment Association of Texas and Texas Association of Clean Water

Transcript Highlights:

• data as described in Texas Water Code 16.026.
• And so this concludes a high-level overview of the TexMesonet program at the Texas Water Development
• Texas Water Development Board stations.
• Texas has 25,000 bridges over water.
• Yes, Carly Guthrie, Texas Water Development Board.

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness hearing convened in Kerrville with quorum, public testimony limited to three minutes and invited testimony to 10 minutes. Leaders from both chambers, along with the lieutenant governor and speaker, framed the hearing as an unprecedented joint effort focused on learning from the July 4 flood, honoring victims, and identifying actions to reduce future loss of life. The committee also heard opening remarks about decorum, logistics, and the intent to continue work in future sessions. The first panel included Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, Emergency Management Coordinator William B. Thomas IV, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr., Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, Upper Guadalupe River Authority representative William Rector, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk, and Real County Judge Bella Rubio. They described the flood as sudden and catastrophic, with Kerr County reporting 108 deaths and two missing. Local officials emphasized that they received no timely warning of the scale of the event, that responders and volunteers acted heroically under extreme conditions, and that communications, cell coverage, and rural emergency resources were strained. Several witnesses said the county’s existing alert systems were limited by geography, sparse broadband, and the speed of the flood. Testimony focused on possible improvements, including real-time flood gauges and predictive monitoring, stronger rural emergency management staffing and training, better interoperability and alerting tools such as IPAWS, CodeRED, WENS, and sirens, and expanded broadband and radio coverage. Kerrville asked for a flood warning system before next summer and state help for stormwater, floodplain, and disaster recovery funding. UGRA described its past and current flood-warning and mitigation efforts, including gauge funding, a new software-based flood prediction project, and consideration of additional retention dams. Kendall and Real counties highlighted successful or needed alerting and evacuation practices, while also stressing the difficulty of funding and maintaining such systems in small rural counties. Members asked detailed questions about the timeline of the flood response, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and whether regional consolidation or additional infrastructure could improve future preparedness.

Transcript Highlights:

• Division Director for the Texas Water Development Board.
• Mesonet program, of which Texas Mesonet is a member, we have designed our program to operate as a network
• So this concludes the high-level overview of the Texas Mesonet Program at the Texas Water Development
• Texas has 25,000 bridges over water. More than any other state.
• No. is just a database that houses data from Texas Water Development Board, West Texas Other weather

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Assistant Director for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Office of Water, and I'm
• Our Public Water System Supervision Program implements the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act within Texas
• My presentation is really focused on the role of Texas Water Development Board and assisting districts
• They do have a BRACS program within Texas Water Development Board and Phil Legrand.
• I urge the legislature to assist districts in better managing groundwater so that Texas has some water

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3980 creates the Rule Loan Assistance Program.
• The program will provide loan repayment assistance to assistant district attorneys who commit to long-term
• Areas participants may receive up to $50,000 in assistance over the course of 10 years.
• House Bill 3981 creates a locality and locality incentive program.
• The program provides a financial incentive of up to $50,000 over five years to assistant district attorneys

Bills: HB2650, HB2696, HB3177, HB3264, HB3298, HB3321, HB3322, HB3497, HB3499, HB3500, HB3742, HB3845, HB3941, HB3970, HB3980, HB3981, HB4421

Keywords: probate, estate administration, summary administration, decedent, inheritance, open records, educational records, cybersecurity, student privacy, confidential information, court reporters, salaries, legislation, employment compensation, state administration, Oklahoma, criminal justice, minimum sentences, parole eligibility, violent crimes

Transcript Highlights:

• I consider the Texas Rural Water Association experts and in Texas water and just ask that if you have
• But there are certain number of water and waste water utilities here in Texas. don't have offices or
• We've been using the water resources of Texas for... 200 plus years.
• In Texas, we all know the strains we have on our drinking water supplies. Water Development Board.
• Texas 811 has worked with the Water Conservation Advisory Council of the Texas Water Development Board

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Current law prohibits the Water Development Board from providing financial assistance to water projects
• Texas Tech, Texas A&M, West Texas A&M—some pretty impressive programs that are working.
• in Texas storing water outside of the operator's county.
• in Texas storing water outside of the operator's county.
• And I love the statement, Texas runs on water. The world runs on water. So it's disingenuous.

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the Texas grant and the TEOG, sort of the state need-based financial aid programs that are funded
• And, um, Sarah mentioned the Texas grant is probably the largest grant program that the state offers,
• This program supports Texas institutions of higher education in conducting research and education on
• So we have to figure out how to conserve water as Texas farmers. So I like to use the term.
• And, and, and you had mentioned the program, uh, with Texas State, I believe. Yes, sir.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you know if we charge gross production tax on the production of brine water?
• , that water has to go somewhere, and that water impacts ag and I brought this up earlier that yes, petroleum
• There's no economic offset for the production of brine water in Oklahoma.
• The first one was in the state of Texas. The last one was in Florida.
• Innovative Pathways to Teaching Program, rendering the program permanent.

Bills: SB1627, SB227, SB366, SB1193, SB1433, SB1450, SB1481, SB1749, SB1810, SB1812, SB1921, SB1948, SB2044, SB2178, SB169, SB1877, HB1409, SB1266, SB1432

Keywords: criminal code cleanup, duplicate statutes, statutory consolidation, repealer bill, emergency clause, Title 21 crimes, Title 47 DUI, child abuse reporting, child neglect, child sexual abuse material, child pornography, sex offenses, rape, stalking, domestic abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, sex trafficking, gang-related offense, eluding police

Transcript Highlights:

• teacher housing, funding high-quality Hawaiian history, language, and cultural education, funding programs
• cultural history, language, and cultural education,<00:17:17.919> funding<00:17:18.319> programs
• <00:17:18.720> for<00:17:18.959> our education, funding programs for our education,
• funding programs for our vulnerable<00:17:19.520> and<00:17:19.760> underserved<00:17:

Bills: HB2118, HB1764, HB1815, HB2117, HB2436, HB2438, HB2532, HB2566, HB2573, HB1736, HB2425, HB1590, HB1913, HB1573, HB1542, HB1804, HB1976, HB1704, HB1996, HB1541, HB1926, HB1703, HB1866, HB1710

Keywords: business development, arts, cultural affairs, Hawaii, commissions, administrative transfer, funding appropriation, music education, public concerts, Hawaii State Library, cultural collaboration, music accessibility, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, SFCA, Performing Arts Grants Program, arts grants, culture and the arts, history and the humanities, King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, Works of Art Special Fund

Bills: HB2118, HB1764, HB1815, HB2117, HB2436, HB2438, HB2532, HB2566, HB2573, HB1736, HB2425, HB1590, HB1913, HB1573, HB1542, HB1804, HB1976, HB1704, HB1996, HB1541, HB1926, HB1703, HB1866, HB1710

Keywords: business development, arts, cultural affairs, Hawaii, commissions, administrative transfer, funding appropriation, music education, public concerts, Hawaii State Library, cultural collaboration, music accessibility, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, SFCA, Performing Arts Grants Program, arts grants, culture and the arts, history and the humanities, King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, Works of Art Special Fund