Transcript Highlights:

• Judicial review under Chapter 410, there are two. types.
• employee's entitlement to workers' compensation benefits or the compensability of the claim, the judicial
• If it's any other matter, judicial review is de novo.
• The bill, as it's written, doesn't clarify what type of judicial review would be applicable.

Bills: HB1654, HB1691, HB2545, HB2652, HB3799, HB4144, HB5008

Keywords: peace officers, firefighters, employment protection, worker's compensation, job security, maximum medical improvement, government employment, firefighter cancer benefits, emergency medical technicians, compensation claims, cancer exposures, firefighting hazards, workforce training, rural development, grant program, job-specific training, Texas Workforce Commission, child care, single-parent, subsidized

Transcript Highlights:

• Ethics Commission, 366 Judicial Ethics Commission, 366 Judicial Performance<00:15:58.959> Commission
• And then on Senate Bill 3066, Judicial Performance Commission, Senate action is $99,900.
• I want to ask you about Senate Bill 3066, Judicial Performance. quarterly report to LBO on that.
• We, if you remember, two years ago, we actually amended the youth court law to say that the Judicial
• <00:21:49.679> performance<00:21:50.240> commission<00:21:50.640> could judicial

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 18 February, 2026; 11:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The committee began with process instructions about using committee substitutes, identifying bills with reverse repealers, and taking up noncontroversial items in blocks. It then approved Senate Bill 3051, the DFA budget, which included LBR-level funding with a reverse repealer and agency-by-agency allocations for the status of women, DFA, tort claims, state property insurance, BEAM, and Mississippi Home Corporation. Senate Bill 3052, the governor’s support budget, was also approved as a final-action bill without a reverse repealer, with members noting the reduction from the prior year was tied to lower federal funding. The committee then handled the IHL budget bills. Senate Bill 3053, the general support bill, included a 3% across-the-board raise for IHL professors and $20 million for repair and renovation at universities, plus $5 million for UMMC; it passed as a committee substitute with a reverse repealer. Senate Bill 3054, the original IHL-related bill, passed without a committee substitute. Bills 3055 through 3059 were taken up in block and approved, providing 3% increases for A units at Alcorn State and Mississippi State. Senate Bill 3060, student financial aid, added about $7.7 million for scholarship costs, including MESG, MTAG, and Winters-Reed loan repayment, and passed as a committee substitute. The committee also approved the larger IHL budget bill with a reverse repealer and discussed, but did not fund, a UMMC cancer center request at that stage. Subcommittee 3 presented education-related bills. Senate Bill 3062 was approved at LBR with a reverse repealer and included a large transfer from the education enhancement fund. Senate Bill 3063 added $15 million for repair and renovation and $8.11 million for faculty pay raises, and passed as a committee substitute with a reverse repealer. On Senate Bill 3064, the Employment Security Commission budget, members discussed whether the committee substitute included a reverse repealer and noted they might revisit that on the floor if needed; the bill was advanced. Subcommittee 4 then took up Senate Bills 3065, 3066, 3068, and 3069 in block and approved them: Ethics Commission funding increased for salary realignment and a database; Judicial Performance Commission language was tightened to freeze the director’s salary and ensure youth court oversight funds were used solely for that purpose; Tax Appeals Board funding was increased to restore cuts and vacancy funding; and Workers’ Compensation Commission funding rose to cover commissioner salary increases and related language changes. Later, the committee approved Senate Bill 3067 for the Department of Public Safety, which included a reverse repealer, LBR-level funding, additional money for furniture for the new headquarters, and reappropriation language. Senate Bill 3071, the GCRF bill, was approved with a reverse repealer and reappropriation language for prior-year projects. Senate Bill 3072, the Department of Mental Health budget, was approved with a reverse repealer and included $12 million for the Canopy project, prior-year invoice funding, and language tied to mental health-related legislation. Finally, Senate Bills 3073 through 3075 were taken up in block for licensing boards, with increases for the Chiropractic Examiners, Dental Examiners, and Pharmacy boards, including funding for licensing system updates, vacancy funding, and expansion of the pharmacy recovery program.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that’s where the judicial discretion comes in. So that’s actually at the arrest stage. Okay.
• Same judicial discretion comes into play regarding whether or not to keep... comes into play whether
• I think judicial discretion is an important function, and I think this bill allows for that judicial
• Um, allows for that judicial discretion weighted consideration from those two entities or those who might
• kidnappers, burglars, traffickers, and manufacturers to have another shot at getting out through the judicial

Bills: SB210, SB292, HB360, HB233, HB66, HB356, HB164, HB238, HB209, SB223, HB307, SB210, SB292, HB360, HB233, HB66, HB356, HB164, HB238, HB209, SB223, HB307

Keywords: hospital liens, medical billing, government healthcare, insurance claims, patient rights, education oversight, subpoena authority, investigation, State Superintendent, school misconduct, drug courts, accountability, veterans, mental health, substance abuse, rehabilitation, criminal justice, court intervention, elder abuse, financial exploitation

Transcript Highlights:

• The officers who wield the judicial power of the state of Texas.
• The Judicial Compensation Commission has recommended a 30% increase in the base pay for judges this session
• To fund the judicial branch at a level that allows for fair and efficient justice to be done across our
• of the Constitution makes the Supreme Court responsible for the efficient administration of the judicial
• Back quickly to the topic of judicial pay, he had to leave the bench many years ago to help send his

Transcript Highlights:

• This finding was referred to the Sixth Judicial District prosecuting attorney and the attorney general
• This report is issued in response to a request from the 5th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney for
• So this report is issued in response to a request from the 5th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney
• Continuing on page 38 with the 11th Judicial District East, 2024.
• I’m the prosecuting attorney for Arkansas County, which is the 11th East Judicial District.”

Summary: The committee approved the prior minutes and then received a series of audit and compliance updates. Staff reported on delinquent private water and sewer reports, delinquent 2013-2023 water reports, and several municipal accounting code noncompliance cases. Denning and Gum Springs were recommended to be removed from the 60-day clock after staff visits showed improved records, while Fargo, Lead Hill, Almy, Jericho, Haynes, Biggers, Gilmore, and Holly Grove were discussed for repeat findings involving missing audits, poor bookkeeping, unpaid or misapplied street funds, deficit balances, and other accounting deficiencies. Several of these entities were given additional time or had reports filed without objection, while others were deferred for later review. Fargo’s mayor said the town had been understaffed and was working to improve its accounting systems; the committee voted to defer the matter to the August meeting. Lead Hill’s mayor described efforts to complete overdue water audits and improve office procedures, and the committee also postponed action for 60 days. Almy’s mayor and recorder-treasurer were present, and the committee placed the town on the 60-day clock for repeat accounting issues. Biggers and Gilmore both acknowledged long-running audit problems and said they were working with auditors and the IRS; their reports were filed. Holly Grove’s treasurer said she had only recently taken the position, and that report was filed as well. The committee spent considerable time on the street-fund misuse cases for Jericho and Haynes. Jericho was found to have exceeded the statutory threshold tied to fines and costs, with staff noting the town had since become current on its repayment plan; the committee deferred the report to September. Haynes was also behind on its repayment plan for street funds, with staff saying the town had recently made up the shortfall and was current as of the meeting, but the committee still deferred the report to September. Members and staff also discussed how the speed-trap law is applied, whether certain fines and costs count toward the threshold, and the role of the prosecuting attorney in deciding whether to take further action. The committee then reviewed a special report on the Pulaski County Regional Solid Waste Management District, which had six findings involving board approval of payroll and contracts, credit card documentation, vehicle and cell phone use, competitive bidding, electronic funds controls, and unusually high advertising spending. District Director Craig Douglas said the board had delegated some authority, that receipts were missing during a temporary staffing gap, and that advertising was needed to educate the public; he also defended the sale of trailers and other equipment as a way to exit the trailer business. Several members questioned the explanations and the low resale value of equipment, but the committee ultimately deferred the report to September. The meeting also included a recognition of accounting students interning with audit staff and a final set of actions on deferred water and sewer reports: 11 were filed, seven were deferred for lack of proper responses, and a private report on Shannon Hills Water, Sewer, and Fire Department was noted as involving misappropriation by an office manager and inadequate internal controls.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, so as you're exiting out of the judicial building and getting to the, it'll essentially be capped
• Um so as you're exiting<00:42:37.839> out<00:42:38.000> of<00:42:38.319> judicial
• It'll be, um, you'd have to go through the judicial center facility to access the tunnel.
• It'll be, um, you'd have to go through the judicial center facility to access the tunnel.
• It'll be, um, you'd have to go through the judicial center facility to access the tunnel.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I have the honor of being a circuit judge and the 20th Judicial... I'm Troy Braswell.
• I have the honor of being a circuit judge and the 20th Judicial. I'm Troy Braswell.
• I'm Kathy Hess, a circuit judge for the First Judicial District. That's Cross, Lee, Woodruff, St.
• And so we've seen the impact of that, not only in the 20th Judicial District, but across the state.
• And we have 28 judicial districts. So, as you can imagine, you can kind of do one at a time.

Summary: The Senate and House Joint Committee on Children and Youth met to approve prior minutes, confirm Representative Mary Bentley to the Child Maltreatment Investigations Oversight Committee, and receive several presentations. The Arkansas Infant and Child Death Review team reported on unexpected child deaths in Arkansas, saying its 2023 review covered 148 of 170 non-natural deaths, with the remainder unavailable due to criminal investigations or missing records. Of the reviewed deaths, 69 were accidents, 14 suicides, 18 homicides, and 47 undetermined, and members discussed how the report’s recommendations could be used by agencies and nonprofits for prevention work and grant applications. Committee members also asked about age breakdowns and how the data could be shared without identifying individual cases. The committee then took up HCR 1010 and a broader discussion of juvenile justice reform. Representative Shepard said the resolution was intended to confront data on juvenile incarceration and system outcomes. Senator Missy Irvin, judges Troy Braswell and Kathy Hess, and AOC Juvenile Division Director Burke Steen described the state’s long-running reform efforts, including the SAVRY risk assessment, diversion programs, and efforts to keep more youth in their communities. They said the reforms have reduced delinquency filings, DYS commitments, and revocations, while increasing diversions, but also emphasized ongoing gaps in mental health, substance abuse, and school-based supports. Members raised concerns about school data sharing, behavioral health access, and how to better identify youth with disabilities or trauma earlier. Judge Braswell and others stressed that many youth in the system have significant trauma, family instability, or unmet treatment needs, and that judges need individualized information to make decisions. Several members discussed the role of schools, the school safety dashboard, and the need for stronger community providers, especially in rural areas. The committee then heard from DYS Director Michael Crump, who provided data on commitments, facility use, demographics, offense levels, length of stay, education outcomes, recidivism, dual DCFS/DYS custody, and costs. He said commitments rose after the pandemic and then began to decline, while secure and detention costs increased with the need for more beds; he also noted that most youth in custody have behavioral health needs and that DYS works closely with DCFS, courts, and providers. No final action was taken on HCR 1010 during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Very few dismissals were driven by judicial rulings or clear evidentiary defects.
• Case dismissal is the most common judicial outcome, and drug enforcement does not disrupt the supply
• district who meet and are supposed to discuss Um, criminal justice partners in that judicial district
• What are the crime trends in my judicial district? A beautiful interactive thing.
• Jennifer Padgett-Massias, First Judicial Chief Deputy District Attorney. Good afternoon, Mr.

Bills: SB100

Keywords: burglary, aggravated burglary, dwelling, criminal law, property rights, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, how does this stop judicial activism?
• 51.520> on<00:49:52.000> pages<00:49:52.960> page<00:49:53.280> nine Um, judicial
• And so, how does<00:52:06.000> this does this does this stop stop stop um<00:52:10.480> judicial
• <00:52:12.480> Because<00:52:12.720> that's<00:52:12.960> a um judicial activism
• Because that's a um judicial activism?

Bills: SB61, SB8, SB58, SB60, SB167

Keywords: school psychologist, school psychology, interstate compact, licensure compact, license reciprocity, portable license, equivalent license, professional licensing, psychology board, school mental health, student services, educational services, interstate practice, reciprocal licensing, background check, continuing education, workforce shortage, military spouse, active duty military, compact commission

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, there's a lack of effective oversight through the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. which
• They pass, but there's no guarantee the judicial branch will adhere to these laws.
• I have seen where retired judges have abused the judicial process and then there's no accountability
• Conduct, Judicial Conduct Review Commission.
• There's nothing on that back end other than maybe, you know, you know, the State Bar or Judicial Conduct

Bills: SB240, SB1183, SB1184, SB1577, SB2043, SB2051, SCR42, SJR68

Keywords: biological sex, gender identity, public facilities, civil penalties, local government, EBT, electronic benefits transfer, food stamps, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, TANF, temporary assistance for needy families, welfare benefits, benefit card fraud, fraud hotline, card replacement, photo ID, recipient photograph, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, there's a lack of effective oversight through the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. which
• I have seen where Retired judges have abused the judicial process and then there's no accountability
• Office of Judicial Conduct, Judicial Conduct Review Commission. Yes, sir.
• There's nothing on that back-end other than maybe, you know, you know, the State Bar or Judicial Conduct
• Amendment regarding the membership of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Bills: SB240, SB1183, SB1184, SB1577, SB2043, SB2051, SCR42, SJR68

Keywords: biological sex, gender identity, public facilities, civil penalties, local government, EBT, electronic benefits transfer, food stamps, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, TANF, temporary assistance for needy families, welfare benefits, benefit card fraud, fraud hotline, card replacement, photo ID, recipient photograph, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission

Transcript Highlights:

• limitation of vehicle and to provide for limitation of vehicle and to provide for limitation of liability
• for such designation and use liability for such designation and use liability for such designation and
• To provide for the sources of capitalization and liability of the bank capitalization and liability of
• if all of the subject to civil liability if all of the subject to civil liability if all of the following
• under or app store provider's liability under or app store provider's liability under any other applicable

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to your judicial analogy because, thank you, um, and it's Greenman, and I know you know that, but we
• also have a green, um, uh, so I would love to work with you on judicial selection reform.
• <00:42:45.920> uh I just respond to your judicial uh I just respond to your judicial uh analogy
• <00:42:56.599> um<00:42:57.280> uh to work with you on judicial um uh to work with
• the the whole process of judicial the the the whole process of judicial selection<00:43:40.119> um

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• An annual report from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board regarding its 2025 annual
• An annual report from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board regarding its 2025 annual
• An annual report from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board regarding its 2025 annual

Summary: The House convened at noon with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then proceeded to routine legislative business. The Transportation Committee reported House Bill 2227 and Senate Bill 1377, and the Judiciary Committee reported House Bill 1434, House Bill 2273, Senate Bill 45, Senate Bill 111, Senate Bill 1235, and Senate Bill 1259, with several bills reported as amended. The House also received multiple bill referrals, including Senate Bill 482 to Aging and Older Adult Services; House Bills 2672 and 2674 to other committees; several Senate bills to Judiciary; and House Resolution 581 to Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness. The chamber received a series of reports, including a Joint State Government Commission report on recruitment and retention challenges for police, corrections, and prosecutors, along with annual reports from the Pennsylvania Island Trade Commission, the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, the General Building Contractors Association, the Affordable Housing Center of Pennsylvania, the Judicial Conduct Board, and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority. The House also received notice that the Senate had passed House Bill 1667 with amendment and requested concurrence. On motions from the Majority Leader, House Bill 2460 was recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations, and House Bills 2146, Senate Bills 971, 972, and 1259, along with House Resolutions 165 and 462, were removed from the tabled calendar and placed on the active calendar. The House then adopted a motion to adjourn and stood adjourned until Saturday, June 27, 2026, at noon, unless sooner recalled by the Speaker.

Transcript Highlights:

• quality assessments, what we find is that there's not really any clear link between actual malpractice liability
• The state legislature from getting into the judicial realm in that regard.

Transcript Highlights:

• folks in our communities more off, you know staying in our communities, working with our County Judicial
• Let's survey the type of cases this bill would shield from liability.

Bills: HB2034, HB2436, HB3010, HB3033, HB3138, HB3177, HB3426, HB3686, HB3858, HB4176, HB4257, HB4264, HB4804, HCR98

Keywords: groundwater, foreign ownership, national security, water permits, environmental health, deadly conduct, firearm, recklessness, peace officer, prosecution, Penal Code, Texas laws, disaster recovery, infrastructure, rural communities, grants, state funding, emergency management, HB 3033, Texas Department of Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• in addition to safety funding from, uh, as we heard for public officials when you're thinking the judicial
• public officials when you're<00:03:24.480> thinking<00:03:24.840> the<00:03:24.959> judicial
• <00:03:25.480> branch, you're thinking the judicial branch, you're thinking the judicial branch
• 41.560> as What I will also mention is as we looked at that public safety official package for judicial

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House Republican leaders held a brief end-of-session update describing a negotiated agreement with the governor and legislative leaders that they said would make Minnesota more affordable and improve fraud prevention. They highlighted passage of an independent Office of Inspector General, which they said was a top priority to combat fraud and waste in state government, along with county IT modernization as another fraud-prevention measure. They also said the deal includes $125 million in property tax cuts, $250 million in car tab fee reductions, and no extension of the Hennepin County ballpark tax, which they said allowed help for HCMC without raising taxes. The leaders also described additional spending and policy items in the agreement, including $30 million for distressed hospitals statewide, higher MA rates for HCMC, a nine-month delay in PFAS reporting requirements for businesses, and school safety funding. The school safety package was said to include anonymous threat reporting, school-linked mental health, mobile crisis teams, and security improvements for public officials and the Capitol campus. They said a $1.2 billion bonding bill remained part of the broader negotiations and would support infrastructure projects. In response to questions, the leaders said the House would continue to follow a single-topic committee process and would not take up broad omnibus bills. They said gun-violence-related bills had already been heard in committee and on the floor, where they failed on party-line votes, and argued that the school safety measures moving forward were bipartisan and did not include gun bans. They also said the car tab fee relief was only secured for one year, and expressed hope that future elections would give Republicans more leverage to continue the affordability agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• based upon a resource witness, there may be others, but based upon a resource witness, OCA is a judicial
• Is there, with OCA being a judicial branch entity, would the bill need to contemplate giving direction
• to OCA, or is the governor's relationship with the judicial branch...”
• "Or is the governor's relationship with the judicial branch sufficient to ask for the information and
• So we do think it would be helpful if in the bill it said it directed the Judicial Council to collect

Bills: SB825

Keywords: illegal immigration, economic impact, environmental impact, financial impact, annual study, Texas, government report

Summary: The Senate Committee on Border Security heard testimony on Senate Bill 825 by Senator Middleton, as substituted, which would require an annual or biennial study of the economic, environmental, and financial impacts of illegal immigration in Texas. Middleton said the bill is intended to provide lawmakers with comprehensive data on costs to law enforcement, health care, education, infrastructure, and taxpayers, and to support possible federal reimbursement claims. Several senators, including Hinojosa and Eckhardt, agreed that a study is needed but raised concerns about bias, the scope of the study, and whether the Comptroller’s Office rather than the governor’s office should conduct it. Middleton argued the governor’s office was the best coordinating entity because it could direct multiple agencies to provide data, while Hinojosa and others emphasized the Comptroller’s expertise and prior 2006 study. Public testimony was generally supportive of the idea of a study but critical of the bill’s framing. Sarah Cruz of the ACLU of Texas said the study should be a full cost-benefit analysis and warned that focusing only on costs could create an anti-immigrant narrative. Danny Woodward of the Texas Civil Rights Project also supported the concept but recommended moving the study to the Comptroller or, alternatively, creating a neutral commission. Jaime Pointe of Every Texan likewise supported updating the 2006 analysis and said state agencies should be able to cooperate with a governor-led study. Resource witnesses from the governor’s office, HHSC, TEA, OCA, TDCJ, and DPS explained that data collection would be uneven across agencies. HHSC and TEA said they often do not collect immigration status and, in TEA’s case, federal law limits schools from requesting such information; OCA and TDCJ said they could provide only partial or indirect data unless new reporting requirements were added. DPS said it already has Operation Lone Star data but would need to collect additional information if tasked with the broader study. The chair asked the governor’s office to provide a follow-up answer on separation-of-powers and related authority questions by the following Tuesday, and the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair without taking a vote on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, I move that the House postpone the special and continuing joint order relating to judicial elections
• Delegate Maldonado, moves that the House postpone the special and continuing joint order related to judicial
• The House postpones the special and continuing joint order related to judicial elections until Friday

Keywords: March 11, 2026 - Regular Session Part 2, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to create a bright-line rule on nepotism across all branches other than the legislature and the judicial
• 16:52.399> legislature<00:16:53.199> and<00:16:53.519> the<00:16:53.680> judicial
• than the legislature and the judicial than the legislature and the judicial branch.<00:16:55.040

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 5 and SB 1545. SB 5 drew opposition from the Department of the Attorney General, which said the bill conflicted with two sections of the state constitution. A member of the public also opposed SB 5, arguing that representatives should be elected by the people and urging the committee not to pass the measure. After discussion, the committee deferred SB 5, citing the deputy attorney general’s view that it was unconstitutional. The committee then heard SB 1545, which concerns nepotism rules and good-cause exceptions. The State Ethics Commission testified in support, saying the bill would create a clearer, more transparent central process for good-cause exceptions and noting that several exceptions had already been publicly filed. A public testifier also supported the bill but questioned why the judiciary appeared to be excluded from its coverage. After a brief recess, the committee decided to amend SB 1545 by striking the exemption for the legislature and judiciary and changing the effective date to the House defective date. The committee then voted to pass SB 1545 with amendments. The chair, vice chair, and Representatives Ichiyama and Morikawa voted aye; Representative Matsumoto was excused, and the recommendation was adopted.