Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I think...
• I think perhaps, Mr.
• I think that was great.
• And again, I think...
• 1966, I think. Nice.

Summary: During the meeting, legislative members discussed the practice of municipalities diverting water and sewer revenues to their general funds, which impacts infrastructure maintenance and project delays. Vice Chair Sparks proposed limiting public testimony to two minutes, which was adopted without objection. The committee heard from various witnesses, including Perry Fowler from the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, who emphasized that utility revenues should primarily support water services and that transfers should be transparent and justified. He noted that many utilities face financial pressures that could hinder infrastructure projects. Larry French from the Texas Public Policy Foundation highlighted the significant financial impact of water loss and general fund transfers, estimating the annual loss at $1.5 billion. He argued that these transfers can create disincentives for municipalities to address water loss issues. Brian Butcher, Assistant City Manager of Sugar Land, defended the city's cost allocation model for general fund transfers, asserting that they are necessary for equitable service provision and operational efficiency. The committee also discussed the implications of rising construction costs and the need for better procurement processes to ensure effective use of taxpayer dollars. The second part of the meeting focused on the New World Screwworm and the state's preparedness to manage potential infestations. Dudley Hoskins from the USDA outlined the federal response efforts and the importance of collaboration with state agencies. He emphasized the need for ongoing surveillance and the production of sterile flies to combat the pest. Dr. Philip Kaufman from Texas A&M discussed the historical context of the screwworm and the challenges posed by its potential reintroduction, urging proactive management strategies among livestock producers. The committee acknowledged the need for increased resources and research to effectively address the threat of the screwworm.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:25:52.159> $600,000 think, $600,000 think, $600,000 on,<00:25:54.880> that's<00:25
• um in in I think it would have been um in in I think it would have been October<00:31:52.399> of
• I think I think that's more time and and I think I think that's where<00:32:40.799> we've<00:32
• <00:38:18.000> we<00:38:18.160> can think, um, we should have I think we can think,
• I think that we are.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Fiscal Committee met on January 23, 2026, approved the December 19, 2025 minutes, and adopted the remaining items on the consent calendar after noting several withdrawals. The committee then took up Department of Safety item FIS 26007, which involved Homeland Security/FEMA grant funding for equipment and UAS-related activities. Senators asked whether any of the funding would support federal civil immigration enforcement or shared operations with federal agencies, and about privacy protections for drone data. The department said the grant is governed by federal parameters, that the state uses the remaining 20 percent after federally directed uses, and that privacy law in this area is evolving. The item was adopted on an 8-2 vote. The committee next considered Department of Environmental Services item 26003, which had been withdrawn by the Senate. A senator said concerns about using the funds for a different project had been resolved after speaking with the commissioner, and the item was adopted without further debate. The committee then moved to Department of Health and Human Services item 260005, a request for about $700,000 in remaining ARPA-related funds for the Hampstead children’s facility project. Commissioners explained that the project had been funded in stages because the original appropriation was based on estimates and bid assumptions, and that the remaining money would cover alternates and finish the project without using general funds. Senators raised concerns about repeated requests for additional money, the adequacy of security, site-selection costs, and why the project had not been fully funded at the outset. The department said the project had been intentionally structured to proceed in phases and that required security would be provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that we should be increasing access to our elections, and I think there are better models to
• I think it's a sound amendment.
• I think it's a sound amendment.
• can spend, I think that, and we set a precedent, I think that that sends a chilling effect through the
• Although I think, I don't think that any of those were actually getting close to the 50-megawatt level

Summary: The House convened on June 30, 2026, with opening ceremonies, guest introductions, and moments of silence for Gerlindy Lancelotti and Iva Durham. Members then took up a long agenda of bills and resolutions, including consent calendar items and several measures related to agriculture, lottery reporting, health care, fire service membership standards, inmate work, telecommunications, rent increases, youth camp licensing, primary elections, respiratory care practice, and marriage equality. The chamber also heard extended debate on Senate Bill 233, concerning removal of snow and ice from vehicles, and on House Bill 188, which would allow unaffiliated voters to choose a party primary while barring participation in both parties’ primaries. Among the notable actions, House Concurrent Resolution 157 passed as amended, directing the State Lottery to report on options to support traditional lottery retailers. Senate Bill 53, preserving the Delaware Farm to Community Program if federal support declines, passed unanimously. Senate Bill 307, giving the Public Service Commission authority to designate eligible Lifeline carriers, and Senate Bill 339, clarifying advance health care directives, also passed. Senate Bill 235, removing a sunset on manufactured home rent increase calculations, passed, as did Senate Bill 325 after House Amendment 1 narrowed disqualifying offenses for fire service membership and adjusted related background-check rules. Senate Bill 309, discharging remaining incarceration-cost balances, and Senate Bill 324, addressing constable-related firearm permit provisions, both passed. The chamber tabled Senate Bill 233 once to consider a proposed amendment for trucks and other hard-to-clear vehicles, but the amendment failed and the bill later passed as amended by the Senate. Senate Joint Resolution 19, directing DHSS to study strategies to reduce health care costs, was tabled pending legal review. Senate Substitute 2 for Senate Bill 100, proposing a constitutional amendment to protect the right to marry, passed after extensive floor debate and personal statements from members on both sides. Senate Bill 293, creating a licensure pathway for summer camps to participate in purchase-of-care, passed after House Amendment 1. House Bill 188 on open primary access for unaffiliated voters passed 22-17, and Senate Bill 94, concerning respiratory care practitioners and ECMO medication delivery, passed after House Amendment 2. The transcript ends as the House begins consideration of House Substitute 1 for House Bill 404.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't think this is all DEED's fault.
• So, I think it's our duty uh resources.
• > we is a great uh concept that I think we is a great uh concept that I think we can<00:46:56.800
• <01:04:45.920> in uh, list of of support when we think in uh, list of of support when we think
• And I think that would be fine.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think about the pioneers of... I think about the pioneers of Utah.
• And think about it. The economy is Think about it. The economy is doing pretty good.
• I don't think they I don't think they think the economy is pretty good.
• I think it's 24%.
• I don't think so.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we need to have a broad...
• I think the American taxpayers, and I think you and I would agree on this, should not be subsidizing
• What do you think of Elon Musk?
• I think we need to win the AI race.
• Do you think diplomacy works without deterrence? I think you need to have deterrence.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think we would be naive to think. That that money will always be there and to perpetuity.
• I don't think that happened. I don't think they listened.
• It's not where I think we want it yet.
• I think we have 31, around 31.
• You think providers will exit the network?

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think I was able to reassure the clinics that that's not the case, but I do think that more robust
• , Madam Chair, there are, I think...
• I just don't really think it's an apples-to-oranges kind of comparison, and I think that information
• So as we kind of think about.
• I don't think it's enough time.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:33.519> a employers there's um both uh I think a employers there's um both uh I think
• correct one of one of the things I think correct one of one of the things I think was<00:09:02.000
• I think it's the House File 3, which actually I've not been working on, but I guess I'll just say I think
• I think there's significant concerns you will have heard in committee, and I think that you'll hear those
• say about that yeah there's I think say about that yeah there's I think there's<00:18:42.280>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I think Chase Bank has. Who else? I think Citi Bank has. Who else? I think Key Bank has. Who else?
• I think it's definitely the latter, and I think it's also mental management.
• And why do you think that is? Think they were doing that?
• I think it's urgent.
• I think it's very timely.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think the issue is wait lists.
• all be thinking of deeply.
• And then I think the... Just a heads up.
• We're really thinking about the future.
• We're really thinking about the future.

Summary: The committee began with a work session on juvenile rehabilitation institution capacity, services, and staffing. DCYF Assistant Secretary Jennifer Redmond described overcrowding at Green Hill School and Echo Glen, driven by longer adult-style sentences extending past age 25, limited community placements, and small facility sizes. She said Green Hill remains above safe operating capacity, but staffing, injuries, large-scale aggression, and use-of-force incidents have improved over the past year. She also discussed Harbor Heights, a new 46-bed flex facility that had opened with 22 youth and would expand once a medical trailer arrives, as well as community transition services, vocational programming, behavior management reforms, and a request for more resources for mental health-focused facilities and staffing. Members asked about success metrics, developmental disability screening and supports, college access at Echo Glen, Mission Creek planning, and gender-responsive programming; Redmond said JR uses assessments, family involvement, and specialized living units, and that some requested funding had already been secured for returning a girls’ program at Echo Glen. The committee then heard from Team Child and the Youth Action Coalition. Greta Schultz said youth perspectives should guide system reforms and identified key concerns: overuse of sentence extensions, underuse of community transition services, continued criminal referrals from Green Hill to Lewis County, limited family contact, inadequate mental health access, and unequal education opportunities, especially for young women at Echo Glen. Justella Gonzalez, a former system-involved youth, said her time in county and state facilities was harmful, with staff mistreatment, poor education, limited therapy access, and humiliating restraint practices; she also said girls at Echo Glen lacked the same college opportunities as boys at Green Hill. Committee members asked for follow-up on county versus state experiences and on telehealth mental health services. The next presentation covered county-level services for youth involved or at risk of involvement with the justice system, led by juvenile court administrators Christine Simon-Smeyer and Judge Rachel Anderson. They outlined the juvenile court continuum from prevention and truancy work through diversion, detention alternatives, community supervision, and disposition alternatives, emphasizing evidence-based, trauma-informed, and restorative practices. Clark County was used as an example of a court that partners closely with schools and community providers, uses risk assessments and wraparound behavioral health probation, and offers detention alternatives without electronic home monitoring. They said most courts do not use detention for status offenses, but instead use court involvement to connect youth to services. They also described funding, noting that courts rely on a mix of state block grant and local dollars, and that recent cuts to early intervention funding reduced programming and staff hours. Members asked about detention for truancy, developmental disability identification, restorative justice practices, and the juvenile block grant. Finally, DCYF Assistant Secretary Nicole Rose and Katie Warren of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECAP discussed child care and early learning impacts from recent policy and budget changes. Rose said Fair Start for Kids investments had increased child care access, provider participation, and kindergarten readiness, with more than 60,000 children in Working Connections care and rising ECAP enrollment and provider capacity. She said recent reductions will raise most family copays in 2026, delay eligibility expansions, eliminate some expanded eligibility categories, reduce ECAP slots by about 3,000, delay entitlement timelines, and cut provider supports such as rate increases for centers, complex-needs grants, trauma-informed and dual-language incentives, and infant/early childhood mental health consultation. Warren emphasized ECAP’s role in family stability, workforce participation, and reducing poverty, and noted its two-generation approach to supporting both children and parents.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think she told us that she put everything she could possibly think of in this crime initiative.
• And you know, I think the reason that I got elected, number one, is that I think the district that I
• I think that's important.
• But I think, I'm glad you're doing it; I think it's useful.
• I think that hearing was useful.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think we need to get back out there.
• I think they're great. I think we should fire that back up.
• And so I think they're really important.
• So I think... ...overall in the U.S., not specifically on specific states. I think Dr.
• Hanley used, I think, a Ford Ranger.

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Asia, California, Trade and Investment held its first informational hearing to examine California’s economic ties with Asia, the effects of federal tariffs, and ways the state can strengthen trade, investment, tourism, and subnational diplomacy. Chair Jessica Caloza opened by emphasizing California’s role as the world’s fourth-largest economy and a major exporter to Asia, and several members and guests highlighted the importance of AAPI communities, sister-city relationships, and coordinated state outreach. Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis described California’s trade missions, APEC hosting, and ongoing climate and trade partnerships, while Japan’s deputy consul general underscored Japan’s role as a major investor and trading partner and encouraged continued engagement. The first panel, featuring leaders from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation/World Trade Center Los Angeles, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and Visit California, focused on trade, tourism, and investment trends. Witnesses said tariffs and federal uncertainty are disrupting logistics, manufacturing, business travel, higher education, and tourism, with particular concern about port activity, international student declines, and reduced visitation from Asia. They urged California to remain “open for business,” invest in promotion and infrastructure, and use trade missions, MOUs, and sister-city ties to maintain relationships and attract investment. The second panel, with economist Kyle Handley and trade expert Glenn Fukushima, focused on the mechanics and consequences of tariffs. Both said tariffs function as taxes on importers and consumers, raise costs for businesses, and create uncertainty that delays investment, hiring, and supply-chain decisions. They warned that California is especially exposed because of its ports, cross-border trade, and reliance on global supply chains, and said new federal vessel fees and shifting trade routes could divert commerce away from California. They argued that the long-term damage includes lost growth and reduced U.S. credibility, and recommended that California “tariff-proof” its economy through faster ports, better infrastructure, export assistance, and reduced permitting barriers. In the final panel, representatives from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Asian Business Association California, and the Small Business Development Center emphasized future opportunities and the needs of small businesses. They said California should deepen ties with Asia through conventions, tourism, and sector-specific partnerships in life sciences, clean tech, semiconductors, hospitality, and small business trade. The witnesses stressed that small and minority-owned businesses need more access to trade missions, capital, technical assistance, and state support, and that California’s economic strength depends on coordinated efforts across regions and industries.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think this is great.
• I think it's something that I wish it didn't have to be, but I think it does have to be.
• So I think this is great.
• I think it's something that I wish it didn't have to be, but I think it does have to be.
• I think that this is an important reform. I think that we should enact this.

Bills: HB2780, HB4029, HB4030, HCR2052

Keywords: judicial foreclosure, tax lien, redemption rights, excess proceeds, property auction, income tax, federal tax conformity, revenue analysis, legislative session, tax reporting, municipal fees, county fees, utility rates, moratorium, tax classification, local government, inflation, economic stability, tax increases, cost-of-living protection

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2780, a technical cleanup measure related to Arizona’s judicial tax lien foreclosure and excess proceeds process. The sponsor and a witness said the bill clarifies when a court should order a public sale, standardizes distribution of sale proceeds, and corrects inconsistencies left from prior reforms. No opposition was raised, and the committee approved HB 2780 unanimously on a 9-0 do pass vote. The committee then took up House Bill 4029, which would require the Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to evaluate the revenue impact of federal tax conformity changes earlier in the process, and would require the Department of Revenue to issue tax forms consistent with statute. An amendment was adopted to have OSPB and JLBC each make the evaluation and to require a governor’s report if the impact is $100 million or more, along with new reporting deadlines for DOR. Supporters argued the bill would force earlier action on conformity and prevent tax forms from diverging from statute; opponents said it added bureaucracy and could delay filing. The committee approved HB 4029 as amended by a 5-4 vote. The committee also heard House Bill 4030 and the related HCR 2052, both aimed at limiting local tax and fee increases. HB 4030 would bar municipalities and counties from adopting, imposing, or collecting increased fees, transaction privilege taxes, and utility rates from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030. The sponsor said the measure was intended to protect taxpayers from inflation and rising local costs. Cities, counties, and utility representatives opposed the bills, warning they would hinder infrastructure financing, water and wastewater projects, road improvements, and public safety services, and could force general fund subsidies or delayed maintenance. Supporters argued local governments have seen substantial revenue growth and should be restrained from further increases. The committee did not reach a final vote on HB 4030 or HCR 2052 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it's a function of both. I think these are some...
• So, listen, I think...
• It is magnified, I think. I think by your 317%.
• I think it's twofold.
• Is that a way to think about it, or am I thinking about it the wrong way?

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• But we think there's still more.
• I think...
• I think that's right.
• I think there's a shared opportunity here. To think about how we respond to natural disasters.
• I think that's what Mr.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They think they understand.
• So when we think about economic development, we do think about the state.
• you think about it.
• Now you've got to think of what a STEM zone is: think of a STEM carnival.
• Now think about that.

Summary: The committee met at NDSU and approved the April 9 minutes. The main purpose of the meeting was an informational presentation from NDSU President David Stewart and university leaders on the university’s priorities, including enrollment, student success, research, commercialization, and use of New Horizons funding. Stewart emphasized a “One NDSU” approach, thanked legislators for past support, and said the university will focus on recruitment and retention, a new strategic plan, and growing research and tech transfer while serving North Dakota’s workforce needs. University leaders said NDSU is using tuition waivers more strategically and will work to reduce them over time through scholarship optimization. Provost Sherry Vale described academic portfolio reviews, program closures or consolidations, strategic hiring, and workload policies aimed at aligning resources with demand. They also highlighted student outcomes, including high completion rates, strong employment placement, and NDSU’s role in producing a large share of the state’s engineers, nurses, and agriculture graduates. Several students testified about how NDSU’s mentoring, internships, research, and support services helped them succeed. The committee also heard from partners on New Horizons-related collaborations: Gateway to Science described K-12 STEM outreach in rural and tribal areas, and Sanford Research discussed joint research efforts, including COBRE-related work, obesity and GLP-1 studies, and a joint biostatistics hire. Later speakers highlighted Governor’s School and NDSU’s research and commercialization efforts, including growth in research expenditures and invention disclosures. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think... Well, thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. I think Senator Flores had another question.
• I think it was.
• So I think I'll be a licensed expert plumber or something, so I think the bill's fine.
• So I think I'll be a licensed expert plumber or something, so I think the bill's fine.
• I think you have that record now.

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it's a problem.
• I think I agree with you on that, Secretary. I think there's a number of things.
• When you think about your growth areas, you think about retail, you think about fast food, you think
• I think that's misleading. I think.
• I think they do. So I think we need to be a little clearer about that.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think I've covered a lot of them.
• I think.
• And anything I think I can do to support you in that endeavor, I think it would be important because
• I think with the question we got from Senator Hill on that transition, I think that's going to be part
• I think I've never tried it.