Transcript Highlights:

• The 14 for the code is the number of that code, and that shows the 15-day drop.
• > shows<00:18:00.000> the number of that code and that shows the number of that code and
• that count that code so that student's<00:18:10.559> code<00:18:10.960> reflects<00:18
• Mars codes, too, which is fascinating. Mars codes, too, which is fascinating.
• are using getting that 15-day drop code. are using getting that 15-day drop code.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• , Texas.
• Raisers Association, Texas Farm Bureau, Livestock Marketing Association of Texas, and the Texas Wildlife
• in Texas.
• I’ll begin with water rights permitting, which is governed by the Texas Water Code, Chapter 11.
• So Texas Water Code 16.060 outlines the criteria for zone designation.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're from Beaumont, Texas.
• I'm the father of Lucy Dillon from Houston, Texas.
• Yes, sir, for youth camps specifically, we have the Texas Administrative Code, our rule.
• Codes save complacency, and this bill does that.
• There are modern codes.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas is doing that.
• If you look at where Elon Musk has gone into Texas...
• Texas this year.
• New Mexico's building codes have not been modernized.
• , restrictive building codes, and difficult permitting.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, there are parts of the code that still require Texas institutions of higher education to be
• Senate Bill 530 simply cleans up Texas code to be in line with federal rules.
• Senate Bill 530 simply cleans up Texas code to be in line with federal rules and gives colleges and universities
• A simple fix to sync Texas law reality. That's all the bill does.
• A simple fix to sync Texas law with the THECB's March decision.

Summary: The Senate Committee on K-16 met with 14 bills on the agenda and announced it would recess around 9:45 to attend the floor session, then resume afterward. The committee first took up Senate Bill 2361, which would transfer governance of the University of Houston-Victoria from the University of Houston System to the Texas A&M University System and rename it Texas A&M University-Victoria. Senator Cole explained that the committee substitute added transition language for employee health benefits and ERS contributions. Supporters, including Texas A&M System officials, Victoria’s mayor, regional economic development leaders, a Formosa Plastics representative, a Victoria College trustee, and a local business owner, said the move would better align the university with regional industry needs, especially engineering, agriculture, and workforce development, while helping retain local students and support economic growth. A Texas A&M official also noted accreditation, data-system, and other transition challenges, but said the change was manageable. Because there was no quorum, the committee could not adopt the substitute, and SB 2361 was left pending subject to the call of the chair after public testimony closed. The committee then heard Senate Bill 530 from Senator Sparks, which would update Texas higher education law to match federal rules allowing institutions to use any nationally recognized accreditor rather than only a regional accreditor. Sparks said the bill was a cleanup measure responding to a 2019 federal rule change and prior concerns had been addressed over the interim. Testimony in support came from a Texas Public Policy Foundation fellow, who said the bill would give universities flexibility, preserve quality standards, and simplify credit transfer and costs for students. With no opposition and no questions, public testimony closed and SB 530 was left pending. The committee then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas.
• Texas state schools.
• Texas public school.
• Texas public school.
• We all recognize the state of Texas is the state of Texas is a state.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 convened with a quorum, adopted its committee rules, and heard opening remarks from members introducing staff and outlining priorities for the session. Several senators emphasized support for public education, teacher pay and safety, parental choice, and the combined K-16 jurisdiction of the committee. The chair also reviewed hearing procedures, including public testimony registration and time limits. The main item was Senate Bill 2, the Texas Education Freedom Act, laid out by Chairman Creighton. He described the bill as an education savings account program intended to expand school choice, with a $200 million universal eligibility pool and an additional $800 million targeted to students with disabilities and lower-income families. He said the bill includes anti-fraud safeguards, criminal background checks for vendors, reporting requirements, data protections, and annual testing for participating students, while not imposing STAAR on private schools or homeschoolers. He also said the bill removes a prior hold-harmless provision for public schools and is separate from public school funding and teacher pay legislation. Members questioned the bill’s income threshold, lottery and priority structure, treatment of homeschoolers, microschools, charter schools, religious freedom protections, citizenship/lawful presence language, cybersecurity, open records, and disability-related issues, including whether 504 students and foster children should be included. Creighton said the bill is designed to prioritize former public school students with disabilities or lower incomes, while also allowing universal eligibility within the program’s first funding tier, and that the Comptroller would oversee vendor screening and cybersecurity rules. He said the bill does not direct curriculum or interfere with religious beliefs and that amendments may be offered later on citizenship and other issues. After member questions, the committee began invited testimony, starting with EdChoice representative Robert Inlow, who testified in support of SB 2 and cited national growth in school choice programs and studies he said show positive effects for students and public schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• got to know Secretary Urkheart, who’s over that agency, and we talked about the need to update state code
• . about the need to update state code.
• making some... ...to do with contract review, making some technical changes and clarifying that all occupational

Bills: HB207, SB269, SB279, SB291, SB266

Keywords: cybersecurity, Office of Information Technology, data management, telecommunications, state government, emergency management, public awareness, promotional materials, education, state funding, Alabama State House, Montgomery, Legislative Council, demolition, state capitol, state capitol building, historic preservation, state property, inventory removal, fixtures

Transcript Highlights:

• We will hear invited testimony from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas Historical Commission
• The Texas Historical Commission, FEMA, and the Texas...
• . ...framework from which our rules in the Texas Administrative Code are promulgated.
• Texas has about 1,182 camps.
• state of Texas.

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas Historical Commission representatives from Texas youth camps and the lodging industry.
• To that end, Texas Game Boards continue to stand by and be ready to respond to the state of Texas.
• Um, the Texas Historical Commission, FEEMA, the Texas Department of Emergency Management are parties
• Camps in Texas? Almost 1200 camps.
• of Texas.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we all have civilian occupations, and when we bring our civilian occupations overseas, you know,
• both state guard members under Title 32 as well as reservists under Title 10 of the United States Code
• Under United States Code Title 10, Section 301, as an example, in time of war or national emergency,
• Under United States Code Title 10, Section 301, as an example, in time of war or national emergency,
• As currently written, enforcement of the Massachusetts Code of Military Justice...

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hybrid public hearing on seven House bills and seven Senate bills related to the Massachusetts National Guard and U.S. Armed Forces Reserves. Opening remarks covered hearing procedures, livestreaming, testimony limits, and expected reporting dates, and chairs noted the committee’s focus on Guard and Reserve issues. Testimony then moved through several bills, including S. 2465 to expand the National Guard welcome-home veterans bonus to all deployed Guard members regardless of residency, H. 3876/S. 2462 to authorize military-style headstones for long-serving or deceased Guard members, and S. 2482/H. 3833 to establish a Massachusetts National Guard Museum in Salem. Supporters of the bonus and headstone bills argued they would correct inequities and better honor service; Senator Lovely described the museum proposal as a way to preserve the Guard’s history in Salem and potentially support federal funding for the project. A major portion of the hearing focused on H. 3829/S. 2471, the “Defend the Guard” proposal that would bar Massachusetts National Guard deployments into active combat absent a formal congressional declaration of war. Supporters argued the bill would restore constitutional war powers, reduce repeated undeclared deployments, and protect Guard members’ mental health and state readiness. Opponents, including retired Guard leaders and current service members, warned it could conflict with federal law and Title 10 authority, undermine federal funding and training, and harm readiness, force structure, and unique Guard capabilities. Committee members repeatedly questioned the bill’s legal authority, constitutional basis, and practical effects under the Supremacy Clause and Title 10, and several witnesses were asked to submit additional written legal support. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3831, which would extend Chapter 115 benefits to currently serving Guard and Reserve members who do not meet federal veteran-status thresholds, and on related proposals to clarify Guard command structure and the duties of the Adjutant General. Supporters said these changes would improve access to benefits, reduce confusion in the chain of command, and strengthen discipline and responsiveness. Separately, the National Guard Association of Massachusetts backed H. 3860/S. 2458, the Guard Enlistment Enhancement Program, as a recruiting tool, while opposing the Defend the Guard bills. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It adds three new codes: the Elections Code, the Penal Code, and the Health Senator Creighton: and Safety
• Code.
• It is so unsafe to be pregnant in Texas.
• But I, I just don't want the Texas legislature to be that tool.
• , you're stuck in Texas court where there is no recourse.

Transcript Highlights:

• 811 and the Texas One call board.
• We show you as, uh, Colonel Freeman Martin, Texas with Texas DPS, and you're here in neutral as a, as
• This time, the chair will call Olmer Loreal, Texas DPS.
• So what we're permitting in Texas is. That sounds so backwards.
• That's still within the law of of the Texas tax code on the 162 on the motor fuel tax code so this.

Transcript Highlights:

• engine repair, nursing assistant, phlebotomy, information security, and all sorts of different occupations
• This is a way for people to see interrelated occupations, occupations that have similar qualities, and
• Another great feature of the new and improved Career Bridge is how we show these different occupations
• have a break, poor legislators, take the six-question quiz and find out if you're in the right occupation
• And again, if you click on the link or access the QR code, you can access our publicly available dashboard

Summary: The committee held a work session on the state of Washington’s community and technical college system with State Board executive director Nate Humphrey and Tacoma Community College president Ivan Harrell. They described the system’s open-access mission, 34 colleges serving more than 307,000 students, relatively low tuition, enrollment growth over 12 consecutive quarters, and strong outcomes such as more than 46,000 credentials awarded last year. They also highlighted system initiatives including guided pathways, I-BEST, dual enrollment, tribal partnerships, a new program search tool, and six colleges named Aspen Prize finalists. At the same time, they emphasized major challenges: high rates of student food, housing, and homelessness insecurity; sharply rising emergency aid requests; and federal funding disruptions affecting TANF, BFET, adult basic education, Carl Perkins, NOAA-related tribal work, and several federal grants. Members asked about SNAP impacts, declining high school graduates, and how BFET and TANF interact with other aid programs. The presenters also discussed system priorities such as AI, Workforce Pell, capital planning, nursing accreditation alignment, and the Washington College Grant. The committee then heard testimony from AFT Washington and the Washington Association of Higher Education on faculty and staff conditions in the community and technical college system. Jackie Kane and Suzanne Sutherland argued that classified staff, professional staff, and contingent faculty are essential to student success but face low pay, instability, and weak retention, and they urged lawmakers to protect existing funding and avoid further cuts. They said working conditions for faculty and staff are student learning conditions, and that underfunding leads to reduced services, shortened advising, and program instability. Marina Parr of the Workforce Board presented on federal H.R. 1’s new Workforce Pell provisions and the updated Career Bridge website. She explained that Workforce Pell would allow federal aid for short-term training programs of 8 to 15 weeks, with high completion, employment, and earnings thresholds and a requirement that credentials be stackable and portable. She said Washington is well positioned to implement the program because of its existing eligible training provider evaluation system and Career Bridge, which now has a redesigned public portal, digital portfolios, multilingual access, and performance data on programs. Members asked about rulemaking, possible gaps in state services, and how the wage and completion standards would be applied. The Washington Student Achievement Council then briefed the committee on the new Washington Completes FAFSA campaign created by executive order. Staff described an advisory board with statewide representation, a pilot that used microgrants and other supports at 25 priority schools, and a new goal of 46,000 FAFSA or WASFA completions this year. They reported that completion rates were tracking slightly ahead of last year, with 24% of high school seniors having completed a FAFSA by the end of November, and they showcased a public dashboard with subgroup data and a WIAA-based leaderboard. Members asked about outreach to rural and homeschool students, legislative communications, Pierce County representation, and barriers to FAFSA completion, and staff said they would provide toolkits and continue expanding outreach. The committee then began hearing from student presenters about affordability, access, equity, and student experience.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, members across Texas are, um, I ran up the stairs, so I'm a little bit out of breath.
• been a Texas GDP economic impact of about $1.8 billion.
• We urge Texas legislators to champion policies recognizing and maximizing contributions to Texas veterans
• , invest in Texas, and be the next generation of risk takers and job creators for Texas.
• , invest in Texas, and be the next generation of risk takers and job creators for Texas.

Summary: The Committee on Veterans Affairs heard several bills related to veterans and military installations. Senator Birdwell presented SB 1197, which would extend existing drone restrictions over military bases and airports to Texas spaceports, with exceptions for authorized operators; there was brief supportive testimony and the bill was left pending. Chairman Hancock presented SB 1271, allowing Texas to accept concurrent jurisdiction over military installations to improve handling of juvenile offenses through state and local involvement; no public testimony was offered, and the bill was left pending. SB 390, by Senator Middleton and explained by Senator Menendez, would expand the definition of historically underutilized businesses to include veteran-owned businesses certified by the SBA, regardless of disability rating, to increase veteran participation in state contracting. The bill drew extensive supportive testimony from veterans and business advocates, while Senator Eckhardt raised concerns that broadening the category might not satisfy the disparity-study basis typically used for HUB programs. The committee also took up pending bills later in the meeting. SB 651 was advanced after adoption of a committee substitute and received a unanimous committee vote to do pass and be recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 897 likewise had a committee substitute adopted and was reported favorably by a unanimous vote, with a recommendation for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 1814 was reported favorably and recommended for the local and uncontested calendar by a unanimous vote. SB 1197 was also voted out favorably and recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 1271 and SB 390 were left pending at the end of the meeting, and the committee then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• The unit has to be accessory to a farm or the occupants have to have income from the farm.
• or um the occupants have to have<01:33:09.600> income<01:33:10.080> from<01:33:10.320>
• Yet, it reduces the owner occupancy requirement from 10 to 5 years.
• <01:38:36.320> of forever to ensure that the occupant of forever to ensure that the occupant
• since added an explicit owner occupant since added an explicit owner occupant exemption<01:42:43.440

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Walker County stands as a testament to Texas.
• Texas Ranks, Texas Ranks, Texas Ranks, Texas Ranks.
• in court across Texas.
• And under this Supreme Court, it is the law in Texas.
• But the State Bar of Texas is a public organization. every lawyer in Texas is compelled to join.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we vet applicants for occupancy like all other housing providers do.
• And we vet applicants for occupancy like all other housing providers do.
• And we vet applicants for occupancy like all other housing providers do.
• And we vet applicants for occupancy like all other housing providers do.
• <00:43:42.400> So, that the tax code looks at. So, that the tax code looks at.

Bills: HF3600, HF3809, HF3608

Keywords: housing, community land trusts, competitive development, development programs, Minnesota, HF3809, Minnesota eviction law, landlord-tenant, residential lease, minor child, children in eviction, eviction complaint, defendant prohibition, expedited eviction, expedited hearing, summary eviction, tenant protections, housing policy, civil penalty, nonwaivable lease terms

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office in Conroe, Texas.
• Although mail fraud is often considered a federal issue, Texas...
• A name along with a unique identifying account number is what constitutes PII under Texas code.
• Decker, you're registered as Kate Decker from the Texas Bankers Association? Yes.
• No, just the Texas Bankers Association. Are you testifying for or against House Bill 4414?

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Texas Government Code, Chapter 2161, commonly referred to as the HUB program for historically underutilized
• Government Code Chapter 2161.
• Government Code Chapter 2161.
• You know, the Texas Constitution, So the Texas Constitution is not a suggestion.
• , by the Texas Legislature.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• basically state code that was the wrong code in the original bill.
• Replace line 44 on page two with, again, the code replacing the current code with the code that you see
• code here, which is 36... current code here, which is 36, 21222.
• Replace line 175 on page 7 with the following: again, replacing the code.
• And I put Texas because Texas is always considered a benchmark state that people... considered a benchmark

Bills: HB188, HB52

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, patient rights, medical treatment, access, affordability, income tax, CHOOSE Act, education funding, ABLE account, tax credits, poverty threshold, legislative funding, 1136, house, all