Transcript Highlights:

• So we're excited that that mechanism is being utilized.
• Or in 50 million, what is the total coding cost?
• Number seven, the Medical Board, Agency Code 446.
• Next up, Board of Nursing, Agency Code 449.
• Chairman, we have the Parole Board, Agency Code 760.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are stretched over 54 communities between New Mexico and Texas.
• And instead of going to Hobbs in five hours, we ended up in Texas.
• This amendment incorporates the New Mexico tax code recently enacted federal tax changes related to no
• Speaker and gentlemen, when we talk about having a tax cleanup code, it's done annually based on the
• There's a number of different things that you could utilize, especially on historic homes.

Bills: HB111, HB108, HB145, HB164, HB291, HJR6, HR1, HB63, HB64, HB165, HB184, HB200, HB4, HB7, HB20, HB65, HB66, HB80, HB88, HB96, HB166, HB285, HB295, HB306, SB29, SB37, HJM2, HJM3, HJM1, HM7, HM17, HM4, HM22, HM23, HM24, HM26, HM2, HM16, HM32, HM13, HM47, HM20, HM51, HM1, HM31, HM35, HM36, HM46, HM53, HM54, HM11, HM14, HM21, HM34, HM50

Keywords: water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order, water rights, overdiversion, illegal diversion, groundwater storage and recovery, well license, permit violation, water enforcement, New Mexico water code, irrigation district, conservancy district, water diversion, unauthorized water sales, measuring device, district court appeal, water resources, water compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• They're a civic education company based out of Texas. Okay.
• It's largely codified by Code Section 21-5I-4.
• All right, so we've identified multiple code conflicts and some circular... ...identified multiple code
• Disclosures pursuant to 17A to A7 of the code.
• There's another section of code.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:03:02.359> research minimum standards and utilizes research minimum standards and utilizes
• It also eliminates from the criminal code an exemption for K-12 education, realizing that it would be
• It also eliminates from the criminal code an exemption for K-12 education, realizing that it would be
• It also eliminates from the criminal code an exemption for K-12 education, realizing that it would be
• , but book publishers might listen to Texas.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 749, which would require high schools to provide at least one hour of instruction on the nature and history of communism. The prime sponsor said the bill was prompted by concerns that students lack basic historical knowledge about communism and its effects, and argued that a short, flexible requirement could be embedded in an existing course without creating a new full class. He described communism as a totalitarian ideology and cited historical examples including the Soviet Union, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Cold War, and current events involving Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan as reasons students should understand the topic. Members asked whether the subject is already covered in current social studies standards, whether one hour is enough, and whether the bill would apply to public, private, parochial, and charter schools. The sponsor said he did not believe communism is specifically required in current standards, that he would prefer a full course but was proposing a minimal requirement, and that he intended the bill to apply broadly to schools under the Department of Education’s umbrella, though he acknowledged the wording may need clarification for charter schools. He also said the proposal was both reactive and proactive, based on anecdotal concerns and his teaching experience. A second supporter testified that he was born in the Soviet Union and favored the bill, but suggested the instruction should emphasize critical thinking and explain both why communism can appeal to some people and why it can have harmful consequences. No vote or final committee action was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We believe code should be made by the experts there.
• We believe codes should be made by the experts there.
• Add to that we have something called the stretch energy code, which is an opt-in code, and then, of course
• , the promulgation of the specialized municipal opt-in code, yet another energy... ...code.
• But remember, fundamentally, the state building code was promulgated because it's a safety code.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing opened a hybrid hearing focused on housing production bills, with Chairs Julian Cyr and Rich Haggerty emphasizing Massachusetts’ housing shortage and the need to produce more than 200,000 units over the next decade. The committee then heard testimony on a wide range of proposals, including social housing, starter homes and the “missing middle,” accessory dwelling units (ADUs), single-stair residential buildings, permanent affordability homeownership, and housing for people with disabilities. Several witnesses framed the bills as tools to expand supply, lower costs, and address racial and generational wealth gaps. Representative Connolly testified for H. 1478 on the Massachusetts Social Housing Program, describing publicly owned, mixed-income housing financed through a revolving loan fund. Senator Feeney testified for S. 989 on missing middle starter homes, arguing for zoning changes, incentives, and affordability tools to support smaller starter homes and duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. Multiple witnesses, including housing advocates, real estate representatives, and local officials, supported the ADU trust fund bill and the single-stair study bill, saying they would reduce barriers, support homeowners, and enable more family-sized and infill housing. Some witnesses opposed bills they said would weaken ADU reforms or add new restrictions, while others urged broader deregulation to speed production. A major portion of the hearing focused on H. 1576/S. 1010, the Homes for Lasting Affordability bill, which would create a permanent affordability homeownership program for low- and moderate-income buyers and support small developments with long-term affordability restrictions. Testimony from community land trust leaders, legislators, and housing advocates emphasized that permanent affordability can preserve public investment, stabilize neighborhoods, and help families build wealth over generations. Senator Miranda and Representative Worrell tied the bill to closing the racial wealth gap and expanding access to homeownership for Black and Latino residents. The committee also heard testimony on S. 971, which would reform the Housing Development and Incentive Program to require more affordability in Gateway City projects. The committee additionally heard from Senator Kennedy and disability advocates on S. 1004, which would strengthen the Alternative Housing Voucher Program for people with disabilities by codifying project-based vouchers and aligning the program more closely with other voucher systems. Witnesses described long waitlists and the lack of accessible, affordable units as major barriers that can lead to homelessness or unnecessary institutionalization. No votes were taken during the hearing; the session was devoted to testimony and questions from committee members.

Transcript Highlights:

• This report is issued under authority of Arkansas Code Annotated 10-3-2.
• And is it in code that can only be that one entity? No, it's in a special language.
• That's the ACES code for public school fund. Thank you. What is that? What does that stand for?
• That's the ACES code for public school fund, so it's an accounting code. No, thank you, Mr. Chair.
• Of 233 districts and charters, at least one of these exceptions was utilized in 2025, a decrease of 5%

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a Legislative Audit presentation summarizing Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions for fiscal year 2025. Auditors said the department distributed about $4.6 billion in grants overall, including $3.2 billion from the Public School Fund, $1.1 billion in federal funds, and $268 million from other state and miscellaneous sources, across 56 Public School Fund programs, 14 other state programs, and 29 federal programs. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, master principal bonuses, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; audit staff and Department of Education representatives explained that the report was only a distribution summary and not a recipient-level audit. Members also questioned why many districts showed lower funding, and staff said the decline was largely due to reduced federal and one-time COVID-related funds. Senators and representatives also discussed whether some incentive programs, such as master principal and national board bonuses, were tied to student outcomes, and whether Economics Arkansas was the sole entity named in special language for financial literacy funding; department staff said they would follow up on several details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on consumer price index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global, with discussion of CPI-U and core CPI estimates for future fiscal years. Dr. Carlos Silva explained that the forecasts generally trend toward about 2 percent over time and that recent projections may have understated actual inflation because of recent shocks. Members asked about the accuracy of past projections, and he said he would provide more detail later if needed. The bulk of the meeting focused on the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with a statewide student-to-teacher ratio of about 14 to 1, average teaching experience of 11.9 years, and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found that districts with higher poverty and minority concentrations generally had less experienced teachers, and that teacher shortages remained widespread, especially in special education, math, science, and foreign language. Members asked about licensure exceptions, alternative preparation pathways, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, and the cost and return on investment of traditional versus alternative routes. Staff said some licensure exceptions are being phased out under Act 304 of 2025 and that they would follow up on several requested details. The report also found that teacher retention averaged 87 percent statewide in 2025, with districts retaining teachers at higher rates than charters, and that 30 percent of surveyed teachers were considering leaving the profession. Principals and teachers identified school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the strongest negative factors. On salaries, BLR reported a statewide average teacher salary of $60,254 in 2025, with districts averaging $60,458 and charters $55,724. Arkansas ranked 45th nationally on average teacher salary in 2025, though its cost-adjusted ranking improved to 36th; among SREB states it ranked 12th, and among neighboring states it ranked fourth. Members asked about starting salaries, salary compression, district step increases, and whether the report should be shared more broadly with educators and school leaders. Staff said they would provide follow-up information on several questions, and the committee took no formal action beyond receiving the presentations and asking for additional data.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, we will now obviously utilize the Office of the Child Advocate if in fact they refer pursuant
• Uh, both his report and his assessment and the code neutrals is damning.
• And, and for us, we utilize funding that's made available by the folks at the legislature to staff up
• That actually deals with the two acts, the, the Mental Health Development Disabilities Code, but also
• Texas DPS sent someone and so did the Air Force to assist in those efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• construction because we already have the plans ready to go when we do receive funding, or we can utilize
• Of where we've utilized the laws of House Bill 2.
• Okay, and then on into Texas.
• Where they are under construction by year, color-coded with the links shown on this map.
• That is not our project, but they do utilize some of our contractors and some of our specifications.

Transcript Highlights:

• And there is already an act of Florida code in Medicaid for this combined test.
• Chair: You are recognized on the amendment bar code 53930.
• Chair: We have a late filed amendment bar code 771398 by Senator Davis.
• A nurse's health should not depend upon zip code or employer.
• My healthcare Roberta: utilization has decreased dramatically.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the spillover effects of that are higher credit card delinquencies, higher credit card utilization
• And because of the way the procurement code works, we can't officially announce them until every single
• And I guess Minnesota and Texas argue about who's one or two. Absolutely.
• And I guess Minnesota and Texas argue about who's one or two. Absolutely.
• The State Fair of Texas has around 2 million people that come to their fair.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Utilize that to build classes, cohorts, diabetes cohorts.
• Utilize that to build classes, cohorts, diabetes cohorts.
• The people don't order code ordinances.
• look for specific license plate Texas look for specific license plate Texas license<03:06:39.920
• Texas, from Montana, um from Wyoming. Texas, from Montana, um from Wyoming.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 264.902 of the Texas Family Code-created parental Child Safety Placement Agreements, which are
• It closes a loophole in the Texas Education code by making it clear that anabolic steroids prescribed
• It is springtime in Austin, Texas, so allergies can create respiratory issues.
• I'm the South Texas director for Lifewise Academy.
• We request that Texas do the same. Thank you. Thank you very much, members.

Transcript Highlights:

• Before we release the grades, I invite ASE Texas President Mark Wood to provide an overview of the Texas
• Uh, today, ASCE Texas section is pleased, we're excited to present the results of our 2025 Texas infrastructure
• We hold the Texas legislative drive-in.
• The grades for the Texas.
• From the Texas Clear, from this Texas Clear Lanes initiative, 18 projects from the program have been

Transcript Highlights:

• Costs across all P codes. The LFC recommendation is...
• Some notable differences through P codes is for P codes 602, Program Support.
• Another difference is the LFC REC funds the Manufactured Housing Division, P codes 619, with general
• , bringing it to current code.
• So that's kind of what I want to point out is that we are utilizing our budget.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• prediction, response, and recovery. supporting local adoption of fire-resistant building methods, codes
• , and standards, encouraging better fuel reduction, and supporting more resilient utility infrastructure
• So I would just say to the Chairman and to the Chairman, the Secretary of Agriculture who's from Texas
• coordinate all of the stakeholders and resources, support land use planning, adoption of building codes
• The programs that are being funded are being well utilized, but there's still a shortage of funding,

Bills: HB471

Keywords: forest management, wildfire prevention, public lands, Tribal jurisdiction, Fix Our Forests Act, wildfire, forest health, hazardous fuels reduction, fuels treatment, prescribed burning, mechanical thinning, mastication, fuel breaks, fire breaks, wildland-urban interface, WUI, fireshed, fireshed management area, fireshed registry, Fireshed Center

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on H.R. 471, the Fix Our Forests Act, which aims to address the ongoing crisis of wildfires exacerbated by climate change and the need for updated forest management practices. Various committee members voiced concerns about past federal management failures and emphasized the necessity for collaborative approaches involving local communities and stakeholders in forest management. As discussions unfolded, there were varying perspectives on the implications of certain provisions in the bill, particularly around regulatory changes and their likely impacts on public participation and environmental reviews.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're both amending this section 153 of the family code.
• Of Austin, Texas. Good morning. Uh, good afternoon.
• Approximately 42% of all births in Texas are to unwed mothers.
• In keeping with this principle, Texas Family Code Chapter 153 requires courts to prioritize the best
• As you know, the Texas Estates Code uses the term certificate in a way that creates some unnecessary

Transcript Highlights:

• So we know of one concrete case where the Johnson County Sheriff's Department in Texas...
• Where the Johnson County Sheriff's Department in Texas, Johnson County, Texas, accessed, did a nationwide
• It is the ability for an agency in Texas to...
• It has a maximum cap of $5 million, and right now the tax credit is being utilized.
• Active duty pay versus drill pay is coded that way for benefits.

Bills: SB97, SB55, SB40, SB38, SB120, SB113, SB116, SB117, SB118

Keywords: tax credits, municipality, county property, industrial revenue bonds, economic development, qualified expenditures, solar energy, tax credit, renewable energy, photovoltaic, solar thermal, New Mexico, economic incentive, energy independence, SB40, Driver Privacy and Safety Act, automated license plate reader, ALPR, license plate reader, vehicle surveillance

Transcript Highlights:

• The last census was 1,576. where the post office's zip code where the post office's zip code allocation
• Service to designate unique zip codes Service to designate unique zip codes for<04:02:47.199>
• agreed on bipartisan basis that zip code agreed on bipartisan basis that zip code designation<04
• When the zip code needs to thrive.
• , a unique zip code.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, July 21, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• President, I moved that the Senate do advising consent to mihoey to the Oklahoma uniform Building code
• Zachary Tippett to the Oklahoma uniformed building code. Senator Standridge, Mr.
• advise and consent to the nomination of Zachary Tippett from Norman to the Oklahoma uniform Building code
• Senate do advise and consent to the nomination of V Lee of Yukon to the Oklahoma uniform Building code
• Yes, I know that we've had them, and I know there was a horrible one down in Texas.

Bills: HB2268, HB3000, HB3043, HB3066, HB3078, HB3143, HB3144, HB3244, HB3298, HB3320, HB3467, HB3321, HB3329, HB3431, HB3464, HB3499, HB3500, HB3586, HB3590, HB3650, HB3671, HB3695, HB3700, HB3701, HB3764, HB3767, HB3834, HB3931, HB3934, HB3940, HB3944, HB3979, HB3985, HB4113, HB4294, HB4302, HB4317, HB4324, HB4359, HB4426, HB4427, HB4430, HB4431, HB4434, HJR1077, SR42, SR35, HJR1023, HB1225, HB1374, HB1381, HB1590, HB1675, HB2153

Keywords: HB2268, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, OHCA, appropriation, General Revenue Fund, PACE, Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, elderly care, aging Oklahomans, long-term care, Medicaid, health care funding, provider reimbursement, rate increase, low-income seniors, senior services, integrated care, emergency measure, cosmetology, barbering

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have a lot of resources that we utilize for the benefit of those students and those families that
• And they went from California to Oklahoma to Texas…” “October.
• And they went from California to Oklahoma to Texas, then to Arkansas.
• And this is because of the APSCN coding structure.
• Arkansas utilizes that first option to fund based on a formula.

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The Senate and House Education Committee approved the March 9 and 10 minutes and then heard a presentation on the Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship Program from Department of Education staff and three third-grade teachers from Cabot, Poyen, and Drew Central. The teachers described the year-long fellowship for high-performing merit pay recipients, saying it provided collaboration with educators across the state, shared resources, and ideas they brought back to their districts. Members asked about the teachers’ experience levels, how they shared information locally, and whether the program should be expanded to more teachers and districts. A major focus of the discussion was third-grade reading, the new ATLAS testing system, and the state’s third-grade retention law. The teachers said they do not teach to the test, but use standards, data, interventions, small groups, and relationships to help students grow. They described progress monitoring throughout the year, early screening in K-2, and interventions such as before-school tutoring, RTI meetings, and co-teaching. One teacher reported that six students in a small group improved 10 to 15 points on ATLAS, and another said a student who started the year reading four words per minute improved significantly with targeted support. Secretary Jacob Oliva said the state is trying to create clarity and alignment through Arkansas Learns, science-of-reading support, literacy coaches, and faster test-result turnaround, with student scores now available within about 24 hours and district-level results expected later in the summer. Members also asked about student poverty, trauma, ACEs, DHS involvement, social workers, community supports, and the role of counselors. The teachers emphasized that relationship-building is essential, especially for students facing unstable home situations, and described local supports such as backpack food programs, church donations, fire department incentives, and family assistance. Oliva said the fellowship was intentionally small in its first year because it targeted top-tier merit pay recipients, but he expects participation to grow. He also said merit pay and fellowship eligibility spans many grade levels and subjects, including kindergarten and hard-to-staff areas, and that D and F schools receive state literacy coaches. No additional committee votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.