Transcript Highlights:

• Cindy, please call the roll.
• Senator, please call the roll on SB 96.
• And under the current enclave process, it's the same process.
• Set up a special magistrate process.
• They have what they call teen accounts.

Summary: The committee took up a series of bills, beginning with SB 1422 on unmanned aircraft systems. The bill increases penalties for flying drones over critical infrastructure, prohibits drones equipped with weapons or explosives, creates a first-degree felony for drones carrying a weapon of mass destruction, and includes a law enforcement exception. A lay-filed amendment by Senator Pizzo warning against the use of force to shoot down drones was debated but failed, and the bill was then reported favorably. The committee also reported favorably on SB 846 addressing notary public fraud in immigration-related services, SB 650 on hazardous walking conditions for school transportation, SB 922 on employment agreements including non-compete and garden leave provisions, and SB 1820 on motor vehicle manufacturer and dealer relations, covering performance measures, retaliation, and franchise termination standards. Several bills focused on education, health care, and disability issues. SB 540, the Evan B. Hartzell Act, would require disability history and awareness instruction across grade levels; it drew emotional testimony from the bill sponsor, family members, and supporters, and was reported favorably. SB 998 would allow advanced practice registered nurses to certify deaths and file death certificates in hospice settings under physician protocol, and SB 1412 would modernize home health agency rules by expanding administrative flexibility and contract service use; both passed. SB 1736 would allow direct support professionals and relatives to administer insulin in group home settings for individuals with developmental disabilities, and it was also reported favorably. The committee also advanced several regulatory and court-related measures. SB 1650 expands Florida’s vexatious litigant law, including allowing designation based on conduct in a single case and extending the look-back period, while SB 1652 creates a public records exemption for certain stricken non-criminal court filings; both were approved. SB 1076 on roofing contractors was amended to require continuing education for roof-to-wall connections and then passed, and SB 1078 on fire prevention was amended with stakeholder-agreed language before being reported favorably. SB 1080 on local government land regulations, after multiple amendments and significant debate over agricultural enclaves and local control, was also approved. Other major measures included SB 818 on utility relocation, which creates a relocation fund funded by a portion of communications services tax revenue and was supported by multiple industry and local-government groups after a compromise amendment; SB 868 on social media use by minors, which would require a decryption mechanism for law enforcement access under subpoena and prohibit disappearing messages for minors, remained under discussion as the transcript ended. The committee also heard SB 96, a claims bill for Jacob Rogers against the City of Gainesville, and reported it favorably after testimony that the city would pay the settlement amount.

Transcript Highlights:

• Will the clerk call the roll?
• Call Emily French. This chair calls Emily French.
• What's the process?
• This is a process.
• Due process is important.

Bills: SB29, SB406, SB447, SB875, SB893, SB1033, SB1346, SB1362, SB1539, SCR22, SB 29

Keywords: business organization, internal management, corporate governance, partnerships, liability reduction, birth certificate, biological sex, gender identity, health and safety, sex assignment, SB 875, Texas, independent school district, ISD, school board trustee, superintendent, campus administrator, electioneering, political signs, early voting

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair calls Tom Parker.
• Chair calls Jay Howard.
• Chair calls Ray Tipton.
• Chair calls Kyla Cole.
• Chair calls Ann Velak.

Summary: The subcommittee heard testimony on a broad agenda of workforce, labor, and workers’ compensation bills. HB 4676 would require political subdivision workers’ compensation networks to follow the same notice, access, and complaint rules as certified TDI networks; supporters said public employees and first responders deserve equal access to care, while municipal risk pool representatives opposed added regulation and said existing 504 networks already perform well. HB 4479 would create a rural workforce development grant program at TWC to support college-and-career readiness and local workforce alignment, and HB 3844 would define “opportunity youth” in state law to improve data, coordination, and access to services for disconnected young Texans; both drew strong support from rural, education, and chamber witnesses. HB 5545 would clarify federal tax treatment for wage-replacement benefits in non-subscriber injury benefit plans, with proponents calling it a win for employers and injured workers. HB 5118 would direct TWC and DIR to study AI and automated employment decision tools in hiring, including bias and oversight concerns. HB 1667 would move existing PTSD workers’ compensation language into a broader Labor Code chapter so more first responders, including state and campus officers, could qualify for benefits; supporters called it a technical fix to extend coverage more evenly across agencies. The committee also heard several first-responder and workers’ compensation bills. HB 2369 would speed up claims handling for injured first responders by allowing a single medical evaluation, giving carriers 60 days to accept or deny a claim, and letting workers seek treatment while disputes proceed; law enforcement supporters said it would help injured officers return to work faster, while opponents warned it would revive extent-of-injury waiver problems and increase litigation. HB 4483 would reclassify certain workers’ compensation maintenance taxes as surcharges to reduce retaliatory taxes imposed by other states on Texas-domiciled carriers, and HB 875, as revised by committee substitute, would create a small-project exception to municipal workers’ compensation and bonding requirements for certain low-value construction contracts in small cities; both were presented as cost-saving measures for Texas employers and local governments. HB 4415 would extend anti-retaliation protections for workers’ compensation claimants from first responders to all public employees and expressly waive sovereign immunity for those claims, with supporters describing it as closing a loophole that leaves public workers without the same remedy available in the private sector. The committee also took testimony on HB 5400, which would expand remedies for sexual harassment victims by removing the requirement to first file an administrative charge, extending the filing deadline from 300 days to two years, clarifying retaliation, and eliminating current damages caps. Supporters, including employment lawyers and a parent of a victim, said the current deadlines and caps prevent many survivors from obtaining counsel or full relief, especially younger workers and those in small workplaces or franchises. Across the agenda, witnesses repeatedly emphasized access to care, fair treatment for injured workers, rural workforce development, and stronger protections for vulnerable employees. After each bill was laid out and testimony heard, the chair generally closed the public hearing and left the bill pending; no final votes were taken, and the subcommittee adjourned after completing the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• There was no way for them to appeal that process, which is a huge problem.
• It's exactly the way that this process is through the speed zones.
• And it's a process that we're using currently in the school zone.
• There is already a process in place for agricultural enclaves.
• The process, the only difference with the process would be that it's the same process.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and moments of silence, including tributes to those affected by the Florida State University shooting and recognition of Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, John Thrasher, student advocacy groups, conservation organizations, and visiting school groups. Members also adopted Senate Resolution 1878 honoring Coach Abdur-Rahim. The chamber then moved into special order business and considered a series of bills, many of them with House companions substituted in and passed by wide margins or unanimously. Among the measures passed were bills updating child care and early learning provider regulation, imposing costs on false swatting reports, extending protections against extraordinary hospital collection actions, expanding hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren, creating young adult housing support for foster and homeless students, clarifying school choice disclosure requirements under the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, adjusting interest rules for trust accounts supporting legal aid, revising transportation and traffic enforcement provisions, expanding public records exemptions for certain judicial and health care investigators and appellate clerks, changing municipal water and sewer utility rates in Miami-Dade, strengthening motor vehicle offenses involving impersonation and obscured plates, increasing trespass penalties at certain law-enforcement-controlled sites and large ticketed events, requiring refunds of patient overpayments, authorizing certain stem cell therapies, allowing relatives and direct support professionals to administer insulin in group homes, addressing rideshare impersonation and transit funding rules, and updating the Uniform Commercial Code for digital assets and emerging technologies. Several bills drew notable debate. The trust fund interest bill prompted extended discussion over legal aid funding, bank participation, and whether the measure would reduce support for legal services; it ultimately passed 28-10. The transportation bill was heavily amended, including removal of speed-limit increases and changes to school bus camera enforcement and micromobility rules, and passed 37-0. The Miami-Dade water and sewer rate bill sparked debate over fairness, fiscal impact, and accusations of racism, but passed 36-2. Public records bills protecting agency investigators and JQC employees also drew questions about accountability and transparency before passing. Most other measures passed with little or no opposition, and a few bills were temporarily postponed or set aside.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the incarcerated individuals are charged either through collect calls, prepaid debit calls, and sometimes
• We understand the implementation process.
• but it is an informal or it's an expedited, truncated process.
• but it is an informal or it's an expedited, truncated process.
• informal or it's an expedited, truncated process.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee opened by outlining testimony procedures and then heard SB 376 on tax credits, which would create a home fire safety improvement tax credit. Testimony from the Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi urged that the concept would be better handled as a subsidy program and raised drafting concerns about unclear definitions and eligibility. Later, the committees agreed to pass SB 376 with amendments, including making the credit nonrefundable, clarifying third-party certification, deleting recapture-related language, and making technical changes. Members then heard SB 417, which would make unlicensed contractor work during or within five years after an emergency or disaster a class B felony. The Contractors License Board was listed for comments, and the Subcontractors Association supported the measure. The committees ultimately recommended passage with technical, non-substantive amendments and an adjusted effective date, and the measure was adopted. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on SB 782, which would require free and accessible voice communication services for incarcerated people and prohibit state agencies from profiting from those services, while also directing the PUC to set standards and providing funding for the SAVIN victim notification program. Supporters, including the Public Defender, ACLU of Hawaiʻi, Worth Rises, and others, argued the bill would reduce costs for families, improve reentry, and align adult corrections with the juvenile system. Opponents, including the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Hawaiʻi Paroling Authority, and SAVIN-related witnesses, warned that changing the funding structure could weaken victim notification and safety services. The committees deferred SB 782. The committee also heard SB 999 on fireworks, which would repeal permissible consumer fireworks uses, impose civil penalties and forfeiture remedies, and create a forfeiture special fund for safety education. The Department of Law Enforcement and Honolulu Police Department supported the bill, while fireworks industry representatives and others opposed it, arguing prohibition would be ineffective and urging stronger enforcement and education instead. The committees deferred SB 999 for further consideration, and SB 1136 on insurance was also deferred after insurers and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs opposed it. In the later joint session with the Committee on Economic Development and Tourism, SB 744 on condominium loans was heard with support from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority and banking groups, while one testifier raised concerns that the program could function like C-PACE financing and add risky debt to condominium associations; testimony and discussion continued on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll call the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee meeting to order.
• Just as important, SB 131 streamlines the approval and appeal process.
• And the appeal process needs to be through the elected official.
• And folks are emailing, calling this. Can't we do this type of bill?
• Most of the calls, as we all know, are not emergent in need.

Bills: SB211, SB131, SB183, SB222, SB246, SB254

Keywords: appropriation, local government, Las Vegas, Rodriguez Park, public facilities, zoning reform, building regulations, residential apartments, commercial use, multigenerational housing, local government authority, healthcare, urgent care, emergency services, feasibility study, medical facilities, physician training, medical residency, New Mexico, massage therapy

Transcript Highlights:

• Call the roll, please. Call the roll, please. Senator John? Here. We got to do meetings.
• So what's the process? Mr.
• Chairman, can you please call the rules attorney? Sure, you want to call the rules attorney?
• To make a point, you can be called on you, but I haven't called on you, so you need to sit down, please
• Senator Miranda, due process is done when they're arrested and processed and turned over to federal law

Bills: SB1152, SB1156, SB1157, SB1213, SB1232, SB1268

Keywords: immigration, public benefits, asylum, verification, Arizona Revised Statutes, appropriation, public safety, detention, unauthorized aliens, local government funding, border security, fencing, appropriations, southern border, local government, immigration enforcement, probation, law enforcement, court notification, civil rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Is the process being used? Are valid? Is the process being used?
• And uh please call the role. >> Okay. And uh please call the role.
• I'd like to call Mr.
• goes further into the process. goes further into the process.
• <04:39:44.718> The do you call it? The do you call it?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• called me as long as it's appropriate well it was what they called me wasn't appropriate How they spoke
• So my plan was immediately called, because I used to work on a federal task force. for, so I called the
• Well in this case we are saying that that whole process process has gone through the process.
• As the bill travels through the process...
• CEO for a non-profit called ASD, A Home for Life.

Bills: SB604, SB843, SB1636, SB2395, SB571, SB1224, SB1832, SB2392, SB747, SB2623, SB2624, SB2185

Keywords: bonds, education funding, Texas Permanent School Fund, financial transparency, speculative rating, school funding, deferred maintenance, tax revenue, education budget, school districts, education, finance, Texas Education Code, misconduct, child abuse, educators, investigation, criminal offense, education law, suspension

Transcript Highlights:

• and voters to use that early voting process.
• and voters to use that early voting process.
• <01:07:04.160> that processes that processes that guarantee<01:07:06.160> that<01:07:06.480
• Counties have time to process them.
• Counties have time to process them.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Us in in that process Us in in that process and<00:03:01.599> you<00:03:01.760> know
• If I'm calling balls and strikes, you're not upset with us until there's a call in the margins and you
• If I'm calling balls and strikes, you're not upset with us until there's a call in the margins and you
• If I'm calling balls and strikes, you're not upset with us until there's a call in the margins and you
• In the fiscal process, umpires don't get noticed until they miss a call, right?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the fiscal note process, prompted by concerns raised in a prior hearing about the fiscal note for the Paid Family and Medical Leave law. Chair Marty, Senator Pratt, and Senator Wiklund said the goal was not to revisit the bill itself but to strengthen understanding of fiscal note standards, the role of the Legislative Budget Office (LBO), and communication with agencies. They emphasized bipartisan concern that fiscal notes must be respected and that the process should be clearer going forward. Christian Larison of the LBO explained that the 2024 fiscal note issues stemmed from three main problems: choosing the proper baseline for a program that had not yet started, interpreting the seven-day qualifying event/waiting period, and determining whether DEED could adjust the first-year premium rate. He said the LBO, DEED, MMB, and House fiscal staff ultimately used the October 2023 actuarial analysis as the baseline because it was the most recent and likely most accurate estimate, but that choice meant the fiscal note did not show the difference from the 2023 enacted budget. He also described how DEED later interpreted the seven-day provision as a waiting period and how the premium-rate assumptions affected the fiscal impact. Larison outlined possible responses, including more assertive early communication from the LBO, providing more detailed analysis in unusual cases, and possibly creating a working group through the LBO Oversight Commission to consider new standards for substantial assumption changes, complex new programs, and third-party actuarial work. He also noted the LBO has authority to issue unapproved fiscal notes if standards are not met, though it has not used that authority. In questions, Senator Murphy asked about protecting the credibility of fiscal notes, and Larison said maintaining independence, objectivity, and consistent standards is central to the LBO’s role. No votes or formal actions were taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're going to take a recess subject to the call of the chair.
• So we're going to take a recess subject to the call of the chair.
• Under the Constitution, a roll call is required on this matter. The clerk will call the roll.
• A vote will be taken by the call of the ayes and noes.
• The clerk will call the roll. The clerk will call the roll. This one has to be signed.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate first debated and advanced Senate Bill 2561, an act to promote student learning and mental health, centered on a statewide bell-to-bell restriction on student cell phone use in schools. Supporters argued the bill would reduce distraction, improve academic performance and mental health, and encourage social interaction, while preserving flexibility for districts and exceptions for emergencies, special education, health needs, and instructional uses. Several senators emphasized local control and the need for public input, and a number of amendments were considered: some were withdrawn, some were rejected, and others were adopted, including an amendment requiring consistent and necessary exceptions and another requiring public hearings and local public input. The bill was then ordered to a third reading and passed to be engrossed by a roll call vote of 38-2. The Senate also took up a conference committee report on a $259 million FY2025 supplemental appropriations bill. The report funded EMS costs, home care, the Healthy Incentives Program, DTA chip card technology, veterans benefits, the state police crime lab, the SSI state supplement, the Fair Housing Fund, and the National Guard, and included major indigent defense provisions: $40 million for 320 new CPCS staff attorneys, rate increases for private bar advocates, guardrails to reduce future work stoppages, and an independent review of the indigent defense system. Senators questioned the timing of the report, the inclusion of items not previously voted on by either branch, and the funding sources, including use of the transitional escrow fund and excess revenues. The report was accepted, the emergency preamble was adopted, and the supplemental budget was enacted. In addition, the Senate passed other measures, including a bill authorizing the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority to supply water to the Linfield Center Water District and a municipal roads and bridges financing bill, both by roll call vote. The chamber also enacted a health care protections bill, and it concurred in referrals on a governor’s municipal empowerment legislation. The session included a brief memorial tribute and adjournment in memory of Harry C. Christensen.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bearer calls Nancy A. Bearer. Good afternoon.
• The Chair calls Nancy Abram. Hello. Thank you for having me again.
• Chair now calls for public testimony. Chair calls Bridget Lynch. Bridget Lynch. Sophie Santorini.
• The scold's bridle, also called a whip...
• The clerk will call the roll. We'll call the roll. Chair Flores? Aye. Vice Chair Parker? Aye.

Bills: HB75, HB108

Keywords: building standards, youth camps, floodplains, safety regulations, environmental policies, drainage utilities, flood management, land use regulation, county authority, drainage fees, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Clerk will do the uh roll call >> Okay, Mr. Clerk will do the uh roll call vote.
• under the current evaluation process. under the current evaluation process.
• you parse out the case processing time? you parse out the case processing time?
• And with that, I would ask the clerk to call for a roll call vote. Okay.
• the clerk to call for roll call<01:42:00.000> vote.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee began a work session on House Bill 1600, concerning access to the centralized voter registration database on election days. Secretary of State David Scanlan testified that the state already has a new statewide voter registration system connected to town clerks and supervisors of the checklist, and that the bill was probably unnecessary but acceptable if the legislature wanted it. He raised concern about language that could require direct electronic access in every polling place, noting that some polling locations lack reliable internet or cell service and that municipalities can change polling locations, which could make a rigid requirement expensive and impractical. Members discussed whether the bill should be clarified to allow direct or indirect access, including use of a phone-based workaround, and the secretary said that would address his concern. The committee then voted on HB 1600. Representative Maguire moved ought to pass with an amendment adding “direct or indirect access” on page one, line seven, and the motion was seconded. The amendment was adopted 9-0 by voice vote, and the committee then voted 9-0 to OTP the bill. The chair stated that HB 1600 would be placed on consent. The committee next took up House Bill 1197F FN, a technical correction to insurance laws. Members noted it had already passed the House with amendment and that the fiscal note was effectively indeterminate but would not affect the general fund because the insurance agency is self-funded. The committee voted 9-0 to OTP the bill; the chair said consent calendar placement would be decided by the full committee. Finally, the committee opened a work session on House Bill 11:30 FN regarding judicial performance evaluations. Representative Lynn, the bill’s sponsor, argued that the fiscal note overstated the immediate cost and said the judicial branch could likely manage through the current biennium while implementing the new system. He also supported making judges’ names public and said the bill’s anonymity provisions were aimed at protecting the identities of questionnaire respondents, not the judges being evaluated. Members asked about public disclosure, internal access to evaluation materials, and the removal of language allowing the governor and executive council to receive evaluations on request; discussion continued on those points, but no final vote on HB 11:30 FN was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to call the Assembly Budget Subcommittee number 6 to order.
• So while those numbers may reflect what has happened in the beginning of the process, the process has
• It's an entire time through the process, and the process is quite lengthy. Thank you very much.
• Other courts experienced similar delays in processing.
• Processing filings but also recordings of judgments.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that I will call uh Rebecca Ross.
• And I'll call Cynthia West question.
• process with complaints and enforcement. process with complaints and enforcement.
• whole formalized process matters a lot. whole formalized process matters a lot.
• It's called unity of individual.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:23:42.360> for have been called out at 4:00 a.m. for have been called out at 4:00 a.m.
• the revenues and expenditures processed the revenues and expenditures processed at<00:54:55.559>
• certain Financial Accounting processes certain Financial Accounting processes were<00:57:16.680>
• <01:01:43.799> telecommunications ability to process telecommunications ability to process
• resolved while nine are in the process resolved while nine are in the process of<01:13:35.719>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Fiscal Committee met on January 30, 2025, and first organized itself by electing Senator Jim Gray as vice chair, electing Representative F as clerk, appointing Michael Caine as legislative budget assistant, and adopting the committee’s rules and procedures. The committee also adopted an amendment to the rules allowing audits to be automatically released to the public once placed on the Fiscal Committee agenda, with members discussing that the change would improve transparency and reduce paper handling. The minutes from the November 15, 2024 meeting were approved, with members who were absent abstaining. The committee then worked through a consent calendar and several individual items. It removed or noted withdrawals on a few items, including item 25004 for further discussion, item 25016 withdrawn by the Department of Education, item 257 removed by Representative F, and item 25001 removed under Tab 4. Item 25004, concerning the newborn screening program, prompted testimony from the Department of Health and Human Services explaining that the program is mandatory with an opt-out provision; officials said 99.2% of newborns were screened in 2023, meaning the opt-out rate was under 1%. The committee also approved item 25007, related to DHHS community health workers and telework policy, after hearing that the workers are not placed in schools and that DHHS follows statewide telework policy. On the regular calendar, the committee approved a Department of Administrative Services request to extend the release date for fiscal year 2024 numbers to March 31, and approved a Department of Fish and Game item. It also approved winter maintenance funding for the Department of Transportation after hearing that the $5.7 million request might not last through the winter if additional storms occur; DOT said even a small storm can cost more than $1 million and that crews are dispatched based on road conditions and supervisory judgment. The committee then approved items for the Judicial Council and the Office of Legislative Budget Assistant. The final discussion focused on the Health and Human Services dashboard and the Youth Development Center claims. DHHS acknowledged a data error in the APS client line and said Community Mental Health Center caseload data is still not fully accurate because two centers are undergoing EHR conversions. Members also asked about the low census at the Sununu Youth Development Center and about the process for managing future claims related to the YDC settlement fund. Witnesses from the Attorney General’s office said the fund is handled through a unique arrangement involving DOJ appropriations and judicial branch staff, that current judicial budget cuts are not yet affecting the litigation pace, and that the average resolution so far has been about $500,000, though future claims may vary. No votes were taken on the discussion items beyond the approvals noted above.

Transcript Highlights:

• PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. >> CHAIR TRUMBULL. >> Senator Trumbull: HERE. >> VICE CHAIR DAVIS. >> SENATOR BERMAN
• YOU ARE RECOGNIZED TO CLOSE. >> WAIVE CLOSE. >> Chair: PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. >> SENATOR BERMAN.
• AND I ASK YOU FOR YOUR FAVORABLE SUPPORT. >> Chair: CALL THE ROLL. >> SENATOR BERMAN.
• IT WAS AN ARDUOUS PROCESS.
• WE WILL RECONSIDER 1606 PLEASE CALL THE ROLL ON SENATE BILL 1606. >> SENATOR BERMAN.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• do I call the people who who do I call do I call the people who who do I call do I call the people who
• Who they going to call if they to call? Who they going to call if they to call?
• And y'all can call this whatever you want to call want to call want to call it.
• You can call it a plan. You can call it. You can call it a plan. You can call it.
• Speaker, I'd call for the B. call for the B. call for the B.

Bills: SB 1, HB 500, SB 1, HB 1400, HB 1094, HB 365, HB 1109, HB 647, HB 500

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, state budget, mental health funding, education funding, infrastructure improvements, public safety, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• . process. process.
• It certainly would be, but it should not be part of the process that is called for in this bill.
• Uh we get calls from voters, we get calls from candidates.
• Uh we get calls from voters, we get calls from candidates.
• Uh we get calls from voters, we get calls from candidates.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all