Transcript Highlights:

• Capillary, a senior engineer who will be speaking in support of AB 773. Go ahead.
• Joining with me is John Kapler, our Senior Public Works Engineer, whose specialty is water quality.
• Geothermal development offers not only a path to job. job creation in engineering, construction, and
• These products are often filled with harmful additives and specifically engineered to interfere with
• These industrially engineered foods are not. simply delicious.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You hold a bachelor's of science in system engineering.
• Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from
• communities, so there's more input by the industry and to those specific departments, say if it's your engineering
• Swanson, I'm a grandparent, a retired professional engineer and business executive. and a 30-year volunteer

Keywords: Texas Water Fund, water management, infrastructure funding, local governments, workforce development, community colleges, educational programs, sustainability

Summary: The meeting focused on several crucial issues, including the Texas Water Fund and its implications for development in the state. Various members highlighted the critical need for effective management of water resources, discussing the role of the Water Development Board and their strategies for outreach to local governments. The committee engaged in a thorough examination of funding projects and the sustainable financing necessary for communities facing challenges in meeting their infrastructure needs. Additionally, there was notable discussion regarding promoting workforce development and the alignment of educational programs with the demands of the job market as indicated by recent trends in community colleges.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this contract, this RFP and contract selection was for a design engineering firm to do the design
• contract for which we've got engineering contract for which we've got almost<01:02:30.880> an
• firm to do the an design engineering firm to do the design<01:02:48.559> and<01:02:49.119>
• <01:04:19.119> I'm I'm engineering selection services.
• I'm I'm engineering selection services.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first established a quorum, approved the minutes from the November 10 meeting, and then approved a large agenda of contracts and related items, with the total agenda amount stated as $359,638,393.88. Most items were approved without objection, but two contracts were pulled for discussion: attorney general panel counsel contingency fee contracts and a Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission personal services contract. For the attorney general’s office, Chris Lewis explained that the contracts were panel counsel contingency fee agreements, with 14 qualified awards from 16 applicants. He said the contracts were contingency-based, so no money would be paid unless cases were successful, and that the fee structure worked out to roughly 5% under the statutory waterfall. Senators asked about the size of the contracts, whether the terms were uniform, why no Kentucky firms were among the awardees, and how the public should understand the large dollar figures. Lewis said one Kentucky firm applied but was disqualified for a late submission, other Kentucky firms had inquired but did not apply, and local firms could still work with national firms on cases. The committee then approved the contracts. The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission contract drew more extensive questioning. Commission representatives said they had previously had a contract disapproved because the proper process was not followed, so they used an RFI process posted on the state and commission websites for at least three weeks. They received one applicant, a Kentucky firm, and set the rate at $125 per hour. Members questioned whether the commission was acting beyond its ethics mission, whether staff were helping draft complaints against legislators, and whether the commission was taking on a prosecutorial or human-resources role. The commission said its role is limited to enforcing the legislative code of ethics, providing advisory guidance, and following the formal complaint process; it does not pursue matters outside that code. Members also raised concerns about the earlier procurement misstep and the commission’s credibility, and the commission apologized, said it had corrected the process, and pledged to comply going forward. The committee then approved the contract.

Transcript Highlights:

• So having a market like this gives us the economic engine to go out and restore the forest and manage
• And having a market like this gives us the economic engine to go out and restore the forest and manage
• allows us gives us the economic engine allows us gives us the economic engine to<00:36:34.480>
• It's a compelling advanced engineering and financial solution.
• Uh, members, just to be clear, the request for RDA means that we... engineering costs while reducing

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're an economic engine for the city of St.
• We're an economic engine for the city of St.
• We're an economic engine for the city of St.
• We're an economic engine for the city of St.
• We're an economic engine for the city of St.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Chad Laroo, uh, from the professional engineering executive director of the Kentucky Association Highway
• Next up, work zone safety, automated enforcement with Deputy State Highway Engineer John Moore.
• I serve as Deputy State Highway Engineer within the Department of Highways within the Transportation
• ,<01:41:45.280> Department<01:41:45.520> of highway engineer, Department of highway
• engineer, Department of Highways,<01:41:46.080> Kentucky<01:41:46.400> Transportation

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• American Council of Engineering Companies in support. >> Chair, Vice Chair, and committee members.
• I'm representing the American Council of Engineering Companies.
• speak for the manager and chief engineer speak for the manager and chief engineer of<00:45:59.119
• Uh, Manager and Chief Engineer Ernie L has considered the intent and is willing to put on our website
• Uh manager and chief engineer Ernie >> Yes.

Bills: SB2190, SB2338, SB2424, SB2356, SB2981, SB3028, SB3187, SB2378, SB2398, SB2192, SB2155, SB3219, SB3218

Keywords: affordable housing, employment contracts, salary caps, housing finance, public housing authority, executive compensation, parking minimums, off-street parking, transit-oriented development, TOD, housing supply, smart growth, redevelopment, adaptive reuse, micro units, rail transit, public transit stations, county zoning, land use, urban planning

Summary: The House Housing Committee heard testimony on a series of housing-related Senate bills. SB 2190 SD2 on inclusionary zoning drew support from HHFDC, Hawaii YIMBY, Grassroot Institute, Housing Hawaii’s Future, and Hako Seed Center, with opposition from OHA and Aloha Independent Living Hawaii. SB 2338 SD1, dealing with housing agency personnel authority, received comments from the Attorney General cautioning that the bill should be clarified to avoid conflicts with civil service and collective bargaining laws and recommending removal of a provision limiting employment contracts; HHFDC said its comments addressed those concerns and supported the measure. SB 2424 SD1, concerning HHFDC, received broad support from housing, business, and community groups, with one opposition. Testimony focused on changing the definition of “qualified resident” so people who already own an HHFDC-assisted unit could later purchase another if their housing needs change; HHFDC said the current rule forces people to sell before buying again and that the bill would help people move up the housing ladder and encourage more housing development. SB 2356 on parking also drew broad support from state agencies, housing advocates, business groups, and local officials, with Unite Here Local 5 in opposition. SB 2981 on land use had strong support from many organizations and 67 individuals, with Unite Here Local 5 opposing. SB 3028 SD2 on property conveyance generated the most detailed policy debate. Supporters, including Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, Indivisible Hawaii, and others, backed restructuring the conveyance tax into a marginal rate system and urged changes to revenue allocations, including dedicated funding for homeless services, DHHL, and the rental housing revolving fund. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii supported the marginal-rate concept but opposed dedicated special-fund allocations and criticized the bill’s blank sections. Committee members questioned the historical purpose of the conveyance tax, and the Tax Foundation explained it was originally a modest tax tied to property-value tracking when the state still ran the property tax system. The committee also heard SB 3187 SD2 on off-site construction, SB 2378 SD2 on housing permitting, and SB 2398 SD2 on residential housing utilities. OPSD supported SB 3187 but said it preferred the House version and wanted clarification that off-site certification should apply to factories in Hawaii, not out of state, to avoid outsourcing labor; it also suggested starting with a small scope. SB 2378 SD2 drew support from engineering, housing, and labor groups, with testimony that the House version included needed fixes to make the program insurable. On SB 2398 SD2, the Board of Water Supply opposed the bill, saying it could require disclosure of sensitive infrastructure information beyond ordinary water-availability assessments and raise critical-infrastructure and cybersecurity concerns; developers and housing groups supported the measure. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It incorporates the Society of Automotive Engineers standard, the nationally recognized framework for
• the Society of Automotive Engineers the Society of Automotive Engineers standard,<00:10:12.520><
• There's a lot of solutions already that exist, and that is engineering safer roads.
• <01:54:30.080> safer exists and that is engineering safer exists and that is engineering safer
• least one engineer on the committee doing<01:54:33.440> that.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the area vice president of gas engineering at Xcel Energy.
• professional engineer in the state of Colorado.
• So this is important to us as well as other uh unions like the operating engineers, gas workers, etc.
• to hire them to do the actual work and then the engineering firm just manages it.
• Uh, Ray Gardner, area vice president, gas engineering at Xcel Energy.

Bills: HF3830, HF3688

Keywords: utilities, rate cases, cost recovery, reporting requirements, gas infrastructure, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• that engineering. that engineering.
• and Land Surveyors Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors Board of Registration<01:44:45.400> for<
• House Bill 1911, appropriation, Engineers Department of.
• House Bill 1911 appropriation, Engineers<01:52:13.520> Department<01:52:14.000> of.
• House Bill 1897 Engineers Department of.

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 12 March, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the pledge, and then dispensed with the reading of the journal, committee reports, and bill titles. The chamber also recognized several guests and groups, including the doctor of the day, visitors from Quebec, the Sumrall High School boys soccer team, Starkville public safety officials, and the Hattiesburg High School choral arts program. A resolution honoring the long-standing partnership between Quebec and Mississippi was read and adopted, and Ms. Nathalie Rivard of Quebec addressed the Senate about historical ties and economic cooperation between Quebec and Mississippi. The Senate then moved through a series of procedural actions on the calendar, including multiple motions to table reconsideration on medical cannabis and ARPA-related bills, and several motions to not concur and invite conference on workforce and budget measures. Among those were Senate Bill 2294, the Mississippi Future Innovators Act, Senate Bill 2288 on workforce training, Senate Bill 2401 on workforce development, Senate Bill 2189 on budget transfers, Senate Bill 2895 on ARPA funds, and Senate Bill 2917 on appropriations transfers. These motions were adopted, sending the measures to conference or otherwise advancing them as noted. A major portion of the meeting focused on appropriations bills. House Bill 1935, the Education Department appropriation, was explained in detail and adopted after a strike-all amendment; the bill includes funding for the student formula, teacher and assistant pay raises, special education supplements, school attendance officers, testing contracts, early learning coaches, and CTE instructor raises, with offsets from reduced or eliminated line items such as school safety platforms and certain vendor programs. The Senate also adopted strike-all amendments and passed House Bills 1936 and 1937 for Mississippi Public Broadcasting and the Library Commission, and then moved on to House Bill 1933 for the Bureau of Building. The Senate recessed until 2:30 p.m. and announced an appropriations meeting shortly after recess, while leadership noted that many supplemental appropriations bills would be considered later with attention to whether they contained reverse repealers and would go to conference or final passage.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, so I am not an electrical engineer, but these... instance a solar plant provides a instance a solar
• degree I just had a quick engineering degree I just had a quick question<00:31:17.919> what<00
• So maybe if it could be done in installments, finding out some way to pay contractors and engineers for
• So maybe if it could be done in installments, finding out some way to pay contractors and engineers for
• So maybe if it could be done in installments, finding out some way to pay contractors and engineers for

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard several energy and environmental bills. On HB 974, which would authorize state step-in agreements for certain power purchase agreements and create a trust fund/reserve mechanism, the Attorney General’s office raised concern that the state should not incur liability beyond the trust fund. The Division of Consumer Advocacy said it had comments but did not take a position, while the Public Utilities Commission, Ameresco, Hawaiian Electric, and other industry groups supported the measure, saying it would help developers secure financing for renewable projects and improve reliability. Hawaiian Electric said the bill would not use state funds and that its proposed reserve account would be held in trust and returned to customers if unused. Committee members questioned whether the reserve would raise customer costs; Hawaiian Electric said the amount would be small and would be offset by avoiding higher financing costs, while Consumer Advocacy suggested the language should be strengthened to ensure unused funds are fully returned. The committee then heard HB 338, which would clarify that premium interest-rate adjustments for non-fossil fuel generation are just and reasonable and allow the PUC to include them in rates. DCCA and the State Energy Office supported the bill, and the PUC also supported it. Hawaiian Electric opposed unless amended, arguing the PUC already has discretion and warning the bill could weaken competitive procurement by encouraging higher bids tied to the utility’s credit rating. DCCA said the concern was that developers might not seek the best financing if premium rates are recoverable, but said Hawaiian Electric’s suggested amendment requiring clear and convincing evidence of unavoidable financing-cost increases would help. Members also asked about refinancing and whether developers could later lower debt costs after locking in a premium rate; DCCA said that ability exists and suggested a time limit or review mechanism. For HB 337, which would direct the PUC to establish standards requiring utilities to remove certain fossil-fuel costs from the rate base when adding renewable resources, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Hawaii Clean Power Alliance, and the State Energy Office supported the measure. Hawaiian Electric opposed it, saying it misunderstood utility cost recovery and could threaten grid reliability because fossil plants provide ancillary services such as voltage regulation and balancing, not just energy. Hawaiian Electric pointed to its integrated grid plan and recent fossil-unit retirements as evidence of ongoing transition, and asked the committee to defer the bill and leave oversight to the PUC. The committee also heard HB 879 on cesspool conversions, which would raise the maximum grant from $20,000 to $30,000 and add DOH positions; DHHL, DOH, environmental groups, Hawaii Realtors, and others supported it, while DOH discussed staffing needs and the practical effect of the higher grant cap. The committee also began HB 379 on requiring denitrification capacity for certain wastewater systems near shorelines or groundwater, with DLNR testifying in support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Karen Benjamin, Deputy Chief Engineer for the Safe Drinking Water Program, Department of Health.
• Deputy Chief Engineer for the Safe Drinking Water Program, Department of Health. Okay.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs met on May 28, 2026, approved the May 19 minutes, and then considered three third-party convenience fee schedules for online payments. The first was for the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, presented by Rebecca Dupree with Louisiana Interactive; members confirmed the online payment option would be voluntary and approved the fee schedule without objection. The second was for the Department of Health’s Safe Drinking Water Program, presented by Karen Benjamin, and generated extended discussion about a $2.50 flat fee plus a 2.5% card-processing charge, especially whether that charge would violate recently passed Senate Bill 254 regarding debit card surcharges. Senators Mizell, Lambert, and Luneau questioned the structure, and department representatives said they believed the fee was not a surcharge and that ACH payments would avoid the percentage charge; the committee approved the fee schedule but urged the department to review it for compliance with SB 254. The third fee schedule was for the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal, presented by Lindsay Savoy and Garrett Lee, covering online payments for the conveyance program and the Fire Emergency Training Academy. Senators again raised concerns about the 2.5% card charge in light of SB 254, and the presenters said they intended to comply with the new law and would discuss the issue further. The committee approved this fee schedule as well, with a similar reminder to consider the bill’s impact going forward. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, counselors, teachers, engineers, and first responders And licensed professions
• , doctors, nurses, pharmacists, counselors, teachers, engineers, first responders, and other licensed

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Small engines run better and are better maintained if you put in premium non-oxygenated fuels.
• So, like I said, motorcycles, classic cars, and many small engines. Will benefit from this.

Transcript Highlights:

• The final thing is a lot of that engagement was previously being done by the permanent engineer before
• being done by the permanent engineer being done by the permanent engineer before<01:08:46.960>
• <01:14:18.320> and<01:14:18.560> permit<01:14:18.960> staff permanent engineers
• and permit staff permanent engineers and permit staff over<01:14:19.600> the<01:14:19.840>
• challenges of a specific engineering challenges of a specific project.<01:52:16.960> So,<01:52

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Throughout my tenure at AOT, I have seen firsthand how tourism promotion serves as a vital economic engine
• Throughout my tenure at AOT, I have seen firsthand how tourism promotion serves as a vital economic engine
• Tourism in Arizona is one of the state’s most powerful economic engines.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• was additional funding for Indian water rights settlement or employees to the Office of the State Engineer
• Settlement or employees to the Office of the State Engineer that were added on a recurring basis to administer
• I think the Office of State Engineer shared that they're starting to get more money out on the ground

Bills: SB145, SB143

Keywords: auditing, financial reporting, state auditor, public agencies, capital outlay, compliance, federal audits, agriculture, New Mexico Department of Agriculture, fee update, regulatory fees, egg inspection, egg grading, egg dealer, pesticide control, pesticide registration, pesticide applicator, pest management consultant, plant protection, nursery license

Transcript Highlights:

• We represent railroad employees, engineers, and conductors in most of the railroads.
• And I might add, I myself am a certified, federally qualified engineer and conductor.
• Positive Train Control is a safety overlay that can help the engineer manage their train.

Transcript Highlights:

• The batteries they put in our phones are extremely well engineered.
• When they built a project like Moss Landing, it was before they had that level of engineering.
• They’ve got engineers and consultants and lawyers and all this stuff. That’s a lot for a town.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Standing Committee on Energy and Telecommunications met under Chair Senator Kevin Parker and considered several bills related to clean energy, transmission, storage, schools, and microgrids. Bill 1456, which would require certain watercraft, aircraft, and trains to be zero-emissions and direct NYSERDA studies and incentives, was discussed as technology-neutral and advanced with one no vote to the Finance Committee. Bill 286, increasing statewide energy storage capacity, drew concerns about battery safety, fire risk, and volunteer fire department training, but was advanced to the floor with two no votes. Bill 2482, the Go Green Schools Act, would let schools convert to renewable energy and keep savings for school operations; it advanced to the floor despite concerns about siting solar on school grounds. Bill 2485 on expanding electric transmission lines and Bill 5510 directing NYSERDA to develop microgrid recommendations were both advanced to the Finance Committee, each with one no vote. The committee then heard testimony from Marguerite Wells, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. She argued that wind, solar, storage, and transmission have made New York a leader in clean energy and said renewable energy is increasingly cost-competitive, with much of recent bill increases driven by grid upgrades and gas prices rather than renewables. She also said clean energy helps hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices, pointed to community solar and offshore wind as savings and reliability tools, and said the state’s permitting and interconnection processes have improved. Members questioned Wells about farmland use, decommissioning, recycling of solar and wind equipment, battery storage safety, local control, and misinformation. Wells said utility-scale projects require decommissioning plans and financial assurances, farmland must be restored under agricultural guidelines, and recycling capacity is developing. On battery storage, she said New York has rigorous codes and monitoring requirements, that not all storage is lithium-ion, and that state-level permitting is appropriate for large facilities. Several senators raised concerns about fires, contamination, winter performance, and siting projects in densely populated areas or on farmland, while others emphasized farmland protections and the value of renewable projects to host communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• This exclusion would also apply to search engine or cloud service providers that obtain... ...of the
• This exclusion would also apply to search engine or cloud service providers that obtain information that
• For instance, what it did is it made sure we're not targeting search engines or we're not targeting ISPs

Bills: HB2133, HB2592

Keywords: sexual material, consent, synthetic depiction, privacy, internet regulation, rights protection, artificial intelligence, government regulation, innovation, procurement, administrative burdens, 1182, all