Transcript Highlights:

• through a lot of back-and-forth discussions during the permitting process... ...instead of front-loading
• going through a lot of back-and-forth discussions during the permitting process instead of front-loading

Summary: The committee heard a series of presentations on comprehensive plan updates, permitting reform, special purpose district coordination, and subdivision reform. Pierce County and the City of Redmond described their recent comprehensive plan updates, emphasizing housing production, transit-oriented development, middle housing, preservation of affordable housing, and the need for technical assistance and clearer state guidance. Both jurisdictions said the planning process took years and was complicated by overlapping state requirements, changing legislative mandates, and multiple review authorities. Redmond in particular said mid-course legislative changes forced supplemental environmental review and added significant cost and delay, and both local governments asked for more stability, clearer statutes, and better-aligned timelines. Presenters from the architecture, building official, and development sectors focused on permitting delays and proposed ways to speed housing delivery. Dave Boucher of AIA Washington argued for a provisional construction permit process for projects stamped by licensed professionals, along with mandatory deadlines and fewer stalled review cycles. Tim Woodard of WABO described existing tools such as pre-application meetings and phased approvals, noting they can improve certainty but also require staff time and careful coordination. Representatives from Master Builders and D.R. Horton said permit and subdivision delays add substantial cost to housing, citing studies showing months of delay and tens of thousands of dollars added per home, and urged administrative approvals, concurrent review, self-certification, and limits on repeated review cycles. The committee also reviewed a Commerce-led task force report on integrating special purpose districts into Growth Management Act planning. The task force recommended early invitation and notice to water, sewer, school, port, and other service providers during countywide planning policy and comprehensive plan updates, better coordination on grants and capital projects, updated water system coordination plans, and improved school siting and funding alignment in fast-growing areas. Speakers stressed that the recommendations were intended to be light-touch and focused on better communication rather than major statutory overhaul, while also noting that rural and slow-growing areas should not be burdened with the same requirements as rapidly growing jurisdictions. On subdivision reform, FutureWise and the City of Spokane discussed making more subdivision decisions administrative, preserving vesting, clarifying exemptions, and reducing unnecessary notice and appeal steps. Spokane described local reforms such as smaller minimum lot sizes, unit lot subdivisions, and reduced-process “minor engineering review” for simple plats, while raising concerns about new notice requirements and appeals to city councils for technical plat decisions. Across the hearing, members repeatedly returned to the theme that local governments, builders, and state agencies need clearer, more coordinated rules to reduce delay and uncertainty while still protecting safety and planning goals.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have shown my students how to load the resources that we use in class. My answer key...
• I've shown my students how to load the resources that we use in class, my answer keys, my personal tests

Summary: The committee met to hear an overview of Washington’s alternative learning experience (ALE) programs and then an update on artificial intelligence in schools. OSPI’s Anissa Sherritt explained that ALE is a course-level funding designation for instruction that occurs partly or wholly away from the traditional seat-time model, with online, site-based, and remote course types. She emphasized that ALE is still basic education, subject to the same public school requirements, and that OSPI provides technical assistance, annual reporting review, and program reviews. Representatives from several programs described different models: Washington Virtual Academy (a large online ALE operated through Omak School District and partnered with for-profit Stride), Columbia Virtual Academy in Valley School District (a district-run, nonprofit online/remote program), Pearl in Quilcene (a K-8 remote parent partnership program), and River Home Link in Battleground (a site-based hybrid program). They discussed student supports, special education, enrichment, family choice, transportation, and how they measure outcomes. Members asked for follow-up information on funding, demographics, racial and ethnic data, multilingual learners, and post-graduation outcomes, and OSPI agreed to provide additional data where available. The committee then heard from OSPI and several districts about AI guidance and implementation. OSPI’s Holly Ryan Calloway described the agency’s human-centered AI framework, three guidance documents for schools, statewide professional learning, an AI innovation summit, and new AI literacy and informatics course frameworks and CIP codes. Quincy School District described a multi-year effort to integrate AI by centering student needs, creating district policy and classroom guidance, and training teachers to use AI responsibly while building an AI readiness plan from elementary through high school. Peninsula School District described its AI action research team, teacher professional learning, and classroom uses of generative AI to support science instruction, communication, and prompt engineering, while stressing that AI should enhance rather than replace learning. Members raised questions about privacy, energy and water use, prompt engineering, workforce and university connections, and the need for clear standards and ongoing educator training. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• whatever reason yet, you know, every district and charter school has Its own way of distributing this load
• It is quite a load.

Transcript Highlights:

• You can go, you know, load trucks, clean floors, or do whatever just to contribute because, you know.
• This is not a loaded question, but it's a question that needs to be asked.

Transcript Highlights:

• But if in 2020 you had such a load of work and the personnel to do so, and now you're at 538, do you
• We have been able to accommodate the city inspection load by some of these guys having 40, 50 inspections

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee first heard a long-running audit finding involving Daytona Beach’s unexpended building permit funds, which have exceeded the statutory limit for several years and were reported at $10.8 million in the most recent audit. Mayor Derek Henry and city staff said the city has analyzed the fund, adopted a corrective action plan, waived more than $5.5 million in permit and inspection fees over several periods, and used some excess funds for a training facility rehabilitation and a proposed City Hall expansion. Committee members repeatedly questioned whether the city was simply trying to spend down the money, raised concerns about the legality and necessity of proposed expenditures, and asked about interest earnings, truck purchases, and the lack of detailed tracking for training-facility use. The city said an Attorney General opinion allows construction of a new building for building-code functions but not purchase of an existing building, and that if the city cannot comply through permissible construction it would have to return the funds. No vote was taken, but members expressed strong frustration and urged the city to resolve the issue quickly and lawfully. The committee then received the Auditor General’s presentation on the Town of Greenville, which found 31 findings and described pervasive control failures, possible fraud, waste, and abuse. The findings covered elections and quorum issues, conflicts of interest, late or missing financial disclosure forms, related-party transactions, poor meeting notices and minutes, council involvement in day-to-day operations, missing ethics training, budget and accounting deficiencies, weak bank reconciliations, improper utility billing and rates, grant compliance problems tied to a grocery store project, personnel and compensation issues involving the town manager, late vendor payments, weak procurement and P-card controls, vehicle-use and property-control problems, public records issues, and IT/fraud-policy weaknesses. The auditor said the review focused mainly on October 2022 through February 2024 but went back further for some grant-related matters. Greenville’s mayor and staff said the audit reflected actions of a previous administration and that the current council and staff have already adopted seven new policies to improve procurement, financial controls, inventory management, grant oversight, and ethics. They said the town has a new manager and clerk, that the former manager was terminated, and that the town referred matters to FDLE, which is investigating. Committee members asked about the manager’s salary increase, severance, P-card use, and whether the town should consider consolidation or dissolution. The mayor said the town is on a better path, that most of the prior leadership has been voted out, and that the town is working with auditors and an outside accounting firm to correct the problems.

Transcript Highlights:

• You can't even load it into Excel.
• You need to like load it into a computer algebra program like R in order to do the analysis.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're adding additional classroom teachers to lower our class class loads so that we don't have heavy
• class loads anymore.

Transcript Highlights:

• I do want to just say that it's providing information about the critical load, so it's not actually..
• . ...having to determine who of your residents deserves the critical load priority.

Bills: SB623, SB1266, SB1310, SB1373, SB1580, SB1952, SB2032, SB2269, SB2544, SB2653, SB2796

Keywords: pharmacist, vaccine administration, COVID-19, exclusive authority, healthcare, Medicaid, provider enrollment, credentialing, administrative burden, Texas Health and Human Services, senior retirement communities, emergency response, residential safety, contract provisions, health and safety regulations, medical staff privileges, hospital administration, healthcare regulation, Texas Health and Safety Code, consistency in privileges

Transcript Highlights:

• think that readjustments helped us deal... ...I think that readjustments helped us deal with the case load
• easier to solve and resolve, and you have a larger docket. ...and resolve, and you have a larger docket load

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• got dropped off right before, right after our last truck went out to this collection point, so I loaded
• that got dropped off right before right after our last truck went out to this collection point so I loaded
• The UTVs, the skid steers, the trucks of all sizes, fuel trucks, drones, dogs, helicopters, and a myriad
• I immediately took action, started purchasing materials, loaded up a truck, and drove down with the anticipation
• I immediately took action, started purchasing materials, loaded up a truck, and drove down with the anticipation

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness hearing convened in Kerrville with quorum, public testimony limited to three minutes and invited testimony to 10 minutes. Leaders from both chambers, along with the lieutenant governor and speaker, framed the hearing as an unprecedented joint effort focused on learning from the July 4 flood, honoring victims, and identifying actions to reduce future loss of life. The committee also heard opening remarks about decorum, logistics, and the intent to continue work in future sessions. The first panel included Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, Emergency Management Coordinator William B. Thomas IV, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr., Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, Upper Guadalupe River Authority representative William Rector, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk, and Real County Judge Bella Rubio. They described the flood as sudden and catastrophic, with Kerr County reporting 108 deaths and two missing. Local officials emphasized that they received no timely warning of the scale of the event, that responders and volunteers acted heroically under extreme conditions, and that communications, cell coverage, and rural emergency resources were strained. Several witnesses said the county’s existing alert systems were limited by geography, sparse broadband, and the speed of the flood. Testimony focused on possible improvements, including real-time flood gauges and predictive monitoring, stronger rural emergency management staffing and training, better interoperability and alerting tools such as IPAWS, CodeRED, WENS, and sirens, and expanded broadband and radio coverage. Kerrville asked for a flood warning system before next summer and state help for stormwater, floodplain, and disaster recovery funding. UGRA described its past and current flood-warning and mitigation efforts, including gauge funding, a new software-based flood prediction project, and consideration of additional retention dams. Kendall and Real counties highlighted successful or needed alerting and evacuation practices, while also stressing the difficulty of funding and maintaining such systems in small rural counties. Members asked detailed questions about the timeline of the flood response, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and whether regional consolidation or additional infrastructure could improve future preparedness.

Transcript Highlights:

• believe they were not germane because the 213 is indexing the gas tax, weight distant tax, and special fuel

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Whereas the ALS Association is committed to accelerating the pace of discovery, fueled by the hope that

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:41:20.400> nuclear<01:41:20.880> or<01:41:21.119> fossil<01:41:21.520> fuel
• <01:41:22.960> We of nuclear or fossil fuel plants. We of nuclear or fossil fuel plants.
• And this would apply to all fossil fuel generators, not just the new ones. energy sufficient efficiency
• > not<01:42:26.560> just<01:42:26.719> the<01:42:26.960> new fossil fuel
• generators, not just the new fossil fuel generators, not just the new ones.<01:42:28.239> No<01

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Their work keeping our aircraft fueled and our operations moving is essential to every mission our nation
• prestigious flight chief air award at Shepard Air Force Base, placing among the top 5% of aircraft fuel
• increase production and lower prices in California by easing regulations, by relaxing restrictions on our fuel
• 06:14:08.558> restrictions<06:14:09.280> on<06:14:09.520> our<06:14:09.760> fuel
• relaxing restrictions on our fuel mix. relaxing restrictions on our fuel mix.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He said it is a small step that would allow utilities flexibility in using a fuel that has helped reduce
• I think, as everyone on the committee knows, biodiesel is a drop-in fuel that can be used in any diesel
• The national trade organization, the Clean Fuels Alliance of America, estimates that when we're using
• 08:30.400> organization<01:08:31.040> the<01:08:31.359> clean<01:08:31.520> fuel
• uh trade organization the clean fuel uh trade organization the clean fuel alliance<01:08:32.159>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I chose peace over escalation, believing that protecting my child meant not fueling further conflict.
• It would significantly increase the<04:28:24.640> case<04:28:24.880> load<04:28:25.359>
• and<04:28:25.600> that's<04:28:25.840> just<04:28:26.239> that's the case load
• and that's just that's the case load and that's just that's just<04:28:26.640> the<04:28:26.800

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• anti-union activities and the productivity losses that tend to arise from the tension and distraction fueled
• 36.280> tension<00:25:36.800> and<00:25:36.920> distraction<00:25:38.120> fueled
• from the tension and distraction fueled from the tension and distraction fueled by<00:25:38.720>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• were fearing catastrophe and bringing up all the risks, but that secured our western frontier and it fueled
• ><00:13:33.120> it secured our western frontier and it secured our western frontier and it fueled
• :34.880> So<00:13:35.120> these<00:13:35.440> are<00:13:35.600> these fueled
• So these are these fueled our growth.

Bills: HB0108, HB0039, HB0091, HB0070

Keywords: audit, transparency, government reporting, accountability, public access, firearm rights, restoration of rights, criminal justice, felony convictions, Wyoming law, artificial intelligence, social scoring, biometric data, privacy rights, government regulation, foreign censorship, digital innovation, constitutional rights, Wyoming GRANITE Act, extraterritorial laws

Transcript Highlights:

• emergency clause on this bill, they will be back on the road, saving districts thousands of dollars in fuel
• <00:36:03.040> of<00:36:03.200> dollars<00:36:03.520> in<00:36:03.760> fuel
• districts thousands of dollars in fuel districts thousands of dollars in fuel and<00:36:05.280><

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call - 00:55 26RS SB 22 – 04:52 26RS SB 46 – 0:34:36, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Education met with a quorum and opened the session by recognizing staff and an intern before taking up SB 22, relating to the dual credit scholarship program. Senator Jimmy Higdon presented the bill with Laura Arnold of Nelson County Schools, explaining that it is a narrower version of a prior proposal that had been too broad and had drawn an unfavorable fiscal note. The bill would create a Grow Your Own teacher apprenticeship scholarship for students in registered teacher apprenticeship programs, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, allowing up to 20 dual credit courses total and no more than eight per year. It requires a district-approved commitment form, annual completion of at least one teaching-and-learning pathway course, and maintenance of a 2.75 GPA on scholarship-funded coursework. Students who withdraw or fail to meet academic requirements would lose eligibility and could be required to repay scholarship funds, though waivers for cause are included. The sponsor said the estimated costs were relatively modest at first and could grow over time, and described the program as a way to address the teacher shortage and help students earn an associate degree in high school and then complete teacher certification with less debt. Testimony from Nelson County Schools described the Lead Nelson model as a partnership among the district, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, and Western Kentucky University, with students beginning education coursework in high school, earning dual credit, and receiving clinical hours in classrooms earlier than in traditional preparation programs. Witnesses said the model includes key assessments, university oversight, and collaboration on curriculum and outcomes, and that it has already produced at least one teacher who returned to Nelson County. Members asked about the GPA cutoff, possible reinstatement after academic recovery, federal funding opportunities, the amount and structure of apprentice pay, and the role of postsecondary partners. Mary Taylor of the Kentucky Department of Education said there appears to be federal support for similar apprenticeship efforts and noted a possible U.S. grant opportunity, while the presenters said high school apprentices are paid hourly and adult apprentices average about $24,000 annually. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• couple of additional exemptions from the retail delivery fee, and that's related to delivery of both fuel
• delivery of re uh and that's related to delivery of both<00:36:49.119> uh<00:36:49.280> fuel
• <00:36:49.680> products<00:36:50.160> and<00:36:50.640> aggregate both uh fuel
• products and aggregate both uh fuel products and aggregate materials.<00:36:53.680> Section<00

Bills: HF2438

Keywords: transportation finance, transportation policy, MnDOT, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, Metropolitan Council, highway funding, trunk highway fund, county state-aid highway fund, municipal state-aid street fund, state aid roads, local roads, bridge funding, road construction, transit funding, passenger rail, freight rail, aviation, airport development, safe routes to school