Transcript Highlights:

• handgun holders from entering or remaining on the property, and allows licensed handgun holders to file
• In closing, sir, I would like to thank Senator Hall for filing this important piece of legislation that
• The Texas State Fair is in a high-crime-rate area of Dallas.
• I want to thank Senator Hall for filing this important legislation.
• Grisham, actually influenced some of the lawsuit filed by A.G. Paxton.

Bills: SB1065, SB2117, SB2217, SB2363, SB2533, SB2742, SB2743, SB2881, SB2964, SB3013, SB3014

Keywords: SB 1065, handgun carry, license holder, concealed carry, open carry, government contracts, governmental entity, property lease, state agencies, local government, higher education, university, Texas Government Code, Penal Code 30.06, Penal Code 30.07, Penal Code 46.03, Second Amendment, gun rights, firearms, civil penalty

Summary: The Senate State Affairs Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 1065, which would require government property contracts to prohibit contractors from barring licensed handgun holders from carrying firearms on leased or owned public property, with civil penalties and attorney general enforcement for violations. Senator Hall and invited witnesses from the Texas State Rifle Association, NRA, and Texas Gun Rights argued the bill would close a loophole exposed by the State Fair of Texas gun ban and protect law-abiding Texans’ self-defense rights. Opponents, including Moms Demand Action/Everytown, said the bill would undermine event organizers’ ability to set site-specific safety rules and could increase liability and insurance costs. Public testimony was then closed and the bill was left pending. The committee next took up Senate Bill 2742, which would create civil penalties for independent school districts and officials who use public resources for electioneering, waive immunity defenses, and expand attorney general enforcement. Senator Hagan-Bood said current law bans the conduct but lacks meaningful penalties, making injunctions the only remedy. No public testimony was heard, and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2743, also by Senator Hagan-Bood, which would allow a court to disqualify local prosecutors who refuse to prosecute election offenses and appoint the attorney general to handle the case, with a committee substitute adjusting the removal process through an adjacent-county judge. Opponents from the Texas Civil Rights Project argued the bill would undermine prosecutorial discretion and was vague and open to abuse, while a Harris County election official described past instances where alleged voter fraud cases were not pursued. After testimony, public comment was closed and SB 2743 was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Go ahead. tax rates and tax impact information on tax rates and tax impact information on warrant<
• So there are two different rates.
• We have our tuition rate for our school and then we have our tuition rate for our residential.
• So there are two different rates.
• We have our tuition rate for our school and then we have our tuition rate for our residential.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A publicity notice is filed of record.
• Let's start with file number, item number one, Laird. And what is the bill number? SB 939, Laird.
• revealed that special compensation for employee longevity was incorrectly included in employee base rates
• And during these three years, one pay rate left an employee with an $8,400 bill through no fault of their
• revealed that special compensation for employee longevity was incorrectly included in employee base rates

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's keep working through the rest of the file.
• We're going to open the file for the absent members.
• Right off the gates, we have file item number 1, SB 894 Allen.
• The consent file item two, SB 973.
• File item three, SB 1020, Nilo. Do pass as amended to Appropriations.

Summary: The Senate Emergency Management Committee heard several wildfire- and emergency-related bills. SB 1270 by Senator Richardson would expand the California Wildfire Mitigation Program to more counties and direct future funding toward areas with the greatest wildfire risk and social vulnerability; supporters included CSAC and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. SB 1079 by Senator Stern would create a permanent fire innovation unit within Cal Fire to identify operational needs, test new technologies, and speed deployment of successful tools; it drew support from Megafire Action, fire agencies, and several advocacy groups. SB 1020 by Senator Niello would require annual reporting on open gubernatorial states of emergency, including spending and lessons learned, to increase legislative oversight without limiting emergency powers; the LAO provided technical assistance on the bill. SB 894 by Senator Allen would establish a wildfire resilience loan program modeled on Go Green to help finance home hardening and defensible space improvements, with broad support from state, local, environmental, and credit union interests. Testimony on the bills emphasized wildfire risk, the need for broader home hardening access, and the value of innovation and oversight in emergency management. Supporters of SB 894 said grants alone cannot meet the scale of needed mitigation and that low-cost financing could leverage private capital. Supporters of SB 1079 argued California needs a more formal system to connect firefighters with innovators and scale proven technologies. On SB 1020, the author and committee discussed balancing executive emergency authority with transparency and accountability. There was no recorded opposition to the measures during testimony. After discussion, the committee accepted amendments on the bills and voted to pass SB 894, SB 973, SB 1020, SB 1270, and SB 1079 as amended to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The transcript shows multiple roll calls as quorum was established and absent members were called; each bill ultimately received unanimous support from members present and was reported out of committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's keep working through the rest of the file.
• We're going to open the file for the absent members.
• Right off the gates, we have file item number 1, SB 894 Allen.
• The consent file item two, SB 973.
• File item three, SB 1020, Nilo. Do pass as amended to Appropriations.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And instead, we now have an uninsured rate for adults 19 to 64 at 15%. ...an uninsured rate for adults
• Late-filed amendment barcode 821406 by Senator Osgood.
• Without objection, show the late-filed amendment introduced.
• I understand our error rates. And I am for improving a system.
• I understand our error rates. And I am for improving a system.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several introductions and memorials, including a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with several bills substituted with House companions and adopted by voice vote or recorded vote. Early measures included a tax conformity bill tied to federal Internal Revenue Code changes, which passed 34-0, and a Medicaid/public assistance bill that drew extensive debate over work requirements, fraud reduction, behavioral health services, and SNAP/EBT reforms. Amendments offered by Senators Berman and Osgood to condition or soften the work and photo-ID provisions were rejected, and the underlying bill was placed on the third-reading calendar after lengthy questioning about implementation, exemptions, and eligibility effects. The Senate also passed bills on computer science education and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry public-records exemption and registry update, designation of the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the legal-tender sunset for gold and silver, public-records protections for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, and local government budget transparency/spending measures. Most of these measures were adopted after minor amendments or technical substitutions, with votes generally ranging from 31-3 to 34-0. The chamber also recognized the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage. Later, the Senate approved a digital voyeurism bill expanding the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy definition to include private fenced yards, and an insurance customer representative licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework and later qualify for licensure. The final major item was a medical freedom bill that would expand parental vaccine information requirements, add a conscience-based exemption to immunization mandates, allow behind-the-counter ivermectin for adults, and repeal the sunset on the mRNA mandate prohibition; two amendments clarifying anti-kickback rules and requiring vaccine information to include risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy were adopted, while questions from Senators Smith and Massullo focused on public-health impacts and the content of the required materials. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill would phase down the rate of the severance tax on metallurgical coal.
• The current rate is 5%. Beginning January 1 of that year, it would reduce to 4.5%.
• This would reduce the severance tax rate on newly drilled and completed oil and gas wells.
• The current rate is 5%.
• After two years, the rate would revert to 5%.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These conditions include if the renter fails to return a key, fails to file a police report, and fails
• To explain the differences between the substitute and the bill as filed. Thank you.
• Chairman, this is a significant bill that has to do with capital cost recovery, essentially rates for
• , hurdle rates, and scenario planning.
• Chairman, this should also result in the lowering of rates for eligible insureds by allowing them to

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So who receives any information when I file in the state? You file a new entity.
• I file with the state. Isn't that y'all? We have...
• We have business filings that we... and again, I'm interim director of business and public filings and
• government filings.
• Thank you for the opportunity to lay out my filed version of 2587.

Bills: HB216

Keywords: HB216, Texas abortion law, abortion-inducing drug, medication abortion, mifepristone, misoprostol, telemedicine, in-person exam, physician presence, out-of-state physician, reproductive healthcare, abortion regulation, Health and Safety Code, Occupations Code, consultation services, remote prescribing, pro-life, pro-choice

Summary: The Committee on Public Health met with a quorum and heard public testimony on a long agenda, with members repeatedly reminded of a two-minute limit for witnesses. Several bills were voted out favorably, including HB 2588 on cottage food, HB 1639 on cancer incidence and female firefighters, HB 2581 on a reporting form for contracted services for pregnant women, and SB 922 on electronic disclosure of certain sensitive medical information. Those measures generally passed on party-line or near-unanimous votes, while HB 216 on itemized medical statements was left pending after the committee substitute was withdrawn. The committee also left pending HB 5141, HB 4638, HB 2035, HB 4813, HB 2264, HB 4014, and HB 3829 after hearing testimony and questions. The final item introduced in the excerpt was HB 4408 on health care market transparency and corporate consolidation, but the discussion was cut off before testimony or action was completed. A major theme of the hearing was mental health diversion and access to treatment. HB 5141, by Rep. Howard, would allow Travis County to use vacated Austin State Hospital property for a local mental health jail diversion center; law enforcement, the Travis County sheriff, county judge, and urban counties group all testified in support, describing the lack of alternatives for people in crisis and the burden on jails and emergency rooms. Members asked about eligible offenses, bed capacity, and whether the facility would serve only Travis County, and the bill was left pending. HB 2264, by Rep. Schoolcraft, would create a friends-and-family form for loved ones to provide information to providers during emergency mental health treatment; NAMI and hospital groups supported it, while one neutral witness and several members raised concerns about patient control, credibility of information, and liability protections. The bill was also left pending. The committee also heard multiple psychedelic-therapy and drug-policy bills. HB 4813 would speed Texas rescheduling of Schedule I substances if the FDA reclassifies them, with testimony focused on psilocybin and MDMA and their potential use for PTSD and depression; members questioned whether the bill was too broad and how state rescheduling works, and it was left pending. HB 4014 would direct HHSC to study psychedelic therapies, building on prior state research, and witnesses said Texas should prepare regulatory and clinical infrastructure before FDA approval; it too was left pending. HB 2035 would require parents to be informed that they may seek substance-use treatment for a child even if one facility turns them away, prompted by a constituent’s account of a fatal fentanyl overdose after receiving incorrect advice; it was left pending. HB 4638 would extend and expand the Texas Pharmaceutical Initiative board and timeline, with the author saying the program is still in early implementation and needs more time, and it was left pending as well. Other bills addressed public health administration and animal welfare. HB 3829 would require a study of the animal-friendly account and its grant process for spay/neuter funding, with the author arguing that the current application and reimbursement process is too burdensome for shelters and nonprofits; no opposition was heard and the bill was left pending. HB 2581 and HB 1639 were reported favorably, while HB 216 drew discussion about enforcement of itemized medical billing and was held after the committee substitute was withdrawn. Throughout the hearing, members also discussed broader concerns about homelessness, competency restoration waitlists, jail overcrowding, and the need for more treatment options outside the criminal justice system.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, the vast majority of states just tax the income from wealth at the same rate as the tax rate from
• than their regular tax rate.
• Um, the vast majority of states just tax the income from wealth at the same rate as the tax rate from
• than their regular tax rate.
• Um we've had some rate from work.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered several bills focused on economic development, tourism, business climate, and related policy areas. On HB 1943, which would support a DBEDT office in Korea, DBEDT and the Retail Merchants of Hawaii testified in support, emphasizing Korea’s importance as a market for investment, trade, and tourism and the value of helping small and midsize Hawaii businesses access Asian markets. A later witness also tied the proposal to broader free-trade and APEC-related goals. The committees heard no opposition on that measure. The committees then heard HB 1612 and HB 1614, both supported by multiple organizations and agencies. Testimony for HB 1612 stressed Hawaii’s weak business climate and the need for policies that improve economic growth and competitiveness; the Hulamua Collaborative cited survey results showing only 19% of respondents viewed Hawaii as a good place to do business. HB 1614 also drew support, with HTC saying its focus is on economic growth. For HB 1968 and HB 1967, the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, the University of Hawaii, the Chamber of Commerce, and Hulamua Collaborative largely stood on written testimony in support; the hearing notes reported nine supporters and one opponent on HB 1968, and seven supporters with one comment on HB 1967. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on HB 1589, a bill to create dementia training and recognition for businesses. Testifiers included a private citizen sharing a personal family story, the Alzheimer’s Association, and DBEDT. Supporters said the measure would help families affected by dementia, reduce stigma, and make businesses more dementia-friendly. DBEDT said the issue would be better handled by an agency with dementia expertise, while the Alzheimer’s Association said it could provide training at no cost and suggested amendments to shift implementation toward the Executive Office on Aging and to use the term “dementia business champion.” The final major topic was HB 1608, involving a space-related project and financing. Phoenix Space testified that the bill would help launch responsive space access operations at Hilo International Airport, create local jobs, and support partnerships with Hawaii institutions, while another supporter said the project could diversify the economy. A committee member raised a timing concern, noting bond cap capacity was already allocated through 2028, and the witness said they were willing to work on a solution. The hearing also included HB 1850 on capital gains taxation, where supporters argued the bill would make the tax system fairer by increasing taxes on investment income, while the Chamber of Commerce opposed it. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• You've got a one-year, five-year, and ten-year rate.
• You'll notice different return rates in the bullets there, the one-, five-, and ten-year rates.
• So your bust rate is pretty big.
• And so it's not rising at the rate that it was.
• So it's not rising at the rate that it was.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard budget presentations for the Texas Historical Commission, the Pension Review Board, the Employees Retirement System (ERS), Social Security and benefit replacement pay, the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESSRS), and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The Legislative Budget Board outlined recommendations and major changes for each agency, including reductions tied to one-time projects at the Historical Commission, continued funding for courthouse grants, heritage trails, and Holocaust/genocide education, as well as new or modified riders and capital items. For the pension-related items, LBB described funding changes for PRB, ERS, Social Security, and TESSRS, including ERS health plan cost growth driven largely by pharmacy costs, the status of pension funding reforms, and TESSRS’s request for additional state support to address its unfunded liability and staffing needs. Members asked extensive questions about the Historical Commission’s one-time funding, unexpended balance authority, courthouse preservation, the Presidio La Bahia and National Museum of the Pacific War projects, and coordination of Texas history messaging across sites such as the Alamo, San Jacinto, Washington on the Brazos, and other heritage locations. The Historical Commission chair emphasized heritage tourism, economic development, and the need for continued investment in historic sites, staffing, IT modernization, and vehicles. On the pension items, senators discussed PRB oversight of local systems, including the Dallas police and fire pension situation, and ERS investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health costs. ERS officials said the plan remains well funded overall, noted a 2021 cash balance reform and a planned supplemental legacy payment, and explained that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro are a major driver of pharmacy spending; they also said the agency is working with the Texas Pharmacy Initiative and that rebates are contractually returned to ERS. For TESSRS, LBB and agency staff said the system serves volunteer and part-paid emergency personnel, is facing an infinite amortization period, and is requesting additional appropriations, staffing, and IT funding, along with a statutory change to allow an actuarially determined state contribution. The agency said it may otherwise need to cut benefits for volunteer firefighters. For CPRIT, LBB reported about $600 million in recommended funding for the biennium and a 10-FTE increase, while the agency described its $6 billion voter-approved program, $3.75 billion in grants awarded to date, and $10.4 million in revenue sharing since 2011. CPRIT’s only exceptional item was a request for a 10% salary increase for two exempt positions. No committee votes or formal actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate file committee. So adopted.
• File with Senate File 2884,<00:21:49.039> Senator<00:21:49.440> Friends,<00:21:49.840>
• Senate file number 28.884. Senate file number 28.884.
• bill that has not passed, House File bill that has not passed, House File 2433,<01:57:40.960>
• uninsurance and the experience ratings uninsurance and the experience ratings go<02:04:48.800>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• potentially even avoiding the filing potentially even avoiding the filing cost<00:17:35.880>
• like to go ahead and present Senate file like to go ahead and present Senate file 672<00:23:44.240
• Senate file Senate file 672<00:23:51.360> an<00:23:51.640> appropriation<00:23:52.600
• Thank you very much. giving my full support for Senate file giving my full support for Senate file 672
• Appropriations in low interest rate Appropriations in low interest rate environments<01:09:54.480

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and so we want to find referral rates and so we want to find ways<00:13:29.160> to<00:13:29.279
• Please consider extending the short-call substitute pilot and repealing the minimum $200 daily rate.
• Please consider extending the short-call substitute pilot and repealing the minimum $200 daily rate.
• Repealing the minimum $200 daily rate.
• <01:28:52.719> six on our agenda which is house file six on our agenda which is house file

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Education Policy Committee approved the minutes from January 21, 2025, and then heard testimony from several school superintendents about the financial and operational impact of recent education-related mandates. Chair Bennett framed the hearing as an opportunity to hear from districts about the effects of more than 65 new mandates and restrictions adopted in recent years. The first witnesses were Corey McIntyre of Anoka-Hennepin, Michael Thomas of Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools, and David Law of Minnetonka Public Schools. The superintendents said districts are facing rising costs, flat or declining enrollment, the end of federal pandemic aid, and mandates they described as unfunded or underfunded. McIntyre cited major budget cuts in Anoka-Hennepin, including reductions in central office staff, and said the district faces continuing shortfalls tied to special education, multilingual learner costs, unemployment claims, paid leave, transportation, literacy materials, and the K-3 discipline statute. Thomas said Prior Lake-Savage is balancing growing student needs against limited revenue, and argued that mandates such as REACT and other requirements should be delayed or better funded so districts can implement them with fidelity. Law said the concerns are statewide, not just metro-based, and criticized the accumulation of expectations around food service, mental health, sick and safe time, unemployment, and family leave without corresponding resources. Several witnesses emphasized that school budgets are heavily committed to staff costs and that new obligations create administrative burdens as well as direct expenses. They urged lawmakers to reduce, delay, or better fund mandates, adjust timelines, and provide more flexibility in local revenue tools and equalization aid. No votes were taken on legislation during this portion of the meeting beyond approval of the prior day’s minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• costs were headlines because of the rate costs were headlines because of the rate increases<00:37
• rate rate reduction<00:58:03.839> thank<00:58:04.160> Senator<00:58:04.440> green
• fuel rate cases Rider filings fuel rate cases Rider filings fuel adjustments<01:18:22.199> and
• low-income customers with reduced rates low-income customers with reduced rates in<01:23:50.040>
• <01:42:21.840> payer the Pu to the extent that rate payer the Pu to the extent that rate payer

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not going to file the form.
• I'm not going to file Please keep it. I'm not going to file the<00:50:53.280> form.
• Um, the uh uh uh Senate File 77 issue.
• Um, the uh uh uh Senate File 77 issue.
• with business filings. with business filings.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First order of business is House File 1366.
• Thank you for hearing House File 1366.
• rates rates low.<00:05:38.479> Uh<00:05:38.880> as<00:05:39.120> far<00:05:39.280
• c> significantly lower than the rates um significantly lower than the rates um motans<00:12:16.959>
• We appreciate File 1859 for discussion.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2024, high school gaps in MCAS pass rates by race, income, disability, and language are largely the
• Our students are growing and achieving at extraordinary rates.
• Is there a House bill that Representative Ferranti filed? Thank you for the invitation.
• Is there a House bill that Representative Ferranti filed, another H bill? There is not.
• You go to the district office where a few years earlier you originally filed it.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education heard testimony on several bills centered on school accountability, receivership, graduation requirements, charter school access, community schools, school libraries, and student voting rights. Much of the discussion focused on the Thrive Act, S. 374, which would end state receivership and change the state’s accountability approach. Supporters, including educators, parents, advocacy groups, and students, argued that receivership has not improved outcomes in districts such as Lawrence, Holyoke, Southbridge, Boston, and the Dever, and that local communities should have more control, with greater emphasis on community schools, wraparound services, and broader measures of school quality. They also supported related bills on community schools and school library standards, and several witnesses backed a bill to expand student representative voting rights on school committees. Opponents of S. 374, especially charter school leaders, parents, students, and some education advocates, focused on Section 4 of the bill, which would change the charter school net school spending cap in the lowest-performing districts. They argued that the provision would reduce access to charter seats in communities where families are seeking more options, and that schools such as Roxbury Prep, Excel Academy, Brook, Veritas Prep, and Libertas Academy have produced strong results for students, including students of color, low-income students, and students with special needs. Several witnesses said the section would force schools to shrink or close and would remove opportunities for families in districts with long waitlists. Committee members questioned witnesses on both the effectiveness of receivership and the charter school cap language. Chair Lewis and Chair Gordon emphasized the need for a better accountability system and noted concerns about whether current measures, including MCAS-based designations, accurately reflect school quality. Some witnesses said they had discussed the possibility of removing Section 4 from the Thrive Act and suggested it might be addressed in separate charter reform legislation. No votes were taken during the hearing; testimony was received and the committee later closed testimony on S. 374 and several related bills before moving on to the student voting rights bill, S. 367.

Transcript Highlights:

• Duly filed.
• Late filed amendment barcode 843850 by Senator Gruters.
• If you file an amendment, make sure you file it after the amendment.
• All 28 universities are down 11 percent from pre-pandemic rates.
• Show that late filed amendment. Show that late filed amendment introduced.

Bills: SJR36, SR8, SR14, SR15, SR17, HCR54

Keywords: accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, advocacy, legislation, business issues, memorial, law enforcement, sacrifice, tribute, community support, service, community, Holocaust, remembrance, antisemitism, human rights, education, Holocaust Remembrance Day, memorialization, sexual assault

Transcript Highlights:

• uh do we do is there a need for filings uh do we do is there a need for this<00:11:28.839> state<
• Our published files cover rates by network, facility, physician code, place of service, location, etc
• I understand OCR files. I understand them very well.
• our published files Technical standpoint our published files cover<00:19:45.520> rates<00:19:
• Just all of these data files are available currently. You can—I have a link I can send you all.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee first took up House Bill 507, which concerns the timeline for credentialing mental health care providers. Members discussed and approved an amendment that removed section 2 and changed the bill’s effective date to January 1. A motion for ought to pass as amended was made, seconded, and approved by a 6-0 vote, with Representative Miles assigned to write the committee report. The bulk of the meeting focused on House Bill 705, a price-transparency measure requiring insurance-related data reporting and uniform formatting. Committee members and a representative from Anthem discussed how the bill would interact with federal requirements, including a recent presidential executive order and anticipated CMS guidance on uniformity standards. Anthem testified that the federal timeline was uncertain, that final rules could take months, and that the machine-readable files involved are complex and costly to produce. Some members argued the state should mirror federal standards but wait for final federal guidance; others said the bill should create a firm state requirement and not leave everything to rulemaking. The main unresolved issue was timing. Members debated whether the bill should be effective upon passage, apply to plan years beginning January 1, 2026, or be delayed until after federal guidance is finalized, with several references to a possible six-month implementation window after final federal rules. No final vote was taken on HB 705 in the portion provided; instead, the committee planned to revisit the bill the next morning after language was rewritten and circulated, with a straw vote anticipated before the executive session.