Transcript Highlights:

• served around the globe, including deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, leadership assignments

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I was assigned as a domestic violence prosecutor, and we were instructed that, you know, you have to

Transcript Highlights:

• objection, the Senate stands in recess, subject to the sound of the gavel for the purposes of bill assignments

Summary: The Senate convened with a prayer by Rabbi Mendel Soup of Lake Havasu and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Senator Carroll, then completed an electronic roll call and approved the journal for January 20, 2026. The chamber recognized several guest groups and visitors, including CRNA Capital Day participants, rural electric cooperative representatives, AEA Retired members, March of Dimes advocates, students and school officials, and other invited guests. Senators used points of personal privilege to highlight the work of these groups and to introduce visitors in the gallery. The body then read a long list of bills on second reading, covering a wide range of topics including child welfare, public school safety, health insurance, water policy, taxation, housing, elections, public safety, transportation, and abortion-related measures. The Senate also received first-reading introductions and committee referrals for additional bills on subjects such as motor vehicle booting fees, traumatic event counseling, election procedures, assisted living, short-term rentals, and various appropriations and policy changes. No substantive debate or votes on the bills were recorded in the transcript. After committee reports were noted and the Senate briefly recessed for bill assignments, the chamber returned to order and continued with first reading and reference of more bills and resolutions. At the end of the session, the Majority Whip moved to adjourn, and the Senate adjourned until Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• , without objection, the Senate stands in recess, subject to the gavel for the purposes of bill assignments

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• enhanced controls, are written into the statute for the concrete batch plant, but here, TCEQ is being assigned

Bills: SB2037, SB1757, SB1758, SB1759

Keywords: rock crushing, permits, air quality, environmental monitoring, aggregate production, seismicity, public meeting, land use, SB 1758, cement kiln, portland cement, aggregate production operation, aggregate quarry, semiconductor wafer manufacturing, chip fabrication, semiconductor plant, vibration, seismic disturbance, liability limitation, TCEQ

Summary: The Senate Committee on Natural Resources took public testimony on Senate Bill 1757 and its committee substitute, a measure dealing with aggregate production operations and a new permitting option for rock crushers/aggregate facilities. Testimony centered on whether the bill should remain focused on air permitting or also include broader quarry operations such as stormwater, reclamation, monitoring, and public participation requirements. Supporters of the substitute, including representatives of the Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association and Associated General Contractors, said the bill would provide a voluntary third permitting option, preserve existing authorizations, and create a more practical regulatory path for Texas growth. Opponents and critics, including representatives of Texas for Responsible Aggregate Mining, Job Materials, and Public Citizen, argued the bill as written was too weak or too broad in the wrong ways. They said best management practices should be set in statute or through negotiated rulemaking rather than left to TCEQ rulemaking, and they raised concerns about limited monitoring periods, vague air-monitoring standards, public notice procedures, and the inclusion of non-air requirements in an air permit. Several witnesses said the bill should better balance industry needs with neighborhood impacts and public health protections. Chair Birdwell questioned witnesses about ongoing negotiations between industry groups and said the bill was intended to be a practical compromise. After testimony and questions, public testimony was closed. The committee left SB 1757 and its committee substitute pending, with no vote taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't want to assign it because it's coming from an independent. Do we have anybody?
• the I<00:06:32.880><c> don't</c><00:06:32.960><c> want</c><00:06:33.039><c> to</c><00:06:33.120><c> assign
• c><00:06:33.440><c> it</c><00:06:33.680><c> because</c><00:06:34.240><c> it's</c> I don't want to assign
• it because it's I don't want to assign it because it's coming<00:06:34.639><c> from</c><00:06:34.960
• <03:08:49.359><c> duty</c><03:08:49.680><c> overseas,</c> assigned duty overseas, assigned duty overseas

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, your assignment in the fall is going to be in fifth grade regular ed.”
• I was assigned to Agawam... I grew up in a nearby town. Our view of Agawam was based on the mascot.
• I was assigned to Agawam... ...with a racist ideology.
• I was assigned to Agawam for my student teaching and was displeased.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee opened a public hearing on 41 bills related to school climate and safety, with chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlining procedures and noting more than 125 witnesses. The first major topic was the “Study Act” on cell phones in schools and related social media restrictions (House 666/Senate 335). Secretary of Education Pat Tutwiler and Attorney General Andrea Campbell testified in strong support, arguing that bell-to-bell phone-free policies would improve student focus, reduce anxiety and distraction, and support mental health. Several legislators also supported the approach, though Representative Jeff Turco and Senator John Keenan emphasized narrower bills focused only on school-day phone restrictions rather than broader social media regulation. Senator John Velis likewise backed a comprehensive school-hours restriction, citing student distraction and mental health concerns. Representative Tarsky described successful implementation of a Yondr pouch system in a school where he served as principal, saying it improved engagement and reduced bullying and discipline issues. The committee then heard testimony on a bill to prohibit Native American mascots in public schools (Senate 312/House 575). Senator Joe Comerford, Brittany Wally, and Rhonda Anderson all urged passage, saying Native mascots are dehumanizing, harmful to Native youth, and inconsistent with civil rights and educational values. They described support from tribal nations and noted that many Massachusetts schools have already changed mascots, but some still resist. The hearing also included testimony on school start times (House 647/Senate 360), where middle school students Caroline Duffy and Emery Jarvis described exhaustion and survey data showing widespread sleep deprivation. Former educator Telia Jacobs, former principal Rep. Tarsky, and others argued that later start times would improve health, learning, and student well-being, while acknowledging transportation and scheduling challenges. Zoriana Petrosian, who helped write one of the bills as a student, said the state already has enough research to act now. Additional bills drew testimony on related school issues. Dr. Raul Fernandez supported a bill promoting racially integrated schools (Senate 324), citing a recent advisory council report showing large disparities in segregated schools and urging DESE to develop a statewide integration strategy. On safe firearm storage education (House 548/Senate 397), multiple witnesses from Grassroots for Gun Violence Prevention and school communities supported annual school-based education about secure storage, saying it would help prevent child access to unsecured firearms and build on local resolutions already adopted in some districts. The committee also heard testimony on bills to expand career and academic plans (House 533/Senate 438), with speakers saying more structured planning would help students make informed college and career choices. Later, testimony on child sexual abuse prevention and survivor support bills described the prevalence of abuse, the need for training in schools and youth-serving organizations, and the importance of extending compensation and prevention measures. Throughout the hearing, chairs repeatedly closed bills with no witnesses and moved the agenda forward, but no votes were taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• In studying the Middle East, I was given a handbook assignment titled "The Origins of Judaism."
• completely erased the names Israel and Judea from its entirety, and when I was asked on the homework assignment
• the colonization of Palestine: 'We must explore very gently the private property of the estates assigned
• the colonization of Palestine: 'We must explore very gently the private property of the estates assigned

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The meeting focused on the commission’s work addressing antisemitism in Massachusetts, including security, education, victim services, and legal responses. A major presentation came from former federal prosecutor Eric O’Sham, who described the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the attack’s planning and execution, the 11 victims killed, the defendant’s white supremacist and antisemitic online activity, the federal prosecution, and the long aftermath for the victim community. Commissioners asked about prevention, radicalization online, security for houses of worship, and how to support victims; O’Sham emphasized the limits of law enforcement when speech is protected, the importance of public education, security grants, and victim-witness support. The commission also heard from Ariel Holman of Agudath Israel, who described a wide range of antisemitic incidents affecting Orthodox Jews, including assaults, threats, vandalism, school harassment, and zoning barriers, and urged expanded security personnel grants, mental health resources, kosher food access, and support for synagogue development. Other speakers included advocates and local officials who supported Holocaust education, the planned Boston Holocaust Museum, cemetery protection, and broader public education efforts, while some public commenters criticized the commission’s focus or raised concerns about definitions of antisemitism and free speech. The meeting concluded with approval of prior meeting minutes and the start of public comment, which was limited to three minutes per speaker due to time constraints.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then they assign the LSIR, which ...is whether the crime was violent or nonviolent.
• And then they assign the LSIR, which is a risk assessment.
• Well, Madam Chair, and to extend that, I think only one of those three members that are assigned to that
• that's really, if you want to say, making prejudgment and then bringing it up to the three that are assigned

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• worker, uh, there is a larger savings potential for the states' departments of transportation by assigning
• transportation</c><00:11:20.480><c> by</c> departments of transportation by departments of transportation by assigning
• 21.200><c> them</c><00:11:21.400><c> larger</c><00:11:22.240><c> and</c><00:11:22.360><c> more</c> assigning
• them larger and more assigning them larger and more complicated<00:11:23.240><c> projects.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• last little bit there, too, that to add in that nothing in this paragraph authorizes an employer to assign
• authorizes authorizes authorizes an<00:11:57.320><c> employer</c><00:11:57.760><c> to</c><00:11:57.920><c> assign
• </c><00:11:58.320><c> an</c><00:11:58.400><c> employee</c><00:11:58.920><c> or</c> an employer to assign
• an employee or an employer to assign an employee or an<00:12:00.640><c> employee</c><00:12:00.960><c

Bills: HF4446, HF4066, HF1082

Keywords: public safety officer, survivor benefits, line of duty death, occupational cancer, firefighter, police officer, paramedic, EMT, correctional officer, first responder, workers' compensation, death benefits, occupational exposure, carcinogen, cancer presumption, mesothelioma, leukemia, lung cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

Transcript Highlights:

• Depending on the household composition, that number includes more than 250 people assigned just to myself
• Assigned just to myself. Continuing workers would carry 322 cases per worker.
• Every application that comes in gets assigned to a worker.
• Every morning, we have a bulk listing assigned to us, and several times throughout the day workers will

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health began with a hearing on the impacts of H.R. 1 on California health programs, focusing first on reproductive health state investments. HCAI outlined five state-funded reproductive health programs created after Dobbs, including uncompensated care, practical support, capital and clinical infrastructure, and workforce programs. Essential Access Health and Planned Parenthood testified that these funds have served hundreds of thousands of patients, but warned that the uncompensated care program is fully awarded and needs renewal, and that Title X and Medicaid-related federal uncertainty continues to threaten access. Members questioned who the uncompensated care program serves, why Medi-Cal covers a large share of abortions, and whether Planned Parenthood could expand prenatal services; public commenters urged continued support for reproductive health access. The committee then took up long-term care services and supports, starting with the HCBA and Assisted Living Waiver programs. DHCS reported large wait lists for both programs and said enrollment is limited by workforce and provider capacity, while LAO noted that increasing slots alone may not increase access without additional programmatic changes. Members pressed the department on whether more slots should be added given the lower cost of home- and community-based care compared with skilled nursing facilities, and public testimony argued that the wait lists should be reduced and that staffing concerns do not fully explain unused capacity. The committee also heard testimony on congregate living health facilities, where providers and a patient family described the homes as critical, lower-cost alternatives to nursing facilities for younger, medically complex people. Witnesses requested short-term bridge funding, while DHCS said it is proposing to transition CLFs into a managed care benefit by January 1, 2028, which would remove caps and expand access statewide. The final long-term care topic was PACE. DHCS explained that it has paused new PACE applications and service expansions for at least two years to reassess oversight capacity and develop a statewide strategic growth framework, while existing programs continue operating. CalPACE supported the pause as a planning measure but asked for four additional state nurse positions to reduce delays in level-of-care determinations and speed enrollment for frail older adults. Members shared personal stories about how PACE has helped family members and asked how the state will meet growing demand; DHCS said stakeholder engagement will begin later in the year and that some existing applications already in process will continue. Public commenters broadly supported PACE, HCBA, and CLF funding requests. The hearing then moved to the Department of Health Care Services’ 2026-27 Medi-Cal budget and related trailer bills. DHCS said Medi-Cal spending has grown due to coverage expansions, higher acuity, rising utilization, and especially pharmacy costs, and it described proposals to extend the current skilled nursing facility financing framework for one year while the state develops a new value-based payment strategy. LAO said most recent Medi-Cal spending growth has been driven more by higher per-enrollee costs than by caseload growth, with pharmacy spending growing especially quickly, and recommended better and more timely data to analyze the drivers. Members expressed concern about the rapid rise in Medi-Cal spending and asked for more detail on the largest cost increases.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is to ensure that it is the appropriate person that's been assigned to that, that they are taking
• This is to ensure that it is the appropriate person that's been assigned to that that they are taking
• I don't. ...is the appropriate person that's been assigned to that, that they are taking it.
• So how does that get assigned to the offender?

Summary: The Judiciary Interim Committee met to begin its study of charitable gaming and the ownership of alcoholic beverage establishments by licensed charitable gaming organizations, a study directed by Senate Bill 2334. Legislative Council gave an overview of the constitutional and statutory framework for charitable gaming, site authorizations, rent limits, proceeds, and recent legislative changes. The Attorney General’s Gaming Division then clarified the financial flow of gaming, explaining that in fiscal year 2025 North Dakota had about $2.5 billion in gross gaming proceeds, with roughly 88-90% paid back in prizes and about $256 million available to organizations after taxes; most of that activity came from electronic pull tabs. Members asked for more detail on winnings, replays, rent, and the breakdown of manufacturer/distributor revenues, and the AG’s office agreed to provide supplemental information. The committee also heard from the League of Cities and the Association of Counties about local site authorization. Cities said they have a limited role in approving gaming sites, can adopt policies after public hearing, may charge up to $100, and can set certain conditions, including local nexus requirements, but cannot require donations or force a specific charity or site. The League said it had worked with stakeholders on a model policy to provide more consistency, though members raised concerns that local requirements could become too restrictive for charities serving broader areas. Counties said the issue is mostly a city matter, with little county involvement beyond minimal site fees and general site approval. The North Dakota Gaming Alliance testified in support of the study and provided IRS-related material suggesting charities may use asset diversification, while emphasizing it had not taken a position on whether charities should own bars. Members questioned whether bar ownership is being used for site stability or to channel charitable gaming dollars, and whether city policies might disadvantage charities with broader missions. The committee also discussed the relationship between gaming organizations, manufacturers, and distributors, including restrictions on incentives and interference, and asked for more information on those entities and their ownership. Later in the meeting, the Racing Commission gave its regular update on live racing, pari-mutuel wagering, ADW providers, purse and promotion funds, a new TRPB contract, and concerns about cease-and-desist actions from other states. Finally, the State Hospital superintendent briefly reported on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s support services, including the SORT team, training, and security assistance for the hospital campus.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a numerical value that all contractors are assigned through their insurance companies.
• Our IT staff have developed administrative dashboards that are used for daily work assignments, monitoring
• positions that they are now, but we can’t do that without having the authority to move work around and to assign
• When it comes time in session, a committee will be assigned to hear what we went through, but it should

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• restaurant would be a unit and then the adjacent exterior patio area would be a limited common element assigned
• limited exterior patio area would be a limited common<00:51:08.559><c> element</c><00:51:08.960><c> assigned
• </c><00:51:09.520><c> that</c><00:51:09.760><c> unit</c><00:51:10.559><c> and</c> common element assigned
• to that unit and common element assigned to that unit and we<00:51:11.040><c> want</c><00:51:11.200>

Bills: HF4075, HF3826, HF3825, HF3827, HF3459, HF3711, HF4200, HF3908, HF3712

Keywords: firearm restrictions, domestic violence, public safety, court orders, criminal convictions, identity theft, subpoena authority, fraud, statute of limitations, financial crime, victim notification, expungement, criminal justice, plea agreements, minor victims, identification protection, stalking, crime data, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, law enforcement grants

Transcript Highlights:

• To do so, the governor's proposal assigns responsibility for the daily management of the Department of
• So, the governor's proposal assigns responsibility for the daily management of the Department of Education
• Focus, I am told, is one reason the Legislature and Governor often assign special initiatives to county
• In some cases, the Governor and the Legislature skipped the department entirely, assigning new initiatives

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee first heard two bills. AB 1665 by Assemblymember Pacheco would require school sports coaches to complete approved mental health training. Supporters said coaches are trusted adults who are often first to notice student-athlete distress, and a witness described personal experience with body image and disordered eating pressures in athletics. There was no opposition, and the bill was moved out of committee on a due pass as amended motion to Appropriations, ultimately passing 9-0 after add-on votes. AB 2316 by Assemblymember Hoover would allow charter schools to apply for the same financial hardship relief in the state school facilities program that traditional districts can seek. Supporters argued this would improve parity and help smaller and low-income charter schools access permanent facilities; some initially opposed agencies said their concerns were addressed by amendments. The bill also passed unanimously, 9-0, to Appropriations. The committee then took up a consent calendar containing 12 additional measures, including bills on education funding, facilities, and other school-related matters, plus a resolution. Those items were approved on a 7-0 vote, with the roll left open for add-on votes. After the bill hearing portion was recessed and later reconvened, additional members added votes to AB 1665, AB 2316, and the consent calendar, bringing each to 9-0. The committee then held an informational hearing on state-level education governance, centered on Governor Newsom’s proposal to restructure the California Department of Education and the role of the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, with AB 2117 serving as a policy vehicle carrying the same language and no action to be taken. Testimony came from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Education Commission of the States, and former CDE chief deputy Richard Zager. Witnesses reviewed the history of California’s governance structure, compared it with other states, and discussed accountability, legislative oversight, and the role of the superintendent under the proposal. Committee members raised concerns about preserving checks and balances, the fiscal implementation plan, county-office relationships, and whether the superintendent’s role would be reduced too far; no vote was taken at the informational hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Foster stated, 80% plus of all new developments have an HOA assigned to them.
• </c><00:15:47.240><c> have</c><00:15:47.400><c> an</c><00:15:47.520><c> HOA</c><00:15:48.000><c> assigned
• </c><00:15:48.400><c> to</c> new developments have an HOA assigned to new developments have an HOA assigned

Bills: HF2614, HF3587, HF3589, HF3588

Keywords: homeowners associations, local government, building permits, housing policy, residential development, voter access, polling place, elections, ballot, unexpected needs, election judge, public information, political parties, transparency, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Department of Youth, Family, and Children exposed her previous name to credit agencies and others and assigned
• credit agencies and others under and to credit agencies and others under and and<00:03:23.760><c> assigned
• ><c> with</c><00:03:24.959><c> her</c><00:03:25.200><c> new</c><00:03:25.440><c> assumed</c> and assigned
• it with her new assumed and assigned it with her new assumed name<00:03:26.800><c> with</c><00:03:27.120

Bills: HF3676, HF2959, HF3233

Keywords: Safe at Home, address confidentiality, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, victim privacy, survivor protection, confidential address, protected address, secret address, identity protection, residential confidentiality, program participant, nondiscrimination, court disclosure, protective order, service of process, driver's license, state ID

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, the legislature assigned the Minnesota Department of Education a task.
• 50:55.040><c> Uh,</c><00:50:56.079><c> the</c><00:50:56.319><c> legislature</c><00:50:56.880><c> assigned
• Uh, the legislature assigned problem.
• Uh, the legislature assigned the<00:50:57.359><c> Minnesota</c><00:50:57.760><c> Department</c><00:50

Bills: HF3489, HF3550

Keywords: grooming, child protection, student safety, sexual exploitation, educator licensing, teacher discipline, mandatory reporting, mandated reporter training, school misconduct, predatory offender, child abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, child sexual abuse material, child pornography, position of authority, school employee, school administrator, license revocation, license suspension

Transcript Highlights:

• option, just allow us to continue to do our normal thing that we're doing here under and, hey, give assignments
• if something to be broken down at the end of the day to a subcommittee or even give somebody an assignment
• And frankly, it wouldn't matter because even if we had the presumption, what we're assigned to do is
• Like our contempt hearings are held in front of the judge that is assigned to the case, not in front

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Child Custody Review Task Force met with a quorum, approved the prior meeting minutes, and reviewed a memorandum compiling member suggestions for possible legislation. The memo grouped ideas into topics including creation of a family court, expanded education for parents, attorneys, and judges, expedited hearings for parenting-time violations, limiting law enforcement involvement in custody disputes, creating parenting time expediters, and adopting more uniform court procedures. Members also discussed whether to form subcommittees, but the task force decided to continue working as a full committee rather than create subcommittees at this time. The committee then heard testimony from Dr. John Perez, a mental health professional, who described his personal custody experience and his professional work with families he believes have been affected by parental alienation. He argued for stronger education, faster court response times, and better tools to address intentional interference with parenting time. Members questioned him about his case history, the concept of parental alienation, and whether specialized family courts or judges with family-law training could help. Dr. Perez said a dedicated family court and faster hearings would likely have helped his situation. The task force spent substantial time discussing the possible creation of a family court. Judge Hovey supported the idea of a specialized family court or at least a study of one, saying family cases are distinct from ordinary adversarial litigation and that judges with family-law experience could better handle them. Several members agreed that a family court could improve consistency, expertise, and speed, but others cautioned that the task force’s current directive is focused on enforcement of existing orders rather than broader custody policy, and noted that voters had previously rejected equal shared parenting proposals. The group also discussed expedited procedures for parenting-time disputes, with Judge Hovey suggesting a 30-day hearing timeline may be workable. On education, members generally supported requiring parents to complete a parenting education course and adding educational materials explaining court process, child support, and what judges can and cannot do. Mr. McLean suggested a short instructional video for litigants and more family-law education for judges and attorneys, while Ms. Moldenhauer said education could be incorporated into scheduling orders or mediation orders. Members also discussed the Parents Forever course, including whether it should be mandatory in all counties and whether cost is a barrier; no vote was taken on any of these proposals.