Video & Transcript Research : 'gratefulness'

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TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

89th Legislative Session Jan 29th, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I am grateful Anne Johnson: For my home church community of Saint Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston
  • I am so proud and so honored to announce say that we are grateful that you recognize today, January 29
  • We are so grateful to have the city government here from Brownsville, our esteemed mayor and all our
  • Members, I'm so grateful to be here to recognize and celebrate Lunar New Year with all the members of
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee 5/5/26

Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • So our pages are Ben and Liz, and they have been amazing, and we're very grateful for your help.
  • And I'm incredibly grateful for that.
  • <00:09:27.360> So<00:09:27.519> with incredibly grateful for that.
  • So with incredibly grateful for that.
  • So, we are really grateful for your had.
Keywords: 1183, house
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Human Services - 02/05/25

Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • And I am grateful you guys are here, and I'm grateful we're having this conversation.
  • And I am grateful you guys are here, and I'm grateful we're having this conversation.
  • And I am grateful you guys are here, and I'm grateful we're having this conversation.
  • And I am grateful you guys are here, and I'm grateful we're having this conversation.
  • And I am grateful you guys are here, and I'm grateful we're having this conversation.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development - 04/21/25

Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • So me as as a experience of that you know I'm very grateful for WI and uh you know I'm very grateful
  • So me as as a experience of that you know I'm very grateful for WI and uh you know I'm very grateful
  • So me, as an experience of that, you know, I'm very grateful for WI, and uh, you know, I'm very grateful
  • So me, as an experience of that, you know, I'm very grateful for WI, and uh, you know, I'm very grateful
  • I'm grateful to have a benefit farmers.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

06/12/2026 - House Floor Session

Arizona House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • And I was really grateful that I had $200 extra to pay.
  • And I was also grateful that I could figure out the app that this predatory company had.
  • I am grateful for this measure that's been put forth.
  • I am grateful, and my family is grateful, and the district that I represent is grateful for our military
  • And I am especially grateful for your professionalism... ...to lead.
Summary: The House convened, completed roll call, approved the journal, and took up several Senate bills and one Senate concurrent resolution through motions to reconsider, return bills for reconsideration, and refer measures to additional Committee of the Whole sessions for further amendment. Early actions included returning SB 1175 and SB 1198 to the Senate for reconsideration, rescinding passage of SB 1336 so it could be reconsidered, and referring SB 1111 and SB 152 to an additional COW. The House also recognized Representative Travers for a personal privilege statement honoring National Women Veterans Recognition Day and recorded attendance. In Committee of the Whole, members adopted floor amendments and recommended passage for SB 1511, SB 1552, SB 1198, SB 1110, SB 1618, SB 1431, and SCR 1004, with some debate on SB 1110’s home-confinement/reentry program, SB 1618’s Military Affairs Commission changes, and SB 1431’s city and town authority over residential project standards and streetscapes. The House later adopted the COW reports and moved the measures to engrossing or third reading as appropriate. SB 1336 and SB 1519 were also advanced from committee, while SB 1004 was reconsidered and ultimately failed on reconsideration. On third or final reading, the House passed SB 1127, SB 1180, SB 1428, SB 1198, SB 1336, SB 1511, SCR 1004, SB 1552, HB 2104, HB 2105, HB 2114, HB 2311, HB 2729, and HB 4117. SB 1687, SB 1004, SB 1519, and SB 1502 failed. Members explained votes on several measures, including support for tax administration clarity in SB 1180, objections and support for the May primary proposal in SB 1687, concerns about sex offender monitoring in SB 1004, support for the Arizona Beef Council in SB 1198, and debate over the photo enforcement referral in SCR 1004. The session also included recesses for caucuses, lunch, and dinner, plus a brief technical outage of the live stream.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

04/29/2026 - House Floor Session

Arizona House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm so grateful for our friendship. I'm so grateful for my friendship with Alfredo.
  • And so I'm just so grateful. I'm grateful to be in this room with so many people.
  • And I just, again, I'm so grateful, forever be grateful for people like him and for the community members
  • And so I'm just so grateful. I'm grateful to be in this room with so many people.
  • And I just, again, I'm so grateful forever be grateful for people like him and for the community members
Keywords: 1182, all
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

FL House Floor Session - 2026-03-10 (11:00AM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been able to make a difference.
  • And I'm just so grateful that we continue to impact this process way beyond my years here.
  • That being said, I'm grateful to call many of you friends.
  • And I'm grateful that you always worked with us when you worked for the CFO during COVID.
  • You, sir, are a conservative lion and a champion for common sense, and I'm grateful.
Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for Army Sergeant Benjamin Pennington, the Pledge of Allegiance, and quorum and journal business before taking up the special order calendar. Several bills were explained and moved through amendment and final passage, including CS/SB 590 on the statute of limitations for mandatory reporters’ child-abuse reporting violations, which was clarified on the floor to apply prospectively only and passed 111-0. CS/SB 418 on law enforcement interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorder was amended to align with the House version and passed 111-0. The chamber also recognized Spina Bifida Week and guests in the gallery before considering additional measures. Members then passed CS/CS/SB 1668 on the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA), described as preserving the program’s actuarial soundness, by a 112-0 vote; CS/SB 1246 on the Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund, expanded to support broader health science education programs and non-health-care partner contributions, by 112-0; CS/CS/SB 1404 on memory care facility standards by 111-0; CS/CS/SB 1030 on recovery residences, including transfer-of-ownership and MAT-related provisions, by 168-0; CS/CS/SB 178 on athletics in public K-12 schools, allowing limited coach support for student welfare with parental consent and other guardrails, by 112-0; CS/CS/SB 422 on automatic dependent surveillance broadcasts, limiting use of ADS-B data for airport billing, by 108-2; and CS/CS/SB 598 on funeral, cemetery, and consumer services, modernizing licensure and exclusivity rules, by 111-0. The House also took up CS/SB 1134 on official actions of local governments and DEI-related restrictions. The sponsor argued the bill would prohibit counties and municipalities from official DEI actions and related funding while preserving numerous exceptions for holidays, observances, public safety, and other activities. Members asked extensive questions about how the bill would affect local programs, events, and offices, and Representative Gant offered an amendment to narrow the bill’s DEI definition by removing two prongs; debate centered on vagueness, enforcement, and local-government impacts. The transcript cuts off during consideration of that amendment, so no final action on the bill is shown. The session also included lengthy farewell remarks from Representatives Eskamani and Overdorf, reflecting on their service, staff, constituents, and policy priorities.
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • So I'm real grateful to have our friends from Carter G. Woodson in Lexington. Dr.
  • for uh a lot of and uh we're grateful for uh a lot of folks<00:55:34.160> that<00:55:34.400><
  • that but our and we were very grateful that but our young<00:55:55.520> young<00:55:55.839>
  • So, I'm grateful to see you back in a different role. I have two specific questions for you.
  • So,<01:08:08.799> I'm<01:08:09.200> grateful<01:08:09.520> that<01:08:09.760>
Keywords: 958, all
Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the September meeting minutes, and heard presentations from Carter G. Woodson Academy in Lexington and related school programs in Fayette County Public Schools. School leaders described the academy as an all-male public school option focused on culture, belonging, and opportunity, with a mission to educate, empower, and equip young men academically, socially, and morally. They emphasized culturally responsive instruction, restorative practices, mentorship, brotherhood circles, and access to advanced coursework, dual enrollment, and career pathways. Student speakers highlighted school culture, leadership opportunities, and clubs such as SGA, Beta Club, FFA, and the Bow Tie Club, along with service and community engagement. Presenters said the academy began in 2012, is housed with Frederick Douglass High School, uses an application and lottery process, and can serve up to about 350 students but is intentionally kept near 300 because of space. They reported 302 enrolled students, about 38 seniors, a 100% graduation rate, 95% average attendance, 100% postsecondary success, and $1.8 million in scholarship offers last year. They also shared demographic and achievement data, noting growth in MAP scores, strengths in reading and writing, and math as an ongoing focus area. The school said 90% of high school scholars are taking at least one dual credit class this year, and some students have earned opportunities at selective programs such as Gatton Academy and Craft Academy. Committee members praised the school’s results and asked about enrollment, funding, and whether the model could be replicated statewide. School leaders said the program is fully funded through Fayette County Public Schools, could be replicated with committed staff and training, and that teachers receive preparation through the Gearing Institute to better understand how boys learn. They also noted that Fayette County has other specialized programs, including girls’ academies and other options for underrepresented students. Members expressed interest in long-term tracking of graduates, and the school said it is preparing to study outcomes as the first graduating class approaches its 10-year anniversary.
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Tuesday, July 15, 2025)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • > community<00:09:48.399> and leaves behind a grateful community and leaves behind a grateful
  • I'm forever grateful that our paths crossed. We honor Dr.
  • The community will miss you, but they are grateful for you for making it a better place.
  • And I'm deeply grateful for that.
  • I'll yield deeply grateful with that.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Chamber Meeting Feb 6th, 2026 at 11:19 am

New Mexico House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Our Heavenly Father, how grateful we are this day to gather here in this roundhouse.
  • Father in heaven, we're grateful for this beautiful winter day.
  • Father, we're grateful to be servants of thy people here in the state of New Mexico.
  • We're so grateful to have them.
  • We're so grateful to have them in the House today.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session - 03/18/26

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, we are lucky to have these folks, and we are grateful for everything they do.
  • 46.000> are are lucky to have these folks and we are are lucky to have these folks and we are grateful
  • <00:23:48.600> So, grateful to everything they do. So, grateful to everything they do.
  • I am grateful to be a part of this body where, in our own traditions, we do this over the next couple
  • I am grateful to be a part of this body where, in our own traditions, we do this over the next couple
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/16/2026 - Senate Floor Session

Arizona Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Our kind and gracious Heavenly Father, we are grateful for the opportunity to be here.
  • We are grateful for the opportunity to be here to do thy work here in the state of Arizona.
  • We're grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, for the beauties of Arizona, for the comforts we enjoy, for
  • We're grateful for the blessings our families have received. We have.
  • We're grateful for the blessings our families have received.
Keywords: 1182, all
Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, a roll call showing 29 present, and approval of the prior journal. Members then recognized several guests, including Scouting America Cub Scout troops and Dr. Sarah Lee Davidson as Doctor of the Day, and Senator Kavanaugh presented a proclamation recognizing Valley Fever Awareness and the work of the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence. The chamber then considered several bills in Committee of the Whole. SB 1036, dealing with unemployment insurance requirements, disqualifications, and determinations, drew the most debate; supporters said it was aimed at preventing fraud and improving compliance, while opponents argued it would add red tape and harm struggling workers. The committee adopted a Government Committee amendment and recommended the bill do pass. SB 1056, on reporting vacant budget positions, also received a do-pass recommendation, and SB 1236, concerning AHCCCS enrollment verification and presumptive eligibility, was amended with a Kavanaugh floor amendment and recommended do pass despite concerns from some members that it would restrict access for vulnerable populations. SB 1238, relating to the physician assistant licensure compact, was amended with a conforming Shamp amendment and recommended do pass. On third reading, the Senate passed SB 1036 by 17-12, SB 1056 by 17-12, SB 1126 unanimously, SB 1189 by 27-2, and SB 1211 unanimously. The chamber also substituted and passed House bills identical to earlier Senate measures, including HB 2206 and HB 2396, both on SNAP-related issues, with debate focused on food access, administrative burdens, and federal error-rate penalties. HB 2190, the physician assistant compact bill, and HB 2796, the AHCCCS-related bill, were also substituted and passed. The Senate adopted HCR 255, a death resolution for Victor E. Hardy, observed a moment of silence, and then adjourned until February 17, 2026.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

FL House Floor Session - 2026-01-13 (9:30AM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • . >> Senator Rouson: ..WE COME BEFORE YOU TODAY WITH HUMBLE HEARTS AND GRATEFUL SPIRITS.
  • IN PARTICULAR I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOUR DEDICATION CLEARLY ON ISSUES THAT IMPACT CHILDREN IN OUR STATE.
  • I AM GRATEFUL TO THE HARD WORKING STAFF AND THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FEEDING FLORIDA FOR MAKING
  • I AM GRATEFUL FOR STRONG PARTNERS IN THE FIGHT FOR FLORIDA'S RURAL RENAISSANCE.
Keywords: 998, house, all
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

Transcript Highlights:
  • But, as you know, it's coming still, and while I'm grateful for your leadership in funding...
  • Still, and while I'm grateful for your leadership in funding chip upgrades to the EBT cards in the FY25
  • And I'm very grateful for their leadership.
  • We are grateful for this forward progress, but we can't stop now.
  • I appreciate the time speaking with you all today, and I'm also grateful that similar bills have been
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The House Committee on Children and Families held a hybrid hearing on a broad set of anti-hunger, family support, and basic-needs bills. Early testimony focused on SNAP and DTA operations: Rep. DeRosa and others urged passage of H. 196/S. 167 to require DTA to identify staffing, technology, funding, and operational needs to improve timeliness and customer service, warning that unanswered calls, delayed recertifications, and federal changes could sharply raise state costs through higher SNAP administrative burdens and payment-error penalties. Speakers from Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Project Bread said DTA is under-resourced, caseloads have grown, and families are being denied or delayed due to phone and paperwork barriers. Another major SNAP-related bill, H. 254/S. 147, would require the Commonwealth to replace stolen EBT/SNAP benefits; testimony described more than $13 million stolen from about 27,000 households since June 2022 and argued families should not bear losses from organized theft rings. The committee also heard strong support for H. 207/S. 117, which would restore state-funded nutrition assistance for legally present immigrants excluded from federal SNAP under recent federal changes. Advocates from Project Bread, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, local immigrant services, and public health groups said the federal cuts would leave thousands of residents, including refugees, asylum seekers, trafficking survivors, and children, without food support, and argued Massachusetts has a history of filling this gap. Testimony also supported H. 222/S. 104 to make the Healthy Incentives Program permanent and year-round; supporters said HIP improves nutrition, boosts local farms and regional economies, and had already served more than 212,000 households in FY25. A related child-support bill, H. 201/S. 110, would increase the amount of child support passed through to TAFDC families and expand good-cause exemptions; witnesses said the change would put more money directly in families’ hands, reduce poverty, and better protect survivors of domestic violence and families with complicated co-parenting situations. A large portion of the hearing was devoted to deep-poverty and diaper-related legislation. Supporters of H. 214/S. 118 said cash assistance grants have lost value over time and should be raised annually until they reach half of the federal poverty level; advocates from Children’s HealthWatch, Hopewell, the Lift Our Kids Coalition, and parents described the links between deep poverty, poor child health, family stress, and child welfare involvement. They argued that higher grants would help families meet basic needs, reduce hospitalizations and neglect reports, and provide stability amid federal cuts. Finally, multiple witnesses backed diaper legislation, including H. 220/S. 151 and related bills, to create a diaper benefits pilot and/or diaper allowance commission. Testimony from the National Diaper Bank Network, MassCAP, Children’s HealthWatch, local diaper banks, and parents said diaper need is widespread, affects parental employment and mental health, and can cause health problems for infants; a federally funded pilot in Massachusetts was cited as showing improved employment, financial stability, reduced stress, and fewer diaper rashes. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony and asked questions throughout.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Agriculture Jun 21st, 2026 at 10:30 am

Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries

Transcript Highlights:
  • It is important for this committee, and I'm personally very grateful to you.
  • And I'm personally very grateful to you. Thank you, Chair Blake. Absolutely.
  • And so I'm really grateful to you and everyone who is advocating for this bill because, again, I don't
  • grates, or slipping through plumbing systems.
  • So we're really grateful for your patience today and certainly for your testimony before the committee
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture opened its first hearing by outlining procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony options, and the plan to hear 27 bills in docket order. The committee then took testimony on H.11/S.53, a resolve promoting equity in agriculture, with advocates from the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Southeastern Mass Agricultural Partnership, and urban farming organizations describing racial and economic disparities in farming, lack of data on BIPOC farmers, barriers to land and capital, and the need for a commission to collect information and recommend policy changes. Committee members asked questions about the importance of data collection and future policy development, and the bill was repeatedly urged to be reported favorably out of committee. Testimony also supported H.118, which would create a special commission to examine the strengths and sustainability of the Commonwealth’s emergency food network. The Amherst Survival Center described serving 1.6 million meals last year and explained that food pantries are now functioning as essential parts of the state’s food system while relying heavily on donations, volunteers, and unstable funding. Members discussed the need for a more holistic look at food security infrastructure. The committee then heard H.119/S.60 on climate change impacts on farms and fisheries, with regional planners and farm advocates describing flood damage, rising costs, canceled federal climate-smart funding, and the need for direct state support for adaptation, resilience, and infrastructure improvements. The committee also heard testimony on H.125/H.142/S.65, a healthy soils bill, from landscape professionals who said construction sites often leave poor or stripped soil and that the bill would require better post-construction soil standards to support healthier landscapes and reduce long-term maintenance and environmental problems. Finally, the committee took extensive testimony on H.127, which would prohibit aquaculture of octopus for human consumption. Supporters, including legislators, scientists, veterinarians, students, and animal welfare advocates, argued octopus are highly intelligent and sentient, cannot be farmed humanely, and that octopus aquaculture would create environmental harms such as waste runoff, pressure on wild fish stocks, and ecosystem disruption. No votes were taken during the hearing; the bills were heard and testimony was received.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Human Services Committee Jun 15th, 2026

Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm grateful for the Chair and the committee.
  • I just want to say that I'm extremely grateful for this.
  • I just want to say that I'm extremely grateful for this.
  • I just want to say that I'm extremely grateful for this.
  • I just want to say that I'm extremely grateful for this.
Keywords: 987, senate, all
Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee heard a long agenda of child welfare, food assistance, child care, and social services bills. Early actions included AB 308 on regional center safety training for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, AB 1049 to remove sponsor deeming from the California Food Assistance Program, AB 1201 to narrow a violent-felony bypass for family reunification services, AB 2379 to require know-your-rights training for family child care providers, AB 2429 to ease requirements in early childhood mental health consultation, AB 1755 to repeal CalWORKs’ 100-hour work penalty, AB 2478 to create a kinship family approval pathway, and AB 1969 and AB 1996 to expand coordinated cradle-to-career and child-poverty reduction efforts. The committee also began discussion of AB 1932, which would continue and strengthen community-based crisis response services. Testimony was largely in support across the hearing. Advocates, county representatives, child care providers, legal aid groups, food banks, disability organizations, and anti-poverty coalitions argued that the bills would reduce administrative barriers, improve access to benefits and services, and better protect children and families. Several authors and witnesses emphasized real-world harms from current rules, including fear of immigration enforcement, wrongful benefit denials, delayed kinship placements, and the burden of outdated eligibility requirements. On AB 1201, county welfare officials and child welfare advocates said the bill would preserve judicial discretion while allowing more parents a fair chance at reunification; on AB 2478, they said a kin-specific approval path would help place children with relatives more quickly; and on the child care bills, providers said current reimbursement and compliance systems are unsustainable. There was some committee concern about accountability and safety, especially on AB 1049 and AB 1201. One senator questioned whether removing sponsor deeming could weaken program integrity, and another raised concerns about whether narrowing the reunification bypass could expose children to unsafe environments or criminal activity. Authors and supporters responded that the bills still leave eligibility screening, judicial review, supervision, and service plans in place, and that the changes mainly remove automatic barriers or overly broad rules. Votes taken during the hearing were generally favorable: AB 308 passed 3-0 and was held on call; AB 1049 passed 2-1 and was held on call; AB 1201 passed and was held on call; AB 2379 passed 3-0 and was held on call; AB 2429 passed and was held on call; AB 1755 passed and was held on call; AB 2478 passed and was held on call; and AB 1969 and AB 1996 both passed and were held on call. The committee also noted that some bills were on the consent calendar and approved those items 3-0 while holding them open.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm really grateful for that as well.
  • And so I'm really grateful that you all put the energy and the thought into really clarifying this as
  • All that political history aside, what I'm really grateful for today is we didn't hear rhetoric.
  • Very grateful for you. Thank you. All righty.
  • But I'm grateful for you to be here today and looking forward to what you're saying.
Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its fourth meeting, held October 27-28 in Santa Fe, with Representative Duncan moving approval and no opposition. The chair then introduced a panel on the cost of providing medical care in New Mexico, focusing on physician shortages, rising practice costs, and access problems, especially in southern New Mexico and Las Cruces. Panelists included family physicians, a pediatrician, a cardiologist/electrophysiologist, and a community health center medical director, who described their backgrounds and practices before turning to the policy discussion. The doctors argued that New Mexico is losing physicians because of three main pressures: medical malpractice exposure, gross receipts tax on medical services, and low Medicaid reimbursement. They said malpractice premiums are much higher than in neighboring states, punitive damages and venue shopping increase risk, and the patient compensation fund and attorney fee structure create additional costs. They also described administrative burdens from insurance billing and referrals, the high debt and long training period for physicians, and the effect of corporate medicine and private equity on practice decisions. One panelist emphasized the economic impact of each physician on jobs and local spending, while another noted that shortages force patients into emergency rooms and delay specialty care. The panel presented a list of proposed solutions: reform punitive damages, limit venue shopping and stacking, restore lifetime medical payments from the patient compensation fund, enact apology protections, cap attorney fees, continue Medicaid funding improvements, and eliminate gross receipts tax on medical and dental services. Committee members generally agreed the presentation was thorough and useful, but several noted that some proposals fall outside this committee’s jurisdiction and would likely need to move through other committees, especially judiciary and tax. Some members supported drafting legislation or working on separate bills, while others urged caution, requested more input from hospitals and economists, and raised concerns about local government revenue impacts from GRT changes. The chair concluded by encouraging members to continue discussions offline and noted that the tax-related issue would be taken up further in the next day’s work.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Floor Session: 2025 First Special Session - part 1 Jun 9th, 2025

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Their own directed payment program, and I can't be more grateful for that.
  • It's your right, and I'm incredibly grateful for that.
  • I'm incredibly grateful to my colleagues across the aisle.
  • I am super grateful for the work that was achieved inside this bill to achieve some.
  • And I'm grateful. Grateful for this working relationship. Grateful for this tie.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Transcript Highlights:
  • We're grateful for your participation and testimony. Thank you. At this time, I'd like to invite...
  • My name is Megan Corno, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to provide my personal testimony and support
  • My name is Megan Corno, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to provide my personal testimony and support
  • Megan Corno, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to provide my personal testimony and support for Bill
  • I do not have any questions, but I am very grateful for your testimony. Thank you.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard testimony on several bills affecting correctional facilities, disability access, public health, youth education, parole, and vehicle noise. Early testimony focused on H. 2736/S. 1762, “Matt’s Law,” which would permanently ban free weights in medium- and maximum-security correctional facilities and require exercise equipment to be secured. The bill was supported by the Tidman family, Rep. Wells, and the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, who described the assault on Corrections Officer Matthew Tidman and argued the measure would prevent similar attacks. Committee members expressed sympathy and asked whether the Department of Correction could make the change administratively; witnesses said free weights had already been removed but that codifying the policy in law was needed. The committee also heard S. 1753 on synthetic drugs in correctional facilities, which would make possession, distribution, and use of Class C synthetic substances in prisons and jails a felony with a mandatory minimum sentence. Senator O’Connor and MCOFU said synthetic drugs like K2 are being smuggled in through mail and are causing violence and medical emergencies among inmates and staff. H. 4123, filed by Rep. Donahue and Chair Vargas, would require correctional facilities to offer two doses of naloxone to people upon direct release; Donahue cited overdose risk after incarceration and her personal loss of a son to overdose. Sheriff Donna Buckley also testified in support of a commission to study sentencing jurisdiction and whether more people should be sentenced to county houses of correction rather than DOC facilities. A large portion of the hearing was devoted to S. 1733, “An Act Building a More Accessible Massachusetts,” which would expand the Architectural Access Board’s authority over older buildings, workplace areas, and adaptable housing units. Chris Ho, disability advocates, and people with disabilities testified that the bill would help close gaps in accessibility for employment and housing, reduce long waits for accessible units, and support aging in place and independent living. The committee also heard S. 1721 on educational rights for incarcerated youth, with Avery Farmer arguing that 18- to 21-year-olds in DOC and houses of correction should receive the same educational services and disability supports as youth in DYS custody. Additional testimony supported S. 1716 regulating illegal exhaust systems, with one witness citing public health harms from vehicle noise and another opposing the bill as overbroad and harmful to classic car owners. Finally, Claire Massington testified for H. 2694 on equitable access to parole, calling for a more transparent, best-practices-based parole system with a revised board composition and a presumption of parole unless the board shows otherwise. The hearing ended with the chair adjourning the meeting due to a roll call in the House and Senate.
MO
Transcript Highlights:
  • , members of the General Assembly, all of our esteemed guests, and my fellow Missourians, I'm so grateful
  • We are so grateful for them and their willingness to serve on good days and bad days.
  • So today I stand before you at this dais, still incredibly grateful for and humbled by the trust Missouri
  • serve with because they carry Missouri's conservative Christian family values every day, and I'm grateful
  • of their family and colleagues join them in the upper gallery today and support them, and we're grateful
Keywords: 959, house, all