Transcript Highlights:

• penalties and enforcement actions against committees that receive no contributions if certain outlined conditions
• The amendment also applies the termination statement condition to committees that have received contributions
• The amendment also applies the termination statement condition to committees that have received contributions
• section that prohibits penalties against the committee and deems accrued penalties void if certain conditions

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The House and Senate conference committees met on April 16, 2026, to reconcile differences on HB 2874, which deals with campaign finance termination statements and penalties for committees that had no contributions or expenditures. Staff explained that the Senate version retroactively voided certain penalties for late campaign finance reports if a committee certifies no activity, and the conference amendment further refined the bill by requiring public posting of committees that owe late-filing penalties, clarifying termination-statement requirements, extending the no-penalty provisions to some committees that had received contributions, and capping penalties at $5,000 per late report beginning July 1. The amendment also moved the retroactivity date, added a session-law provision, and included an emergency clause. Members discussed whether suspended accounts with no activity would be covered, and staff indicated that while not expressly named, they would likely fall within the bill’s criteria. Supporters said the measure would help clear old compliance issues from the books, improve transparency, and provide relief to smaller candidates and local officeholders who may not have the resources to manage complex campaign finance requirements. One member noted the bill would create a practical safe harbor for inactive campaigns and reduce penalties that continue to accrue on closed or empty campaign accounts. A motion was made and adopted to approve the five-page conference amendment dated April 16, 2026, at 9:03 a.m., to the Senate engrossed version of HB 2874, with authorization for technical and conforming changes recommended by the rules attorney. The motion passed by voice vote, and both the House and Senate conference committees adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• the county to participate in the employee retirement system of Alabama under the same terms and conditions
• 14.959> terms system of Alabama under the same terms system of Alabama under the same terms conditions
• 15.840> other<00:04:16.079> employees<00:04:16.720> in<00:04:16.959> the conditions
• as other employees in the conditions as other employees in the state<00:04:17.359> retirement

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• it's in poor condition and unmaintained. it's in poor condition and unmaintained.
• and passable condition a safe condition and passable condition uh<00:13:34.720> for<00:13:34.959
• A turnback condition<01:06:36.559> report, condition report, condition report, completion<01:06
• These are bridges that are in good condition that we want to keep in good condition.
• These are bridges that are in good condition that we want to keep in good condition.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• plan would require that those general funds be carried forward without any condition.
• plan would require the funds to be carried forward without any condition.
• those forward without any condition. those forward without any condition.
• > that<00:09:29.519> a There's currently a condition that a There's currently a condition
• We will also ask the general condition.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its June 3 meeting and received an opening update on transportation revenues. Leadership noted that the gas tax formula dropped 4.1 cents on July 1, reducing road fund revenue by about $125 million, and warned that city, county, rural, and secondary road funding will be affected. The chair said the committee would likely have to be selective about transportation project requests given the reduced revenue outlook. The main presentation was an update on the I-69 bridge project. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials said the project is the missing link in the Henderson-Evansville corridor and is being delivered in three sections, with Kentucky leading section two. They said section two is a $933 million project, with Kentucky’s share described as $58 million and the balance Indiana’s, and that toll revenue will be used to finance the project through a TIFIA loan and Garvey bonds. Officials said Kentucky and Indiana have executed an agreement under House Bill 546 to use tolls, are working on a broader bi-state development agreement, and will ask the General Assembly next session to carry forward $150 million in general funds without conditions and to ratify the agreement. Members asked about the timeline, toll sharing, whether tolls would sunset, and whether US 41 bridges would remain open for local traffic; officials said construction is planned for 2027, tolling would begin in 2031, toll revenue would be shared 50/50, and at least one US 41 bridge would remain open for local use. The committee then heard a combined update from the Department of Vehicle Regulation and the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing on implementation of several recent changes. Officials reported that the new registration category for special-purpose vehicles is fully operational statewide, with all counties enrolled and 292 vehicles processed so far; they also said counties received at least five plates each and that the program is permissive, not mandatory. They described implementation of Senate Bill 43’s medical review board reforms and third-party driver’s license issuance framework, saying the medical review process has been updated and that third-party partners may eventually handle easier transactions such as renewals, name changes, and address changes, while initial issuances would remain at KYTC regional offices. They also reported that the sheriff’s inspection process has been integrated into CAVIS, reducing paperwork and fraud and improving tracking. Members asked about communication to counties and cities with differing local rules, the number of counties participating, and how to coordinate multiple policy changes; officials said all counties are enrolled, though not all have submitted applications, and that they are still finalizing the scope of third-party services.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, my second baby was found with a rare condition called Hirschsprung disease, which prevents him
• Important policy definitions, such as pre-existing conditions, vary from policy to policy and brand to
• Claims are denied on the basis of pre-existing conditions, often when there is no reasonable basis to
• do so, and waiting periods for certain conditions, such as orthopedic issues or spine issues, can be
• This bill also puts the burden of proof for pre-existing conditions on the insurance company so that

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a public hearing with about 43 witnesses and a 1:00 p.m. hard stop, and the chair repeatedly asked speakers to keep testimony to three minutes. Much of the hearing focused on S. 747/H. 1336, which would extend paid family and medical leave and unemployment insurance to graduate student workers. Supporters included legislators, union leaders, graduate workers from MIT, Harvard, BU, WPI, UMass Lowell, and others, and legal advocates. They argued graduate workers perform full-time teaching and research work, pay taxes, and should not be excluded from basic safety-net benefits; several witnesses described personal hardships involving childbirth, serious illness, mental health crises, funding cuts, or fear of losing income. Testifiers also said the change would be revenue-neutral or revenue-generating and would not create major administrative burdens for universities, which already provide similar benefits to other employees. The committee also heard testimony on insurance-related bills. Christopher Stock of the Massachusetts Insurance Federation supported H. 1113 on public adjusters and H. 1345/S. 753 on flood-zone notifications for homebuyers, but opposed H. 4112, which would add a $2 surcharge on home insurance policies to fund fire cistern programs. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council strongly supported H. 1345, saying flood disclosure is needed because Massachusetts lacks statewide flood-notification requirements and flooding risks are increasing. Karen Alvarado supported H. 4352 on travel insurance, and John Fielding supported H. 1186 on pet insurance; both said the bills would create uniform regulatory frameworks and consumer protections. Rep. LeBoeuf testified for H. 4061 on workers’ compensation premium fraud, describing the bill as a transparency measure to combat fraud in construction by creating a public certificate-of-insurance database and QR-code verification system. Joe Bright of the carpenters’ union also supported H. 4061, citing fraud, misclassification, and the harm to injured workers. The hearing also included testimony on H. 4112, a bill to create a statewide fire suppression water resource fund and cistern program. Rep. Hogan and a Stowe fire chief described drought, brush fires, and the need for dedicated cisterns in communities without municipal water systems, saying the tanks provide reliable water for firefighting and are relatively low-tech once installed. Committee members asked questions about tank capacity, siting, maintenance, and funding. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the conditions that we're talking about could be devastating from a wildfire perspective.
• that cause wildfires by giving the Railroad Commission the expertise to identify dangerous conditions
• . and the Railroad Commission and PUC the authority to remedy those conditions.
• We also use the Texas Administrative Code 25 if there is a dangerous condition.
• These are conditions that lead to elevated wildfire risk.

Bills: HB 13, HB143, HB144, HB145, HB366, HB470, HB805, HB912, HB13, HB143, HB144, HB145

Keywords: emergency communication, infrastructure, first responders, grant program, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, local governments, HB 143, Texas Railroad Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Natural Resources Code, oil and gas, well site, surface facility, electrical power line, National Electrical Code, NEC, electrical safety, utility disconnect, service disconnection

Transcript Highlights:

• here some of our, uh, external holding areas that are no longer safe to hold animals and are in a condition
• and<00:10:47.600> are<00:10:48.000> in<00:10:48.160> a<00:10:48.480> condition
• <00:10:48.800> that hold animals and are in a condition that hold animals and are in a condition
• It's not a great work environment, and then you're also working out there in the weather conditions.
• we've actually had a staff conditions we've actually had a staff veterinarian<00:12:24.760> sustain

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• AND THOSE WITH CHRONIC OR COMPLEX MEDICAL NEEDS, AND DENYING TIMELY ACCESS LEADS TO WORSE HEALTH CONDITIONS
• THIS IS AN IMPORTANT THING WE DO TO IDENTIFY CONDITIONS AND DISEASES AND THINGS THAT AFFECT A NEWBORN
• WHAT THIS BILL DOES IS SIMPLY ADD DUCHENNE'S MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY TO THE LIST OF CONDITIONS THAT. >> Chair
• FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH LIFELONG OR UNCHANGING CONDITIONS WHO DEPEND ON ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES FOR
• ALSO SOMEONE WHO IS DISABLED UNDER CURRENT MEDICARE CRITERIA WHOSE CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED AS

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Maternal mental health conditions are most, most common pregnancy-related complications in the United
• Despite the prevalence of these conditions, women consistently face stigma and difficulty accessing care
• . 75% of women with maternal mental health conditions do not receive treatment. negatively impacting
• In 2019, maternal health conditions were responsible for one of the one out of every four pregnancy-related
• by Reynolds relating to the study conducted by the Commission on Jail Standards and the Living Conditions

Transcript Highlights:

• She died because the medical staff dismiss the seriousness of her condition as residual side effects
• Cameron's condition continued to worsen.
• We tried to discharge me on the 19th my condition at the time.
• My condition at the time was and I quote from my medical records, acute blood loss, acute perforated
• Subsequent medications were also gun improperly, violating conditions of participation with CMS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Third, this system provides valuable real-time data on the usage and condition of FDACS’s fleet, from
• and idle time, and extend vehicle life by staying ahead of maintenance using actual mileage and conditions
• of the vehicle... ...vehicle life by staying ahead of maintenance using actual mileage and conditions
• eliminate fragmented systems across regions, giving leadership a single point of truth for fleet conditions
• The technology giving leadership a single point of truth for fleet conditions.

Summary: The Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability met with a quorum and heard several presentations on state fleet management. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services described its new fleet tracking rollout using AT&T/GeoTab devices, funded with $804,000, to monitor vehicle location, fuel use, idle time, driver behavior, and maintenance needs in real time. Members asked about whether the system was unique to FDACS and whether it duplicated reporting to the Department of Management Services; the agency said it was still implementing the system and would follow up on those questions. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission presented on its large and diverse fleet, including more than 4,000 assets, and explained that it uses both the statewide FleetWave system and the Samsara telematics platform. FWC said FleetWave is used for monthly reporting and replacement tracking, while Samsara provides real-time location and diagnostics, reducing administrative burden and improving accountability. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Florida Highway Patrol then outlined their fleet operations, emphasizing that most assets support law enforcement, that multiple manual systems create data inaccuracies, and that they are seeking a $750,000 increase to modernize fleet management with telematics, automated receipt processing, and a centralized database to improve safety and efficiency. The committee also considered SPB 7010, which would authorize the Department of Financial Services and local governmental entities to allow post-tax Roth contributions in deferred compensation plans, in addition to existing pre-tax contributions. After a brief explanation, there was no debate or public testimony, and the committee voted to submit the bill as a committee bill. The roll call showed the measure was favorably reported, and the meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, I had the opportunity to lay out House Bill 1691, which seeks to expand the list of conditions
• Firefighters and EMTs are routinely exposed to hazardous conditions, including heat, smoke, radiation
• compensation reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). the point at which an injured worker's condition
• stabilizes and further treatment is unlikely to improve their condition.
• Diseases and conditions that are directly contracted by firefighters or peace officers' service do not

Bills: HB1654, HB1691, HB2545, HB2652, HB3799, HB4144, HB5008

Keywords: peace officers, firefighters, employment protection, worker's compensation, job security, maximum medical improvement, government employment, firefighter cancer benefits, emergency medical technicians, compensation claims, cancer exposures, firefighting hazards, workforce training, rural development, grant program, job-specific training, Texas Workforce Commission, child care, single-parent, subsidized

Transcript Highlights:

• , but there is no definition of what a chronic unsafe housing condition is.
• So, it's hard for housing condition is.
• House Bill 1625, Public Health Newborn Screening Program Fees and Core Conditions.
• .<01:13:50.600> Favorable<01:13:50.840> amendments, conditions.
• Favorable amendments, conditions.

Keywords: House streaming session for Saturday, March 21, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House convened with 126 members present, heard the prayer, approved the previous day’s journal, and then took up a series of Senate messages and committee reports. Senate bills on consent calendars 21 and 22 were read the first time and referred to committees. The House then adopted favorable reports, often without amendment, on a wide range of bills including workers’ compensation evaluation procedures (HB 1325), a state shark designation (HB 97), several local alcoholic beverages measures, commemorative months for Muslim American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage (HB 661), and local license commissioner changes in Anne Arundel, Worcester, Harford, Baltimore City, and Prince George’s counties. Several bills were amended before being ordered printed for third reading. HB 121 (Baltimore County alcohol sales) was amended to change the sponsor to the Baltimore County delegation. HB 1335 on Department of Information Technology workforce recruitment and retention was amended to convert the measure into a study and recommendations report. HB 1037 on PSC oversight of broadband and VoIP was similarly amended from direct oversight to a study and report. HB 1164 on water and sewage rate consolidation and limited-income mechanisms was amended to remove rate-consolidation provisions, require a PSC study, and delay implementation. HB 1381 on stopping or parking in bike lanes added exceptions for emergency, transit, disability pickup/drop-off, disabled vehicles, loading/unloading, and construction or maintenance; HB 1504 prioritized sidewalk and bicycle pathway projects near highways with complete streets or Vision Zero policies; HB 912 adjusted community cat trap-neuter-return rules; and HB 969 clarified electric vehicle charging billing and service fees. The most extended debate centered on HB 639, the Transportation Aviation Passenger Health and Safety Act. After amendments turned it into a reporting measure for fixed-base operators and aviation service companies regarding flights carrying detained individuals, warrants, refueling, and emergency-response documentation, members questioned its practical operation, safety implications, and possible federal preemption issues. The floor leader explained the bill as amended was intended to gather information for Maryland safety and emergency planning. On motion of the committee chair, the House agreed to special order HB 639 until the end of the session for further clarification. The House also amended and advanced HB 1063 on hunting management, including deer damage permits and Sunday hunting rules, and heard a brief statement from an Eastern Shore delegate about the Rural Caucus’s approach to offering amendments rather than opposing bills outright. The session ended with HB 972, creating the Maryland Fair and Agricultural Education Promise Fund, amended to rename the bill in honor of the late Delegate Charles Otto and to replace lottery funding with an annual appropriation; the House adopted the amendments and the favorable report.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we can also tell very quickly if we're having problems with air conditioning systems, right?
• And we can also tell very quickly if we're having problems with air conditioning systems, right?
• with air conditioning systems, right? with air conditioning systems, right?
• 26.360> computerized<00:52:27.160> and conditioning is um, all computerized and conditioning
• <00:52:58.040> equipment cycle of um, air conditioning equipment cycle of um, air conditioning

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Government Operations held an informational briefing with the State Procurement Office on its small business procurement program. SPO staff described the program’s purpose as expanding access to state contracting for small businesses, including veteran-, Native Hawaiian-, and women-owned firms, and said they are seeking to make the current five-year initiative permanent before it ends in June 2027. They reported outreach efforts, a new website and newsletter, statewide surveys, draft administrative rules, and a 38% increase in small business registrations in the HANS database. They also explained that the program is intended to support outreach, education, certification, compliance, and a statewide database to connect agencies with qualified small businesses. Committee members focused heavily on whether the program is producing measurable contract awards, not just registrations. The chair and senators questioned the definition of “small business,” noting that SPO currently relies on SBA standards in HANS and is considering a Hawaii-specific definition based on employees, revenue, and Hawaii residency. Members raised concerns that the data showed only a small number of registered businesses receiving awards and that the database does not yet track awards well enough to evaluate performance. SPO responded that the database has had funding gaps, that the position was only filled in February 2025, and that the agency is still building the system and rules needed to track outcomes accurately. A major theme was how to make the program more effective for very small or “micro” businesses and how to reduce the complexity of state procurement. Members discussed the difference between set-asides and bid preferences, with SPO explaining that set-asides are generally tied to RFPs and preferences to IFBs. The committee suggested that future rules should make participation easier, provide more training and hand-holding, and possibly create pathways for micro businesses or groups of small businesses to bid together. No votes or formal actions were taken; the briefing ended with the committee asking SPO to provide more performance data and clearer information on outreach results and database contents.

Transcript Highlights:

• They have a mental health condition.
• , chronic health care conditions, chronic health care conditions, etc. etc. etc.
• <01:27:05.600> They They have a mental health condition They They have a mental health condition
• , have a serious mental health condition, have a serious mental health condition, but<01:27:07.440
• ,<01:27:14.360> as Types of chronic health conditions, as well.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board met on September 24, 2025, approved the minutes from the September 9 meeting, and then continued its discussion of Medicaid waivers with Leslie Hoffman and Carmen Hancock from the Department for Medicaid Services. Members asked for updates on the 2024 waiver waitlist management assessment recommendations, including aligning waiver policies, standardizing applications and waitlist placement, and modernizing data systems. DMS said that work is being done jointly with Aging and Independent Living and Behavioral Health/Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities through task forces, that ARPA spending delayed action, and that implementation timelines extend through March 2027. The board also reviewed per-member waiver cost averages for fiscal years 2023 through 2025 for ABI, ABI long-term care, HCBS, Model II, Michelle P, and SCL. DMS emphasized these figures were benefit-only averages based on paid claims, not full waiver costs, and explained that true budget neutrality is calculated on an aggregate basis against institutional care comparisons approved by CMS. DMS said all six waivers remain in compliance with budget neutrality and that the most recent 18-month lag review for FY 2022 and FY 2023 found costs at or below institutional care. Members also asked about unused waiver slots; DMS said slots generally cannot be reallocated mid-year if they have been used, except in cases such as death or reserved capacity, because CMS treats participants as unduplicated for the waiver year. A major portion of the meeting focused on the new child waiver created under House Bill 6. Legislators questioned whether the waiver’s design, including the exclusion of participant-directed services and the emphasis on high-acuity children with behavioral health, DCBS, or juvenile justice involvement, matched the bill’s intent to keep children at home. DMS said it used the $14.7 million appropriated for FY 2026 to develop the program, that there is no priority list, and that the waiver is intended to serve the highest-acuity children while also addressing residential needs for those sleeping in offices or placed out of state. Members also raised concerns about the rapid growth of the HCBS waiting list and asked for more detail on age and timing patterns, which DMS said it would provide later. Finally, DMS gave average processing times from application to eligibility determination and from approval to service start, and said the overall average from application to services beginning was about 80 days, while members requested follow-up information on the Carewise assessment contract and related costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm hoping it keeps the market stable while still allowing people with pre-existing conditions to buy
• pre-existing conditions to purchase into<00:56:23.520> them.
• And if you can remember in the years back before we had underwriting for existing conditions, we had
• conditions and everybody was accepted with the conditions, the enrollment period had to be changed rather
• <00:59:57.200> had<00:59:57.359> to conditions, the enrollment period had to conditions

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , including labor conditions, not only for their own workforce, but for entire supply chains, sometimes
• ,<00:21:30.960> including<00:21:31.440> labor<00:21:31.840> conditions, conditions
• , including labor conditions, conditions, including labor conditions, not<00:21:32.640> only<00
• And what contractors observed was deteriorating conditions in the market where they would be underbid
• You know, I think we can start going down the list of medical conditions.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• improving treatment for the condition. improving treatment for the condition.
• Thank you education of this condition.
• that they have until their condition that they have until their condition worsens<02:27:21.439><
• But these other conditions are loss.
• Yeah, I'm working off the introduced bill." conditions from on line 17 to 23 I think conditions from

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• adults with chronic medical conditions. adults with chronic medical conditions.
• <01:33:51.040> Or medical conditions like cancer. Or medical conditions like cancer.
• <02:29:35.120> of making vaccination a condition of making vaccination a condition of participation
• conditions where mandates are allowed? conditions where mandates are allowed?
• <03:07:59.359> upon cared for is currently conditional upon cared for is currently conditional

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Current law applies that condition to a more limited number of repeat offenders.
• Current law applies that condition to a more limited number of repeat offenders.
• Um, the companies that install the device are required as a condition of having the certification to
• Um, Senator Liur, it seems by my reading that in the lines 1.4 to 1.14 that we're adding a condition
• Um, but we're creating a condition Um, but we're creating a condition uh<00:40:17.920> or

Keywords: 1187, senate, all