Video & Transcript Research : 'functional needs'
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TX
Texas 89th 2nd C.S.
89th Legislative Session - Second Called Session Aug 21st, 2025 at 10:08 am
Texas House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- When I filed House Bill 1, I knew that there would be changes that needed to be made.
- This amendment ensures the bill is fully funded without needing to make additional changes to Senate
- And it gives the parents the information they desperately need. Parents, we are thinking about you.
- If they needed to, I suppose that would be true. Okay.
- We need to move adoption. The Chair recognizes Mr. King in opposition. Thank you, Mr.
Keywords:
youth camps, emergency preparedness, safety standards, health regulations, camp licensing, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license
Summary:
The committee meeting primarily focused on the discussion and passage of several key bills, including SB5, which pertains to supplemental appropriations for disaster relief. This bill was passed unanimously, highlighting the committee's commitment to addressing disaster preparedness. HB20, aimed at reducing fraudulent charitable solicitations during disasters, also saw significant debate, with positive sentiments expressed by its sponsor, Mr. Darby. Additionally, HB22, which expands the authority of the comptroller to fund emergency communication systems, was passed with overwhelming support, indicating a consensus on improving emergency response capabilities within the state. The session concluded with discussions about future legislative measures aimed at strengthening infrastructure against disasters.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Regulated Industries Feb 11th, 2025
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Expanding accessibility by encouraging autonomous vehicle adoption in MN | Senator John Jasinski Apr 10th, 2026
Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- So, to increase accessibility here in Minnesota, Senator John Jasinski says the state needs to strike
- But to have this function and have this type of technology come in, hopefully at a low price so they
- So it just provides that technology to get them where they need to go. >> Aside from the accessibility
- They're fully functioning in other states. Uh, so the technology is there.
- Uh, the bill, Senator Dibble's bill, pushes it way out till 2028, and I just don't think we need to wait
Summary:
The discussion focused on Minnesota legislation for autonomous vehicles, with Sen. John Jasinski arguing the state should create a clear statewide regulatory framework that welcomes driverless ride-share services without imposing so many rules that companies avoid investing here. He said autonomous vehicles are already testing and mapping in the Twin Cities area, and that the main benefits would be improved accessibility and independence for people who cannot drive because of disabilities or medical conditions, as well as broader transportation options for work and travel.
Jasinski described his bill, Senate File 4010, as a public-safety framework that would rely on existing MnDOT and governor’s connected automated vehicle task force structures rather than creating a new, more restrictive process through DPS. He contrasted that approach with Sen. Dibble’s bill, which he said would be much more restrictive and could amount to "death by regulation." He also said he supports some guardrails, such as geomapping around downtown events, safe loading and unloading zones, and procedures for human takeover if a problem occurs, but wants to avoid a patchwork of city-by-city rules.
He said the legislature is considering several autonomous-vehicle bills this session and that the timing reflects years of study by the state task force. Jasinski also discussed his earlier bipartisan Senate File 75, which authorized MnDOT to research autonomous mower technology after he noticed traffic delays caused by ditch mowing along highways. He said that pilot is still in testing at an MDOT facility, but he sees potential for the technology to reduce traffic disruption, improve worker safety, and lower costs. No votes or formal committee actions were described in the interview.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Senate Legislative Session Apr 9th, 2026 at 09:30 am
Oklahoma Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Can you explain to me what the health and safety needs are that require all those state questions to
- I agree that we do need JNC reform. There's no doubt about that.
- But the last thing we need is to remove the...
- That is not a legislative function; it is a function of the constitution.
Bills:
HB4248, HB4429, HB2588, HB3472, HB4317, HB3462, HB2035, HB3501, HB3127, HB3143, HB3144, HB3260, HB4321, HB3011, HB3522, HB3530, HB3940, HB3078, HB3043, HB3005, HB3007, HB3403, HB1907, HB3175, HB3986, HB3466, HB3411, HB4246, SJR49, HB3281, HB4319, HJR1086, HJR1024, HJR1087
Keywords:
HB4248, hemp beverage, hemp drinks, THC beverage, cannabis beverage, intoxicating hemp, age restriction, under 21, minor possession, youth access, public health and safety, Title 63, Oklahoma Statutes, retail sales, alcohol-style regulation, controlled substances, beverage regulation, proxy advisory services, shareholder rights, financial transparency
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Legislative Session Day 43 (3-10-26)
Kentucky House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- There being no need, House stands at ease.
- at There being no need, House stands at ease.
- For the cities and very much needed.
- where we need to be. where we need to be.
- agencies to ensure their essential needs agencies to ensure their essential needs are<01:31:58.000
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- which our businesses desperately need which our businesses desperately need will<01:17:42.159>
<04:41:16.798>towns <04:41:17.160>need to make a change they need towns need to make - You don't necessarily need a car to function, although you certainly have one if you want, but just having
- You don't necessarily need a car to function, although you certainly have one if you want, but just having
- You don't necessarily need a car to function, although you certainly have one if you want, but just having
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Conference Committee on S.F. 3432 - Omnibus Judiciary and Public Safety Appropriations - 05/13/26
Transcript Highlights:
- And we believe enhancements are needed And we believe enhancements are needed as<00:58:55.080>
<01:10:50.240>- So, yes, I needs to be cleared at home.
and need we're going to need to go back and need we're going to need to go back and explain<01to camera is not working and we need to camera is not working and we need to - I need to learn that.
Summary:
The Safety and Security Conference Committee met on May 13, 2026, with a quorum present and no immediate vote taken. Chairs explained the committee was working ahead of a possible target so it could act quickly later if needed, then proceeded with member introductions and a reminder about committee decorum. Staff noted a microphone delay and said the meeting would include a side-by-side walk-through of the House and Senate policy language and a review of the fiscal spreadsheet.
Fiscal staff summarized major differences in court, public safety, and legislative security funding. The House and Senate proposals differed on safety and security funding for the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts, as well as on courthouse grants, capital security enhancements, and a new legislative/protective services unit. Staff also reviewed Senate-only and House-only items, including a Senate proposal to require removal of insignia from public safety vehicles sold to the public, and House provisions for a security services task force and member security costs. Total general fund impacts were reviewed, with the House total corrected to include an open appropriation that had been omitted from the spreadsheet totals.
Nonpartisan staff then walked through the policy differences. The Senate language focused on a Protective Services Unit and security for principal state officials, while the House language focused on a Legislative Services Unit and security for legislators. Both bills included provisions on Capitol Complex Security, reporting requirements, and reimbursement arrangements with local law enforcement, but differed on details such as whether elected officials must provide contact information to DPS and how requests for personal protective services are handled. The House-only amendment A8 was presented for discussion; it would revise emergency contact provisions, replace the House’s personal protective services request language with a more detailed threat assessment and mitigation framework, direct implementation of the new unit, and make related reimbursement and technical changes.
Judge Richard Kyle, president of the Minnesota District Judges Association, testified in support of stronger judicial and court safety measures. He described rising threats against judges, citing survey results showing high rates of judges limiting personal information, receiving inappropriate communications, changing personal behavior, and experiencing threats to themselves and family members. He said the association supports legislative authorization and funding for home security and personal data protections for judicial officers, and emphasized that safety concerns for judges and court staff have become more serious in recent years.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety (02/12/2025)
Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- They might need some resources, they might need to be connected with a therapist at their community mental
- some resources they they might need some resources they might<00:09:04.079>
need <00:09:04.240 - They need to feel safe, and they need to understand that they have the ability to make better choices
- <01:11:53.320>
to need to forgive themselves they need to need to forgive themselves they - cannabis now this exemption so we need cannabis now this exemption so we need to<05:13:06.160>
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Press Conference: Republican Members Propose New Legislation Addressing Fraud - 02/19/26
Transcript Highlights:
- We need a top- down reform just tweak.
- And there's no need to with no teeth.
- We need to get the state of Minnesota.
- seriously, which we desperately need. seriously, which we desperately need.
- would expect that to happen but it needs would expect that to happen but it needs to<00:36:56.079
Summary:
Senate Republican leaders held a press event to roll out a package of anti-fraud proposals focused on state welfare and human services programs. Mark Johnson opened by citing recent fraud scandals, including a shuttered housing program and reports of vulnerable adults being left without care while providers billed for full services, and said Republicans want top-down reform, stronger accountability, new technology, and tighter oversight of taxpayer dollars. Michael Kreun said Republicans support an independent Office of Inspector General and argued the Senate-passed bill should not be weakened in the House; he also said the Senate should restore its role in confirming agency commissioners, especially at DHS, which he described as central to the fraud problem.
Jordan Rasmusson outlined a plan to stop “blank checks” for DHS and DCYF services by requiring legislative audit review when a program exceeds budget by 5 percent and legislative approval for additional spending at 10 percent over budget. He also said DHS should adopt basic integrity tools such as electronic visit verification and client sign-off. Steve Drazkowski described two bills: a statewide “do-not-pay” list to block payments to ineligible people or entities, and an “I’m Not a Robot” proposal for Medicaid managed care that would require enrollee verification forms, with a 2 percent payment withhold used to encourage compliance and potentially fund county system upgrades. Mark Krueger said the state should improve technology and data use for eligibility determinations, citing other states’ rapid fraud-fighting systems, and proposed penalties for false reporting to the Legislative Auditor after a DHS audit found falsified site-visit records.
Steve Gruenhagen said his bill would require DHS and DCYF to resume annual fraud-prevention and oversight reports to the legislature, which he said had stopped after 2017 despite rising fraud cases. Michael Holmstrom proposed unannounced site visits for all DHS and DCYF providers before enrollment, reenrollment, and revalidation, funded through provider service fees, and cited a recent case involving a woman with autism who was billed for far more care than she received. In the Q&A, Kreun said House Democrats’ delete-everything amendment to the inspector general bill removed the law enforcement division and stripped the bill of its “teeth,” and he suggested the governor’s office may have been involved in efforts to replace the bill with a weaker coordination council model. No votes were taken in the press conference.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Banking and Insurance Feb 4th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- And so if it is that confusing, I think that it's something that we may need to revisit.
- And the reason it is needed, thank you. either. So it is double-sided.
- And the reason it is needed is because providers need more access to non-litigation claims dispute programs
- Well, you're recognized, and you can go back and forth as needed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
- So I think that there's some wordsmithing that we need to do before the next step.
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum present and heard a full agenda of bills, most of which were reported favorably. Early in the meeting, SB 1000 on trust fund interest for attorney trust accounts was explained as setting a floor and ceiling tied to the Wall Street Journal prime rate and passed without objection after supportive testimony from banking and credit union groups. The committee then took up CS/SB 1082 on a statewide provider and health plan claim dispute resolution program; the sponsor described it as a way to move emergency out-of-network payment disputes away from costly litigation and into an independent dispute resolution process modeled on the federal No Surprises Act. A proposed amendment drew significant questions from senators and concerns from the Florida Insurance Council about confusion over state versus federal eligibility and possible effects on contracted rates, and the sponsor ultimately withdrew the amendment. The underlying bill was then supported by health care and insurance stakeholders and reported favorably. SB 684 on electronic signatures for total loss vehicles and vessels also passed, with Progressive Insurance waiving in support.
The committee next approved CS/SB 158 on pet insurance, which requires continuing education for agents, clearer consumer disclosures, and annual reporting to OIR; the amendment was technical and adopted. SB 1494 on breast cancer screening coverage was presented as expanding required coverage for mammograms and supplemental screenings for certain insurance products, and it passed with support from cancer and radiology groups. CS/SB 314 on digital asset issuers was amended to create a Florida framework for payment stablecoin issuers consistent with the federal GENIUS Act, allowing state-level regulation as an alternative to federal supervision, and was reported favorably. SB 1500 on uncontested probate proceedings, including higher small-estate thresholds and clearer authority for personal representatives, also passed after a banking-related amendment requiring letters of administration for safe deposit box access was adopted.
Later, the committee approved CS/SB 618 on workers’ compensation insurance, which raises the consent-to-rate cap for workers’ comp policies from 10% to 20% and adjusts the Florida Workers’ Compensation Guarantee Association board membership; a carrier representative testified that the change would help keep more high-risk accounts in the voluntary market. CS/SB 1568 on a Florida Stable Coin Pilot Program was amended to remove authority for DFS to create a Florida coin, limit the pilot to existing stablecoins with at least $1 billion market capitalization, and require qualified public deposit handling; it then passed. CS/SB 838 on electronic payments for retail installment contracts clarified that convenience fees for electronic payments are permissible while preserving a fee-free option, and it was reported favorably after questions about consumer access to free payment methods. SB 1452, the Department of Financial Services agency bill, made a wide range of administrative changes affecting My Safe Florida Home, unclaimed property, licensing, bail bonds, and other DFS functions; a late-filed amendment on title insurer appointments was adopted, and the bill passed. The committee also approved SB 1706 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program, targeting condo hardening assistance to owner-occupied units meeting income and occupancy criteria, and SB 990 on protected cell captive insurance companies, which the sponsor and industry witnesses said would modernize Florida law and promote insurance competition and economic activity. The meeting ended with all bills on the agenda reported favorably and the committee adjourning without objection.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development - 04/13/26
Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development
Transcript Highlights:
- still have a a very functionable still have a a very functionable system.<00:21:41.400>
So, - , infrastructure that our nation needs, infrastructure that our nation needs, and<00:32:44.440>
funds to support the program if needed. funds to support the program if needed. - And as I said, I don't think I need to go into that in any detail.
- Um And as I said, I I don't think I need Um And as I said, I I don't think I need to<01:17:37.160
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
EEP Public Hearing - Thu Jan 29, 2026 @ 9:30 AM HST
Energy & Environmental Protection
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:26:00.159>
to <00:26:00.320>proceed need some um that might need to proceed need - need. Mahalo. need. Mahalo. >> Thank<00:34:22.639>
you. - Finally, we need some staffing. The department needs people. They need significant help.
- They need uh department needs people. They need uh significant<00:39:07.440>
help. - need to be more need either either we need to be more specific<01:02:12.640>
about <01:02:12.880
Keywords:
PFAS, single-use plastics, environmental health, food ware, pollution reduction, HB1802, conservation banking, conservation bank, mitigation banking, compensatory mitigation, incidental take permit, incidental take license, habitat conservation plan, HCP, DLNR, BLNR, Board of Land and Natural Resources, endangered species recovery committee, threatened species, endangered species
Summary:
The committee heard several environmental and energy bills, beginning with HB 644 on single-use plastics. DLNR and DOH supported the measure, and environmental advocates said it would reduce plastic waste in oceans and landfills. Testifiers urged the bill to avoid weakening existing county ordinances, and some supported delaying implementation to use up inventory, while Upstream opposed compostable-plastic exemptions and urged prompt passage. Committee members asked whether reusable and refillable foodware could be added to the PFAS prohibition, and Upstream said that would be consistent with the bill’s goals.
The committee then took up HB 1802 on conservation mitigation banks, HB 1569 on microfiber filters for newly manufactured washing machines, and HB 1619 on electric vehicle infrastructure. HB 1802 drew mostly agency testimony from DLNR, with opposition testimony noted from environmental groups, and members discussed whether suggested amendments would address concerns. HB 1569 received limited testimony, with support from the Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition and opposition from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. HB 1619 was supported by the PUC, Hawaiian Electric, the Department of Transportation, and several advocacy groups; Earthjustice said the bill was needed to address a widening EV charging shortfall and described the funding increase as relatively small compared with the benefits.
The committee also heard HB 1620, which would increase the barrel tax to fund the EV charging rebate program. The State Energy Office and PUC offered comments, while the Tax Foundation of Hawaii opposed the special-fund approach and said the bill should also address the non-petroleum fossil-fuel portion of the barrel tax. Earthjustice and youth transportation advocates supported the measure, and the chair asked for information on unused hydrogen fueling subaccount funds; PUC said no hydrogen program funds had been deployed and estimated the balance was likely around $2 million, with exact figures to be provided later.
Finally, the committee heard HB 1730 on wastewater systems, which would create a wastewater technical advisory group and fund positions at DOH. DLNR, DOH, OPSD, UH, and several environmental groups supported the bill, emphasizing cesspool pollution, affordability, and the need for more staffing and technical assistance. Testifiers suggested amendments to create a separate cesspool conversion implementation working group and debated the size and composition of the advisory group, including whether to include outside engineers and whether SHIP should be on the panel. No votes were taken during the hearing segment provided.
ND
North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session
Legacy and Budget Stabilization Fund Advisory Board Mar 31st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Legacy and Budget Stabilization Fund Advisory Board
Transcript Highlights:
- What we need is an updated accounting system.
- And as population grows, people need to be in buildings.
- We need more operations resources.
- But in order to scale more, we need more operations resources and we need more investment resources.
- You need an ability to...
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
SPEED Task Force (STF) - Mon Dec 15, 2025 @ 9:30 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- changes and needs. changes and needs.
- system that's created or proposed needs system that's created or proposed needs to<01:21:19.280>
- <01:22:19.679>
to homeowner side like we said we need to homeowner side like we said we need - And on we need to continue to fund it.
- A core element would be a new need.
Summary:
The Speed Task Force met on December 15, 2025, with members participating in person and via Zoom. After roll call and introductions, the chair filed the previous meeting minutes without objection. The chair then gave a report on outreach presentations statewide about the task force’s permitting-simplification work, noting appearances before groups such as the Chinese Chamber, Small Business Regulatory Review Board, General Contractors Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Chamber, and the Land Use Commission. He also introduced the new task force coordinator, Reginald K. T. King, and outlined a January 6, 2026 process for member-submitted recommendations, including first-come consideration and structured debate. No public testimony or member questions were offered on these items.
The task force heard a presentation from the Building Permit PIG. The presenter said the group reviewed 79 SWAT recommendation forms over seven meetings, with participation from 15 disciplines and about 270 hours of work. The group’s findings emphasized workforce shortages, inconsistent plan quality, limited departmental resources, and a lack of centralized tools for applicants to self-resolve issues. Recommendations focused on building a workforce pipeline, expanding training on codes and technology, and developing a universal platform, including AI-assisted review tools. The presenter also raised offsite construction, including factory-built, modular, tiny homes, and ADUs, as an area needing clearer state and county alignment to speed permit review and support housing needs. No public testimony or Q&A followed, and discussion and voting were deferred to the January 6, 2026 meeting.
The task force then began the Chapter 6E Historic Preservation PIG presentation. The chair described historic preservation as a broad process covering research, protection, restoration, rehabilitation, and interpretation of significant properties, including burial sites and iwi kūpuna, and said Chapter 6E is intended to guide responsible development rather than stop it. The presentation explained SHPD’s role and the complexity of 6E review, including archaeological surveys, monitoring, and preservation plans. Early findings highlighted uncertainty in sensitivity determinations for iwi kūpuna and subsurface resources, repeated review of the same projects, and staffing and technical capacity shortages among SHPD and consultants. Public testimony was closed and no immediate Q&A was allowed; further discussion and voting on recommendations were scheduled for January 6, 2026.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Education Study Dec 18th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- You may eventually need fewer teachers.
- That we all need.
- needs.
- It's very much needed.
- Section 504 is a general ed function.
Summary:
The committee first heard a detailed staff presentation on the LESC FY27 public school support recommendation. Staff reviewed the budget structure and explained that, despite a downward revision in state revenue estimates, the recommendation still relied on recurring and non-recurring revenue to support educator compensation, insurance, transportation, literacy, math, special education, and other school programs. Major recurring items included a 3% compensation increase, funding for an 80-20 health insurance cost share, insurance premium growth, and transportation adequacy funding. Staff also flagged a possible supplemental need of up to $35 million for virtual education tied to rapid enrollment growth in Chama and Santa Rosa, and members raised concerns about the quality, accountability, and funding model for virtual programs.
Members asked questions about transportation for rural districts, the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit fees, the treatment of enrollment declines in the school funding formula, and whether the word “average” in salary language should remain in the budget. Staff explained that the SEG should remain whole, that the insurance and transportation recommendations applied to all public school employees but not contractors, and that the budget included multiple math-related investments spread across several lines rather than one single appropriation. There was also discussion of out-of-school learning grants, school meals, literacy center operations, special education training, and the Public Education Reform Fund, including the use of multi-year, evaluation-based appropriations for high-impact tutoring and community schools. After discussion, the committee adopted the LESC budget recommendation.
The committee then moved to endorsed legislation proposals. It endorsed a bill allowing the secretary to suspend an individual school board member, with notice and appeal procedures clarified, and a bill creating an 80-20 health insurance cost-share requirement for public school employees, along with a study of the sustainability of public school insurance programs. It also endorsed a bill on attendance provisions for students with severe medical conditions, which would keep those students from being classified as excessively absent. Finally, the committee discussed a teacher residency bill that would raise stipend levels, allow residents to complete service anywhere in New Mexico, and remove the requirement that sponsoring schools must hire them, though the bill did not include an appropriation. Members also raised questions about bilingual, Hispanic, and Black education funding, cultural and linguistic supports in teacher preparation, and where various programs should be placed in the budget or PERF framework.
DE
Delaware 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Finance Committee Meeting Jun 25th, 2026 at 11:00 am
Finance
Transcript Highlights:
- They had to reissue 205,000 bills, so that includes postage and staffing and the technology needs in
- So that includes postage and staffing and the technology needs in order to handle that issue.
- When Newcastle made some mistakes, we need to rehash it, and now they're looking for the state to come
- To raise awareness that we need to do a better job recycling and that it is in the best interests of
- Oh, we need a second. I'm sorry. Okay. All those in favor? Oh, we need a second. I'm sorry.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Floor Session May 28th, 2026
California House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- California needs it.
- Don't hate someone who needs your help, maybe. Maybe that's what they need.
- Let's be clear: California absolutely needs housing. We need more affordable housing.
- We need workforce housing.
- Gallagher, we still need you. We are going to skip ahead. Mr. Gallagher, we still need you.
Summary:
The Assembly convened, established a quorum, and opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance before moving through the daily file. Several measures were taken up and passed, including bills on county jail accountability (AB 2257), claims against public agencies (AB 2529), affordable housing management metrics (AB 2689), digital wellness instruction in schools (AB 2071), pedestrian and bicycle safety project streamlining (AB 1976), manufactured home transport permits (AB 2012), a Surplus Land Act amendment tied to an Inland Empire soccer project (AB 2139), a Monterey Bay stewardship authority (AB 1548), online electrician licensing (AB 1707), a Caltrans study of navigation apps’ traffic impacts (AB 2105), coastal resiliency permitting reforms (AB 2051), downtown housing streamlining and financing (AB 2074), Cal Fire compensation (AB 2129), emergency care authority for Del Puerto Health Care District (AB 2282), charter school facilities hardship relief (AB 2316), theft by a peace officer under color of authority as serious misconduct (AB 2337), an Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-serving institution designation (AB 2374), energy and cannabis support bills (AB 2464, AB 2537), and a suicide prevention plan requirement for treatment facilities (AB 2562). Most of these measures passed with broad bipartisan margins, and several were described as support bills with no opposition.
The floor also debated a major criminal justice measure, AB 2727, which would raise the threshold for elderly parole eligibility for people serving sentences for violent sex offenses and add screening safeguards. Supporters from both parties emphasized child protection, survivor trauma, and specific local cases involving offenders who had become eligible for release; the bill passed 66-0. Another significant debate centered on AB 1958, which would clarify procedures under the California Racial Justice Act by refining how disparity claims are established and rebutted; the author said he would take Senate amendments to address concerns from district attorneys. The Assembly also considered AB 2313, a gas-to-electric transition bill allowing customers with planned service line replacements to opt out of gas service and use funds to electrify their homes. Members raised concerns about cost shifts and equity, and the author responded that the bill includes no-cost-shift language, larger credits for disadvantaged communities, and would not proceed if the math does not work; it passed 41-21.
The final major item was AB 1709, a high-profile social media safety bill creating a minimum age of 16 for accounts on platforms using addictive features and establishing an e-safety commission. The author and many supporters from both parties framed the bill as a response to youth mental health harms, addictive design, and the need for age-based safeguards, while some members raised concerns about impacts on LGBTQ youth and other isolated young people who rely on online spaces. Supporters said the bill targets addictive design rather than speech and is intended to preserve safe online connection while limiting harmful features. The measure drew extensive bipartisan support and was still under debate at the end of the transcript.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- But you need a set of eyes; you need some unit like the proposed unit that's going to get out there and
- Where I was going with this is that the industry also needs to partake, and there needs to be synergy
- We need it for our operations.
- We needed to grow; we needed to build this new industry and everything that came with it, with growth
- only needed by the public, but the industry needs it as well.
Keywords:
HB 48, oilfield theft, organized theft, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, DPS, Department of Public Safety, Texas, Railroad Commission, criminal justice, energy resources, theft prevention, organized crime, border region, El Paso, law enforcement task force, asset recovery, pipeline theft, drilling equipment, equipment theft
MD
Transcript Highlights:
- for um vaccines, help address the need for um vaccines, especially<00:29:48.440>
vaccines <00: - So, I just think that this needed a bit more work to say, “What do we really want to do?”
- President, um, can—I think this needs to be talked about a little bit more.
- President, we need to pass this. Let Mr. President, we need to pass this.
- <02:17:38.120>
or functioning of a critical functioning or functioning of a critical functioning
Summary:
The Senate convened on March 10, 2026, established a quorum, and began with an invocation by Reverend Damien Flowers, which was journalized without objection. The chamber then recognized several guests and honorees, including Dr. Courtney Glickman for being named 2025 Play Therapist of the Year, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Dr. Sonja B. Santelises for her leadership of Baltimore City Public Schools, students shadowing legislators, Navy Alliance representatives, the Maryland Alliance for Advocacy for Sickle Cell, and Ms. Kimberly Body for her lupus advocacy. The Senate also journalized prior remarks about the 6888 regiment.
The Finance Committee report then moved several bills forward. Senate Bill 348 would allow hospitals and freestanding birthing centers to contact, rather than only call, patients after high-risk pregnancies; its amendments were adopted and the bill was ordered to third reading. Senate Bill 390 on Wicomico County liquor licenses was laid over under the rule. Senate Bill 492, addressing massage therapy advertising and prohibiting misleading sexual-service advertising, was amended and sent to third reading. Senate Bill 562, concerning pharmacist-prescriber agreements for opioid use disorder treatment, was amended and advanced. Senate Bill 773 would let pharmacists order certain vaccines, including intranasal flu vaccines, for self-administration and was advanced without amendment. Senate Bill 53, on Maryland Port Administration land acquisition notice in Anne Arundel County, was amended and advanced. Senate Bill 428 would bar cost-sharing for collaborative care model services under Medicaid and private coverage and was advanced without amendment. Senate Bill 473 would require human trafficking awareness training for for-hire and transportation network drivers; its amendments were adopted and it was sent to third reading. Senate Bill 585 would shift administration of the human relevant research fund from Health to Agriculture and was advanced. Senate Bill 606, the Easy Pass Commuter Fairness and Transparency Act, would require an MDTA report on commuter plans and unused trips; its amendment was moved as the transcript ended.
During debate on Senate Bill 917, which would expand the definition of audiology practice to include certain screenings and non-radiographic imaging, a senator questioned whether the bill would make Maryland the only state restricting a health occupation from performing Medicare-required screenings. The floor leader said the committee had heard that claim in testimony but had not verified it, and the senator moved to special order the bill for amendment, which was granted without objection. Most other bills were reported favorably, with committee amendments adopted without objection and several bills ordered printed for third reading.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety - 04/15/26
Judiciary and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- need to be deemed as private data? need to be deemed as private data?
- Stay as long as we need to to walk through the bill.
- Uh if when it's functionally obsolete.
- >> I think it needs more work. >> I think it needs more work.
- We've got as much time as we need, Senator Limmer.