Transcript Highlights:

• Lethality assessments are used to determine a victim's risk of serious bodily injury or death at the
• Lethality assessment forms contain domestic violence victim information and responses, and the release
• of such information could subject victims of domestic violence to an... ...Lethality assessments are
• Lethality assessment forms contain domestic violence victim information and responses, and the release
• them sooner, ...to look at impact fees, calculate them, and assess them sooner, so this way they don't

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and moments of silence, including tributes to those affected by the Florida State University shooting and recognition of Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, John Thrasher, student advocacy groups, conservation organizations, and visiting school groups. Members also adopted Senate Resolution 1878 honoring Coach Abdur-Rahim. The chamber then moved into special order business and considered a series of bills, many of them with House companions substituted in and passed by wide margins or unanimously. Among the measures passed were bills updating child care and early learning provider regulation, imposing costs on false swatting reports, extending protections against extraordinary hospital collection actions, expanding hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren, creating young adult housing support for foster and homeless students, clarifying school choice disclosure requirements under the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, adjusting interest rules for trust accounts supporting legal aid, revising transportation and traffic enforcement provisions, expanding public records exemptions for certain judicial and health care investigators and appellate clerks, changing municipal water and sewer utility rates in Miami-Dade, strengthening motor vehicle offenses involving impersonation and obscured plates, increasing trespass penalties at certain law-enforcement-controlled sites and large ticketed events, requiring refunds of patient overpayments, authorizing certain stem cell therapies, allowing relatives and direct support professionals to administer insulin in group homes, addressing rideshare impersonation and transit funding rules, and updating the Uniform Commercial Code for digital assets and emerging technologies. Several bills drew notable debate. The trust fund interest bill prompted extended discussion over legal aid funding, bank participation, and whether the measure would reduce support for legal services; it ultimately passed 28-10. The transportation bill was heavily amended, including removal of speed-limit increases and changes to school bus camera enforcement and micromobility rules, and passed 37-0. The Miami-Dade water and sewer rate bill sparked debate over fairness, fiscal impact, and accusations of racism, but passed 36-2. Public records bills protecting agency investigators and JQC employees also drew questions about accountability and transparency before passing. Most other measures passed with little or no opposition, and a few bills were temporarily postponed or set aside.

Transcript Highlights:

• We use it regularly for follow-up. care, to assess wound healing, post-operative incisions, to discuss
• An assessment, are we allowing it to happen without defining it in statute?
• I mean, it's so important for us to actually do that initial hands-on assessment to see them.
• Follow-up conversations and assessments can continue through telemedicine or a... recommended hands-on
• That included three years of designing and executing safety assessments—assessments that took Texas Tech

Bills: SB34, SB119, SB261, SB532, SB1035, SB1245, SB1247, SB1267, SB1442, SB1930, SB1948, SB2078, SB2112, SB2143, SB2155

Keywords: wildfire, wildfire mitigation, wildfire prevention, volunteer fire department, Texas A&M Forest Service, West Texas A&M University, prescribed burning, fuel loading, fuel reduction, firefighting equipment database, emergency communications, disaster preparedness, rural fire protection, asset hardening, natural resource management, emergency management, large wildfire risk, fire grant funding, fire suppression, Texas Legislature

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a whole pre-award risk assessment that we do before selection.
• There's a whole pre-award risk assessment that we do before selection.
• uh that we do before assessment uh that we do before selection.<00:11:25.519> And<00:11:25.680
• steps is this pre-awward risk assessment steps is this pre-awward risk assessment and<00:21:23.840
• , around pre-awward risk assessment, around pre-awward risk assessment, selection,<00:22:48.000><

Bills: SF2434

Keywords: housing, development fund, affordable housing, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, expenditure provisions

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, the reason I think that that's important is you've you can already assess the triple damages
• So this is just the civil context, and the court would have the discretion to assess up to three times
• "The court would have the discretion to assess up to three times or not.
• <00:53:17.520> rather and have a conviction be assessed rather and have a conviction be assessed
• Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, a court may assess not more than two times the amount of

Bills: SF0087, SF0088, SF0092

Keywords: felony, law enforcement, police officer, criminal penalties, public safety, sex offender, child care facility, residency restrictions, criminal law, sex offenders, child care facilities, legislation, false claims, civil penalties, state accountability, whistleblower protection, fraud prevention, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Have y'all actually assessed the total?
• Potentially would be is that a fair assessment. Yes that's a fair assessment.
• Do you think that's a fair assessment? Well, that's interesting.
• This assessment wasn't about politics.
• Although an IT assessment was not included as a part of this scope.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They accepted the vast majority of that work as well, as our work to move forward the regional assessment
• The regional assessment districts structure will allow us to have consistency in our grand lists across
• More properties in that regional assessment district will kind of modify those spikes that you might
• it is the best option that we have right now, except it's going to be much better with regional assessment
• districts and more frequent town-wide assessments.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• compensation team, who takes those in and then does a lot of work between September and April to be able to assess
• And we start to gather that information from them and then we start to assess what they've provided to
• compensation team who takes those in and then does a lot of work between September and April to be able to assess
• And we start to gather that information from them and then we start to assess what they've provided to
• concerns about restricting the use of artificial intelligence, making sure it isn't being used in assessing

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Employment Relations met on May 8, 2026, to receive updates on upcoming collective bargaining for the 2027–29 biennium. OFM’s Jenny Sheehan reviewed the state workforce, noting that most employees are represented, the workforce remains constrained by hiring limits and civil service rules, and bargaining goals include financially feasible agreements, maintaining labor relations, supporting an inclusive workplace, and addressing issues such as AI use, leave, and immigration-related workplace protections. She also outlined the bargaining calendar, the role of the June revenue forecast in determining what compensation proposals can be funded, and the need to reach tentative agreements by September 2026 for October 1 submission and legislative consideration. She described recent bargaining themes from unions, including limits on AI, expanded leave, access to union members in hybrid workplaces, and classification changes, and she summarized prior-cycle costs, including about $1.2 billion in general funds and $1.7 billion in total funds for 2025–27 awards, excluding the delayed WPEA agreements that were later funded after a return to bargaining. The committee then heard from Western Washington University and the University of Washington on higher education bargaining. Western described its locally bargained contracts, the importance of re-opener clauses tied to state budget decisions, and concerns about the instability of the state “fund split,” which shifts compensation costs between state funds and tuition revenue. Western also emphasized that student employees are increasingly central to retention and urged inclusion of student compensation in the wage base. UW similarly described its large and diverse workforce, the split between RCW 41.56 and 41.80 bargaining frameworks, and the reliance on state funding, tuition, and other revenue sources to cover compensation increases. UW highlighted the financial strain of the fund split, the lack of state funding for academic student employee compensation, and the impact of rising ASE costs on class sizes and the university’s teaching and research missions. OFM also presented on Washington Management Service bargaining, explaining that only certain WMS employees are covered, that bargaining began in 2024, and that current agreements include addenda for WMS-specific provisions. The presentation noted that WMS bargaining is still limited in scope, with only a few represented units, and that compensation bargaining generally covers band minimums and maximums rather than all salary levels. Finally, OFM reviewed interest arbitration rules for certain state employee groups, explaining that arbitration is available for some essential-service and statutorily covered employees, that arbitrators decide disputed contract language based on statutory criteria, and that awards still must be found financially feasible by OFM. Committee members asked about PFML treatment, the timing of arbitration, and the budget pressures facing bargaining, and the meeting adjourned without any votes or formal actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm trying to think how to assess.
• Would that be a fair assessment?
• Thank you for the Question: Yes, that would be a very fair assessment. Any other questions?
• Yes, sir, if I didn't hear the question on what was a fair assessment, what was determined to be a fair
• assessment?

Bills: HB1002, HB1250, HB2710, HB3008, HB3045, HB3086, HB3595, HB3678, HB3695, HB3831, HB4107, HB4408

Keywords: stalking, victim notification, law enforcement, harassment, penalties, criminal justice, protection orders, local law enforcement, Public Safety Technology Revolving Fund, grants, state funding, law enforcement technology, alcohol testing, drug influence, public safety, Board of Tests, accident response, motor vehicle, fire department, fee prohibition

Transcript Highlights:

• services, trace of high quality support organization best practices, areas of improvement, metrics to assess
• coordinator performance, prerequisites for employment as a support Senator Jones: coordinator, methods to assess
• information then recommends core competencies for waiver support coordinators and ways to Senator Jones: assess
• competency and derive assessment of support coordinator provisions.
• They must administer the national standardized comprehensive exit exam to assess NCLEX readiness.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• individual projects that are being conducted by the utilities so that we can follow the costs and assess
• generally dispersed across the state, and the utility service area allows us to track the projects and assess
• It allows us to track the projects and assess applying the statutory criteria about whether the utility
• So, well, these are assessing, literally, I mean, President Gates is asking for a CPA and a financial
• The Commission has to weigh in every proceeding where it assesses return on equity.

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries met with a quorum and took up four bills. SB 288 on rural electric cooperatives was presented as a negotiated glitch bill to narrow statutory language so co-ops can choose generation and power purchases based on cost and reliability without exposure to special-interest litigation, while preserving consumer protections. A representative from the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association waived in support, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then considered SB 364 on public accountancy, which was described as a modernization and efficiency measure to expand CPA licensure pathways without lowering standards. An amendment correcting a drafting error and restoring automatic mobility language was adopted without objection. Jason Harrell of FICPA waived in support, while one speaker appeared to discuss a utility issue unrelated to the bill. CS for SB 364 was reported favorably. Chair Bradley’s SB 200 on utilities addressed utility-scale solar decommissioning and storm protection plans. The bill would authorize counties to adopt solar decommissioning ordinances, direct DEP to develop best practices, and require the PSC to consider whether storm protection plan benefits exceed costs. County and AARP representatives waived in support, and the Small County Coalition spoke favorably, saying the bill was a needed step that did not restrict solar development. SB 200 was considered favorably. The committee also heard SB 126 on the Florida Public Service Commission, a strike-all bill focused on PSC reform and utility affordability. The amendment would add CPA and financial analyst expertise, require stronger PSC order support, tighten intervention standards, set return-on-equity and review criteria, require consideration of executive compensation and affordability, and direct the PSC to weigh risk from storm and cost-recovery mechanisms. PSC staff answered extensive questions about utility hardening, storm recovery, and rate-setting. Supporters said the bill would improve accountability and affordability, while others urged stronger enforceable affordability standards and restoration of the return-on-equity cap. Despite concerns, the bill was reported favorably as CS for SB 126.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS WILL BE A JUVENILE ASSESSMENT CENTER AND WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THAT IS WE ARE CO LOCATING THE
• 60 YEAR CATEGORY WHICH ADDS AN ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE FOR REPAIR AND RENOVATIONS AS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS
• AND REMEDIATION'S AN ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE FOR REPAIR AND RENOVATIONS AS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS AND
• IN ABOUT 2016, 2017 FACILITIES BUILDING NEEDS ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED AND RECOMMENDED CONSOLIDATION
• WE DO EXPECT ADDITIONAL PURCHASE ORDERS AS THEY BEGIN IMPLEMENT AND ASSESS THE STATUS OF THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM

Transcript Highlights:

• Hydro testing is a direct assessment, a clearer measure of pipeline integrity.
• wildfire is still ongoing. caused by the Eaton fire underscores the urgent need to rethink how we assess
• This includes assessing PSPS to ensure decisions on power shutoffs are transparent and clearly communicated
• afternoon my name is Jaydeep Singh I'm a former intelligence analyst with the California State Threat Assessment
• positions what require $905,000 to implement SB 509, but there is also an opportunity to use the threat assessment

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The cumulative impact will reduce employer assessments by 20 to 25% while maintaining less financial
• The act will reduce employer assessments by 20 to 25% while maintaining less financial risk to employers
• AB 1329 will lower the assessments paid by all employers into the Subsequent Injury Benefit Trust Fund
• The cumulative impact of those changes will reduce employer assessments by 20 to 25 percent and will
• I want to note at the beginning that we appreciate the goal of reducing assessments by 20 to 25 percent

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Insurance met as a subcommittee and heard several bills related to workers’ compensation, insurance access, climate resilience, and farmworker protections. AB 815 would prevent social service workers who use personal vehicles to transport clients from being misclassified as commercial or for-hire drivers under personal auto policies; supporters said the current practice leads to unaffordable premiums and denied claims, while no opposition testified. AB 1329 would revise the Subsequent Injury Benefit Trust Fund to reduce litigation and medical-legal costs and lower employer assessments; insurers and business groups opposed unless amended, citing concerns about eligibility standards and the QME process, but the bill advanced after amendments were discussed. AB 1048 would allow disputed unauthorized payment reductions for medical providers to be reviewed through independent bill review; supporters framed it as a transparency measure, while opposition argued IBR is the wrong forum and existing contract dispute processes should control, though the bill also passed. AB 1236 would create a Department of Insurance grant program for climate and sustainability risk-reduction projects, with broad support from the department, environmental groups, and insurers, and it passed unanimously. The committee also heard AB 1336, the Farmworker Heat Illness Prevention Act, which would create a rebuttable presumption that a heat-related injury arose out of employment when an agricultural employer fails to comply with heat illness prevention standards. Supporters, including United Farm Workers, argued the bill would help protect farmworkers amid extreme heat and enforcement gaps; opponents from the workers’ compensation and agricultural sectors said the measure improperly uses the compensation system to enforce OSHA rules and could create unclear adjudication and delay issues. Members discussed Cal/OSHA enforcement limits, undocumented workers’ reluctance to report violations, and the relationship between the bill and existing workers’ compensation procedures. Despite opposition, AB 1336 passed on a divided vote. The committee also took up a consent calendar including AB 1125, AB 1293, and AB 1398, which were approved together. Roll calls were held open and later completed, and the bills that advanced were sent to the Committee on Appropriations. The meeting concluded with the committee adjourning after final votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Texas Ethics Commission is able to assess penalties on campaign filers as a more reasonable process
• The bill requires a violation to be... knowing for a civil penalty to be assessed and limits the civil
• If the violator knowingly commits the offense, for a civil penalty to be assessed, it requires...
• Any violation would have to be shown as knowing for a civil penalty to be assessed at all.
• If it were assessed, there's a ceiling of $500. Okay. Got it. Very good. Good bill.

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

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

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, the, the court on any of these cases can assess 6 months jail as a condition or treatment facility
• To assess probation in a case. 42A054 says, hey, Judge, you cannot assess probation in these certain
• only thing this law really does from a probation perspective is take the judge's discretion away in assessing
• It does not limit a jury's ability to assess probation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The court, on any of these cases, can assess six months in jail as a condition. ...or treatment facility
• Is the current law 42A.053, which enables a judge to assess probation in a case?
• 42A.054. 42A.055 states, "Hey, judge, you cannot assess probation in these certain circumstances."
• From a probation perspective, it takes the judge's discretion away in assessing probation.
• It does not limit a jury's ability to assess probation, and it still allows a jury and a judge to probate

Bills: HB1482, HB2017, HB2103, HB2341, HB2756

Keywords: community supervision, repeat offenders, intoxication, Texas Penal Code, criminal justice reform, intoxication manslaughter, criminal penalties, mandatory supervision, parole eligibility, Grayson's Law, mental health, trauma, jailers, law enforcement, occupational health, diligent participation, state jail felony, time credits, rehabilitation programs, de-escalation

Transcript Highlights:

• They are registered with EPA, requiring human health and environmental assessments to demonstrate safety
• there's no basis for creating an entirely separate regulatory regime, including registration and fee assessments
• , or disrupt DTSC's current regulatory process and timeline, and its ongoing data gathering and assessment
• efforts are precisely what needs to happen to comprehensively assess risk, the impacts on public health
• , and to evaluate... ...assess risk, the impacts on public health, and to evaluate the trade-offs of

Summary: The Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee met to adopt its rules, establish quorum, and approve a consent calendar of five bills, all sent to the Committee on Appropriations. The committee then heard three measures: AB 638 by Assembly Member Rodriguez on stormwater capture for irrigation of urban public lands; AB 60 by Assembly Member Papin on banning synthetic nitro musks in cosmetics and personal care products; and AB 916 by Assembly Member Lee on restricting certain antibacterial soap ingredients in consumer hand soaps and body washes. AB 638 was presented as a climate and water-supply measure directing the State Water Resources Control Board to develop guidelines for capturing and safely reusing stormwater for irrigation. Supporters, including NRDC and several environmental groups, argued it would reduce potable water use and help move stalled projects forward. The bill drew no opposition and received strong support from committee members, including requests to coauthor. It passed the committee on a due pass motion to Appropriations. AB 60 would ban synthetic nitro musks in cosmetics and personal care products due to health and environmental concerns. Supporters cited endocrine disruption, reproductive harms, persistence in waterways, and international restrictions. The bill passed on a due pass motion to the floor, with one member not voting. AB 916 generated the most debate: supporters said the three targeted antimicrobials offer no added benefit over plain soap, may contribute to health harms and antibiotic resistance, and should be banned in consumer products while exempting health care settings. Opponents argued the ingredients are already under FDA and DTSC review, raised preemption concerns, and warned of costs and impacts on food handling and other uses. After extensive discussion, the committee approved AB 916 on a due pass motion to the Committee on Health, with several no votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• that we're doing that is in our new role for a global bulk fuel mix. and delivery as we do fuel assessments
• We are doing fuel assessments with our fellow combatant commands.
• We next took the assessment to CENTCOM.
• But you referenced this in your previous statements that Transcom has assessed that the aerial refueling
• Tell us, I mean, you're new and you haven't had a chance to assess all this, but do I have your commitment

Keywords: Transcom, logistics, military readiness, air refueling, KC-135, KC-46, strategic infrastructure, geopolitical threats, Alaska

Summary: During this meeting, the committee hosted an extensive discussion on the operations and logistical challenges facing the U.S. Transportation Command (Transcom). General Reid provided testimony on key areas including the importance of maintaining robust logistical capabilities in contested environments, particularly in relation to geopolitical threats posed by adversarial nations. Various members emphasized the necessity for modernization of the air refueling fleet, addressing issues such as the readiness of the KC-135 and the procurement of the next-generation KC-46 aircraft, which has experienced delays and technical challenges. The dialogue further extended to the strategic importance of U.S. ports and transportation infrastructure, especially in regions like Alaska which play a crucial role in military logistics and power projection.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we'll start with an assessment of each facility. workforce in the future.
• So we'll start with an assessment of each facility. Survivable, but thriving.
• So we start with an assessment of each facility.
• So we have to complete assessment within a 24-hour time period, treatment planning and connection to
• And the part of that that will be reporting out is within those community needs assessments that are

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee was called to order, the roll was taken, and the March 18 minutes were approved. Members then received several project and program updates, beginning with CHI St. Alexius’s behavioral health buildouts in Bismarck, Williston, and Grand Forks. St. Alexius reported that the Bismarck project remains on track for June 2027 completion, with demolition underway and final design work nearing completion. Williston reported construction is progressing, staffing recruitment is underway for psychiatrists and other staff, and an air handler replacement is creating a roughly $750,000 unbudgeted barrier that will slightly delay the timeline. Grand Forks reported its expansion is about 30% complete, with no major barriers beyond weather, and leaders said the project should be substantially complete in the first quarter of 2027. The Department of Health and Human Services then presented a series of budget and program updates. Donna Ockland explained several recent line-item transfers as technical corrections that net to zero and do not require new spending, then reviewed salaries, wages, and FTE counts, noting the department remains within its authorized staffing levels. Pat Rainer followed with an update on the Rural Health Transformation Program, saying 12 opportunities have been posted, 422 applications received, and $8.4 million obligated so far, with a goal of obligating the full $199 million by September. He described grants for workforce retention, rural rotations and housing, community gardens, school wellness, behavioral health promotion, safety net services, equipment, technology, EMS, and other initiatives, emphasizing that the program is intended to be transformational and tied to metrics. Members asked extensive questions about how rural eligibility is defined, how grants will support both rural facilities and hub hospitals, and how future years of funding will build on current awards. The committee also heard an update on certified community behavioral health clinics from Elena Zeller, who said North Dakota has been accepted as a demonstration state, implementation is underway in Williston, North Central/Minot, Fargo, and Dickinson, and care coordination and service counts are increasing. Rebecca Askins then reviewed SNAP payment error rates, saying the 2025 rate was finalized at 9.89%, with the state aiming to get below 6% through policy updates, training, data tools, and a quality assurance team. Members pressed her on the causes of the error rate, the role of the SPACES software system, and the need for accountability and improvements. Finally, Dirk Wilkie reported the state laboratory project reached substantial completion on June 12 and is on budget at about $69.95 million, though a service elevator had to be redesigned because it was too small for equipment.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we'll start with an assessment of each facility. workforce in the future.
• So we'll start with an assessment of each facility. Survivable, but thriving.
• So we start with an assessment of each facility.
• So we have to complete assessment within a 24-hour time period, treatment planning and connection to
• And the part of that that will be reporting out is within those community needs assessments that are

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a series of updates on major health-related projects and programs. CHI St. Alexius representatives reported progress on behavioral health buildouts in Bismarck, Williston, and Grand Forks, including demolition and construction milestones, staffing plans, and timelines. The Bismarck project remains on track for completion in June 2027 with about $346,500 spent to date. Williston reported construction underway, a $750,000 unbudgeted air handler replacement, active recruitment for psychiatrists and other staff, and a projected substantial completion in early 2027. Grand Forks reported about 30% completion, weather-tight status expected in August, and continued staffing ramp-up as the facility expands from its current 24-bed operation. The Department of Health and Human Services then reviewed a set of technical line-item transfers, emphasizing that they were administrative corrections with no net change in funding. The department also walked through the Salaries and Wages Block Grant and FTE counts, noting overall staffing remained within appropriated limits and that behavioral health staffing had increased. Members asked about vacancies, consultant use, and the mix of in-state versus out-of-state expertise for the Rural Health Transformation Program. HHS said it had posted 12 funding opportunities, received 422 applications, obligated $8.4 million so far, hired 26 people, and was preparing additional grant rounds and a CMS budget submission. The department said the program is structured around workforce, prevention/healthy living, care closer to home, and technology/data, with ongoing stakeholder engagement and community forums. The committee also heard on the certified community behavioral health clinic implementation plan, SNAP payment error rates, and the state laboratory project. HHS said CCBHC certification is being implemented in four regions—Williston, Minot/North Central, Fargo/Southeast, and Dickinson/Badlands—with care coordination expanding and baseline data still being collected. On SNAP, the department reported a 2025 payment error rate of 9.89%, acknowledged cost impacts under HR1, and said it is using training, system changes, and pre-authorization quality checks to reduce errors toward a 6% target over the next 6 to 12 months. Finally, Public Health reported the state laboratory reached substantial completion on June 12, with total costs at $69.95 million of the $70 million budget, though a service elevator issue will require a new lift to be added using contingency funds.