Transcript Highlights:

• well known that is, but one thing she wanted to focus on was that they are fortunate to have a cooperative
• known that is, but one thing she wanted to focus on was that they are fortunate to have such a cooperative
• known that is, but one thing she wanted to focus on was that they are fortunate to have such a cooperative
• <00:15:11.839> alcohol<00:15:12.320> beverage<00:15:12.800> control cooperative
• alcohol beverage control cooperative alcohol beverage control agency.<00:15:14.000> I<00:15:14.320

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, I thank you very much, and I thank those parties that I said for cooperating for clarity
• I thank you very much, and I thank those parties that I said for cooperating for clarity of language.
• Um, we have to have the agencies cooperating with each other.
• Um, we have to have the agencies cooperating with each other.
• We have to have the agencies cooperating with each other.

Bills: HF1855, HF102, HF1082, HF1354, HF2184, HF1792, HF2296, HF2429, HF2543, HF2566

Keywords: veterans, benefit services, accreditation, consumer protection, civil penalties, disclosure requirements, HF102, Sibley County Road 166, Freedom Drive, Arlington, Sibley County, Minnesota transportation bonds, bonding bill, capital investment, road extension, highway access, intersection improvements, right-of-way acquisition, water main, sewer improvements

Transcript Highlights:

• to bring land owners and cooperatives to bring these<00:46:41.280> projects<00:46:41.599>
• Local distributed generation of green ammonia offers a major opportunity for farmers and farm cooperatives
• farmers offers a major opportunity for farmers and<00:59:43.960> farm<00:59:44.359> cooperatives
• <00:59:45.079> to<00:59:45.240> own<00:59:45.520> green and farm cooperatives
• to own green and farm cooperatives to own green ammonia<00:59:46.319> facilities<00:59:46.960

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to take the existing policy of the state and try to do what we can to encourage the hospitals to cooperate
• to take the existing policy of the state and try to do what we can to encourage the hospitals to cooperate
• to take the existing policy of the state and try to do what we can to encourage the hospitals to cooperate
• to take the existing policy of the state and try to do what we can to encourage the hospitals to cooperate
• to take the existing policy of the state and try to do what we can to encourage the hospitals to cooperate

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee held a hearing on House Bill 619, which would appropriate $1 million to the Solid Waste Management Fund for matching grants to municipalities and businesses for waste diversion projects, with 50% of the money prioritized for food waste diversion. Representative Karen Ebel, the sponsor, said the fund would help New Hampshire meet its solid waste diversion goals, preserve landfill capacity, and support composting, recycling, and related local business activity. She cited New London’s composting program as an example, saying 172 families participated and 32 tons of food waste were diverted in 2024, reducing tipping and trucking costs. Committee members asked about possible alternative funding sources, including a surcharge on landfill tipping fees. Ebel said many other states use such surcharges to fund recycling and solid waste programs, while New Hampshire relies on general funds. She also said the current fund balance was about $900,000 because some money had been used for staffing, and that the grant program was still in rulemaking. Questions also focused on how household composting works and whether municipalities could generate revenue from compost; Ebel said participation is optional, most programs use buckets and transfer stations, and the main benefit is cost savings from reduced disposal rather than compost sales. Testimony in support came from the New Hampshire Municipal Association and the Northeast Resource Recovery Association. Both said municipalities are interested in food waste diversion and composting, that these programs can reduce long-term disposal costs and property tax pressure, and that there is growing demand for technical assistance and grant support. The Northeast Resource Recovery Association said food waste makes up about 24% of municipal and business waste, that fewer than two dozen communities and fewer than two dozen businesses currently offer such services, and that a City of Lebanon pilot program saw about 30% savings by composting on site. The Department of Environmental Services said it was not taking a position but is working on rulemaking for the grant program and expects strong interest from municipalities, private composters, farmers, and anaerobic digester operators. No vote or final action was taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's been going very well, and people have been very cooperative, and it's been good relationships all
• the programmatic side, they can hear together as leaders what folks are saying and work together cooperatively
• are are saying and can<01:20:04.360> work<01:20:04.719> together<01:20:05.040> cooperatively
• <01:20:05.760> on<01:20:06.000> some can work together cooperatively on some can work
• together cooperatively on some of<01:20:06.280> the<01:20:06.400> issues<01:20:06.679>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The measure risks limiting cooperation between local and federal agencies in ways that could have real
• The measure risks limiting cooperation between local and federal agencies in ways that could have real
• The measure risks limiting cooperation between local and federal agencies in ways that could have real
• And again, we should not be, um, investing more effort and cooperation.
• And again, we should not be, um, investing more effort and cooperation.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, and I'm talking about cooperative school districts.
• Some cooperative districts, it's just straight per pupil: everybody's paying in the same amount for the
• school districts So within Cooperative school districts So within Cooperative<01:49:21.159> school
• <01:49:21.599> districts<01:49:22.480> you<01:49:22.719> you Cooperative school
• districts you you Cooperative school districts you you could<01:49:23.080> have<01:49:23.880>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a work session focused on school funding formulas, adequacy aid, and special education aid, with the chair outlining a schedule for the next several Tuesdays and noting that the committee would likely need multiple executive sessions to narrow down the bills. Members discussed the FY 26 formula, including base cost, differentiated aid, extraordinary needs grants, hold harmless provisions, and the roughly $28 million in excess statewide education property tax (SWP) funds that are not currently returned to the state under the existing formula. The first bill discussed was HB 137, which would allow excess SWP funds to remain with the local municipality for school and municipal purposes. Representative Spilsbury argued the issue is fundamental and suggested the state should require excess funds to be remitted back to the state, while Representative Damon said the bill appears to codify current practice and may be unnecessary, especially given possible court action. The discussion then shifted to a related bill from Representative Fellas that would redefine SWP as local money rather than state money and keep the current adequacy aid numbers revenue-neutral for now. Representative Fellas explained that SWP was created in 1999 after the Claremont lawsuit as part of the state’s effort to show increased school aid, but that it effectively labeled part of the local property tax as state money without changing property tax bills. She argued the state should not be tapping local property tax revenue and said her bill would preserve the current distribution while removing the SWP tax label, with future work possible on a different measure of local capacity such as income, home values, or poverty rate. Members also referenced prior discussions of fiscal capacity aid, relief aid, and other formula changes as part of the broader effort to restructure school funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• The interstate is just right down there, you know? And so I, I, I, I enjoyed it, though.
• The interstate is just right down there, you know? And so I, I, I, I enjoyed it, though.

Keywords: 920, all

Summary: The Alabama Senate convened with prayer, the pledge, and a quorum present, then adopted the previous day’s journal and excused absent senators. The chamber recognized visiting members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and adopted a Senate resolution designating February 10, 2026, as Alpha Phi Alpha Day at the Alabama State Capitol. Senators offered remarks praising the fraternity’s service, civic outreach, and historical significance, and the House later sent over a matching resolution, which the Senate adopted. The Senate also heard a Black History Month presentation highlighting Benjamin Banneker, Dr. Charles Drew, Ralph Bunche, and Carter G. Woodson. The Senate then processed a large number of House messages and confirmations. House bills and resolutions were referred to committees, including measures on juvenile offenders, administrative rules, state income tax, local legislation, ad valorem tax, multi-member boards, license plates, criminal procedure, and food banks. The Senate confirmed several appointments, including multiple Alabama Army National Guard promotions, Mike Suo to the Jacksonville State University Board of Trustees, and Christy Andrews to the Alabama Securities Commission, each by roll call with no opposition. In motions and resolutions, the Senate adopted numerous commemorative and honorary resolutions, including observances for National Blood Donor Month, Diabetes Month, Booker T. Washington Day, the Alabama Community College Football Study Commission, and recognitions for individuals and organizations such as the Baldwin County Fair, Sheriff Derek Cunningham, William Riley Hawkins Jr., and Clifford Ray Miller. Senator Barfoot’s resolution urging federal funding for the state logging efficiency grant fund was adopted after adding all senators as co-sponsors, and a resolution honoring Sheriff Derek Cunningham was read at length and adopted. The Senate also adopted the Rules Committee’s special order calendar for the next legislative day, which prioritized several bills on libraries, taxation, retired state employees, municipalities, transportation, coal-impacted communities, income tax, the Alabama Space Authority, cosmetology and barbering, security, entertainment incentives, and health. In local legislation, the Senate passed several local bills, including measures for Mobile County, class 2 municipalities, public transportation, Jefferson County, and the town of Morris.

Transcript Highlights:

• I appreciate everyone's cooperation in helping us maintain a fair, balanced, and efficient public meeting

Bills: SB116, SB121, SB130, SB407

Keywords: redistricting, congressional districts, Louisiana, 2020 census, elections, precincts, voting, election, political representation, 2026 precincts, demographics, Louisiana congressional map, U.S. House, election districts, precinct shapefiles, Voting Districts, VTD, 2020 Census, 2026 Precinct Shapefiles, apportionment

Transcript Highlights:

• This came out of the Cooper Jones Act of Transportation Council meeting. It happened last year.
• officers and state patrol folks on vehicle-bicycle collisions and how to respond, how to implement the Cooper
• Jones Act, how to sort of address... ...collisions and how to respond, how to implement the Cooper Jones

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a cooperative agreement program with CMS, which means we are working with our federal partners
• This is a cooperative agreement program with CMS, which means we are working with our federal partners
• directly by OHA or through other partners like the Oregon Office of Rural Health, that we are also cooperating

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing focused first on Oregon Medicaid coordinated care organization (CCO) finances and rate setting. Oregon Health Authority staff explained how 2025 CCO financial results will inform 2027 capitation rates, including reserve requirements, subcapitation arrangements, and major cost drivers such as behavioral health, pharmacy, rural hospital costs, and dental directed payments. They said the Legislature’s added 2025 funding materially improved CCO margins and that, without it, the program would have been negative overall. Members asked about retained earnings, subcapitation, behavioral health utilization, ABA therapy, and whether outcomes are being evaluated; OHA said rate setting is actuarial and that CCOs, OHA, and other partners all play roles in monitoring efficacy and access. OHA also reviewed House Bill 4039 changes intended to increase transparency and give CCOs earlier access to rate information and reconciliation exhibits. CCO representatives then testified that the system is under significant financial pressure and that behavioral health state-directed payments, benefit changes, and federal uncertainty from H.R. 1 are reducing flexibility. CareOregon said it has lost more than $500 million over the last couple of years and is now making provider terminations and other network changes to align spending with available funding, while emphasizing that CCOs must make hard decisions about which services and providers can be sustained. Eastern Oregon CCO said rural and frontier factors, cost-based hospitals, air ambulance needs, and statewide efficiency adjustments are not fully reflected in rates, and that dental funding is especially strained. Trillium similarly warned that state-directed payments and benefit expansion pressures are constraining the global budget model and that H.R. 1 could worsen acuity and volatility. Members pressed the witnesses on who is responsible for evaluating treatment effectiveness, especially for ABA and psychotherapy, and on how utilization limits and reimbursement changes are being used to control costs. The committee then shifted to an overview of the Affordable Care Act and Oregon’s commercial insurance market. Department of Consumer and Business Services staff explained actuarial value, metal tiers, premium tax credits, medical loss ratio rules, and the main drivers of premium rates: cost trend, utilization trend, and administrative costs. They said mandates have likely added only a limited amount to premiums over the past decade, though the exact effect is difficult to isolate, and they gave examples of how high-cost, low-volume services versus broad, high-utilization services can affect rates differently. Staff also noted that Providence Health Plan and PacificSource Health Plans are withdrawing from the individual market, though consumers should still have at least three insurer options in every county and may have four in many counties. The division said it is in the middle of reviewing proposed 2027 rates and will continue its public rate review process, including hearings and written comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and the nature of the important issues that we discuss and the fact that we have a collegial, cooperative
• OPERATE, AND THE NATURE OF THE IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT WE DISCUSS AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A COLLEGIAL COOPERATIVE
• the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., by three undergraduate students, Oscar James Cooper

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and handled several motions to discharge and substitute identical Assembly or Senate bills, along with a number of amendments. The chamber also welcomed student visitors from the League of Women Voters’ Students of Albany program and a group of Staten Island titleholders, and later adopted previously approved resolutions honoring Dorothy E. Reid for her role in Brown v. Board of Education and recognizing Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on Delta Day, with multiple senators speaking in support of both recognitions. The bulk of the floor session was devoted to third-reading votes on a large number of bills, most of which passed with broad support. Measures addressed public health, workers’ compensation, education, environmental conservation, insurance, labor, criminal procedure, domestic relations, tax, municipal authority, and correction law. Several bills were explained by sponsors as advancing stormwater management authority, labor-law transparency, public health protections, and stronger penalties for trafficking-related offenses; one bill on immunization in summer camps drew a defense from Senator Skoufis as a child-protection measure, while another on correction law passed with some Republican opposition. The chamber also took up a controversial public health/electronic health records bill by Senator Fernandez. Senator Martin questioned the bill at length about redacting certain categories of information, emergency access, provider obligations, and the impact on doctors’ ability to see complete medical histories. Fernandez said the bill was intended to protect patients from discrimination and to limit access to a small list of sensitive services, while also noting emergency exceptions and support from more than 200 health care providers. The debate remained focused on balancing privacy protections with concerns about continuity of care and record integrity.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 288, a bill to be entitled an act relating to rural electric cooperatives.
• 425.041, which prohibits certain bylaws, tariffs, and policies from being utilized by rural electric cooperatives
• The revisions limit the section's applicability to only those cooperatives that sell electricity at retail

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of recognitions for interns, staff, and guests. Members also honored retiring Senate staffer Susan Miller and recognized a veteran injured in combat. After routine announcements, the chamber moved to returning messages from the House and began taking up bills and amendments. The Senate concurred in House amendments and passed SB 118 on RV park assessments and SB 572 on ethics for public officers and employees, both by 38-0 votes. It then took up the elections bill, CS/CS/HB 991, which drew extensive debate. Supporters said it would strengthen election integrity by tightening citizenship verification and ID rules; opponents argued it would burden eligible voters, especially students, seniors, disabled voters, and others without the newly required documents. The bill passed 27-12. The chamber also passed the education package SB 182 after adopting a Senate amendment to the House amendment, and approved SB 474 on military affairs, SB 425 on historic cemeteries, HB 929 on local regulation of chickees, and HB 35/SB 1370 on habitual traffic offender designation, all with unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The Senate then considered SB 902/ HB 733, the Department of Health package. Members adopted an amendment and amendment-to-amendment that preserved most Senate provisions while modifying or removing several House additions, including some early steps and medical marijuana-related changes, and the bill passed 37-0. The chamber also began work on HB 905, the foreign influence bill, with a strike-all amendment offered to expand restrictions on foreign influence, sister-city agreements, linkage institutes, and related activities, but the debate on that measure was still underway when the transcript ended. Several other returning messages and bills were temporarily postponed, and the Senate recessed briefly before resuming business.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then we also relied upon our industry partners to cooperate with us when these consumers came to
• And then we also relied upon our industry partners to cooperate with us when these consumers came to
• And I think you all certainly, your cooperation and participation in that and willingness to engage in

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, Senator, I'll address this globally, and then I'll have Carl talk about the particular cooperation
• It doesn't mean, however, that we can't cooperate in the areas of cybersecurity, and DO IT has a high
• We do have strong concerns, as the Chief Justice said, that we want to cooperate as much as we can, but

Transcript Highlights:

• It takes a village and it, and I want to recognize Kit Carson Electric Cooperative for being such a huge
• and if you're responding to these things, I'm not sure if these kind of things that we ought to cooperate
• Hydrogen will allow us to, uh, provide energy to the local cooperative.

Transcript Highlights:

• was exemplified in a situation in Senate District 8, my district, in which an RTC... ...refused to cooperate
• appropriate... ...public education as required by federal law to these children because of the lack of cooperation
• Did the RTC give a reason why they were not willing to cooperate?

Bills: HB136, HB451, SB425, SB466, SB905, SB1986, SB2311, SB2450, SB2805, SB2826, SB2919, SB3001, HB136

Keywords: Medicaid, lactation, healthcare, consultation, reimbursement, maternal health, infant care, commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening

Transcript Highlights:

• The chair calls Eric Cooper. All right, sir, you are Eric Cooper.
• Cooper, first off, thank you for your service to our communities. It's definitely appreciated. Ms.

Summary: The committee heard a long series of bills, most of them expanding or adjusting hotel occupancy tax or qualified hotel project authority for specific local governments. Measures discussed included HB 2404 for Childress County; HB 3066 for Allen’s Kalahari resort project; HB 4682 for Plano; HB 4683 for Anna; HB 3076 creating a project finance zone in Frisco; HB 3567 for Wichita County; HB 3715 for McAllen; HB 1039 for Alpine; HB 3182 for Burleson; HB 4926 for Grimes County; HB 4222 for Victoria County; HB 3377 for Katy; HB 4659 for Addison; HB 3241 for Georgetown; HB 4098 for Taylor; HB 3178 for Kerr County; HB 3179 for Mason County; HB 2289 for New Braunfels; HB 4412 for Kermit; HB 5165 for Monahans; HB 3500 for Bastrop; and HB 3169 for Carrollton. In each case, authors and local officials described tourism, convention, hotel, airport, or mixed-use development needs and argued the bills would help attract visitors, investment, and jobs. One non-hotel-tax bill, HB 4226, would exempt Texas food banks from sales tax on vehicle purchases and rentals, with testimony emphasizing the scale of food bank operations and the savings’ impact on meal delivery and disaster response. Testimony was generally supportive from city officials, economic development representatives, and industry groups such as the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association. Several witnesses described major private projects, including Kalahari in Allen, a proposed hotel and conference center in Addison, a mixed-use project in Georgetown, and a large development tied to Samsung growth in Taylor. For HB 4226, food bank representatives said the bill would help them purchase refrigerated trucks and other delivery vehicles, while an opponent questioned the fiscal note and the scope of the exemption. HB 4926 drew opposition from Camp Allen, whose representative argued a new county hotel tax would raise costs for guests and could hurt the retreat center’s operations. HB 3178 also drew an objection from a Kerr County resident who argued the tax would grow county government and pointed to event center losses, though the author said the revenue would support tourism-related county uses. The committee took no final votes on the bills in this transcript. After each bill was laid out and testimony concluded, the chair repeatedly asked whether there was objection to leaving the bill pending; in each instance, no objection was heard, and the bills were left pending. Several committee substitutes were offered and then withdrawn or noted as conforming drafts, but no bill was reported out or otherwise acted on beyond being left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• First of all, we want to have a strong cooperative relationship with the AG’s office, and so we want
• doing anything that interferes with their ability to enforce the Unfair Trade Practices Act. close cooperation
• They do address the Attorney General's concerns, and the goal here was to have, as I said, a cooperative

Transcript Highlights:

• And I thank everybody for their cooperation.
• How do you believe that we might work together to cooperate and communicate to ensure that something
• is widely reporting, forgive me, the press is widely reporting that it was because he pledged to cooperate

Keywords: nominations, Deputy Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Todd Blanch, Gail Slater, confirmation hearing

Summary: The meeting focused on the nominations of Todd Blanch and Gail Slater for the positions of Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, respectively. The committee considered the qualifications of both nominees, with opening statements provided by the nominees themselves. There was an evident emphasis on the rigorous vetting process that nominees undergo before their selection, highlighting the importance of the roles within the Department of Justice. Members of the committee engaged in a structured question-and-answer session to further evaluate the nominees' capabilities and fit for the positions they were nominated for, with each member allotted seven minutes to pose questions.