Transcript Highlights:

• If they decide to develop that, and that happens when you can't afford the taxes on the curtilage of
• of a lot of small-town conservation commissions when we might just need a scalpel in some building codes
• It lowers the tax rate.
• happens when you can't afford the taxes happens when you can't afford the taxes on<00:09:18.920>
• rate so so my my comments lowers the tax rate so so my my comments on<00:10:36.920> the<00:10

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We went further with that and modernized our zoning code.
• We went further with that and modernized our zoning code.
• and more taxes for local needs and amenities.
• It still needs to go through the building code, the fire code, follow all state, federal zoning laws,
• It still needs to go through the building code, the fire code, follow all state and federal zoning laws

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , 1502.057, Local Government Code, and case law.
• , 1502, 057, local government code, and case law.
• I'm all for taxing people less.
• What I can tell you is that, first of all, in the taxing, from a taxing perspective, the utility gets
• zero tax dollars.”

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• January 2024, I pushed forward and the council adopted the specialized code.
• January 2024, I pushed forward and the council adopted the specialized code.
• however the code is only for new construction and only in Salem as most of you know who have visited
• No new taxes, no new fees. That's even after losing the 30% federal tax credit on solar panels.
• No new taxes, no new fees. That's even after losing the 30% federal tax credit on solar panels.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on several climate and utility-related bills, especially H. 3449/S. 2292 to expand the municipal fossil fuel-free building demonstration program from 10 to 20 communities and related home rule petitions for Somerville and other municipalities. Witnesses from Somerville, Salem, Worcester, Cambridge, Newton, Arlington, Wellesley, Watertown, and the Massachusetts Municipal Association argued that local governments should be allowed to opt into fossil fuel-free or net-zero building standards, citing climate goals, environmental justice concerns, housing production, and data showing all-electric construction can cost about the same as or less than mixed-fuel construction. Committee members repeatedly pressed witnesses for cost data and asked for written follow-up, while also discussing whether strong environmental standards affect housing supply; witnesses responded that the main housing constraints are financing and that they would provide more data from local projects and state studies. A second major topic was H. 3564, which would require gas companies to provide municipalities with detailed multi-year pipe replacement plans, allow local review and objections, and limit reimbursement for projects not previously disclosed except in emergencies. Municipal leaders and advocates said the bill would improve coordination of street work, reduce disruption and costs, and help cities plan for electrification, network geothermal, and non-pipeline alternatives. Testimony from Wellesley, Cambridge, Arlington, Newton, and others emphasized repeated problems with last-minute gas main work, the need for advance notice, and the value of municipal participation in planning gas system retirement and alternatives. The committee also heard testimony on the “tactical transition” bills, S. 2249/H. 3539, aimed at managing the gas-to-clean-energy transition. Supporters from Gas Transition Allies, Rewiring America, and 350 Mass said the bills would require joint gas-electric planning, create an advisory council, eliminate subsidies for new gas hookups, shift investment toward repairs and clean alternatives, protect workers through retraining, and make utility plans more transparent. They argued these changes would reduce ratepayer costs, avoid stranded gas assets, and support orderly decarbonization. In addition, HEET testified on H. 3541, which would update greenhouse gas accounting to better reflect methane’s short-term climate impact, and H. 3543, which would establish a framework for managing shared thermal resources and thermal energy networks; committee members asked several questions about the meaning, ownership, and consumer-cost implications of the proposed “thermal commons.” No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3370, relating to late applications for the appraisal of land for ad valorem tax purposes
• House Bill 132 will look at the Government Code to make sure the same confidentiality protections we
• House Bill 1893 simply addresses this by amending the Government Code and the Transportation Code to
• Code, Section 1182, is that accurate? That is correct.
• Well, again, this bill is concentrating on this section of code relating to the Education Code and, with

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum, heard an invocation, dispensed with the previous journal, and received a House message. Members also recognized Dr. Namita Bardwaj as doctor of the day. The chamber then adopted Senate Resolution 554 honoring Christopher “Chris” Jake Stone of Santa Fe for his heroism during the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, with several senators and the lieutenant governor offering remarks about his sacrifice and the ongoing impact on his family and community. The Senate also signed a number of bills and resolutions and adopted Senate Resolution 533 recognizing the Texas Legislative Internship Program class, with multiple senators highlighting individual interns and the program’s role in developing future public servants. The floor then took up and passed several bills, often by suspending the regular order and the three-day rule. These included HB 1639 on a study of cancer incidence among female firefighters; HB 102 granting early registration for students in military-related programs; HB 4325 increasing civil penalties for barratry; HB 5342 creating a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline trust fund and related funding study; HB 3370 allowing late timberland appraisal applications after an owner’s death; HB 3376 requiring certain guardians to complete dementia/Alzheimer’s training; HB 132 extending confidentiality protections to information about hostile acts by foreign adversaries; and HB 1978, which sought to restrict ERCOT interconnections, but its motion to pass to engrossment failed on a 20-11 vote. Additional measures passed included HB 511 on unsolicited voter registration mailings, HB 2187 on nurse staffing, retaliation, and overtime protections, HB 2510 creating offenses for unlicensed assisted living operations, HB 694 on DFPS notification timelines, HB 1893 making license plates in law-enforcement video nonconfidential for public information requests, HB 2733 updating barratry and solicitation laws for digital communications, HB 4506 allowing opt-in electronic zoning notices, HB 3751 transferring a TxDOT property to DPS, HB 3033 creating a grant program for nonprofits supporting injured or killed DPS employees, HB 4273 on Medicaid fraud prevention and eligibility verification, HB 3211 on vision care benefits, HB 4529 exempting certain DoD-certified child care facilities from state licensure, HB 2522 easing fingerprinting requirements for certain vehicle dealers, HB 4219 tightening public information request response requirements, and HB 4783 requiring a report on opioid antagonist programs. The Senate also received a House message noting passage of SB 9, and a nominations committee report was announced for future consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Chapter 91, Transportation code addresses the acquisition, financing, construction, operation, and
• Members, under section 21.105 of the Transportation Code, the Texas Transportation Commission.
• Currently, there's a conflict with the transportation code and the government code.
• The transportation code states that the interest earned on deposits and investments of the fund shall
• Uh, I, I believe that my constituents ought to have a, a chance to vote on this new tax.

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor is proposing a long-overdue improvement to the sales tax code.
• <00:02:42.319> code a more fair and more stable uh tax code a more fair and more stable uh
• tax code so<00:02:43.360> if<00:02:43.480> we<00:02:43.599> can<00:02:43.879>
• overdue Improvement to the sales tax overdue Improvement to the sales tax code<00:02:58.800>
• which is called tax pyramiding in uh tax which is called tax pyramiding in uh tax uh<00:05:25.240

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met to hear a presentation from the Commissioner of Revenue on Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan’s tax proposal, with members told no public testimony would be taken because bill language was not yet available. The commissioner said the proposal would lower the statewide sales tax rate by 0.75 percentage points while expanding sales tax to selected professional services such as legal, brokerage, banking, and accounting, with several carve-outs. He emphasized that the plan would not add business-to-business sales taxes, arguing that taxing business inputs leads to tax pyramiding and higher hidden consumer costs. The commissioner said the rate cut would be the first sales tax rate cut in state history and estimated it at about $95 million annually, while the service expansions would raise about $203 million to $205 million annually, for a net increase of roughly $110 million per year. He said the proposal is part of the governor’s broader budget, which he described as addressing long-term structural deficits and funding other priorities such as an R&D credit, an expanded sustainable aviation fuel credit, fraud prevention, and service-member retention bonuses. He also said the carve-outs and exemptions would be reflected in the revenue estimate. Members questioned whether the proposal was truly a tax cut or instead a tax increase, and several asked for a revenue-neutral rate if all or more services were taxed. One member raised concerns about how pro bono legal work with a fee would be treated, and another asked about possible streamlining issues and whether fees are treated as taxes in statute. The commissioner said a fee would be taxable depending on the arrangement and that the department would review the language carefully once drafted. He also said the department would provide more detailed estimates later, including what the rate would be if the tax were made revenue neutral. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• The property tax, the mill levy, the one mill.
• Right now we're using that SIP code to impact funding.
• It's kind of like a property tax statement.
• This formula maintains the SIP code that we currently use.
• code where the next group of of campuses they would receive a 2.5. code where the next group of campuses

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Higher Education Funding Committee met to discuss possible changes to North Dakota’s higher education funding formula, with a particular focus on separating the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences MD program from the general formula. Dr. Jenkins outlined several options for the MD program, including a fixed-funding model, a hybrid model, or keeping it in the formula, and emphasized the need to preserve strong support for medical education while making future funding clearer. He also discussed efforts to increase the share of North Dakota students in the MD program through ND85, expanded recruiting, early acceptance pathways, MCAT prep, a four-plus-one program, and the Primary Care Accelerated Track, along with future cost pressures such as AI licensing and residency growth. The committee then reviewed a simplified funding model from the University System Office that would base funding more heavily on student FTE, credentials awarded, and a few incentive factors such as small institution and research adjustments. Members questioned the use of placeholder numbers, the lack of a clear methodology for the small institution and research factors, and whether the model would adequately account for differences among institutions, high-cost programs, and graduate education. Several members raised concerns that arbitrary factors would be hard to defend politically and could distort funding or create competition between schools, while others said the exercise was useful as a starting point for discussion. Alex presented a second alternative that kept the current SIP-code structure but increased CTE weighting, added a progressive economic size factor, and separated out the MD program. His model also added an on-campus face-to-face headcount component and a credentials component, with the intent of rewarding in-person enrollment and completions. Members questioned the use of headcount instead of FTE, how hybrid, online, dual-credit, and off-campus students would be treated, and why face-to-face enrollment was weighted more heavily than completion. No formal votes or final actions were taken; the committee instead continued discussion and asked members to provide direction on which elements, if any, should be developed further.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, we are here to prioritize Minnesota tax dollars for Minnesotans, and at the heart of this conversation
• Key to our conversation today is the fact that our tax dollars were raised to the tune of $10 billion
• , and our tax dollars were spent and provided for people who are here in Minnesota illegally, whether
• defined by code defined by code 62417<00:04:07.799> to<00:04:08.159> subdivision<00
• paycheck and ensuring that their tax paycheck and ensuring that their tax dollars<00:15:31.279><

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House Republicans held a press event to announce two priority bills focused on immigration and state spending. Rep. Isaac Schultz said his bill, House File 10, would stop taxpayer funding for people in Minnesota illegally, including through programs such as Northstar Promise, MinnesotaCare, medical assistance, and legal services. He framed the proposal as a way to redirect limited state resources to Minnesota families, veterans, people with disabilities, the homeless, and infrastructure needs, and said it could save more than $100 million, with some estimates discussed during debate reaching about $200 million for MinnesotaCare alone. Rep. Max Rymer introduced House File 16, which would require reporting to ICE or other federal immigration authorities when an undocumented immigrant is suspected of committing a violent crime, and would bar local governments from withholding information from federal authorities. He said the bill is intended to end sanctuary-city practices and improve public safety. Both lawmakers argued that the measures are narrow, targeted at violent offenders, and consistent with cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. They also said the bills respond to voter concerns about illegal immigration and rising costs. During questions, the members said the state-funding bill is aimed at state dollars, while the reporting bill complements federal law by addressing local noncooperation. They discussed concerns about eligibility tracking and said current programs do not provide enough data on how many undocumented people receive benefits. Schultz cited a family in his district that lost MinnesotaCare after an income change as an example of what he sees as unfair treatment compared with benefits for undocumented immigrants. No votes were taken at the event; the lawmakers said these are the first of several bills they plan to advance this session.

Transcript Highlights:

• It will establish a single statewide tax… It will establish a single statewide tax rate to streamline
• tax that is… Nothing to do with the sales tax that is on these products.
• This includes our tobacco tax rate.
• On this tax, the cigarette tax in Alabama is 67 The tax on cigarettes in Alabama is 67 cents per pack
• And the state gets no tax money from that. the state gets no tax money from that transaction.

Keywords: 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It ensures that the Florida Building Code is consistent with the international code as it relates to
• That city that hosts the facility, it loses tax revenue.
• It's a utility tax that all municipalities charge.
• The 10% utility tax that we speak of is the 10% utility tax that is allowed by law by every municipality
• Non-beachfront taxes, non-beachfront owners' taxes are being used to subsidize the sheriff to serve as

Summary: The committee heard and acted on a long agenda of local, housing, education, construction, and claims bills. It first took up SB 1730 on affordable housing/Live Local changes, adopting an amendment that narrowed and clarified several provisions, including density, height, parking, attorney fees, and exclusions for certain protected areas, then reported the bill favorably. It also approved SB 1674, which clarifies that local investment restrictions cannot block Israel bonds, after a clarifying amendment. SB 140 on charter schools was reported favorably after significant debate over school conversion, teacher contracts, local control, and the use of surplus school property for housing or other public purposes; several speakers opposed it as harmful to public schools, while the sponsor said it preserved district authority and added options for municipalities and job creation. The committee also passed SB 96 and SB 4, two local claims bills, and SB 1714, which allows SHIP funds to help mobile home owners with lot rent and requires local housing plans to address mobile home park closures.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:05.240> we<00:10:05.560> request fee may be construed as a tax we request fee
• may be construed as a tax we request that<00:10:06.240> the<00:10:06.440> Judiciary<00
• Overall, yes, ma'am, that particular statute has written in that we write the fire code.
• Overall, yes, ma'am, that particular statute has written in that we write the fire code.
• No, I think... be in the fire code which is part be in the fire code which is part currently<00:40:34.800

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up SB 534, a measure concerning development in Kakaʻako Makai involving the Hawaii Community Development Authority and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The chairs explained that the hearing was decision-making only and no testimony would be accepted, though members could ask clarifying questions. The chair outlined amendments to clarify HCDA’s approval process, require an environmental impact statement before residential development proposals are submitted, require Department of Health documentation on hazardous substances, and specify that only OHA-owned parcels would be eligible for certain residential development with a 400-foot height limit and maximum floor area ratio of 10.0. The amendments also addressed affordability, owner-occupancy, association fees, and a special fund, while noting Attorney General concerns that the fee could be construed as a tax and suggesting further review by Judiciary and Ways and Means. Members discussed the affordability threshold, with one senator suggesting 160% AMI instead of 140% due to high housing costs and concern that essential workers could be priced out. Others raised concerns about Native Hawaiian affordability, the long-term effect of perpetuity restrictions, and whether the process would protect OHA’s interests. An HCDA representative said 140% AMI was used in existing reserve housing rules and that lower thresholds could make development economically infeasible. OHA and other supporters said the proposal was still early in planning and emphasized the need for public hearings, community input, and compliance with environmental and remediation standards. The committees voted to pass SB 534 with amendments: Water and Land approved it 4-1, and Hawaiian Affairs also adopted the chair’s recommendation, with one member excused and one voting no. The meeting then moved to SB 3, relating to water resource management. The bill would authorize the Commission on Water Resource Management to retain independent legal counsel, create an executive director position, allow challenges to emergency orders under certain conditions, establish fines for water use offenses, and revise emergency and shortage declaration procedures; Red Hill-related provisions were noted as removed from this version. Testimony was largely supportive, including from DLNR, the Board of Water Supply, OHA, and Sierra Club, with OHA stressing the measure’s importance to Native Hawaiian water rights and past litigation. A Department of Hawaiian Home Lands representative supported the bill with amendments and recommended explicit language directing the commission chair or designee to advocate for water rights and reservations for homelands. The chair indicated the committees would use the prior Senate-passed version as the basis for further action, and the discussion then moved on to SB 130, a search-and-rescue reimbursement bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• tax.
• tax in state taxes experience in state tax in state taxes and<00:27:36.320> today<00:27:36.480
• We have a tax code, and if we exempt new industries because they're operating online or they're doing
• We have a tax code, and if we exempt new industries because they're operating online or they're doing
• We have a tax code, and if we exempt new industries because they're operating online or they're doing

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Have the tax base to rebuild that critical infrastructure.
• And you're, you're dealing with counties with minimal tax base, limited resources.
• Chapter 32 of Texas Penal Code corruption has Chapter 36.
• PC penal code 6.03C.
• OK, Texas Penal Code 2205, it, it talks about the deadly conduct charge.

Transcript Highlights:

• That financing is tax-exempt federally and at the state level.
• There was also a $50 million appropriation from the MCO tax.
• This was mostly due to declining tobacco tax revenue.
• This is the measure involving the MCO tax.
• per California Civil Code.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Code of Civil Procedure allows monetary sanctions and penalties to be assessed.
• a tax exemption.
• There's tax incentives to do that, so it might be.
• County ZIP codes. That order expired. That order expires in April of this year. L.A.
• And just to clarify, the reasonable means is... ...lifted from other parts of the code.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with the most detailed discussion focused on AB 316, AB 251, AB 474, AB 1201, AB 464, and AB 614. AB 316 would prevent AI developers or deployers from arguing in civil cases that an AI system’s alleged autonomy absolves them of responsibility. Supporters framed it as a narrow guardrail to protect families, especially children, from harms like dangerous chatbots and deepfakes; opponents, including TechNet and the Chamber of Progress, raised concerns about possible strict-liability implications. The bill was moved out of committee to Privacy and Consumer Protection. AB 251 would let judges lower the burden of proof in elder abuse cases when a skilled nursing facility or RCFE intentionally destroys evidence. Supporters said the measure is needed because elder abuse victims are often unable to testify and records are vulnerable to spoliation, while opponents argued existing sanctions are sufficient and warned of more litigation. The bill passed, with committee members emphasizing the vulnerability of elder abuse victims. AB 474 sought to expand nonprofit home-sharing programs, including tax incentives for low-income homeowners and changes to housing law and lodger rules. Supporters said it would help older adults and low-income Californians avoid homelessness, but several members and the California Apartment Association raised concerns about removing lodger-law protections for homeowners; the author committed to keep working on the issue. The bill passed to Human Services. AB 1201 would give courts discretion to provide family reunification services to parents with certain violent felony convictions, rather than applying an automatic bypass. Supporters from Starting Over Inc. described personal experiences with permanent family separation and argued the bill would give parents a fair chance when the conviction is unrelated to child safety. Some members supported the measure but questioned whether domestic violence histories should be treated differently; the author said the bill still allows courts to deny services when reunification would endanger a child. The bill passed to Human Services. AB 464 addressed sexual abuse and retaliation in state prisons by extending reporting time after release, adding 90-day monitoring after reports, barring rehiring of confirmed abusers, and strengthening reporting and anti-retaliation rules. Survivors testified about abuse, retaliation, and failures in CDCR’s response; the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 614 would standardize the Government Claims Act filing deadline at one year for all claims. The author and supporters argued the current six-month deadline for injury and wrongful death claims is too short for victims to learn the process, find counsel, and gather evidence, while businesses often get a full year. A civil rights attorney and a family member of a deceased jail detainee testified in support, describing how the current deadline can block meritorious claims. The bill was presented for committee consideration as the hearing continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Social Security tax is really a double tax on income.
• He says, to be honest, he thinks this sort of flies in the face of that very basic idea in the tax code
• <00:53:48.400> code<00:53:49.079> so very basic idea uh in our tax code so very basic
• idea uh in our tax code so maybe<00:53:49.760> in<00:53:50.079> in<00:53:50.200> the
• the tax it had nothing to do with tax the tax it had nothing to do with tax brackets<00:59:04.799

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Most cities have a in our tax rates.
• Imagine you are a member of a taxes.
• explicit allowance in the zoning code explicit allowance in the zoning code meant<00:25:01.039><
• So building codes would still apply, safety codes would still apply if there were safety concerns.
• > codes<00:33:49.360> would<00:33:49.600> still still apply, safety codes would still

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This tax deepens poverty.
• Tax them fairly fully. kids go hungry. Tax them fairly fully.
• This tax deepens poverty. It abroad. This tax deepens poverty.
• and trade tax that taxes the privilege and trade tax that taxes the privilege of<01:11:01.760>
• will cut the child tax credit in half. will cut the child tax credit in half.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• BG number signed by the Kentucky Department of Ed, and then the school priority, and if the nickel tax
• <00:03:34.799> had priority and if um the nickel tax had priority and if um the nickel tax
• current Gap needed was determined by current Gap needed was determined by balloon<00:04:54.919> code
• to be uh just over $43 balloon code to be uh just over $43 million<00:04:59.720> Beachwood<00
• determined that they needed a code determined that they needed a current<00:07:43.240> gap<00

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Committee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development met, approved the minutes from its first meeting, and then received a presentation on the School Facility Assistance Fund audit. State Auditor Allison Ball’s office and its third-party contractor, Blue and Co., explained that the audit followed the scope set in the budget bill: to review each school project’s cost, available local resources, and eligibility criteria for state gap funding, with the Auditor of Public Accounts certifying the final report. The presenters walked through the 20 school projects identified for review and gave the current gap funding amounts found for each. Examples included Adair County at about $7.6 million, Augusta Independent at $5.3 million, B.S. Down Independent at just over $43 million, Fleming County at about $15 million, Garrard County at $14.9 million, Johnson County at $78 million, Somerset Independent at $1.7 million, Walton Verona at $48,000, Williams Town Independent at $7.4 million, and several others. They also noted that some districts were fully funded before the audit or withdrew because they had secured enough local funding, including Breathitt County, Kent County, and Lewis County. Washington County’s project was flagged as failing some House Bill 6 eligibility criteria even though the report calculated a $27.6 million gap. Members asked whether districts that secured funding on their own were being penalized, and the auditors responded that changes in gap amounts reflected several factors, including rising project costs and newly available local funding. They also said the audit did not attempt to determine whether local funds were earmarked for one project versus another, because the budget bill directed them to assess available local funding as provided. The committee requested the presentation slides, and the meeting concluded with no further questions and a motion to adjourn.