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• members, and competing bidders who allege collusive or shill bidding designed to trigger the no-reduction
• And so I think this reins all of that in as opposed to, I think we will see a reduction in fees overall

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice met with a quorum and took up several bills before returning to the budget and public testimony. CS/SB 600 on bail bonds was explained as revising bail bond agent training, limiting solicitation, clarifying partial release procedures, and directing clerks to automatically discharge certain bonds when detention is ordered; an amendment adjusted cash bond return rules, charitable bail fund treatment, forfeiture remission timing, and clerk procedures. The bill and amendments were adopted, and CS/SB 600 was reported favorably after supportive appearances from clerks and industry stakeholders. The committee then approved CS/SB 436 on felony battery, which expands qualifying prior offenses for felony reclassification and adds felony battery resulting in bodily injury to prison release offender status, after a technical amendment and supportive testimony from law enforcement. CS/SB 928, known as Missy’s Law, requiring immediate remand to custody upon conviction of dangerous crimes, drew both support and opposition; defense lawyers warned of unintended effects on co-defendants and docket management, while the victim’s family supported the measure. The bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 1332 on career offender registration, requiring more frequent in-person registration and stricter reporting, also passed favorably. The committee next approved a substitute amendment and then CS/SB 682 on violent criminal offenses, which strengthens domestic violence penalties, electronic monitoring, injunction protections, and related procedures, including military protective orders and body camera use. CS/SB 1072 creating an anti-Semitism task force in the Attorney General’s Office was reported favorably after extensive public debate over definitions, free speech concerns, and representation on the task force; the sponsor said the bill does not criminalize criticism of Israel but addresses threats and intimidation. CS/CS/SB 532 on clerks of the court was also approved, authorizing clerks to retain more revenue and, through amendment, clarifying foreclosure sale procedures and clerk administration of judicial sales. Finally, the committee heard the criminal and civil justice budget overview, described as a $7.9 billion proposal focused on corrections, juvenile justice, law enforcement, and courts. Public testimony centered heavily on prison conditions, staffing, heat, infrastructure, and inmate care, with speakers urging higher pay, better transparency, and more investment in facilities and air conditioning. The chair announced that SB 1632 and its conforming bill would be temporarily postponed and read into the record the many registered supporters and opponents. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're talking about $100 million to $40 million in damages, reduction to student services, reductions

Bills: SB152, SB145, SB190, HB247

Keywords: telecommunications, low-income assistance, lifeline, broadband, rural broadband, universal service fund, public regulation commission, PRC, 911 surcharge, telecommunications relay service, VoIP, mobile service, internet affordability, digital equity, digital inclusion, rural internet, broadband infrastructure, eligible telecommunications carrier, ETC, tribal consent

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• Department of Insurance with a single goal: to align statewide efforts for community and wildfire risk reduction
• Department of Insurance with a single goal: to align statewide efforts for community and wildfire risk reduction

Summary: The committee met to hear seven Senate bills, first approving two consent items, SB 352 and SB 804, on motions to do pass to Appropriations. SB 542 (Limón) would require public notice and comment before issuing a financial responsibility certificate for an oil pipeline and require hydrostatic testing before restarting pipelines idle for five years or more; it was supported by the Center for Biological Diversity and passed the committee on a due-pass motion to Appropriations. SB 616 (Rubio) would create an independent community hardening commission within the Department of Insurance to coordinate wildfire mitigation and insurance-related recommendations; it drew support from the Department of Insurance and several local and industry groups, while water agencies, special districts, and the building industry raised concerns about water infrastructure standards, and it passed on a due-pass motion to Insurance. SB 429 (Cortese), which would establish a public wildfire catastrophe model and related university-based research and education program, received support from the Department of Insurance and outside groups and passed as amended to Appropriations. SB 256 (Perez) would strengthen wildfire mitigation and emergency response by expanding planning, improving PSPS communication, requiring utility coordination with emergency centers, and directing removal of permanently abandoned electrical facilities; utilities and business groups were generally neutral after amendments, while the author emphasized the bill’s connection to recent wildfire losses, and it passed as amended to Appropriations. SB 509 (Caballero) would require specialized training for local law enforcement on transnational repression targeting diaspora communities; it received support from the California Police Chiefs Association and immigrant-rights advocates, but drew extensive opposition from Hindu and civil-rights organizations concerned about bias, implementation, and First Amendment issues. Committee members discussed amendments to clarify cultural competency, diversity, and constitutional protections, and the bill passed as amended to Appropriations. After the hearing, the committee took final roll-call votes on the bills, with the consent items and SB 429, SB 256, and SB 509 moving forward, while SB 542 and SB 616 were also reported out on earlier motions.

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• what we'll do in the next phase is identify how much of those strategies can help contribute to the reduction
• We're also concerned that NRCS is undergoing a reduction Staff at the federal level because of federal

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• Dallas concluded that universally verified laws in other states have resulted in an up to... an 80% reduction
• shown that other states that require E-Verify use have seen a significant increase. significant reduction

Bills: SB324, SB1978, SB2139, SB2401, SB2587, SB2610, SB2858, SB3016

Keywords: E-verify, employment verification, state contracts, immigration, labor compliance, ERCOT, Texas electric grid, interconnection, Public Utility Commission, PUC, Public convenience and necessity, electric cooperative, municipally owned utility, electric utility, transmission, generation facilities, grid reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, SERC

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, Senator Cleary, so the current budget, as drafted, includes a $4 million reduction in state general
• Chair, Senator Cleary, so the current budget, as drafted, would include a $4 million reduction, which

Bills: SB2015

Keywords: corrections, rehabilitation, prison budget, department of corrections, adult services, youth services, correctional facilities, Heart River correctional center, Missouri River correctional center, James River correctional center, minimum security facility, county jails, regional jails, deferred maintenance, capital construction, strategic investment and improvements fund, Bank of North Dakota, line of credit, tasers, body cameras

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources division met with a quorum and spent much of the meeting on a proposed “medical home” concept for people with significant disabilities and medical needs. Matt Schwartz described the need for small, community-based homes so adults like his daughter could live in a least-restrictive setting without losing housing if service providers change. Architect Jeff Eubel presented a conceptual budget for one roughly 5,000-square-foot facility for four residents, explaining that the design would likely include four large sleeping units, common space, support areas, and medical infrastructure such as emergency power, oxygen, sprinklers, and accessibility features. Committee members and George Sink, joining by phone, raised questions about layout, zoning, ownership, staffing, and whether families would actually move loved ones into such facilities if they were far from home. The department said the concept was not in the governor’s budget and identified staff who could continue discussions; the committee did not take final action and instead discussed refining the language with interested members. The committee then turned to amendments related to long-term care and behavioral health funding. One amendment would reduce a planned $4 million general fund incentive payment and instead create a withhold-based quality program for nursing facilities, to be developed collaboratively by the department and providers and reported to Legislative Management by September 2026. The department said it could live with the language but preferred the governor’s timing; several senators questioned whether the committee should be directing an operational policy change and whether the study would simply delay implementation. No vote was taken, and the amendment was set aside for later consideration. A second amendment would clarify use of an existing $2 million general fund item for behavioral health services in nursing homes and basic care facilities, directing it toward training, technical assistance, consultation, and direct patient care for residents with medically based behavioral health disorders. Members noted the funding was already in the bill and discussed it in the context of other budget items, but again deferred action. The committee also clarified that a separate $750,000 juvenile justice diversion appropriation in House Bill 1425 was distinct from a similar amount in the budget and should likely remain in that separate bill. The chair indicated a goal of having amendments ready by the end of the week, and the committee recessed without final votes on the discussed items.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, I think you brought up that we're not really seeing that we have reductions, but you know, when
• We also would generally. ...really like to see a reduction in the level of rate riders for the reasons

Bills: SB483, SB522, SB783, SB1239, SB1254, SB1255, SB1259, SB1341, SB1664, SB1762, SB1856, SB1877, SB1977

Keywords: utility, proprietary information, customer data, data protection, electric service, customer information, emergency communication, electric utility, privacy, certification, public accountants, interstate licensing, accounting, regulatory amendment, energy efficiency, construction regulations, building codes, Texas, sustainability, cost-effectiveness

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• state's projected budget deficit, the high administrative costs to run the program, and the proposed reductions
• 2026, both at the University of California system... the California State University system, and a reduction

Keywords: 988, house, all

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• proposal allows taxpayers to make a late prepayment beginning in tax year 2026 subject to a 12.5% reduction
• But while the 12.5% reduction in the credit amount still provides a sufficient incentive for taxpayers

Keywords: 988, house, all

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• negative here, but again, as Secretary Chardon-Clark mentioned, that's because of personal income tax reductions
• Chairman, does the $40 a barrel include analysis of a reduction in demand, or could it go lower if the

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• HOUSE BILL 7031 RELATING TO SALES TAX REDUCTIONS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first held a work session on HB 505, which would allow the sale of freeze-dried foods produced in homestead food operations. Members raised concerns about the bill’s broad language, especially the provision stating freeze-dried food would not be considered potentially hazardous. Several suggested narrowing the bill to specific products such as processed foods, berries, fruit, dairy products, ice cream, or vegetables, and requiring use of commercial freeze-drying equipment rather than dehydrators. There was also discussion of oxygen absorbers, moisture control, sanitation, and whether the issue should be handled in statute or rules. By the end of the discussion, members generally agreed the topic should be treated in a separate section of law rather than folded into the existing homestead food license, and the chair said the matter would be sent to the food safety subcommittee, with the possibility of a study committee if more time was needed. The committee then moved to HB 277, a technical correction to the animal cruelty statutes. Representative Bixby explained that current law refers to a “colt,” which applies only to male baby horses, leaving fillies unaddressed; the bill would replace “colt” with “foal” and make related wording changes so the restriction applies to any horse under 90 days old not being nursed by its dam. The New Hampshire Farm Bureau testified in support, saying the change was requested to clarify and modernize the statute and that the issue had been identified during work on related animal cruelty legislation. No votes were taken in the portion provided. The chair recessed the work session until 11:00 a.m. and announced that Representative Ktoa would take over the hearing on HB 277.

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• But one of the newer factors in the last year is the reduction in the contribution of federal government

Keywords: 996, all

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• LINE 69 RELATED TO DEBT REDUCTION AND 79 RELATED TO THE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

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• FOR THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE ORIGINAL BUDGETS PUTS FORTH REDUCTION OF THOSE WEIGHTS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

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• Because my son's treatment program allowed nicotine vaping as a harm-reduction strategy,...
• Because my son's treatment program allowed nicotine vaping as a harm reduction strategy, he regularly
• asked until recently, until this new shift in policy, hey, what have you actually accomplished: a reduction
• ...until this new shift in policy, hey, what have you actually accomplished: a reduction in homelessness
• We don't have harm reduction type. You don't provide needles. We don't provide needles, no.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're looking at Governor Walz's proposal is a $50 million reduction to special ed, but we're seeing
• to special ed, but we're reduction to special ed, but we're seeing<00:18:29.919> other<00:18:
• We know that there's a clear correlation between safe storage laws and reduction in gun violence.
• We know that there's a clear correlation between safe storage laws and reduction in gun violence.
• To help maintain a balanced budget, the governor proposes an additional $50 million reduction.

Bills: HF4893

Keywords: education finance, student support, aid allowances, appropriation, school funding

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• Any uncompensated care impacts, any reductions in people even having access to health care coverage,
• Any uncompensated care impacts, any reductions in people even having access to health care coverage,
• Any uncompensated care impacts, any reductions in people even having access to health care coverage,
• We do anticipate a reduction in terms of the fiscal impact, a reduction in Medicaid spending and an increase
• We do anticipate a reduction in terms of the fiscal impact, a reduction in Medicaid spending and an increase

Bills: HR1

Keywords: January 6 insurrection, pardon, law enforcement, violent crimes, public safety, justice system, political accountability, 1183, house

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• support SF 2162 to help advance our state transportation policies to match state goals for carbon reduction
• support SF 2162 to help advance our state transportation policies to match state goals for carbon reduction
• support SF 2162 to help advance our state transportation policies to match state goals for carbon reduction
• support SF 2162 to help advance our state transportation policies to match state goals for carbon reduction
• support SF 2162 to help advance our state transportation policies to match state goals for carbon reduction

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• little bit different animal, is that when the governor created his commission, he set a goal of 25% reduction
• little bit different animal, is that when the governor created his commission, he set a goal of 25% reduction
• little bit different animal, is that when the governor created his commission, he set a goal of 25% reduction
• little bit different animal, is that when the governor created his commission, he set a goal of 25% reduction
• little bit different animal, is that when the governor created his commission, he set a goal of 25% reduction

Keywords: 1191, senate, all