Transcript Highlights:

• Part of what we do an education both in K 12 and higher ed courses, tuition and fees and then probably
• It's I think that's roughly 70% comes from the state and the balance comes from student fees. Ft.
• But generally it's going to be around 50 to 60% comes from the state and the balancing tuition and fees
• He's the president of the board of directors of the USF Institute for Applied Engineering, which is performing

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• engineers.
• There are people who work as engineers that aren't professional engineers, yes?
• , civil engineers, part like I... become a professional engineer is if you become a professional engineer
• engineers.
• There are people who work as engineers that aren't professional engineers, yes?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:12.880> that ever escalating attorneys fees that ever escalating attorneys fees that
• Here’s our fee for $400.”
• <01:07:39.359> caps the fee areas of the bill, the fee caps the fee areas of the bill, the
• And eventually they relented and didn't charge the fee, but we basically paid the fee in attorney's fees
• attorney's fees to make that happen. attorney's fees to make that happen.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up Senate File 1750, an HOA/common interest community reform bill, and first adopted the DE9 amendment after the chair moved it to put the bill in the form the author wanted. The bill was described by supporters as a consumer and homeowner protection measure intended to add transparency, dispute-resolution rights, conflict-of-interest rules, and limits on fees and late charges in Minnesota HOAs, which supporters said have grown rapidly and are not adequately covered by current law. Supporters, including legal aid, the Minnesota Home Ownership Center, and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, said the bill responds to longstanding complaints about HOA abuse, lack of transparency, escalating attorney fees, foreclosure-related problems, and management-company conflicts of interest. They argued the revised bill reflects extensive stakeholder work and would help homeowners resolve disputes without costly escalation while improving fairness and accountability. Opponents, including attorneys and representatives of HOA management interests, argued the bill is too rigid and one-size-fits-all, would raise costs for all homeowners, and could make associations harder to govern. They said fee caps, contract restrictions, procurement mandates, and dispute procedures would increase assessments, reduce flexibility, discourage board service, and create more legal and administrative burden, especially for smaller or financially strained communities. No final vote on the bill itself was taken in the portion provided; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion.

Transcript Highlights:

• we shut down those areas, how much more money are you going to receive at the state level for the fees
• we shut down those areas, how much more money are you going to receive at the state level for the fees
• students, compare it to the poverty level, look at the prosperity index for Arkansas, and tuition and fees
• students, compare it to the poverty level, look at the prosperity index for Arkansas, and tuition and fees
• our state has had eight community colleges go through what’s called the Community College Growth Engine

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• on file, but then they have to go through and determine who is eligible and not eligible for those fee
• They can continue on with the school; they will just not get the fee waiver they had in their previous
• I am talking about students on the fee waiver.
• This amendment states a student who is right now in grades 9 through 12 can remain eligible for a fee
• the other people who would become meaningful contributors, becoming the doctors and teachers and engineers

Bills: SJR36, SR8, SR14, SR15, SR17, HCR54

Keywords: accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, advocacy, legislation, business issues, memorial, law enforcement, sacrifice, tribute, community support, service, community, Holocaust, remembrance, antisemitism, human rights, education, Holocaust Remembrance Day, memorialization, sexual assault

Transcript Highlights:

• a licensed professional engineer become a licensed professional engineer or<00:25:53.240> just
• passed the exam you are now an engineer passed the exam you are now an engineer in<00:26:24.559>
• curriculum for an engineering curriculum for an engineering program<00:35:17.599> engineering
• uh Engineers actually quality Engineers uh Engineers actually that<00:37:54.720> my<00:37:54.880
• We need more engineers, but we don't need to lower the standards that produce qualified engineers.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 46, which would allow lottery winners of $1 million or more to remain anonymous. After brief discussion and a motion with a second, the committee approved the bill unanimously and sent it to the House floor. Members then heard House Bill 54, a workforce and education measure aimed at aligning dual credit and project-based learning with licensed construction trades and other high-demand careers. The sponsor and witness said the bill is intended to help students meet both education and on-the-job training requirements, address labor shortages, and speed entry into the trades. Several members raised concerns about possible abuse of internships, the need for input from unions and other trade groups, and the amount of authority left to the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction to write regulations. The sponsor said the bill does not replace current hands-on training requirements and expressed willingness to continue discussions. The committee passed the bill, with some members explaining their votes as conditional or in hopes of further amendments. The committee also approved House Bill 261, which would let retired CPAs provide certain uncompensated services, such as nonprofit work, while retaining their CPA designation, and would create a retirement-based CPE waiver for those limited services. A question from Representative Donworth focused on how retired CPAs would disclose their status to nonprofits; the board representative said retired status is noted in board records, but there is currently no separate requirement governing use of the CPA designation. The bill passed. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 262, which would remove restrictions on small CPA firm names after an owner dies or retires. The sponsor said Kentucky is an outlier because current law requires the remaining owner to change the firm name. The bill passed unanimously. After that, the chair turned the gavel over to the vice chair and began presenting House Bill 306, which would change engineering education requirements for licensure, especially to help Eastern Kentucky University fire protection engineering technology graduates qualify for licensure in Kentucky rather than leaving the state. The sponsor and witnesses explained that the bill would not change the rest of the PE licensure pathway, only the education component, and said most other states already allow this route. Members noted that engineers may have concerns and encouraged continued discussions before the bill advances further.

Transcript Highlights:

• between two to four years to obtain a judgment and cost between $5,000 to over $100,000 in attorney's fees
• He earned a degree in math, worked as a computer engineer, and was dedicated as a lifeguard from the
• But also, I know that they were talking about toll fees and storage fees and all of that.
• and also storage fees as well.
• What I would just add is that as you heard in testimony, the components related to the... storage fees

Summary: The committee heard several public safety bills and took testimony on each, with members often noting amendments and continuing negotiations. SB 1009 by Senator Becker would require juvenile courts to find that less restrictive alternatives are unsuitable before ordering detention, and would require periodic review of continued detention and consideration of alternatives at disposition. Supporters argued it would reduce unnecessary youth detention and improve transparency; probation, judges, and police groups opposed it as an undue limit on judicial discretion and potentially unsafe in serious cases. The chair said he would recommend an aye with amendments, but the bill was held pending quorum and later remained on call. SB 1130 by Senator Gomez Reyes would update privacy law for wearable recording devices such as smart glasses, requiring consent before recording in places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy and banning devices or accessories designed to defeat recording indicators. Supporters said the bill addresses secret recording and invasive surveillance; opponents from tech and hospitality groups sought clarification to avoid unintended liability for businesses and exempt workplace communication devices. Members discussed those exemptions, and the chair recommended an aye, but the measure also remained on call. Senator Blake Spear presented SB 99, which would let courts consider military protective orders in domestic violence proceedings and require better communication between civilian law enforcement and military authorities. Supporters from the Department of Defense, local officials, and military representatives said it would close protection gaps for military families; the ACLU opposed it on due process grounds because MPOs are issued without judicial process. The chair and author emphasized that the bill only allows consideration of MPOs and does not require civilian enforcement of them. The bill passed out on a vote, though it remained on call for additional members. The committee also heard SB 937 by Senator Gonzalez, restricting flashbang use for crowd control and banning flashbangs and explosive breaching charges in immigration enforcement, and SB 1022, creating a statewide anti-trafficking task force. SB 937 drew support from civil rights and community groups and opposition from police and sheriffs over the use-of-force standard and limits on tactics; it passed out on a vote but remained on call. SB 1022 was supported by survivor and faith groups and opposed by public defenders and sex worker advocates who raised concerns about racial disparities and enforcement harms; it also passed out on a vote. Later, SB 1395, extending criminal protective orders for certain felony sex offenses against minors up to 20 years, and SB 1230, increasing penalties for repeat illegal dumping, were both heard with mixed testimony and were held on call after committee votes. The committee also adopted a consent calendar and several bills were moved forward with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I haven't even mentioned 911, with its own fee that also increased this year on the property tax
• My background's engineering, so I got to have a graph.
• year, uh, there was no money to come from the local governments that the businesses would pay a user fee
• > the<01:42:20.800> businesses<01:42:21.360> that<01:42:21.480> are the fee
• from the businesses that are the fee from the businesses that are using<01:42:21.920> the<01:

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:07 Roll Call 00:00:13 Approval of Minutes from August Meeting 00:01:55 Discussion of County Jails 00:03:31 Discussion of Centralized Collection of Net Profits and Occupational License Taxes 01:02:12 Adjournment 01:54:56, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the August 26 minutes, and then took up a discussion of county jail funding. KACO representatives and county officials said jail operations are an ongoing strain for counties because they must pay for inmate care, facilities, and mandated standards, while many counties also rely on jail revenue to offset costs. They described Kentucky’s jail system, including 77 jails, 43 closed counties without jails, and the mix of county, state, federal, and controlled-intake inmates. KACO emphasized that counties remain financially responsible for inmates even when they must contract with other jails, often at costs above the state’s per diem rate, and said it is developing a broader proposal to present later. The testimony focused on rising expenses and shrinking revenue. KACO said counties spent about $374 million on jail operations in FY24, up 24% from FY19, and about $41 million on jail medical costs, up 40%. General fund support for jails was said to total $147 million in FY24, more than double pre-COVID levels. Speakers also noted that state inmate populations in county jails have fallen from about 11,500 in 2019 to 7,212 in 2025, while federal inmates have increased because they are more lucrative for counties. The state jail per diem of $35.34 was described as insufficient to cover actual costs, especially medical care. County judges from Webster, Knox, and Hardin counties gave examples of local budget pressure. Webster County said it now houses 114 state prisoners, 47 county prisoners, and 24 out-of-county prisoners, and that it transferred $512,000 from its general fund to the jail last year, about $77 per taxpayer. Knox County said its jail budget has grown from an initial $2.8 million projection to $5.7 million, with $3 million coming from occupational tax revenue. Hardin County said its jail has an approximate $11 million expense budget against $5 million in revenue, creating a $6 million deficit, driven by higher payroll, medical, and insurance costs and a 29% drop in state prisoner revenue. The judge said the county has responded with property tax increases and an expanded occupational tax district, but still uses reserves to cover other county services. A Grant County magistrate then began speaking from the perspective of magistrates and commissioners, describing her background working at a local jail before serving in county government. The discussion remained centered on the fiscal burden of jails and the need for counties and the legislature to work together on a long-term solution.

Transcript Highlights:

• be setting its fees be setting its fees and<02:12:46.639> it<02:12:46.800> end<02:
• There is a set license fee.
• the process of updating that fee the process of updating that fee schedule<02:39:38.359> it
• fees and gaining<03:06:09.439> fees<03:06:09.760> from<03:06:10.000> those<03:06
• /c> High higher than needed licensing fees High higher than needed licensing fees have<03:15:20.880><

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee first took up House Bill 702, which would change how extra or special duty pay for retired police officers is treated for retirement and work-limit purposes. Supporters argued the bill would let retirees work more special-duty hours, helping municipalities fill traffic-detail and similar assignments without added state cost, and said it would not prohibit retirees from working but would simply stop those hours from counting toward the return-to-work threshold. Opponents argued the change would be inconsistent with the retirement system’s 2011 reforms, could increase pension liabilities, and would treat the same compensation differently for active employees and retirees. Members also discussed whether the bill would affect current and future retirees, the role of municipalities, and whether the policy amounted to “policing for profit.” The subcommittee ultimately voted 3-2 to recommend inexpedient to legislate (ITL) on HB 702, sending it to the full committee with that recommendation. The committee then discussed House Bill 581, which would create a Group Three retirement plan for new state employees hired after the bill’s effective date. The chair outlined a housekeeping amendment to delay implementation, moving the effective date to January 1, 2026, and noted a sponsor amendment addressing health insurance group inclusion and medical and surgical benefits so those benefits would not be put at risk for the new group. Testimony and discussion focused on the shift from defined benefit to defined contribution, with supporters citing Michigan examples and arguing the bill would help recruit and retain employees while giving them more flexibility. Opponents said the change could weaken retirement security and increase unfunded liability, though supporters responded that the bill still requires employer contributions toward accrued liability and is intended to keep the state on track to pay off its unfunded liability by 2039. The transcript ends with continued discussion of the bill and no final vote shown on HB 581.

Transcript Highlights:

• thousands of evictions and help tenants save $1.8 million in return deposits, rent abatement, and other fees
• thousands of evictions and help tenants save $1.8 million in return deposits, rent abatement, and other fees
• only do our architects go in there to see if they can work with the developer to what we call value engineer
• only do our architects go in there to see if they can work with the developer to what we call value engineer
• line of sight into developments that cost more than others. ...the developer to what we call value engineer

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• insurance costs through the roof, property tax through the roof, employers are drowning in mandates, fees
• of recognizing this achievement lies in the fact that these hazelnut trees are the most promising engine

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, it's going to change the licensing fees where right now water well contractor license with the state
• I'm an engineer by education, but a technology professional and a small business entrepreneur.

Bills: HB69, HB114, HB161

Keywords: firearms, possession, Class 1 municipalities, criminal penalties, federal law, stolen firearms, prohibited persons, HB114, Alabama Sunset Law, sunset bill, Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama, dental board, dental licensing, dentist regulation, professional licensing, occupational licensing, healthcare regulation, licensure board, state agency continuation, agency sunset review

Transcript Highlights:

• And this slide is interesting because libraries also serve as economic engines in their community.
• We have shifted and changed some of that as well, so that fees have been removed, making it even easier

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I started the engine for you. I didn't see anybody. I got your Appreciate you.
• traffic me and then I was sold to another trafficker by my former peers at my school for a finder's fee

Transcript Highlights:

• They usually have an engineer from TxDOT grading their paperwork, ensuring compliance.
• They would be able to recover attorney's fees.

Bills: HB 1181, HB3704, HB1363, HB1610, HB1615, HB1620, HB3223, HB1317, HB2884, HB2176, HB4027, HB1664, HB933, HB2613, HB3353, HB2086, HB4101, HB3441, HB4145, HB3455

Keywords: judiciary, judges, justices, retired, legal assignments, judicial conduct, notary public, criminal offense, education requirements, official documents, record retention, implicit bias, bias training, judicial training, judge education, court personnel, continuing legal education, CLE, state bar, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Transcript Highlights:

• We produce an annual guide that we post on our engine Internet site that has data on filings and dispositions
• And then I got a fee, my disease.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a chemical engineer. I have worked for the New York State Environment Department.
• Does that just mean that they file the legal court fee and then file the suit through the state with

Transcript Highlights:

• manicurist, hair stylist, child care worker, nursing home aide, nurse, doctor, technician, therapist, IT engineer
• , programmer, therapist, IT engineer, programmer, artist, musician, poet, legislator.
• the legal profession and, in connection therewith, creating the Colorado Legal Practice Integrity and Fee
• Uh, what they did do in the Senate is they changed some of the language around the alternative fee structures
• at the request of some of the stakeholders. ...to clarify how some of those alternative fee structures

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I founded iEducate after working as a chemical engineer because I wanted to give STEM college students
• First step is if school district does file against the state, the legal... fees that would normally be
• Even professional engineer and a three-year volunteer in education.
• But no, there's no fee or fine or anything like that. associated with it, it just prohibits them from
• debt, which lowers their interest. rate, and y'all aren't able to do that in the same way as ISTRA. fees

Bills: SB451, SB762, SB1490, SB1262, SB1459, SB1750, SB1962, SB2252, SB2253, SB2365

Keywords: instructional materials, public schools, Education Code, adoption, rejected materials, local funds, open educational resources, Texas Education Code, school districts, open enrollment charter schools, funding restrictions, environmental regulation, business compliance, local authority, economic development, state preemption, local control, open education resources, SB 762, Texas public schools

Transcript Highlights:

• now, we require petitioners to publish their name change in local newspapers and pay an associated fee
• For most, it’s part-time meaningful income, but they’re required to have a license and pay fees to sell
• The cost of publishing a name-change notice in the newspaper is not included in the court fees; it is
• The debt triggered regular overdraft fees, sometimes in the thousands of dollars.
• The statute of repose was originally intended to protect architects, engineers, and contractors from

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a lengthy public hearing on a wide range of civil actions, labor, consumer protection, and animal welfare bills. Chair Lydia Edwards and Representative Michael Day opened with strict testimony rules and time limits, then heard from legislators and advocates on measures including animal-abuser pet ownership bans (S. 1207/H. 1914), a name-change privacy bill (S. 1045/H. 1973), tort claims reform (H. 1724), law enforcement council coverage under the Tort Claims Act (S. 1199), civil rights and qualified immunity-related proposals (H. 1641), employee free speech/captive audience restrictions (S. 1078/H. 1653), consumer protection and civil rights jurisdiction expansion (S. 1041), private right of action for wage theft (H. 1916), gun-owner liability insurance (H. 1836), pseudoephedrine sales tracking (S. 1243/H. 1581), prepaid legal services plans (H. 1612), structured settlement protections (H. 1863), third-party litigation financing disclosure (H. 1861), antitrust reform for small businesses and workers (S. 1038/H. 1982), legal notices in online-only newspapers (S. 1279/H. 1632), and several animal cruelty and protection bills including H. 1938, H. 1949, S. 1277/H. 1934, and H. 1764. Testimony was largely supportive from bill sponsors and advocacy groups, with repeated themes of protecting vulnerable people and animals, improving access to justice, and updating outdated laws. Supporters of the animal bills argued for stronger possession bans, broader cruelty citations, and civil removal tools to prevent repeat abuse; opponents or conditional supporters raised due process and enforcement concerns, especially around warrantless seizures and requiring retail or shelter staff to check registries. On the labor and consumer side, supporters said the antitrust bill would curb monopoly power and help small businesses and workers, while opponents warned it could destabilize competition and burden successful firms. The employee free speech bill was backed as a response to captive audience meetings, and the wage-theft bill was presented as a way to let workers or organizations pursue claims when individual employees are afraid to come forward. Several public officials and association representatives testified on the law enforcement and civil rights bills. Chiefs of police supported adding law enforcement councils to the Tort Claims Act, saying it would close a liability gap for regional mutual-aid collaborations. But police representatives opposed changes to the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act and qualified immunity-related provisions, arguing the federal system already provides a workable forum and that expanding liability could increase costs, reduce morale, and worsen recruitment and retention. On the consumer/civil rights bill, Senator Collins and a veteran described an out-of-state assault case that they said showed the need for Massachusetts to let residents seek redress at home when rights are violated elsewhere. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing itself; the committee mainly received testimony and questions. Several witnesses indicated they had submitted written testimony or proposed amendments, and some bills drew requests for favorable reports while others were explicitly opposed unless amended.