Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1067 helps students get the support they need when it matters most.
• That does need to be done, and we will continue to work.
• That does need to be done and we will continue to work.
• We need to take action today to ensure that every child has that opportunity.
• Oh, we need a motion? With a motion and a second. Please call the roll. Oh, we need a motion?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They don't need to call their senator.
• They need their money liquid.
• But why do we even need to have a Bayou Gold?
• Yeah, I need hearing aid, so I'm going to move favorable also.
• They don't need a building. They don't need vehicles. They just need some leadership.

Summary: The committee took up several House measures. HCR 66, as amended, asked Louisiana Economic Development and the Governor’s Office of Rural Development to study rural parish assets, infrastructure, workforce, and development opportunities, and it was moved forward without objection. HB 387, a clarification to allow the fire marshal’s office to review architectural and engineering plans equally, also passed favorably without objection. HB 1223, which would have LED promote Louisiana’s clinical trial capacity and adjust internal review board processes, was amended and moved favorably. HB 950, aimed at helping older adults recognize and avoid fraud through materials and resources from the Office of Elderly Affairs, was reported favorably. HB 975, a routine measure to recreate the Public Service Commission, was also reported favorably. HB 1186, which would create a more uniform statewide building code and licensing system for inspectors, was amended and moved favorably. HB 1222, described as a Grocery Initiative Act to let LED identify ways to address food deserts and food insecurity, was introduced near the end of the meeting. The most extensive debate centered on HB 617, a consumer transparency bill requiring mandatory fees to be included in upfront pricing. The author said the bill was intended to curb hidden fees and help consumers compare prices, with examples such as hotel resort fees and automatic restaurant service charges. Supporters argued it would improve transparency, while opponents from grocery, restaurant, hotel, housing, retail, and business groups said the bill was too broad, vague about terms like “total price,” unclear on enforcement and penalties, and could create compliance burdens and litigation risk, especially for small businesses. Housing advocates opposed the bill’s housing carve-out, arguing it could weaken renters’ ability to bring unfair-practice claims. Senator Morris moved to defer HB 617, and the committee agreed without objection. The committee also heard lengthy testimony on HB 797, which would create a Bayou Gold certification for certain transactional gold vendors that meet state-defined standards such as segregation, insurance, and nearby storage. The sponsor said the goal was to give consumers confidence and encourage vendors to keep gold closer to Louisiana, while critics argued the program would amount to a state endorsement of private companies, create misleading consumer impressions, and expose the state to confusion or liability. The bill drew opposition from the Sound Money Defense League and others, but the committee ultimately reported HB 797 favorably, with the understanding it still had to go to Finance. HB 1228, a hearing-aid cleanup bill updating definitions, contracts, testing periods, and licensing rules, was also moved favorably without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Dyslexia is often support they need.
• I think our teachers need to do better. Not better. I think they just need to know more.
• I think our teachers need to do better. Not better. I think they just need to know more.
• telling them you need more training? telling them you need more training?
• So we need to be intentional about our instruction and reading, and we need to be intentional on how

Bills: HF60, HF3067, HF3730, HF3638, HF3401

Keywords: interchange, bond issuance, transportation, infrastructure funding, Sherburne County, paraprofessional, paraprofessional qualifications, education support staff, teacher aide, teacher assistant, special education, Title I, federal personnel qualifications, Minnesota Department of Education, school district, charter school, cooperative unit, Read Act, reading instruction, math instruction

Transcript Highlights:

• There's still a need for additional funding.
• Do you need a plan? Do you need help with consultants? How could we get you across the line?
• Do you need a plan? Do you need help with consultants? How could we get you across the line?
• Whatever else you might need to travel for.
• So something that we need to look at.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met on October 16, 2025, for a budget and revenue overview, a traffic safety presentation, and a discussion of potential transit and active transportation grant programs. Committee staff reviewed the adopted 2025-27 transportation budget, noting $15.5 billion in expenditures, the large share for WSDOT, and the mix of revenue sources including fuel tax, vehicle-related fees, federal funds, Climate Commitment Act revenue, and new 2025 revenues from SB 5801 and SB 5802. Staff said the 2025 session produced a balanced four-year plan, preserved major project schedules, maintained highway preservation funding, and added money for culverts, local preservation, and other priorities. They also described a September forecast showing lower motor fuel consumption than previously expected, but still enough revenue growth to keep the transportation plan balanced. For the 2026 supplemental, staff said agency requests were relatively modest overall, with most capital requests reflecting reappropriations and timing shifts rather than new projects, while WSDOT’s addendum identified much larger future needs for maintenance, preservation, paving, culverts, and safety work. Senators asked for more detail on how revenues are distributed by fund type and geography, how much of the maintenance and preservation request is actual maintenance versus equipment, whether paving needs could be supported through bonding, and how electric vehicle sales trends might affect forecasts. The committee then heard a remote presentation from Dr. Jessica Chikino of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on traffic safety trends and countermeasures. She said U.S. traffic fatalities have risen sharply over the past decade, with especially large increases for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists, and argued that the U.S. lags other high-income countries in roadway safety. Her presentation highlighted IIHS’s “30 by 30” goal to reduce fatalities 30% by 2030 through safer speeds, stronger impaired-driving countermeasures, better pedestrian protection, and safer commercial vehicles. She discussed research linking higher speed limits to higher fatality risk, the benefits of lower urban speed limits, speed safety cameras, traffic calming, lighting, pedestrian beacons, and safer intersection design. She also described ongoing work with Bellevue on smart signal technology and pedestrian safety pilots. Committee members thanked her for the presentation and said they would share the materials with others. In the final work session, the committee revisited transit and active transportation grant concepts that had been included in the Senate budget proposal but did not advance in 2025. Barb Chamberlain of WSDOT’s Active Transportation Division explained how grant programs need runway, staff capacity, applicant readiness, and clear criteria, and compared program design to getting a plane off the ground. She discussed the proposed Senior Transportation Emphasis Program and regional trails/cycle highways concepts, noting that some projects could be structured as funding-first programs while others would work better as project-line or project-first models. She said regional trail projects are already eligible under existing programs but often score lower because current criteria emphasize safety and population served. Justin Leighton of the Washington State Transit Association then reviewed transit grant programs and argued that transit safety and security needs remain underfunded, including operator barriers, lighting, shelters, behavioral health coordination, and non-uniformed security staff. He said many transit capital programs are oversubscribed, that operator barrier retrofits alone could cost $20 million to $30 million, and that agencies face uncertainty about how recent sales tax changes apply to security-related contracts. No votes were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we need to rise up.
• Members, we need you on the floor.
• My colleague from Clovis mentioned this need from small counties. This bill addresses the need.
• We need oil and gas. We need to keep the price of cost.
• We need to keep that engine going. We need to invest in our universities.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• God knows we need it.
• House Bill 2109 is needed. It's needed to help fix a flaw in the state water planning process.
• House Bill 2109 is needed. It's needed to help fix a flaw in the state water planning process.
• the future, and we may not need it in the future.
• So you do need additional water supplies.

Bills: HB1523, HB2109, HB2694, HB3525, HB3898, HB4646, HB5188, HB5219, HB5320, HB5651, HB5655, HB5659, HB5662, HB5672

Keywords: aquifer conservation, Class V injection well, environmental regulation, groundwater protection, municipal water supply, temporary prohibition, water management, reservoir construction, state water plan, Texas Water Code, environmental impact, Brazoria Drainage District, commissioners, elections, vacancies, resignation, HB 3525, North Texas Groundwater Conservation District, groundwater permit, permit amendment

Summary: The Committee on Natural Resources heard House Bill 2109, which would remove certain long-proposed reservoir projects from the state water plan after 50 years without progress. Chairman Van Deaver and many landowners, local officials, timber interests, and conservation advocates testified in support, arguing that the Marvin Nichols Reservoir has burdened Northeast Texas landowners for decades with the threat of eminent domain, depressed property values, and uncertainty over homes, farms, ranches, schools, churches, and cemeteries. Supporters also said the project would flood tens of thousands of acres, require extensive mitigation, harm timber and agriculture, and that Texas now has better alternatives such as conservation, reuse, aquifer storage and recovery, and desalination. Several members expressed sympathy for the affected families and questioned whether a project could remain in the plan indefinitely without progress. Opposition came from North Texas water interests, including the North Texas Commission, Tarrant Regional Water District, and the Texas Water Association, who argued that the bill would interfere with the state’s long-term water planning process and remove needed future supply options for a fast-growing region. They said Region C faces major projected shortages by 2070, that conservation and reuse have already delayed the need for new supplies, and that reservoirs remain one tool in the state’s water-planning toolbox. TWDB staff explained the existing inter-regional conflict process and noted that the substitute would affect several unique reservoir sites, not just Marvin Nichols. After testimony, Chairman Van Deaver closed by urging passage of the bill, but the committee withdrew the substitute and left HB 2109 pending. The committee then took up House Bill 5188, a brackish groundwater bill. The author said the bill would reduce permitting burdens for wells in designated brackish groundwater production zones, and the committee substitute added requirements on monitoring, groundwater-rights ownership, and allocation of pumpage limits while removing some exclusions and export-fee provisions. Texas Wildlife Association testified against the bill, warning that the exemptions could weaken groundwater conservation districts’ ability to protect freshwater resources and surface-owner rights. San Antonio Water System testified in favor, saying brackish groundwater is a key future supply and that the substitute would help speed development of desalination and brackish projects. The Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts testified neutrally but raised concerns about reduced district oversight, especially around injection-well exclusions and the loss of export fees, and said discussions on the bill were ongoing.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:09:47.040> updates agreement will fund much needed updates agreement will fund much needed
• ,<00:10:34.240> including and health care needs, including and health care needs, including
• We need to ahead is not an easy one.
• ><00:40:47.040> some shorter term, you're going to need some shorter term, you're going to need
• Uh, we needed this new agreement.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senators, we need to fix this.
• And that's what needs to change.
• We need one. And that’s just because it’s right. There shouldn’t be one there. We need one.
• Why has the need gone up?
• That we need to spend.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• policy for students perhaps who need policy for students perhaps who need access<00:32:44.880>
• the fact that some students do need the fact that some students do need access<00:34:12.720>
• So, there are a lot of kids that need a lot of attention from teachers, and the kids that don't need
• additional legislative action is needed. additional legislative action is needed.
• It needs to be resource officer.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 69, which would require local school boards to publicly vote on whether to accept or reject charitable gifts or donations, prompted by a case in which a church offered to pay off school lunch debt but the offer was refused and families were sued instead. Senator Keith Murphy said the bill is intended to force transparency and public accountability in similar situations, while acknowledging that boards may still reject gifts with strings attached or for ethical reasons. Members raised questions about anonymity, privacy, and whether school boards already have authority to address meal debt before litigation. Murphy said the bill was aimed at cases where money is refused and families are sued, and he said he would accept amendments to make the vote requirement apply to both accepted and rejected gifts. The hearing on the bill was then closed. The committee then took up Senate Bill 206, which requires public schools to adopt policies limiting student cell phone use during the school day. Trisha Milo, presenting for Senator Rashardi, said the bill is meant to improve focus, reduce distraction and cyberbullying, and create more consistent policies across districts, while still allowing exceptions for medical, disability, language support, and instructional needs. Committee members questioned whether districts would retain flexibility, whether the bill should apply to charter schools and other devices, and whether the annual policy-update requirement and enforcement language were too prescriptive. Milo said districts would still have flexibility in how they write their policies and that she would seek clarification from the senator on several drafting questions. Becky Wilson of the New Hampshire School Boards Association testified in support of the general concept of a cell phone policy, saying many districts already have some form of policy, though not all do, and that existing sample policies are outdated. She said the annual update requirement would likely be burdensome and that the enforcement language seemed intended to ensure administrative involvement rather than teacher discipline, but she suggested the wording may need revision. Members also discussed whether very small districts or districts without schools should be covered and whether the bill should better distinguish between classroom enforcement and student discipline. The chair closed the hearing on Senate Bill 206 after no further testimony, and the committee moved on to the next bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:10:37.120> to,<00:10:37.279> but testifiers if I need to, but testifiers if I need
• <00:37:47.760> to comprehensive approach that we need to comprehensive approach that we need
• It opened up in the beginning of July of last year, I believe. needs what we're asking for are so needs
• That inequity is why need to succeed.
• We need to close this gap.

Bills: HF3492, HF3493, HF3494, HF3495, HF3602

Keywords: school safety, grants, education funding, Northern Lights Express, security improvements, rural schools, safe schools, charter schools, nonpublic schools, Tribal education, funding increase, safe schools aid, school security, mental health support, Tribal schools, cybersecurity, funding, mental health, evidence-based plans, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Why do we need mobile?
• Uh, it's just as needed.
• Uh, it's just as needed.
• Uh, it's just as needed.
• We need that money. over hund00 million. We need that money.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the June 10 minutes, and then handled a routine agenda of contracts and agreements. It deferred one Kentucky Educational Television contract to the August 2025 meeting because the vendor was not registered with the Secretary of State, and then approved the remaining routine items on the PSC green list and related contract lists without objection. The most detailed discussion involved two personal service contracts for the Kentucky Employees Health Plan. Officials from the Personnel Cabinet and Department of Employee Insurance explained that the contracts were designed to identify claims errors and overspending, with vendors paid a percentage of validated savings recovered for the plan. Senators asked how the savings were calculated and whether the contracts had changed plan processes; staff said the contracts had produced realized savings, some errors had been corrected going forward, and the vendors report quarterly. The committee approved those contracts. The committee then took up a retroactive Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority contract for a customized College Info Road Show bus. Members questioned why the contract was being presented months after execution, why it involved an out-of-state vendor, and whether the purchase was reasonable and timely. KHEAA staff said the delay stemmed from the need to finalize sustainability and safety details after the RFP, and acknowledged internal process and staffing issues. Several members criticized the retroactive approval process and said they could not validate the purchase from the information provided, but the committee ultimately approved the contract after debate. A final KHEAA discussion focused on the purpose and value of the mobile outreach bus. Staff said the bus supports college and financial aid outreach, especially in rural areas, and has been used for 26 years. Some members questioned the return on investment and whether the state should rely more on broadband and remote outreach, while others supported the program as a way to reach students and families. The committee approved the KHEAA contract, with Senator Douglas voting no and explaining concerns about whether such outreach programs are the proper role of government and whether they are the best use of public funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• Non-public school they need to succeed.
• <01:33:09.760> to students the resources they need to students the resources they need to
• <01:44:03.760> in won't get the extraction they need in won't get the extraction they need
• that, we need to do one-on-one funding. that, we need to do one-on-one funding.
• And I ask students need these supports.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So why is LURE needed?
• to DHS we need more guidance we need to DHS we need more guidance we need more<00:14:23.959>
• I just need some clarification.
• need to be strengthened.
• Chair. needs to run so whistleblowers need to needs to run so whistleblowers need to be<01:37:27.639>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• pering reform and as part of Reform need pering reform and as part of Reform we<00:12:15.839> need
• the testifiers about the extensive need the testifiers about the extensive need here<00:42:52.400
• and then we're need to meet that need and then we're appropr<00:42:57.440> less<00:42:57.559>
• <00:50:36.640> uh today um there there may be a need uh today um there there may be a need
• representative Fraser that there needs representative Fraser that there needs to<00:50:41.559>

Bills: HF8, HF1416

Keywords: wetlands, environmental review, permitting efficiency, Pollution Control Agency, construction permits, environmental impact statements, local government, business regulation, environmental assessments, HF1416, relocation grants, economic development, business relocation, site selection, business incentives, grant extension, appropriation extension, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, request for proposals

Transcript Highlights:

• available, so folks get the training they need.
• organizations that have security needs organizations that have security needs for<00:47:47.240><
• c> and significant U uh need for it and significant U uh need for it and prioritize<00:57:37.359>
• So I really see a need for the state to step in.
• <01:02:37.559> for needs and so I I really see a need for needs and so I I really see a need

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• needs it could be for specialist needs needs it could be for specialist needs so<00:55:36.160>
• So they need to be professional and they need the certificate.
• c><01:24:08.159> attention needs more it needs more attention needs more it needs more attention
• Of course, you need a doctor. They said, of course, you need a doctor's permission.
• Of course, you need a doctor. They said, of course, you need a doctor's permission.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard HB 295, which would make school building aid funds non-lapsing/non-APS. Representative Cahill said the bill was intended to keep any unused building aid money available for future projects, potentially helping move projects up the priority list or provide a little more funding for school construction. Members asked about how much money has lapsed in past years, whether the education trust fund and building aid are separate, and whether any lapsing dollars could be used to pay down debt. Department of Education official Jim Carney said about $29.1 million would be available if building aid is funded to the $50 million maximum in FY26, confirmed that the fund currently lapses, and said the department would gather historical lapse data. Committee members also discussed whether a dedicated fund structure could achieve the same goal, and the chair noted that the education trust fund statute includes school building aid as one of its uses. No vote was taken; the hearing was closed and the committee said it would later hold a work session after receiving more information. The committee then took up HB 237, introduced by Representative Dan McGuire, which would prohibit the use of special education state funds and differentiated aid for students not receiving special education services. The New Hampshire School Boards Association, through Becky Wilson, opposed the bill as written, saying it was unclear, potentially unnecessary, and difficult to implement because adequacy and differentiated aid are distributed as part of a districtwide lump sum rather than as student-specific dollars. She explained that special education costs are embedded across district budgets, including staffing, training, transportation, and instruction, and that some staff and services benefit both special education and general education students. Wilson also said differentiated aid is not tied to a specific pupil and is used at the district’s discretion, though it is intended to support students with greater needs. Committee members pressed on whether the bill would require districts to track money by individual student, whether it could conflict with federal special education law, and whether it would affect least restrictive environment requirements. Wilson said making the funds student-specific could create privacy and accounting problems and could make it difficult to staff inclusive classrooms, though she did not give a definitive legal opinion on federal compliance. She agreed that students who are not eligible for special education would not be included in the separate catastrophic/special education aid reimbursement program. The discussion continued into the second section of the bill, with members exploring how adequacy aid and differentiated aid are used in practice, but no action was taken during the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• that's the one thing that we all agree on: we need those professions and need as many people as our
• nurses predominantly, but any health care worker; they need teachers; and in CTE, we need every CTE,
• We need this workforce. We need our institutions to do it.
• And looking forward to all those needs that your community needs, And looking forward to all those needs
• Else, we need to be looking out four or six years.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm sorry, you need to wrap up.
• Her insurer told her she needed a new roof in order to get renewed, so she was needing a new roof, and
• that is a real need.
• And I agree we need grants and we need to work with the Department of Insurance to make sure that we
• I know it's not a need.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on wildfire resilience, land use, and local government transparency. SB 911 by Senator Becker would require notification to fire enforcement agencies when a home in a high fire severity zone is sold with an agreement for the buyer to bring the property into defensible-space compliance; the California Association of Realtors said it would drop opposition if the bill is amended to use the preliminary change of ownership report, and the bill passed 4-0 to Appropriations. SB 994 by Senator Cabaldon would bar local officials from signing nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from sharing information with the elected decision-makers of their jurisdiction; supporters framed it as a transparency measure, and it also passed 4-0 to Appropriations. SB 1041 by Senator Riggins would expand PACE financing for wildfire home-hardening improvements and add consumer protections, but it drew strong opposition from homeowner advocates, county treasurers, bankers, and others over predatory lending and lien concerns; it passed 3-2 and remained on call. The committee also considered SB 1075 by Senator Reyes, which would require local governments in AB 617 communities to consider air-quality reduction measures in land-use approvals for industrial and commercial projects. Environmental justice groups supported the bill as a way to implement community air plans, while counties, cities, business groups, builders, trucking interests, and others opposed it as duplicative of CEQA and a barrier to investment and jobs. After debate over local control and environmental justice, the bill passed 3-2 and remained on call. SB 958 by Senator Cabaldon would advance the Midway Rising redevelopment project in San Diego, replacing a former arena and parking lots with housing, affordable units, parks, and a new entertainment venue; with no opposition voiced, it passed 3-0 to Appropriations. Another wildfire-related measure, SB 1182 by Senator Allen, would require local governments to consider insurance availability in safety planning for development in high fire hazard areas and direct state technical guidance on the issue. Supporters said insurance access is now a key indicator of risk, while some members questioned whether the bill would add useful information or burden local governments; the bill received a 1-1 vote and remained on call. The committee then began hearing SB 1116 by Senator Caballero, a starter-home/infill housing bill creating a streamlined ministerial path for small projects up to 10 units, but the transcript cuts off before testimony or a vote on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• we need to re-evaluate this situation. we need to re-evaluate this situation. that<00:14:59.839>
• <00:15:09.360> to maybe this program as a whole needs to maybe this program as a whole needs
• I just do think that, you know, we can quibble about who needs it, who doesn't need it, and, um, you
• it who doesn't about you know who needs it who doesn't need<00:41:52.079> it<00:41:52.560>
• > that with security needs to the courts that with security needs to the courts that are<00:48

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3874, the Judiciary budget bill, and first moved it to the Ways and Means Committee. The bill was described as funding the judicial branch’s budget request, including courthouse and judge security measures, home safety for judges and staff, a $1 million courthouse safety grant program, and funding related to paid family and medical leave costs that the courts must absorb. A court administrator explained that some base adjustments were budget-neutral internal shifts within the court system, moving money from district courts to other courts to better meet overall needs. Members then debated several amendments. The A7 amendment, which reduced some of the requested security funding for administrators and aligned it more closely with legislative security levels while retaining flexible Supreme Court security personnel, was adopted. The A1 amendment, which would have deleted the additional operating adjustment for paid family and medical leave, failed on a 7-7 tie after debate over whether the courts should bear the employer share of that cost and whether the program itself was an unfunded mandate. The A2 amendment, also related to paid family and medical leave funding, likewise failed on a 7-7 tie after similar discussion about the judiciary’s ongoing employment costs and the branch’s inability to raise its own revenue. The committee then adopted the A4 amendment, which increased the courthouse safety grant program from $1 million to $4 million. Supporters said there was unmet demand for courthouse security grants and that the money would help with hardware such as screening equipment, while the court administrator said the branch would not spend more than it could use and that the grants would be reviewed by a committee including law enforcement and county representatives. The administrator noted the funding would be one-time money and would not cover staffing costs. The committee also discussed the judiciary’s ongoing need for funding, with members arguing both that the courts should be treated like other employers and that the judicial branch, as an independent branch of government, must be funded by the legislature. The final A5 amendment was then introduced, with staff noting it would delete a section already covered by the adopted A7 amendment and reduce an appropriation on page four, line 14.

Transcript Highlights:

• It does need to be utilized funds.
• So, we would need to use it on fund.
• <00:11:46.160> to they have more money than they need to they have more money than they need
• to find out where you can be needing to find out where you can be needing needs<00:21:29.520>
• of needs needs in these type of needs needs in these type of communities?

Keywords: 916, all