Bills: HB17 , HB16 , SB10 , HB27 , HB23 , SB15 , SB18

Keywords: property tax, school funding, enrollment changes, inflation adjustment, tax rate notice, judicial administration, court reform, juvenile diversion, court security, mental health services, drug offenses, constitutional amendments, property tax exemption, ad valorem tax, Texas Tax Code, nonprofit corporation, charitable organization, educational nonprofit, scientific nonprofit, agriculture support

Summary: The House convened, received a message from the Senate, and the chair announced the signing of HB 4 in the presence of the House. The clerk then read a large number of first-reading measures and referred them to committees. Among the notable bills, SB 1 by Senator Perry on campground and youth camp safety was referred to the Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding. Several House resolutions dealing with House rules, quorum, attendance, and penalties for members who missed sessions or broke quorum were referred to the Committee on House Administration, including HR 5, HR 17, HR 18, HR 34, HR 41, and HR 58. The House also referred a broad slate of resolutions to the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars, including measures by Riddell, Craddick, Toth, Leo Wilson, Schofield, Gehan, Bella Montgomery, Hinojosa, Schoolcraft, Little, Meyer, Luhan, Orr, Johnson, Harris Davila, Lopez, Cameron, Gonzalez of El Paso, Wharton, Flores, Dyson, and Harless. These referrals covered many individual House resolutions and concurrent resolutions, but no debate or votes were recorded in the transcript. At the end of the proceedings, the House recessed until noon pursuant to a previously adopted motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of that can be made up in the county if the county paid over a certain amount.
• In Dallas County, 18 days. In Travis County, it was 20 days, and in Bear County, 22 days.
• of Dallas County.
• Harris County, Houston County. I don't hear this as a Texas issue.
• Um, I live in Harris County. Harris County is big. And Harris County, um.

Bills: HB15 , HB171 , HB204

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Keywords: flood risk, campground, safety regulations, civil penalty, guest safety, Harris County, flood control, governance, expansion, public health, local governance, environmental management

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to look at how we build them.
• President, that Yakima is a minority county.
• President, that Yakima is a minority county.
• In my community in Snohomish County, we saw over 50 square miles of Snohomish County inundated by water
• So many roads were closed in Snohomish County that the county ran out of road-closed signs.

Bills: SB6061 , SB6234 , SB6170 , SB6176 , SB6182 , SB6335 , SB5647 , SB6047 , HB2367 , HB2606 , SB5998 , SB6005 , SB6003 , SB6129 , SB6225 , SB6228 , SB6231

Keywords: tourism, self-supported assessment, funding, statewide promotion, economic development, sewage, grinder pumps, residential buildings, regulation, construction, contracting rules, state highway construction, procurement limits, state regulations, infrastructure funding, vehicle registration, enforcement, renewal, transportation, state law

Summary: The Senate met on February 23, 2026, opened with the usual roll call, pledge, prayer, and approval of the previous journal. Members then adopted Senate Resolution 8698 recognizing piano teachers, with several senators sharing personal remarks about their own teachers and the role of music education in families and communities. Guests from the Washington State Music Teachers Association and the National Guild of Piano Teachers were recognized in the gallery. The chamber then moved into budget debate, considering a series of amendments to the operating budget. Several proposals focused on housing costs, local planning, utility rates, and state spending restraint. Amendment 0772, which would have created a housing-related task force and increased funding, was rejected after debate over housing affordability and regulatory costs. Amendment 0785, restoring growth management planning funding for local governments, was also rejected. Amendment 0791, directing the Department of Commerce to study the effects of climate and clean energy laws on utility costs, and Amendment 0769, related to grid capacity and clean energy investments, were both adopted. Other amendments drew sharper partisan debate. Amendment 0798, which would have reduced the Supreme Court from nine justices to five and redirected savings to public defense, failed. Amendments 0794 and 0795, seeking funding for ballot measure costs tied to initiatives, also failed. Amendment 0799, intended to redirect Pacific Tower lease savings to developmental disability services, was rejected after discussion of the building’s current public uses. Amendment 0773, capping state spending growth and tying it to median wage growth, failed on a roll call vote, while Amendment 0777, addressing concurrent use of paid family and medical leave and sick leave by state employees, also failed after extended debate. Later, Amendment 0776 on tort liability reporting was adopted, as were Amendment 0758 creating a DSHS work group on community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and Amendment 0786 was introduced to reduce cash and food assistance work-related funding, with debate beginning before the transcript ends.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to look at how we build them.
• President, that Yakima is a minority county.
• In my community in Snohomish County, we saw over 50 square miles of Snohomish County inundated by water
• So many roads were closed in Snohomish County that the county ran out of road-closed signs.
• I know other counties were just as hard hit.

Bills: SB6061 , SB6234 , SB6170 , SB6176 , SB6182 , SB6335 , SB5647 , SB6047 , HB2367 , HB2606 , SB5998 , SB6005 , SB6003 , SB6129 , SB6225 , SB6228 , SB6231

Keywords: tourism, self-supported assessment, funding, statewide promotion, economic development, sewage, grinder pumps, residential buildings, regulation, construction, contracting rules, state highway construction, procurement limits, state regulations, infrastructure funding, vehicle registration, enforcement, renewal, transportation, state law

Summary: The Senate convened with roll call, prayer, and approval of the previous day’s journal, then moved to a resolution honoring piano teachers. Senate Resolution 8698 was adopted after remarks from Senator Conway and others describing the role of piano teachers in music education, family life, and community service. Members of the Washington State Music Teachers Association and the National Guild of Piano Teachers were recognized in the gallery. The chamber then took up the operating budget and considered a long series of amendments. Several amendments focused on housing costs and local planning, utility and energy policy, ballot measure costs, state spending growth, tort liability, and paid family and medical leave. Some amendments were adopted, including a study of utility cost impacts from climate laws, a grid-related funding amendment, a tort liability oversight/reporting amendment, and a workgroup on services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Others were rejected, including proposals to create a housing task force, cap state spending growth, fund ballot initiative costs, restore local planning grants, and change paid family and medical leave usage rules. Debate on the budget amendments was often partisan and detailed, with supporters arguing for fiscal restraint, cost transparency, and relief for taxpayers and local governments, while opponents emphasized existing work, program solvency, and the need to preserve services. The Senate also heard amendments on zero-based budgeting, federal education tax credit opt-in language, reproductive health funding, food assistance work requirements, and support for the Pediatric Interim Care Center; some were defeated and some were adopted. Roll-call votes were taken on certain amendments, and the transcript ends during consideration of Amendment 0787, which would restore funding for the Pediatric Interim Care Center.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm from Mobile County. This is Mary Bruce Smithson; she is our committee clerk.
• Morgan Limestone and Madison counties Morgan Limestone and Madison counties Matt<00:08:37.680><c> Butler
• . >> Marilyn Lands, Alabama House District 10, Madison County.
• Uh, I just want to introduce myself as a very well-trained freshman member of the Senate County.
• They're tracking build... [laughter] House down here and then set up these...

Bills: SB183 , SB160 , SB183 , SB160

Committee: House Boards, Agencies and Commissions

Keywords: tribal police, law enforcement, reservation safety, Ma-Chis Lower Creek Indian Tribe, indigenous rights, sales tax, use tax, sales and use tax, local tax exemption, county tax, municipal tax, county commission, municipal ordinance, resolution, Alabama Department of Revenue, tax administration, fiscal year, September 1 effective date, local government, tax exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> United States, state of Wyoming County United States, state of Wyoming County and<00:01:36.799><
• </c> counties or this it keeps them whole. counties or this it keeps them whole. &gt;&gt; Okay.
• I’m going to take all the city and county—or, I’m sorry, county and state departments first.
• I am the Converse County Assessor, and I have with me the Laramie County Assessor, who knows a whole
• ><c> is</c> Laramie County, because every county is Laramie County, because every county is a<00:45:47.440

Bills: HB0026 , HB0042 , HB0067 , HB0069

Committee: House Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs

Keywords: tribal governments, vehicle registration, exemption, license plates, Wind River Indian Reservation, vehicle, accident, duty to stop, felony, personal injury, death, veterans property tax exemption, ad valorem tax, property tax relief, military tax exemption, Wyoming National Guard, active duty, reserve members, surviving spouse, surviving parent

Bills: HB0026 , HB0042 , HB0067 , HB0069

Committee: Senate Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs

Keywords: tribal governments, vehicle registration, exemption, license plates, Wind River Indian Reservation, vehicle, accident, duty to stop, felony, personal injury, death, veterans property tax exemption, ad valorem tax, property tax relief, military tax exemption, Wyoming National Guard, active duty, reserve members, surviving spouse, surviving parent

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> our contractors under like design build our contractors under like design build contracts.<00:10
• To build 25% of all that, is that something in your plans? And that makes sense, that number?
• And so, we want to make sure that we're building out our facilities in that appropriate way.
• Um, and as much as we can build out those EV stalls, we want to be able to maximize that because that
• that we're building out our facilities in<00:14:05.199><c> that</c><00:14:05.440><c> appropriate</c>

Bills: SB2543 , SB2435 , SB2352

Committee: Senate Government Operations

Keywords: state construction, construction manager, design review, public works, capital improvement, DAGS, Department of Accounting and General Services, DOE, Department of Education, comptroller, pilot program, design review special fund, county permit review, accessibility compliance, Disability and Communication Access Board, state infrastructure, government construction, project oversight, civil service exemption, county agencies

Summary: The Committee on Government Operations reconvened on February 10, 2026, to take up measures previously heard on February 5. It advanced SB 2983 on criminal destruction of trees with technical, non-substantive amendments and a committee report note asking Judiciary to clarify that removal of invasive species remains allowed; the measure passed with one no vote. SB 2930 on the state risk management revolving fund also passed with amendments, including blanking out the amount, setting a defective date, and directing Ways and Means to review a spreadsheet before further action. The committee likewise passed SB 2928 on making the small business procurement program permanent and SB 2970 on standards of conduct for state agency contracts, adopting the Ethics Commission’s recommended language assigning compliance responsibility to department directors and deputy directors. SB 2927 and SB 3068 on procurement were deferred to a time certain on February 12, and SB 3015 on personal information, SB 2929 on public notice, and SB 2938 on search and rescue were also deferred for further discussion or to avoid re-referral issues. SB 2662 on external consultants was amended to remove a cap and preemptive approval language, narrow the expertise standard, and note possible auditor staffing or appropriation needs; it then passed with amendments. The joint GVO-EIG hearing then took up SB 2543 on state construction projects and an Office of the State Construction Manager within DAGS. Testimony from the Hawaii Iron Workers Stabilization Fund strongly supported the bill, saying it could reduce wasteful spending on large design-build projects and free money for tax credits and other public needs. DAGS, the University of Hawaii, and DLNR offered written comments, while one witness from KIC opposed the measure and asked for an exemption for member-owned electric cooperatives. A Hawaii Solar Energy Association witness also supported the bill but asked that landscape architects be excluded from the bill’s definition of design professionals, and Rocky Mold said Kauai permitting was efficient enough that he had no objection to carving it out. The committee adopted amendments from DNR, DAGS, and UH and passed SB 2543. The hearing also considered SB 2435 on EV charging infrastructure at state facilities. DAGS and the Hawaii State Energy Office supported the concept and explained that the goal was to retrofit managed parking facilities with infrastructure that can meet current and future EV needs, while acknowledging that some stalls can sit unused and that the state must balance space and enforcement. Members raised concerns about whether dedicating 25% of stalls to EV charging would reduce usable parking, and about rural and Big Island conditions where EV range and battery capacity remain limiting. The discussion noted that DOT, DNR, DOE, and DOH may have their own parking facilities outside DAGS control. The committee then indicated it would broaden the bill to apply to all state agencies and lower the threshold in response to member concerns, with final action not fully shown in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Walter Gon, who's the superintendent for Jefferson County Schools.
• He came and presented some ideas of what he was doing innovatively within the Jefferson County system
• County system to offer some choice but also to offer some other things that were interesting.
• So, any suggestions in North Alabama, specifically Huntsville, Madison, and Madison County?

Bills: HB447 , HB447

Committee: House Ways and Means Education

Keywords: HB447, school buses, student transportation, public schools, local boards of education, dual enrollment, career technical education, CTE, community college, trade school, technical college, offsite educational venues, student access, transportation policy, school bus law, Alabama education law, Montgomery County, probate court, judge of probate, will registration

Transcript Highlights:

• day after Memorial Day, and that will probably double or triple the cost of... ...the cost of every county
• I know in Shelby County, our costs... ...know in Shelby County, it's a bunch of money.
• be the same as the registrars in other counties.
• Certain counties that have over roughly $40,000 have come up with a lot of questions.
• A lot of good work has been done, and I think I'm going to come back, and it will help every county.

Bills: HB258 , HB308 , HB258 , HB308

Committee: House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections

Keywords: primary election, election calendar, off-presidential year, May primary, second Tuesday in May, fourth Tuesday in May, runoff primary, special primary, presidential primary, election administration, candidate filing, ballot access, political parties, county election officials, state election law, Alabama elections, elections, voter registration, publishing requirements, cost-saving

Transcript Highlights:

• glad to say you're still the best-dressed person in the room. still the best-dressed person in the building
• He grew up in Cordova, where he and his sister Angie graduated from Walker County Public Schools.
• In 1997, he began a three-year tenure as the Walker County Republican Party... the Walker County Republican
• In 2019, he helped bolster incentives to recruit businesses to rural counties by sponsoring the AIM Act
• . rural counties by sponsoring the AIM Act.

Bills: SB 2 , SJR 36 , SB 2 , SR 19 , SR 27 , SR 30 , SR 32 , SCR 11

Keywords: Houston East End, Chamber of Commerce, East End Day, economic development, community involvement, scholarships, business events, McAllen, celebration, community pride, cultural events, economic growth, McAllen Day, community recognition, South Texas, local pride, Wise County Day, Texas Senate, Wise County, state recognition

Transcript Highlights:

• County on the north, Henderson County on the south, Senator Hall.
• Victor Trevino, our County Judge, Web County, Donald Tijerina, our County Commissioners.
• Your district is entirely in Bexar County.
• As Wise County Day at the State Capitol.
• Everybody from Wise County here today.

Bills: SB2 , SJR36 , SB2 , SR19 , SR27 , SR30 , SR32 , SCR11

Keywords: Houston East End, Chamber of Commerce, East End Day, economic development, community involvement, scholarships, business events, McAllen, celebration, community pride, cultural events, economic growth, McAllen Day, community recognition, South Texas, local pride, Wise County Day, Texas Senate, Wise County, state recognition

Bills: SB326 , SB326

Committee: House Public Safety and Homeland Security

Keywords: sheriff, credit card, debit card, financial procedures, Jackson County, purchasing authority, boating regulations, anchoring, rafting, enforcement mechanism, environmental protection, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And what we have in the unincorporated areas of Bogota County in my area, Chip, that we represent and

Bills: HB308 , HB308

Committee: Senate Mobile County Legislation

Keywords: elections, voter registration, publishing requirements, cost-saving, transparency, property tax exemption, senior citizens, Mobile County, tax legislation, constitutional amendment, 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do recognize, you know, in some counties that might be, you know, there's 39 counties or cities in
• If a county is implementing city development regulations, who's responsible for building code review,
• That's city, county, private planning. Washington chapter. That's city, county, private planners.
• Andrea Smiley with the Building Industry Association in Washington, the state's largest building or home-building
• Prior to moving to Whatcom County, I was the planning director from Multnomah County in Oregon, where

Bills: HB2201 , HB2154

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: urban growth, city planning, county regulations, development standards, land use, land ownership, conservation districts, property rights, regulatory authority, environmental policy, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We weren't even going to have to have a bill because the county worked it out.
• First time I've put it on because the county... the way in the laws in the county. Like the...
• This is the electric monitoring piece of legislation for Mobile County.
• And this is a bill dealing with the fire districts in Mobile County.
• The fire districts in Mobile County.

Bills: SB221 , SB224 , HB440

Committee: House Mobile County Legislation

Keywords: Mobile County, judge of probate, compensation, salary, expense allowance, electronic monitoring, pretrial defendants, criminal justice, court programs, supervision fees, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, our facility is actually in two buildings.
• It's to build a new regional public safety facility.
• The treatment buildings that we have are also very old and One is an old brick building with a lot of
• I'm also the County Engineer for Douglas County.
• community by building an interchange on Interstate Highway 94 at County State Highway 17, located approximately

Bills: HF568 , HF433 , HF1689 , HF3135 , HF3137 , HF3145 , HF2887 , HF2819 , HF2802 , HF2664 , HF2267 , HF799 , HF800 , HF3049 , HF296 , HF580 , HF1438 , HF1237

Committee: House Capital Investment

Keywords: special education, education funding, construction, Minnesota, regional educational programs, HF433, Cloquet Area Fire District, fire station, capital investment, bonding bill, state bonds, general obligation bonds, public safety, emergency services, fire protection, local infrastructure, Minnesota capital budget, DEED grant, municipal facilities, station construction

Transcript Highlights:

• service those counties?
• County waters, Galveston County.
• It's not Chambers County, not Galveston County, not Galveston, it's Houston.
• Those counties are Kamal, Guadalupe, Kaufman, Midland, and my county of Johnson.
• Uh, we're outside the city, county, but the county, as I've been told by our county commissioner, they

Bills: HB 2065 , HB 2462 , HB 2621 , HB 3187 , HB 3539 , HB 3563 , HB 3726 , HB 4164 , HB 4207 , HB 4368 , HB 4706 , HB 4916 , HB 4950 , HB 4967 , HB 5177 , HB 4429 , HB 5597

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: commercial vehicles, parking regulations, residential areas, local governance, land use, traffic safety, high occupancy vehicle lane, pregnant operators, transportation, parental rights, motor vehicle regulations, live video feed, state agency, transparency, public safety, regional transportation, mobility program, sales tax, public infrastructure, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• It's design, bid, build. And one is design, build.
• No county property tax or sales tax were used to build or operate these toll roads.
• But Harris County took that risk, did the building, did the operation, and is the managing entity for
• The county auditor, whether it's Travis County or McLennan County, or any large county, is... it is not
• County.

Bills: HB2065 , HB2462 , HB2621 , HB3187 , HB3539 , HB3563 , HB3726 , HB4164 , HB4207 , HB4368 , HB4706 , HB4916 , HB4950 , HB4967 , HB5177 , HB4429 , HB5597

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: commercial vehicles, parking regulations, residential areas, local governance, land use, traffic safety, high occupancy vehicle lane, pregnant operators, transportation, parental rights, motor vehicle regulations, live video feed, state agency, transparency, public safety, regional transportation, mobility program, sales tax, public infrastructure, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• that are accessible from 75% of the waterway in Galveston County, and the other 25% is in Chambers County
• And so Cedarport is in Chambers County. Yes, sir.
• have the USIM Pilots that serve Harris County Ports.
• Ryan Malcolm: Chambers County into their statute.
• they service those counties.

Bills: HB2065 , HB2462 , HB2621 , HB3187 , HB3539 , HB3563 , HB3726 , HB4164 , HB4207 , HB4368 , HB4706 , HB4916 , HB4950 , HB4967 , HB5177 , HB4429 , HB5597

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: commercial vehicles, parking regulations, residential areas, local governance, land use, traffic safety, high occupancy vehicle lane, pregnant operators, transportation, parental rights, motor vehicle regulations, live video feed, state agency, transparency, public safety, regional transportation, mobility program, sales tax, public infrastructure, local government