Transcript Highlights:

• Second, it dramatically improves the experience for poll workers and voters.
• This improves the experience for everyone by reducing processing time and expanding ballot capabilities
• This<00:04:24.400> improves<00:04:24.800> the<00:04:25.040> experience<00:04:25.520
• > for This improves the experience for This improves the experience for everyone everyone everyone
• These test scenarios will allow us to identify any areas needing improvement and refine our processes

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:14 Approval of Minutes 00:00:40 State Board of Elections 00:00:56, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government met to hear an update from the State Board of Elections on its Bluegrass Books electronic poll book system. Rachel Pointer and Richard House described the project as an in-house modernization effort intended to improve security, customization, integration with the voter registration system, reduce voter wait times, streamline supplemental and provisional ballot processing, and provide year-round local support to county clerks and poll workers. They emphasized that the system is already a working product, not just a concept, and showed a workflow demonstration of voter lookup, signature capture, ballot issuance, manual lookup, and handling voters who have already voted. The agency also outlined the financial rationale for the project, saying the state currently lacks dedicated funding for replacing the iPads used for election-day poll books and that counties now bear vendor maintenance and support costs. Under Bluegrass Books, the state would seek to cover hardware replacement, maintenance, and on-site support through future appropriations, potentially using bulk purchasing to lower costs. When asked about the size of the appropriation request, the presenters said it was not yet finalized but noted roughly 7,000 devices are deployed statewide and replacement would likely be phased rather than done all at once. Members asked about security and whether the e-poll book could affect vote totals. The Board explained that the e-poll book is separate from ballot casting, that voting machines themselves are not connected to the internet, and that the poll book is networked only to update check-ins and prevent double voting. They said the device is locked down to the poll book application and can operate offline until connectivity returns. A member also asked how to recruit more poll workers; the response suggested higher pay is the main incentive, along with outreach to schools, community colleges, and possible pilot programs involving professionals. The meeting concluded without any votes or formal action beyond approval of minutes, and the next meeting was announced for January 29, weather permitting.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill has to do with improving crime clearance rates across the state of.
• It's a priority for both my office and law enforcement to improve those numbers.
• Addressing these issues is essential for improving clearance rates and ensuring justice for victims and
• This investment not only improves the chance of solving existing cases but also acts as a deterrent against
• robust and sustained commitment to ensure that investigations are properly resourced and to further improve

Bills: SB614, SB872, SB1199, SB1212, SB1278, SB1573, SB1588, SB1602, SB1660, SB1704, SB1723, SB1833, SB1858, SB1946, SB2009, SB2146, SB2177, SB2373, SB2460, SB2785

Keywords: forensic science, capital writs, criminal justice, case review, Texas Forensic Science Commission, SB 872, burglary of a vehicle, vehicle burglary, theft of a firearm, stolen gun, firearm theft, Penal Code Section 30.04, third-degree felony, Class A misdemeanor, criminal penalty enhancement, gun theft, vehicle break-in, property crime, sentencing enhancement, Texas criminal law

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is to promote responsible spending and improved accountability.
• So this is to promote responsible spending and improved accountability.
• To promote responsible spending and improved accountability, it is important for the districts to provide
• We made a couple recommendations on where they could improve.
• They hired the consultant to help them facilitate making improvements in that area.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee received a presentation from Auditor General staff on recurring findings from audits of district school boards, colleges, and universities. For school districts, the main issues discussed included missing or outdated safe-school officer training documentation, weak purchasing-card controls, vendor banking-change fraud risks, incomplete background screenings and disqualification-list procedures, missing website budget disclosures, excessive or untimely IT access, late deactivation of former employees’ access, missed emergency drill deadlines, inaccurate capital outlay and resiliency education records, weak tangible property inventories, adult education reporting errors, untimely bank reconciliations, and improper use of workforce development funds. The auditors said many of these issues are repeated from prior years and are summarized in their annual report on significant findings and financial trends. For universities and colleges, the auditors highlighted similar control weaknesses, including vendor information change controls, IT access issues, cash and investment reconciliation problems, purchasing and procurement deficiencies, personnel and compensation issues, and student fee compliance concerns. Specific examples included a UF consulting contract totaling about $6 million, FAU underreporting carry-forward balances by about $77 million, UCF’s payment loss of about $107,000 from an email scam tied to vendor changes, and a North Florida College unauthorized transfer involving a few hundred thousand dollars. The committee asked questions about the UF consulting work, the FAU carry-forward issue, and whether the listed findings meant every named entity had every issue; auditors clarified that the lists reflected entities with findings in those categories, not necessarily each specific problem. The committee then turned to enforcement for entities with long-standing uncorrected audit findings. Staff reported 144 entities with 197 findings repeated in three or more successive audit reports and recommended sending letters requesting updated corrective-action status, including for late-filed 2022-2023 reports where appropriate. The committee approved the staff recommendation and directed letters to be sent. The meeting ended with members emphasizing the importance of audit oversight and taxpayer accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that, has that improved, or we still have the same issues in terms of staff? Yes, sir.
• Just under 800. improved or we still have the same issues in terms of staff? Yes, sir.
• Has that improved, or is that still the big issue?
• So our goal is to reduce juvenile violence and improve public safety.
• We do have improved staffing, and I want to come in to the agency, absolutely true.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It makes numerous improvements in the requirements for auditor training, auditor oversight, and audit
• That's why the legislature commissioned a report on how to improve the funding determination process
• I just want to clarify kind of I guess your take on the amendments and do they improve the ______?
• The clarification improves access to solid evidence-based information.
• Our district is making significant progress to improve academic achievements.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ratios improve.
• <00:42:27.520> Like<00:42:27.760> this patient ratios are improved.
• Like this patient ratios are improved.
• events all improve when nurseto patient<00:42:36.800> ratios<00:42:37.280> improve.
• And yet, even in patient ratios improve.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This helps communities with the cost of transportation improvements that benefit businesses in their
• that are necessary to improve the transportation infrastructure serving a business park or rerouting
• infrastructure improvements such as wastewater<01:01:34.119> treatment<01:01:35.119> uh
• <01:05:17.960> that other infrastructure improvements that other infrastructure improvements
• <01:05:20.440> the are necessary uh to improve the are necessary uh to improve the transportation

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• There are places around this big state that need to have the improvements and, most importantly, the
• This portal has already streamlined reporting, improved agency workflow, and improved cybersecurity.
• The PRB delivered these projects... ...workflow and improve cybersecurity.
• But we now have several opportunities to improve and enhance those systems.
• Of note here is the improvement in Fund 5050, which had been headed toward exhaustion.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard budget presentations for the Texas Historical Commission, the Pension Review Board, the Employees Retirement System (ERS), Social Security and benefit replacement pay, the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESSRS), and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The Legislative Budget Board outlined recommendations and major changes for each agency, including reductions tied to one-time projects at the Historical Commission, continued funding for courthouse grants, heritage trails, and Holocaust/genocide education, as well as new or modified riders and capital items. For the pension-related items, LBB described funding changes for PRB, ERS, Social Security, and TESSRS, including ERS health plan cost growth driven largely by pharmacy costs, the status of pension funding reforms, and TESSRS’s request for additional state support to address its unfunded liability and staffing needs. Members asked extensive questions about the Historical Commission’s one-time funding, unexpended balance authority, courthouse preservation, the Presidio La Bahia and National Museum of the Pacific War projects, and coordination of Texas history messaging across sites such as the Alamo, San Jacinto, Washington on the Brazos, and other heritage locations. The Historical Commission chair emphasized heritage tourism, economic development, and the need for continued investment in historic sites, staffing, IT modernization, and vehicles. On the pension items, senators discussed PRB oversight of local systems, including the Dallas police and fire pension situation, and ERS investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health costs. ERS officials said the plan remains well funded overall, noted a 2021 cash balance reform and a planned supplemental legacy payment, and explained that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro are a major driver of pharmacy spending; they also said the agency is working with the Texas Pharmacy Initiative and that rebates are contractually returned to ERS. For TESSRS, LBB and agency staff said the system serves volunteer and part-paid emergency personnel, is facing an infinite amortization period, and is requesting additional appropriations, staffing, and IT funding, along with a statutory change to allow an actuarially determined state contribution. The agency said it may otherwise need to cut benefits for volunteer firefighters. For CPRIT, LBB reported about $600 million in recommended funding for the biennium and a 10-FTE increase, while the agency described its $6 billion voter-approved program, $3.75 billion in grants awarded to date, and $10.4 million in revenue sharing since 2011. CPRIT’s only exceptional item was a request for a 10% salary increase for two exempt positions. No committee votes or formal actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• The funding for two FTEs that would enable TQL to conduct research to improve law enforcement and police
• Moving on to page 25 for item 4, driver's license service improvement for A, is driver's license staffing
• Highway Patrol. 5C is taser lease cost. for Texas Highway Patrol, moving down to 5H, is funding to improve
• resolution. capacity. 7A is 43 FTEs to establish for as a coal team. cold case team specifically to improve
• cold case testing along with capital budget items for improved DNA testing. 7 B is.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:37:22.160> plans comprehensive school improvement plans comprehensive school improvement
• And then you can do comprehensive evaluation to improve those data systems.
• And then you can do comprehensive evaluation to improve those data systems.
• And then you can do comprehensive evaluation to improve those data systems.
• <01:25:16.960> systems quality rating and improvement systems quality rating and improvement

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee began with introductions of student guests, including an FCCLA national officer who spoke in support of career and technical education. She emphasized that CTE connects classroom learning to real careers, builds leadership and employability skills, and deserves continued state supplemental funding to keep programs current, expand offerings, and support student organizations. Members thanked her for her remarks and for representing FCCLA students. The committee then considered House Bill 67, a cleanup bill to address unintended consequences from last session’s Senate Bill 181 on traceable communication in schools. Rep. Josh Calloway explained that the substitute clarified definitions of family members, coaches, volunteers, certified/classified/contract employees, and virtual instruction; exempted group messaging, public social media posts, translation services, parent-provided phone numbers, emergency communications, and field trip/work-based learning contacts; and allowed teachers to disclose outside commercial or nonprofit involvement so they can communicate with students for those purposes. He said the bill was developed with input from school boards, administrators, KDE, school HR groups, Kentucky League of Cities, and Farm Bureau. The committee approved the substitute and passed HB 67 favorably. Next, the committee heard House Bill 759, which KDE described as a consistency bill for teacher certification pathways. The bill renames and standardizes alternative certification routes, clarifies content mastery requirements, allows teachers to add certifications more consistently, and lets educators extend certification into lower grade bands if they already hold higher-level certification and pedagogical knowledge. Members asked about chemistry majors, CTE occupational pathways, the veterans pathway, and grade-band “bandwidth”; KDE said the bill preserves the veterans route, does not create a new pathway but reorganizes existing ones, and will help make certification options easier to understand. HB 759 also passed favorably. Finally, Rep. Shane Baker presented House Bill 654, a follow-up to last year’s effort to reduce administrative burdens on schools. He said the bill would eliminate additional reporting requirements, bar KDE from requiring components of a comprehensive improvement plan not expressly required by statute or federal law, and allow EARS to temporarily authorize reports when the legislature is not in session while preserving necessary reporting tied to SEEK funding and school operations. The committee took up the substitute and began discussion of the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• > welfare<00:04:34.400> outcomes It also improves child welfare outcomes It also improves
• by India is due to a slightly improved by India is due to a slightly improved national<00:24:23.440
• improvements in the revenue forecast. improvements in the revenue forecast.
• Here, the overall outlook has improved Here, the overall outlook has improved since<00:31:31.160
• First, the volatility of revenues driving the forecast improvement.

Bills: HF3425

Keywords: supportive housing, grants, housing assistance, funding, Minnesota Statutes, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:41:05.000> and improvements and improvements and Corrections<00:41:06.800> Mr<00:41
• <00:47:01.319> care contradictory it does not improve care contradictory it does not improve
• creating an incentive for improvement creating an incentive for improvement rather<00:47:40.520>
• When enforcement is inconsistent and punitive, it does not improve care.
• and make sure always want to improve and make sure that<00:51:41.040> we<00:51:41.160> are

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• health centers teach students the appropriate use of health care services and encourage their use, improve
• Certain outdated statutes needed to be addressed to improve and clarify the parole board process for
• Of many of these particular association works that continuously has to be improved. Thank you, Mr.
• We use that for the construction of, again, improving our dams, our waterways, those things that are
• specifically related to water improvements throughout the state.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're working with OSBI to improve our data sharing with OSBI as they implement the Clean Slate Act.
• We've seen some improvement in this ask.
• That was an increase of 74 applications reviewed in 300 applications that were improved by LEAT staff
• There was some capital improvements for the track that had to be done. The LEDT driving track.
• We'll have the ability to buy improved training helmets. We're better to purchase a.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're designed to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable cost.
• Let's build a framework that improves outcomes and strengthens agriculture.
• They're designed to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable cost.
• simult simultaneously improving health. simult simultaneously improving health.
• Let's build a framework that improves Let's build a framework that improves outcomes<00:14:34.320

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, then established a quorum and approved the journal. The House clerk communicated that the House had passed House Bills 34 and 306 and requested concurrence. The State and Local Government Committee reported Senate Bills 20 and 68 favorably, and several new bills and resolutions were introduced, including measures on Kentucky-grown agricultural procurement, an endowed research fund, unemployment insurance, postsecondary education, wrongful conviction compensation, massage therapy, local fiscal reporting, and a resolution honoring John and Debbie Rogers. The main floor action was on Senate Joint Resolution 23, as amended by Senate Committee Substitute 1, declaring Kentucky a “food is medicine” state and directing state agencies to advance food-as-medicine initiatives. The sponsor described the resolution as a statewide framework to connect nutrition, health care, agriculture, and local food systems, emphasizing partnerships with the Kentucky Hospital Association and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, better health outcomes, and support for Kentucky farmers and rural communities. Senators from Taylor and Callaway spoke in support, citing local examples and the goal of building Kentucky-based solutions rather than importing them. The committee substitute was adopted by voice vote, and the resolution then passed 35-0. The Senate also adopted Senate Resolution 56 honoring Elder Nathan Craig and Sister Amy Craig, and Senate Resolution 33 honoring Robert E. “Bob” Pernell, Sr. Senate Resolution 22, honoring Brian J. Hat, was likewise adopted. After the day’s business, the Senate recessed for meetings of the Rules Committee and the Committee on Committees. Later, the Committee on Committees referred Senate Bills 1-4 to Education, Senate Bill 48 to Judiciary, and Senate Bills 84 and 102 to Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection. Several members made announcements about upcoming committee meetings and events, including the VMAP committee, Judiciary, the Kentucky Japan Caucus, the Kentucky Israel Caucus, and an American Cancer Society action day.

Transcript Highlights:

• The increased projected balance in both biennia is due to a slightly improved national economic outlook
• the improvements to the revenue forecast. forecast. forecast.
• And that's a big improvement from November, particularly in FY28 and 29.
• <01:02:57.839> people's the surplus, that are improving people's the surplus, that are improving
• <01:11:29.520> its Even if Minnesota were to improve its Even if Minnesota were to improve

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our team managed unprecedented demand and improved performance under pressure.
• unprecedented demand and improve unprecedented demand and improve performance<00:18:40.880> under
• So again, for value for consumers, there's not an improvement in value for them.
• the health of maintain, and improve the health of motans.
• So, that's improve the health of motans.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• improvements during our audit period.
• improvements during our audit period.
• improvements during our audit period.
• You had a follow-up question. improvement and those finding or those improvement and those finding or
• there are opportunities for improvement there are opportunities for improvement and<00:18:06.000

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Equitable access to insecurity improve Equitable access to nutritious<00:05:34.280> food<00:05
• C can help these communities provide an essential service that improves student wellness and learning
• <00:56:56.240> improve<00:56:56.559> educational improve improve educational improve improve
• So taxpayers are on the hook for that, and yet outcomes haven't improved.
• and yet outcomes haven't improved um why and yet outcomes haven't improved um why have<02:06:11.280><

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and members, House Bill 4064, Municipal Improvement Districts Petitions, allows the governing
• board to adopt a resolution creating or modifying any improvement district, and it's on consent.
• Improvement district, and it's on consent. Okay.
• It's municipal improvement districts petitions. I don't know, I don't have you. Okay.
• Well, it all depends on where the tourism improvement areas are.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large slate of House and Senate bills, with staff giving short descriptions and members flagging a few concerns. Topics included veterans’ services and courts, child care grants, midwife medication authority, home- and community-based services funding, EMS reciprocity, prescription monitoring, electronic monitoring in care facilities, pregnancy resource center funding, mental health transportation, Access coverage for mild obstructive sleep apnea, school spending requirements, mobile home park training, local government investment pools, task order contract posting, tourism improvement areas, child welfare and kinship placement, neglect standards, family court evidence, prostate cancer cost sharing, assisted living hearings, manufactured home installer licensing, supervised parenting time, vulnerable adult trespass penalties, uranium contamination monitoring, a gas and petroleum refinery study committee, and state park fee exemptions for veterans. Several bills were described as unanimous or on consent, while others drew objections or were noted as controversial. Members raised privacy concerns about electronic monitoring in nursing homes, due process and rural capacity concerns about restricting police transport for mental health patients, opposition to pregnancy resource center appropriations, concerns about environmental review for power plant replacement, and questions about the Access sleep apnea mandate as potentially favoring vendors. Some bills were noted as having committee amendments, including changes to appropriations, eligibility criteria, reporting requirements, and definitions. No floor votes were taken in the transcript itself; instead, the chair repeatedly noted whether bills were unanimous, on consent, or had split votes in committee. The caucus also heard brief announcements about an upcoming breakfast with the CAP director, a Latino Caucus meeting, and an Affordability Award presented to Representative Volk, after which the caucus adjourned.