Transcript Highlights:

• We really are focused on those best standards that we are implementing them.
• You mentioned that the system superintendent and I'd minister CTE test and I look at that as I get to
• administer CTE tests.
• But if we go by the industry standard, look at another 10% rate increase, not to mention frs and things
• If we would have we, we couldn't of the standard economic model.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To standard applicator certification and additional safety requirements including specialized labeling
• talked to somebody, a constituent, today about this bill, they said, well, all you do is the float test
• use and others homeowners are licensed or permitted at the federal level, so they do a lot of the testing
• <00:54:32.920> and<00:54:33.440> uh do a lot of the testing and uh do a lot of the
• testing and uh reviewing<00:54:34.760> of<00:54:34.960> them<00:54:35.240> and<00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that if their medics went through training, then that was good enough for them to be able to take a test
• <00:54:00.880> to controlled science-driven pathway to controlled science-driven pathway to test
• <01:00:33.760> for<01:00:34.000> folks uh as compared to the standard for folks uh
• as compared to the standard for folks that<01:00:34.480> enter<01:00:34.799> into<01:00
• The benefit of ivagane standard of care.

Keywords: Public Health and Welfare - Room 216, 25 February, 2026; 3:00 PM, 925, all

Summary: The committee first handled House Bill 612, which had been laid on the table because of questions about section one. Senator Tate explained that section one would allow the state, counties, and municipalities to enter interlocal agreements to provide installation support services on military installations, mainly road and infrastructure work such as paving and dirt work, and that section two would add Coast Guard medics to an existing provision allowing trained military medics to sit for LPN certification. After questions about the breadth of “installation support services,” the committee adopted the motion for title sufficient, due pass, with opposition noted, and the bill was reported to the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. House Bill 942 was then passed over at Senator McMahon’s request until Tuesday. The committee then took up House Bill 1034, which would allow terminally ill hospital patients to use medical cannabis gummies. The sponsor said the bill is intended to help terminally ill patients who already qualify for medical cannabis but are denied access in hospitals, and that it prohibits smoking or inhalation. Members raised concerns about whether the bill was too broad, whether it would interfere with hospital and physician judgment, possible drug interactions, federal law issues, liability for hospitals and doctors, storage and disposal requirements, and whether hospitals would incur costs or be forced to handle cannabis on their premises. The sponsor responded that the patient’s use would be logged in the chart, that the caregiver is generally responsible for the lockbox and disposal, and that the bill includes language allowing a facility to opt out if compliance would jeopardize federal funding or licensing. The bill’s author also described the measure as arising from a Coast Guard family’s experience in which a terminally ill patient was denied access to medical cannabis at one hospital but allowed at another, and said the goal is to prevent similar denials for terminally ill patients. He said he was not aware of other drugs treated this way in hospitals, but argued that terminally ill patients should have access to most anything they want. The discussion ended with Senator England asking whether changing the bill’s requirement that a facility “shall” allow medical cannabis to “may” allow it would better protect hospitals and preserve discretion, but no final action on House Bill 1034 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we know that there's going to be more waste by virtue of the cleanliness standards that are in our
• , I'm fairly confident, doesn't our DEQ demand that we follow EPA standards already?
• This is a permit process, and right now, Standards already? No, they do not.
• So, consequently, what EPA does, and again I'm not an expert, the EPA requires certain testing, certain
• It's just standard medical waste. Am I correct? With respect, Mr.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Nichols moves House Bill 5672 be recommended for local and to test the calendar's objection.
• The bill provides for the standard powers of financing for water, sewage, drainage, and infrastructure
• The bill provides for the standard powers of financing for water, sewage, drainage, and infrastructure
• This is a template bill and uses standard template language. All right.
• This is a template bill and uses standard template language. All right.

Bills: HB103

Summary: The Senate Local Government Committee met to hear and act on a series of municipal utility district and municipal management district bills, most of them presented as template or cleanup measures. The committee first heard HB 5672, which redefined the boundaries of the Driftwood Conservation District in Hays County to match acreage added through landowner petitions; no one testified, and the bill was reported favorably and placed on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then took up HB 5696 for the Reserve Municipal Management District in Mansfield, where Senator Birdwell explained a committee substitute that conformed the bill to the standard MMD template; the bill was left pending subject to call of the chair. Similar template or technical bills followed, including HB 5680 (Bayou Bell No. 1 MMD in Liberty County), HB 5654 (Montgomery County MUD No. 263), HB 5662 (Fort Bend County WCID No. 12 with road powers), HB 5658 (Craver Ranch MMD in Denton County), HB 5661 (Fort Bend County MUD No. 286), HB 5699 (an exclusion/contract provision for Harris County MUD No. 405), HB 5679 (Hills of Walnut Creek MUD in Parker County), HB 5437 (validation language for Austin County MUD No. 1), HB 5665 (Waller County MUD No. 70), HB 5656 (Fort Bend County MUD No. 263), HB 5670 (Montgomery County MUD No. 259), HB 5651 (Montgomery County WCID with drainage powers), HB 5682 (Comina Ranch MMD No. 1 in McKinney), HB 5320 (merging Starr County drainage-related districts), HB 5677 (Pura Vida MMD No. 1), and HB 5666 (Fencey Road MUD in Harris County). In each case, the sponsor described the district, acreage, location, and powers, and committee substitutes were often used to align the bills with the chamber’s standard template language or correct drafting errors. Public testimony was repeatedly opened and closed with no witnesses appearing for or against the bills. The committee consistently adopted committee substitutes when offered, then voted to report the measures favorably, usually with recommendations that they do pass and be printed, and to place them on the local and uncontested calendar. Most roll calls showed 4 or 5 ayes and 0 nays, with some members absent or not voting. HB 5680 and HB 5682 were reported with committee substitutes in lieu of the filed versions; HB 5658 was reported with a do-not-pass recommendation on the filed bill but do-pass on the substitute; HB 5677 was handled similarly as a companion/template cleanup measure. The committee also noted a few procedural issues, including quorum concerns early in the meeting and a mislabeled bill number that required clarification. At the end of the meeting, the committee adopted several motions in writing and then recessed to reconvene 15 minutes after adjournment of the floor, anticipating possible additional bills later in the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we would not be uh one of standard.
• >> then yes I would say that by your test >> then yes I would say that by your test
• No, no, so they'll give us some test. >> Yes.
• I did diagnostic testing in the Boston school system.
• I did diagnostic testing in the Boston school system.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• RFP in September uh if if you standard RFP in September uh if if you want<00:31:31.840> more<
• It pays for test strips. It pays for drilling equipment. It pays for mileage. It pays for expenses.
• It pays for test strips. It pays for drilling equipment. It pays for mileage. It pays for expenses.
• It pays for test<01:00:23.520> strips.
• It pays for drilling test strips.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• budget and move that into the standard budget and move that into the standard budget.<00:04:30.160
• And that standard budget budget.
• That's conform to some uniform standard.
• <01:05:38.960> deal used to be a kind of a standard deal used to be a kind of a standard deal
• service that is based on a standard service that is based on a standard budget.<01:10:37.280>

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We haven’t had a real good test run of it to see the impact.
• test requirement?
• And then that support model relies on standardization. That's that work.
• Eighty-five, 90% of our time is operational testing.
• The NDUS EDU page redesign, we met the WCAG standards. It has about 230 pages.

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:18:43.600> So refunds are mostly income tested. So refunds are mostly income tested.
• prop tax refund is income tested. prop tax refund is income tested. there's<00:30:25.840> a
• Capital gains are still high by historical standards, but they've fallen back the last couple of years
• , are still high by historical standards, are still high by historical standards, but<00:33:52.720
• <01:09:18.159> K12 supplies with the income tested K12 supplies with the income tested K12

Bills: HF331, HF916

Keywords: school supplies, sales tax exemption, use tax, sales and use tax, back-to-school, classroom supplies, education tax relief, tax holiday, retail exemption, Minnesota sales tax, school materials, binders, calculators, notebooks, pencils, backpacks, book bags, local tax revenue, taxable sales base, income tax

Transcript Highlights:

• pregnancy testing is also a technique. pregnancy testing is also a technique.
• Blood test is how we all the tests.
• break test their cows. break test their cows.
• testing than I do for PE testing. testing than I do for PE testing.
• Sir, further<03:35:38.479> test. further test. further test. Go<03:35:41.040> ahead.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , regression testing, and deployment.
• I think we should all be held to the standard.
• We're not asking that they be held to a higher standard.
• or an organization sort of holding you to a standard, that those would have to be held to the standards
• that are in this bill when it comes to the safety standards.

Bills: SCR59, SCR70, HR275, HR279, HR282, HR289, HR307, HCR112, SCR61, SCR62, SCR64, SB121, HR310, HR314, HR316, HR317, HR321, HCR117, SCR5, SCR29, SCR33, SCR37, SCR63, SCR30, SCR40, SCR65, HCR3, HCR49, HCR66, HCR67, HB54, HB137, HB321, HB368, HB386, HB414, HB431, HB552, HB555, HB578, HB590, HB593, HB618, HB638, HB670, HB692, HB707, HB708, HB715, HB718, HB732, HB741, HB748, HB776, HB796, HB807, HB822, HB848, HB856, HB887, HB888, HB917, HB921, HB1082, HB1243, HB1246, HB1, HB2, HB42, HB45, HB71, HB79, HB126, HB133, HB159, HB213, HB218, HB222, HB289, HB291, HB312, HB313, HB324, HB352, HB383, HB398, HB403, HB429, HB457, HB459, HB549, HB571, HB579, HB591, HB608, HB616, HB624, HB766, HB769, HB783, HB804, HB864, HB874, HB909, HB951, HB971, HB983, HB1005, HB1017, HB1051, HB1056, HB1126, HB1186, HB1193, HB1223, HB1224, HB1235, HB1249, SB259, SB295, SB312, SB348, SB444, SB485, SB441, SB149, HB359, SB29, SB43, SB78, HB463, HB998, SB197, SB268, SB123, SB276, SB326, SB80, HB901, HR20, HR74, HCR65, HCR71, HCR98, HB284, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB625, HB646, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1191, HB1240, HB1255, SB82, SB89, SB97, SB479, HB74, HB119, HB134, HB210, HB258, HB468, HB784, HB870, HB953, HB956, HB1117, HB1236, SB42, SB208, SB217, SB274, SB300, SB341, SB379, SB382, SB387, SB401, SB449, SB487

Keywords: Major Richard Star Act, veterans, military retirement, disability compensation, VA benefits, combat-wounded, medically retired, military retirees, service members, veterans benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, concurrent receipt, retirement offset, combat-related disability, bipartisan support, memorial resolution, Congressional memorial, Louisiana delegation, Richard Star

Transcript Highlights:

• to meet all of the concerns of an independent contractor, all the indicia, including the six-factor test
• There's also a six-factor test used by the Department of Labor.
• with your experience, Senator Sorrentino, where I'm headed here, figuring out the right-to-control test
• Of course, in this event, it'll just be in Lincoln and Omaha, but hey, I guess we're the testing ground
• This amendment allows schools to apply the same reasonable five-credit or one-class standard across the

Bills: LB815A, LB838A, LB912A, LB972A, LB1126A, LB962A, LB1114, LB921, LB937, LB803, LB803A, LB1032, LB1032A, LB1075, LB1075A, LB889, LB878, LB933, LB304, LB304A, LB1096, LB1096A, LB1165, LB1165A, LB958, LB958A, LB762, LB1187, LB966, LB929, LB962, LB753, LB788, LB913, LB1055, LB1195, LB429, LB721, LB722, LB727, LB743, LB745, LB749, LB778, LB787

Keywords: LB815A, LB815, appropriation, appropriations bill, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Tax Enforcement and Collection Cash Fund, motor fuel tax, gas tax, fuel tax, tax enforcement, tax collection, cash fund, budget, state spending, per diem, salaries, fiscal year, enrollment and review, final reading, Nebraska

Transcript Highlights:

• right 11 is There's an itemization of money that can only be spent one particular way on student testing
• I can find out what the campus number is, I just, that doesn't pass my, sort of, quick smell. test on
• My son can bubble bubbles on a test like nobody's business. business.
• So as a result, no one has passed any tests at the end of the year. But.
• And so after the opening of Yes Prep, Wheatley was never again. able to meet standards that it had once

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But based on. industry standard for cost estimation, we have a lot of confidence in this $20 billion
• Current water quality standards in the Bay Delta are inadequate and the state must not.
• is implemented. and we will report back to state lawmakers as soon as due diligence and meeting standards
• Bulk milk tanking, bulk milk tank surveillance testing, that was something that folks maybe had heard
• this that adds more people, more diagnostics, more lab capacity to all of that and also pet food testing

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, this has to do with the health care materials. your test sure sure all right your test sure
• The department felt that if they were sort of held to rigorous standards on these audits and couldn't
• The department felt that if they were sort of held to rigorous standards on these audits and couldn't
• trust<00:53:35.799> and<00:53:36.040> then<00:53:36.480> once irrevocable test
• uh trust and then once irrevocable test uh trust and then once again<00:53:37.040> those<00:53

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Tax Committee first approved the minutes from the previous meeting and then took up Senate File 11 at the request of the Judiciary Committee. The bill was removed from the table, recommended to pass, and referred to Judiciary. Members explained that the request was tied to data practices language in the bill and Judiciary’s jurisdiction over that subject. The committee then heard Senate File 268, as amended by the A1 amendment. Senator Nelson said the bill would extend a sales tax exemption for certain physician-prescribed, non-durable medical goods to publicly and privately held health plans, aligning them with treatment already given to Medicare, Medicaid, and other government-paid plans. Testifiers from Corner Home Medical and the industry said current tax rules are confusing, audits are burdensome and expensive, and providers often end up paying tax themselves because insurers do not pay retroactively. They argued the bill would reduce administrative burden and create parity in the tax code. The committee adopted the A1 amendment and laid the bill over. Finally, the committee heard Senate File 88, also amended by an A1 technical change. Senator Klein said the bill is intended to prevent the Department of Revenue from issuing retroactive assessments when taxpayers relied in good faith on prior audit guidance, so long as there was no material change in law, court interpretation, federal adjustment, or written notice from the commissioner. Department of Revenue staff said they had no formal position but explained how the bill would affect sample audits and noted it would require more detailed written guidance; they said normal audits would not change much. Supporters from the CPA Society and several senators said the bill would provide certainty and protect taxpayers from unexpected back taxes, while one senator questioned whether the bill was needed and whether it would bypass settlement or litigation. The bill was laid over after discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• , industry standards describe Well, industry standards describe qualification<00:25:46.760> pathways
• <00:27:08.160> They safety standards of the bill. They safety standards of the bill.
• It had been specify D1.1 standards.
• There's a reason why engineers standard.
• there to be essentially standards there to be essentially standards regarding<00:39:29.640> wear

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:53.199> and bill that could be passed tests and bill that could be passed tests and
• Um, I don't think it's overexceeding the standards, but it gets back up to the standards that are now
• <02:00:43.920> that might be excluded by the standards that might be excluded by the standards
• So that is not by any means standard.
• Would that's an unreasonable standard.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The cannabis has mold, and then some states are really lax about the testing.
• And so, well, they don't do the testing; they require you to send it out to a testing entity, but there
• <04:37:10.639> is like an irreparable harm standard is like an irreparable harm standard is
• <04:38:43.279> than to be probably high standard than to be probably high standard than language
• It's a standard clause.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The discussion focused on a cannabis legalization/regulation bill and whether it should be retained for further study or moved forward. Members debated the fiscal impact, with one side emphasizing that the bill would cost about $7.1 million in the first two years before generating revenue, while supporters argued the House should make a statement in favor of legalization despite likely opposition from the Senate and governor. There was also disagreement over strategy: some said retaining the bill until closer to the next election would give the issue more visibility, while others said delaying would only avoid sending a bill the Senate was unlikely to take up anyway. A major point of contention was whether cannabis should be regulated by a new cannabis commission or placed under the Liquor Commission. Supporters of the Liquor Commission argued it already has enforcement infrastructure, especially for age restrictions, and could handle cannabis more efficiently without creating a new bureaucracy. Opponents said cannabis is a different industry that would require specialized expertise, and they objected to expanding the Liquor Commission, which they described as unpopular and costly. The committee also discussed past versions of the bill, including concerns about limited licenses and the perception that the earlier approach favored large businesses. Members reviewed specific provisions such as licensing fees, THC limits, and cultivation categories. One member noted a $10,000 fee for retail cannabis stores and cannabis product manufacturers authorized to perform extractions, while a smaller tier-one cultivator fee was described as a lower-cost option for small growers. There was also discussion of whether the bill would allow sales through general retail outlets or only dedicated cannabis stores, and whether plants and seeds were covered. No final vote or action was clearly recorded in the excerpt, but the main procedural question was whether to retain the bill for more work or advance it as written.

Transcript Highlights:

• But this past several years have tested the growers' resilience.
• MOG also strongly grain standards act.
• Reasonable permitting reform isn't about lowering standards.
• > we<01:41:01.119> are environmental standards and we are environmental standards and we
• It's about clarity, standards.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all