Transcript Highlights:

• We go for competitive procurement process for statutory required to do that every 6 years at this point
• That's a statutory require profit sharing mechanism.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition to our four meetings, other statutory responsibilities include the annual review of the department's
• These reports are the culmination of many months of gathering data and information specific to the statutory

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met, took roll, and heard introductory remarks from members about their districts and transportation priorities, with several senators noting congestion and mobility challenges in their regions. The committee then received a presentation from the Florida Transportation Commission on its oversight role for FDOT, including annual and quarterly performance reviews, review of the five-year work program, and monitoring of tolling and transit authorities. Members asked whether the commission gets involved in project prioritization; the answer was no, because it is statutorily limited to high-level oversight rather than day-to-day project decisions. The committee next heard two reports related to transportation disadvantaged and paratransit services. FDOT’s Melissa Smith described the statewide Transportation Disadvantaged program, its governance structure, service models, and challenges such as fragmented administration, cost, inconsistent reporting, and rural service limitations. She outlined recommendations including better use of technology, regional partnerships, improved training, and alternative delivery models like microtransit and TNC partnerships. A University of South Florida researcher, Martin Katala, discussed best practices for paratransit and demand-response service, emphasizing route optimization software, dynamic dispatching, service standards, vendor accountability, and the use of TNCs and mobility management to improve efficiency and reduce travel times. A later presentation from UF’s I-Street program focused on emerging technologies for transit, including in-cabin monitoring, automatic restraints, accessible booking and tracking tools, and the need for statewide safety standards and better driver interfaces. Finally, FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue and District 5 Secretary John Tyler provided an update on the transition of SunRail local entities. They explained the differences among commuter rail, intercity rail, and light rail, and said SunRail’s financial transition to local partners was completed on January 1, with operational transition to follow over up to three years. They contrasted that with Tri-Rail, where FDOT still funds operations and discussions about a future transition are ongoing. Members asked about the differences between SunRail, Tri-Rail, Amtrak, and Brightline, and the presenters explained that commuter rail serves regional daily commuters while intercity rail connects regions. The committee concluded without taking any formal votes or other legislative action.

Transcript Highlights:

• 144.551 prohibits hospitals without bank-to-bed licenses from expanding their occupancy absent a statutory
• Regions followed the statutory process to request an exception by submitting a proposal to the Department
• Regions followed the statutory process to request an exception by submitting a proposal to the Department
• Regions followed the statutory process to request an exception by submitting a proposal to the Department
• process to followed the statutory process to request<02:19:16.559> an<02:19:16.800> exception

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with a call of the Senate, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance, then established a quorum and moved to messages from the House. The chamber received several House-passed Senate files, including SF 2814 (real estate appraisers), SF 3637 (transportation), and SF 4244 (technical corrections), and took up SF 1714 on payment transparency and public contracts. The Senate concurred in the House amendments to SF 1714, advanced it to third reading, and then passed the bill 65-0. The Senate also received House amendments to SF 3432 on public safety, but instead of concurring, it voted to send the bill to a five-member conference committee. The Senate likewise agreed to a conference committee request on HF 4188, a commerce bill dealing with consumer protections for insurance and financial products. The Senate then handled additional House messages and routine business, including first reading of several House files and adoption of committee reports. A committee report on SF 453, relating to thermal energy networks as public improvements and water works, recommended amendment and passage under Senate Concurrent Resolution 6, and the report was adopted except for the referenced resolution item. The chamber also completed second readings of several Senate bills and one House bill, and approved a motion to withdraw SF 4464 from the Committee on State and Local Government and return it to the author. The main floor debate centered on HF 1141, the housing finance and policy omnibus. Senator Port described the bill as focused on affordability, including $50 million in housing infrastructure bonds, greater Minnesota infrastructure grants, manufactured housing protections, limits on large institutional investors buying single-family homes, and increased oversight of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The Senate adopted several amendments, including a technical A12 amendment, A7 to dedicate $5 million of bonding to manufactured home park improvements, and A4 on manufactured housing protections such as rent receipts and longer move-out time after eviction. Senator Abler then offered A14, which would limit rent increases in certain non-market-rate, tax-credit housing for seniors to CPI-based increases; supporters framed it as a humanitarian measure for elderly residents facing steep rent hikes, while opponents raised concerns about rent control, the scope of the amendment, and the need for more detail. The transcript ends during continued debate on A14, with no final vote shown on that amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• inefficiency<02:27:25.439> of This legislation improves government efficiency by removing statutory
• over a one-year period, about 15,000 pages of rules, and if the rule is properly enacted within statutory
• So that said, there was statutory language around the role of public trustees. years ago, public trustees
• <02:37:58.160> said,<02:37:58.720> there<02:37:59.040> was<02:37:59.600> statutory
• <02:38:00.240> language that said, there was statutory language that said, there was statutory

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened, established a quorum, approved the journal, and received several routine messages, including House-passed bills transmitted to the governor and the revisor. During moments of personal privilege, senators welcomed guests including members of the Persian Cultural Circle for the annual Naruse breakfast, a niece shadowing Senator Judah, and leadership from the Netherland Public Library. A tribute recognizing March 20, 2026 as Naruse Day was read into the record, celebrating the Persian New Year and the Iranian-American community. On the consent calendar, House Bill 1191 passed 33-0. The bill concerns audits of school districts receiving state education fund money for capital construction projects for qualified charter schools, making the state auditor’s examination discretionary rather than mandatory. The Senate then laid over third reading of bills until March 24, 2026, pulled House Bill 1098 off consent for later consideration, and authorized the Joint Budget Committee to conduct business while the Senate was in session. The chamber then resolved into Committee of the Whole and adopted House Bills 1180 and 1189 on second reading. HB 1180 continues the Business Intelligence Center Advisory Board sunset process by repealing the board, while HB 1189 addresses property held by a community property spouse under the Uniform Community Property Disposition at Death Act. The committee report was adopted 33-0 and the bills were ordered revised and placed on the third-reading calendar. The committee also took up Senate Bill 112, concerning defendants who fail to appear in court and allowing certain pretrial release conditions for repeat failures to appear. Sponsor testimony emphasized that the bill was amended to use language from prior legislation and now focuses on repeated, willful failures to appear in the same case, with safeguards for municipal courts and situations where counsel is present. Supporters, including Senator Carson, argued the measure gives local courts a narrow tool to address repeated nonappearance and reduce burdens on judges, law enforcement, victims, and taxpayers; the discussion continued as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• local governments such as the League of Minnesota Cities, just to come up with recommendations for statutory
• just taking into account where development happens. ...just to come up with recommendations for statutory
• Force, and this just asks the commissioner to come up with recommendations to this committee for statutory
• 16:12.520> for recommendations to this committee for recommendations to this committee for statutory
• changes related to the statutory changes related to the permitting<01:16:15.920> process<01:16

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• able to then be used as a model amongst all of the entities to make sure that we are meeting those statutory
• able to then be used as a model amongst all of the entities to make sure that we are meeting those statutory
• able to then be used as a model amongst all of the entities to make sure that we are meeting those statutory
• able to then be used as a model amongst all of the entities to make sure that we are meeting those statutory
• able to then be used as a model amongst all of the entities to make sure that we are meeting those statutory

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment inserts a definition of the words clean energy into the statutory construction that redefines
• clean energy definition of the words clean energy into<03:40:07.199> the<03:40:07.359> statutory
• into the statutory into the statutory construction<03:40:09.880> that<03:40:10.279> redefines
• don't want to see us passing a definition that is really non-standard and that shouldn't be in our statutory
• don't want to see us passing a definition that is really non-standard and that shouldn't be in our statutory

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One thing to note is that with the statutory exemptions, most property tax exemptions are ongoing, meaning
• One thing to note is that with the statutory exemptions, most property tax exemptions are ongoing, meaning
• One thing to note is that with the statutory exemptions, most property tax exemptions are ongoing, meaning
• <00:12:31.680> exemptions<00:12:32.680> most with the statutory exemptions most with
• the statutory exemptions most property<00:12:33.959> tax<00:12:34.279> exemptions<00:12

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a small market value exclusion, and then tax capacity is arrived at by applying the statutory
• <00:07:16.319> by<00:07:16.680> applying<00:07:17.199> the<00:07:17.599> statutory
• arrived at by applying the statutory arrived at by applying the statutory legal<00:07:18.879>
• if we can plot consolidation of districts, when those occurrences happened, and also districts in statutory
• operating debt districts in statutory operating debt because<00:31:04.720> I<00:31:04.840>

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the January 21st minutes by voice vote. Members then resumed a school finance overview focused on how Minnesota’s “base” budgeting system works and how future committee targets are set above or below that base by the Ways and Means chair, in consultation with fiscal staff. Staff emphasized that school funding decisions are tied to the state budget base and that changes made by the tax committee can affect school levies and school finance more broadly. The presentation then turned to property tax fundamentals. Staff explained that roughly 65% of school district revenue comes from state aid and about 20% from property taxes, with property tax revenue applying to school districts rather than charter schools. They reviewed the two main school tax bases—referendum market value and adjusted net tax capacity—along with class rates, sales ratios, and equalization. They also described tax credits, especially the school building bond agricultural credit, which helps reduce the property tax burden on agricultural land in Greater Minnesota. Members discussed student choice programs and how funding follows students. In response to questions from Representative Quam, staff explained postsecondary enrollment options (including direct enrollment and College in the Schools) and online learning, noting that funding generally follows the student to the serving institution or district. Staff also reviewed Minnesota’s pupil-counting system, including average daily membership and pupil weighting, and explained that students attending charter schools, other districts through open enrollment, or online programs are counted where they are served. The presentation concluded with broader school finance context: funding sources, equity and adequacy goals, constitutional and statutory authority, and the state’s school data systems (EUP/FARS, MARS, and STARS). Staff also began reviewing long-term enrollment trends, noting the impact of the baby boom, later growth from the mid-1980s through about 2000, and projected modest declines in public school enrollment through 2029.

Transcript Highlights:

• unless we give him some statutory unless we give him some statutory authority<00:36:46.480> to
• And so behind that principle are statutory prohibitions against that.
• statutory prohibitions against that. statutory prohibitions against that.
• Currently, there's a statutory limit that caps the BFA's ability to do these highly successful projects
• > limit Currently, there's a statutory limit Currently, there's a statutory limit that<04:27:30.399

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee focused primarily on a bill concerning long-term care insurance rate increases and consumer notice. Members and staff discussed replacing or supplementing a proposed public hearing requirement with annual reporting, website updates, and consumer-facing disclosures about approved rate increases, carriers writing the products, and how the products work. Several participants emphasized that long-term care policies are long-term products, that rate increases can be spread over many years for actuarial reasons, and that consumers need better information about trends and the impact of increases. A major point of disagreement was whether the bill should try to cap premium increases. One member argued the real problem is unexpected increases of 15% to 20% and urged a statutory cap to protect consumers. Insurance department representatives and others responded that hard caps had been struck down in prior case law, that the department’s core responsibility is solvency, and that carriers need sufficient premium to pay future claims. They also said the market is struggling because many carriers stopped selling the product, leaving in-force policies to bear the cost, and that overly restrictive caps could cause insurers to withdraw from the state. The discussion then shifted toward a compromise requiring carriers to notify policyholders before a rate increase is approved and allowing a 60-day comment period. Participants debated whether the notice should come from the carrier, how confidentiality rules would apply before approval, and what the department should do with public comments. The department said it already reviews filings carefully and that submitted rates are often adjusted before approval; lawmakers noted that prior commissioners had pushed back on increases in some cases, including a seven-year moratorium. No final vote was taken in the excerpt, and the chair repeatedly tried to move the subcommittee along to other bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• just a sliver of all of it uh statutory just a sliver of common<00:38:42.720> law<00:38:43.400
• One is to have a unified bar, and this is a statutory mandate.
• <01:11:04.480> mandate<01:11:04.920> it's bar and this is a statutory mandate it's
• bar and this is a statutory mandate it's actually<01:11:05.760> in<01:11:06.080> statute
• that were addressed inside the statutory that were addressed inside the statutory time<04:37:58.600

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met for its first meeting of the new session with opening remarks, member introductions, and a discussion of committee logistics. Members described their backgrounds and priorities, including criminal justice, right-to-know and privacy issues, domestic violence, death-with-dignity legislation, abortion, firearms, landlord-tenant policy, housing, and technology/privacy concerns. The chair noted there were already 34 bills assigned to the committee and expected more, and said the committee would likely continue to have a heavy workload this session. The chair also outlined how the committee would operate: meetings would generally be on Wednesdays, with possible Mondays as needed; hearings would not require a quorum, but executive sessions would; and members were asked to provide updated phone numbers and email addresses, especially cell numbers. He explained that the committee would continue its practice of seating members in a mixed partisan arrangement to encourage communication, and that the new clerk had joined the committee. A significant portion of the meeting focused on procedures for executive sessions and meeting times. The chair said the committee would follow the traditional rule allowing executive sessions on bills heard that day if proper notice was given, but he would avoid taking up controversial matters without full attendance. Members then discussed whether meetings should start at 9, 9:30, or 10 a.m., with concerns raised about long commutes, evening obligations, and winter driving after dark. No formal vote was taken in the portion provided, but the chair indicated he would try to accommodate the committee’s preference while balancing the workload.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are typically still within that statutory time period, unless something has changed that I don't

Bills: HB258, HB308, HB258, HB308

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:

• And that is if an appointed non-statutory position—so right now, for example, the two chancellors of
• So the non-statutory positions, those buckets of four and six, are nominated by the governor and appointed
• We work very hard not to exceed any of our statutory authority.
• One of the tasks of that statutory committee was to determine if the income eligibility relative to free
• <04:32:45.199> committee<04:32:46.000> was of that statutory committee was of that

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard HB 659, which would establish the New Hampshire College Graduate Retention Incentive Program. A Department of Revenue Administration analyst explained technical issues in the bill, focusing on whether the incentive is intended to operate as a rebate or a tax credit, how it would be administered, and how it would interact with the business enterprise tax and business profits tax. She said the bill’s language was unclear on the administering agency, effective tax years, caps, and carry-forward treatment, and noted that reducing BET can also reduce the BET credit against BPT, though not on a one-for-one basis. Committee members asked follow-up questions about the BET/BPT interaction, administrative costs, and whether the Department of Business and Economic Affairs would need additional staffing. Andrew Horn then testified in support, saying the bill is meant to address the large number of New Hampshire college graduates who leave the state after graduation by encouraging them to stay and by incentivizing businesses to hire them. The chair closed the hearing on HB 659 after no further public testimony. The committee then took up HB 770, a bill to establish a program allowing New Hampshire high school students to earn tuition credits at state higher education institutions through community service. Representative Schultz described the bill as a “triple play” intended to increase volunteerism, expand service and internship opportunities for students, and make college more affordable. Ryan Casey, a junior at Bishop Brady High School, testified that the proposal would help students reduce future loan debt while benefiting communities and encouraging young people to attend college in New Hampshire. Committee members asked about eligibility, including why private and preparatory school students were excluded, whether public school students would qualify, whether mandatory service hours would count, and how the bill’s references to education and business eligibility should be read. Schultz said the exclusion of private and prep schools was intended because public school students are more clearly New Hampshire residents, and she noted that mandatory school service hours had been excluded in revisions. The Department of Education then testified that the program would require significant administration, estimating at least three full-time staff, software or tracking systems, and rulemaking to oversee volunteer sites, schools, student eligibility, and tuition credit distribution. No vote was taken in the excerpt, and the hearing remained in testimony phase.

Transcript Highlights:

• The town is extremely mindful, and thus the impetus of why I'm at this podium, of all the other statutory
• requirements that it has regarding minimum levels of service that are required by state law. ...statutory
• comprehensive, the ballot summary we discussed earlier is allowed by this bill to be longer than the statutory
• limit of 75 words. ...this bill to be longer than the statutory limit of 75 words.
• So I think that the existing statutory language was appropriate two years ago and is appropriate today

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here today to talk about the violations of the statutory floor for the Outdoor Heritage Fund.
• Um, Chair Heintzeman or Chair, uh, Chair Hansen and Senator uh, Xiong Her established statutory limits
• Um, Chair Heintzeman or Chair, uh, Chair Hansen and Senator uh, Xiong Her established statutory limits
• Um, Chair Heintzeman or Chair, uh, Chair Hansen and Senator uh, Xiong Her established statutory limits
• Um, Chair Heintzeman or Chair, uh, Chair Hansen and Senator uh, Xiong Her established statutory limits

Bills: HF3879

Keywords: outdoor heritage, conservation, habitat restoration, natural resources, wildlife management, 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the April 8, 2026 minutes and then took up House File 3879, the Legacy Finance Outdoor Heritage bill. The committee adopted the DE1 author’s amendment, which incorporated the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council’s revised recommendations and made technical corrections, and staff explained that the bill appropriates about $191.081 million in Outdoor Heritage funding, plus carryforwards and an extension for a carp deterrent project at Lock and Dam. Staff also noted the bill makes no changes to the Clean Water Fund or Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, and the bill was moved to the Committee on Ways and Means. A large portion of the meeting focused on the Roseau Lake rehabilitation/Roseau River restoration project and related concerns about landowner impacts, eminent domain, drainage, and whether Outdoor Heritage dollars are being used on private property. Landowners and their attorney testified that the project threatens private farmland, that they do not consent to easements or takings, and that funding should be paused until litigation and legal questions are resolved. They described flooding, drainage problems, financial burdens, and long-term harm to family farms, and asked the committee to suspend funding for the project. Supporters of the project, including Roseau Mayor Dan Fabian and farmer/watershed district manager Jason Bratton, said the project is part of a broader flood-mitigation effort following the 2002 Roseau flood and would help control water, reduce flood damage, and improve conditions for downstream farmers. After testimony, the committee considered the A5 amendment, offered by Representative Heintzeman, which would delete the Roseau Lake Rehabilitation Project Phase 3 from the bill. Members debated the amendment, with some emphasizing landowner concerns and pending litigation and others defending the project and the council’s vetting process. The transcript cuts off during continued discussion, and no final vote on the A5 is shown in the provided text.

Transcript Highlights:

• one, indicated that there was no direct control or access to the power grid, which is part of the statutory
• has been involved in this from the beginning, so we continue to think about ways to improve the statutory
• The question is about statutory authority as well as..."
• "The question is about statutory authority as well as resources for independent verification.
• Are there any statutory challenges that preclude your agency from carrying out your duties to protect

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is about updating outdated statutory language so that it accurately reflects modern education, clinical
• When statutory definitions are vague or antiquated, they can create uncertainty about what falls within
• <01:09:36.640> When<01:09:36.799> statutory clinical settings.
• When statutory clinical settings.
• When statutory definitions<01:09:38.359> are<01:09:38.560> vague<01:09:39.000> or

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in this conversation about outdoor opportunities, you know, the state has a statutory commitment,
• So, in this conversation about outdoor opportunities, you know, the state has a statutory commitment,
• So, in this conversation about outdoor opportunities, you know, the state has a statutory commitment,
• So, in this conversation about outdoor opportunities, you know, the state has a statutory commitment,
• So, in this conversation about outdoor opportunities, you know, the state has a statutory commitment,

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because ultimately we'd still have to authorize a statutory fix, uh, or change, to authorize any other
• Because ultimately we'd still have to authorize a statutory fix, uh, or change, to authorize any other
• ultimately we'd still have to authorize ultimately we'd still have to authorize a<01:12:57.840> statutory
• :00.000> uh<01:13:00.159> or<01:13:00.480> change<01:13:00.800> to a statutory
• fix uh or change to a statutory fix uh or change to authorize<01:13:01.600> any<01:13:01.840>

Bills: SB2603, SB2083, SB2341, SB2306, SB2782, SB2756, SB2161, SB2477

Keywords: Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, state funding, public performances, educational programs, cultural arts funding, historic properties, preservation, inheritance, working group, public-private partnerships, sustainable funding, historic preservation, Hawaii Revised Statutes, construction, state review, burial sites, cultural artifacts, development review, phased review, administrative fees

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2603, which would designate the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra as the state orchestra of Hawaii. Testimony was uniformly supportive from the Attorney General’s office, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Symphony, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association, and others. Supporters emphasized the bill’s value to arts education, cultural vitality, and the visitor economy. The chair noted there were also many written testimonies submitted, and the bill was left without questions or action in the excerpt. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2083, which would create a state-owned historic properties preservation plan working group within DNR. The State Historic Preservation Division supported the bill and said it would help create a statewide database and better planning for state-owned historic properties, while noting its current review work is reactive and project-by-project. The committee asked about duplication and existing consultation processes; SHPD said it already reviews state projects under existing law and has in-house architectural staff. The measure was then set aside after brief discussion, with no vote shown in the excerpt. Next was Senate Bill 2341, which would authorize phased review of certain private-property projects and change SHPD’s review deadlines. SHPD and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development supported the bill, saying it could encourage more proactive, programmatic review and that the current average review time for simple projects is about 56 days. Several opponents, including Sierra Club of Hawaii, Bianca Isaki, Malama Kane Lua, and Tara Roas, argued phased review would delay projects, create conflict, and weaken historic preservation protections, especially for iwi kūpuna and burial sites. Committee members raised concerns about whether the bill conflicted with prior court decisions and asked SHPD for its view; SHPD said it was not a legal question for them and suggested a programmatic alternative. The bill was not voted on in the excerpt. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 2306 on administrative fees for the Bureau of Conveyances. HGEA opposed the measure, focusing on a provision allowing the special fund to be used for qualified contractors, while the Bureau of Conveyances supported the bill as a fee correction that would equalize recording fees between systems. The bureau said specialized technical work sometimes requires outside contracting and that it could consider a contract period; the chair and members discussed the HGEA concern and asked whether the issue could be addressed. No final action was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• imposing requirements on the entities able to use that revenue in ways that do not align with the statutory
• imposing requirements on the entities able to use that revenue in ways that do not align with the statutory
• Right, so that's the statutory rule. Right. So that's the statutory rule. That's right.
• I think it depends on the statutory provision, but I believe that's the general rule.

Summary: The Senate began with a quorum call, prayer, approval of the previous journal, and messages from the House, then moved through several recognitions and resolutions honoring visiting groups. Members adopted resolutions recognizing the Texas chapters of Blue Star Mothers of America, Fine Arts Education Day, Donate Life Texas Day, Baha’i Capitol Day, County Government Day, Jack County Day, Crockett County Day, and a recognition of Navy Petty Officer Simon Urbanik for service during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The chamber also heard remarks from visiting doctors, students, county officials, and community groups, with multiple senators speaking in support of military families, arts education, organ donation, and local government service. The Senate then took up Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2779, relating to the allocation and use of certain hotel occupancy tax revenues. Senator Birdwell said the bill would stop local governments from conditioning HOT funds on race- or class-based priorities and would require Galveston to transfer the full state rebate for beach cleaning and maintenance to its park board. After questions, the Senate suspended the rules, passed the bill to engrossment, suspended the three-day rule, and finally passed it, though the final vote showed significant opposition. The chamber also passed Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2322, described as a cleanup bill removing the compelling-factor test for dispatchable generation from the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act. A major debate centered on Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2253, which would phase out uncertified teachers in core classrooms and strengthen educator certification requirements. Senator Creighton argued the bill responds to a teacher pipeline crisis, adds parent notification, creates multiple preparation pathways, and provides financial incentives for certification; Senator West and Senator Sparks pressed for rural flexibility and implementation details. An amendment from Senator Gutierrez to add a teacher student-loan repayment program failed on a 11-17 vote, while other technical and fiscal amendments were adopted. The bill then passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and it was finally passed. The Senate also passed Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2371, updating skimmer-reporting rules to cover electronic terminals beyond fuel pumps, and Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2351, relating to the construction of certain concrete plants under a standard permit. Senate Bill 619, a conscience-protection bill for health care workers, drew extended questioning from Senators Cook, Eckhardt, and Menendez about patient abandonment, scope, and whether it could allow refusals of legal services such as vaccines, antibiotics, contraception, or personal care; despite those concerns, the Senate suspended the rules and passed the bill to engrossment. Finally, the chamber began consideration of Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1169, which would allow public entities to form public utility agencies to cooperate on water and wastewater projects without eminent domain or cross-collateralization, with Senator Hinojosa explaining it as a tool for small and rural communities facing utility infrastructure problems.