Transcript Highlights:

• I work with folks at the capital<00:40:51.920> today<00:40:52.160> who<00:40:52.400>
• still<00:40:52.640> recall<00:40:52.960> his capital today who still recall his capital
• into uh the capital and uh you<00:49:05.440> know,<00:49:05.599> advocating?"
• a tent, a sleeping bag, hiking boots." a tent, a sleeping bag, hiking boots."
• So, my mother bought me the hiking boots So, my mother bought me the hiking boots and<01:45:18.159

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the March 9, 2026 journal, and received committee reports on several appointments and bills. The education committee recommended confirmation of appointments to the Charter School Institute Board and the Colorado Mesa University Board of Trustees. The judiciary committee reported several measures, including Senate Bills 75, 132, 104, and 112 and House Bills 1017 and 1103, with recommendations ranging from amendment to favorable referral to the committee of the whole, and some placement on the consent calendar. The chamber also received multiple House messages transmitting House Joint Resolution 1020 and a number of House bills, many of which were passed on third reading and sent to the Revisor of Statutes. The Senate then moved out of order to consider Senate Joint Memorial 002 honoring former Senator Lewis H. Ent. The memorial recounted his service as a Marine in the Korean War, his work as a farmer and county commissioner, and his long legislative career in the House and Senate, with emphasis on agriculture, water policy, natural resources, veterans affairs, and local government. Several members and former members spoke in support, describing him as a mentor, a relentless advocate for the San Luis Valley and its water issues, and a respected colleague. Representative Martinez and Senators Hillman and Jones offered personal recollections of working with him and his influence on their service. The Senate suspended Rule 31A to allow remarks from House members and former senators, then adopted SJM 002 by a unanimous 35-0 vote. The memorial directs copies to members of Ent’s family, and Minority Leader Simpson requested that the current roll call be added as co-sponsors, with no objection noted.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lastly, another challenge is access to capital.
• Lastly, another challenge is access to capital.
• BECKMA's work is grounded in four pillars: capital, which we've been talking about, is providing capital
• We know limited access to capital remains a top barrier.
• We know limited access to capital remains a top barrier.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business held an informational hearing focused on the conditions facing small and micro businesses in Massachusetts and the state programs intended to support them. Chairs Andy Vargas and Adam Gomez opened by emphasizing equitable economic development, the importance of CDFIs, and the need to help underserved entrepreneurs, especially women, minorities, veterans, immigrants, and other groups facing barriers. Committee members noted the hearing would not take up bills, and testimony was limited to 10 minutes per organization. State and quasi-public agency witnesses described current programs and funding. Dico Gibral of the Executive Office of Economic Development highlighted the Business Front Door, multilingual access, small business office hours in Gateway Cities, and funding in the Mass Leads Act, including support for CDFIs, small business technology, and capital grants. Tom Hooper of Commonwealth Corporation described workforce training programs such as the Workforce Training Fund, Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, and Career Technical Initiative, saying they help small businesses train workers, fill labor shortages, and support returning citizens and people with disabilities. Committee members asked about federal funding uncertainty, workforce migration, training schedules, and program uptake. Business and advocacy groups focused on cost pressures and regulatory burdens. The Massachusetts Restaurant Association urged continuation of outdoor dining and takeout alcohol sales, and pressed for relief from high credit card swipe fees, support for surcharging, and streamlining municipal licensing. The Retailers Association of Massachusetts cited survey results showing inflation, utility costs, payroll taxes, health insurance, and interchange fees as major concerns, and said many members might sell or close within five years; it also backed ending the state prohibition on surcharging and creating an Office of Main Streets Massachusetts. MACDC, BECKMA, and the Coalition for an Equitable Economy emphasized the need for more technical assistance, CDFI and small business funding, and protections against rising costs, tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and immigration enforcement impacts on immigrant-heavy business districts. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have seen the boots-on-the-ground kind of organization that we have on a shoestring budget.
• I have seen the boots-on-the-ground kind of organization that we have on a shoestring budget.
• I have seen the boots-on-the-ground kind of organization that we have on a shoestring budget.
• I have seen the boots-on-the-ground kind of organization that we have on a shoestring budget.
• I have seen the boots-on-the-ground kind of organization that we have on a shoestring budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So all venture capital is dilutive; I think it's pretty fair to say.
• I'll also just shout out CNM, who is building boot camps for these emerging industries.
• be launching a quantum workforce boot camp.
• It is a quantum boot camp. You may or may not know this; I didn't know this.
• And I think it's from my perspective, as you think about capital outlay and potential capital outlay

Transcript Highlights:

• support and access to affordable capital support and access to affordable capital and<00:46:43.119
• are a lot of there is capital out there. are a lot of there is capital out there.
• The cost of capital is high right now. The cost of capital is high right now.
• , being able to secure access to capital, being able to secure access to capital, especially<01:02
• secure capital when they want to expand. secure capital when they want to expand.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Real boots-on-the-ground help.
• Real boots-on-the-ground help.
• Real boots-on-the-ground help.
• Affordable patient capital.
• AFFORDABLE PATIENT CAPITAL.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• CNN ran the very first quantum boot camp in the world this last.
• They will also be running a fusion boot camp in the coming year. So again.
• And were they those individuals that were selected for that boot camp?
• So we're funding venture capital funds who are then deploying capital that will flow into New Mexico
• through jobs and capital Expenditures.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• AS FAR AS THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND PROGRAM WE HAVE THREE PROGRAMS WITHIN ITS.
• TARGETING FROM STATE AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES AS WELL AS LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE BOOTS
• AGAIN OVER $700 MILLION WITH IN THE FOR GRANT PROGRAMS BROADBAND OPPORTUNITY CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND AND
• AS PART OF THE CAPITAL PROJECT FUND $248 MILLION OF INVESTMENTS THEY ARE. 37,000 CONNECTIONS THROUGHOUT
• BOOTS ON THE GROUND. THEY HAVE FOOTPRINTS ON LITERACY TRAINING EFFORTS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As far as the Capital Projects Fund, totaling over $363 million.
• As far as the Capital Projects Fund program, we have three programs within it.
• This program specifically provided access to devices. know that they're the boots on the ground to provide
• Again, over $700 million within those four grant programs in our broadband opportunity, Capital Projects
• The workforce boards, again, they are our boots on the ground.

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism met briefly and first announced that Senate Bill 232 by Senator Rodriguez was temporarily postponed at the sponsor’s request. The main item was a presentation from Leo Garcia of the Office of Broadband on Florida’s broadband programs, current deployment progress, and upcoming funding opportunities. Garcia said the office is administering multiple grant programs that have awarded hundreds of millions of dollars for broadband infrastructure, community facilities, and digital device access, with a focus on rural areas, workforce development, and digital literacy. He also described the state’s strategic plan and partnerships with local governments, ISPs, workforce boards, community colleges, and community action agencies. Garcia explained that Florida has already deployed over 1,100 miles of fiber and enabled about 4,300 connections, and said the remaining unserved and underserved locations should drop significantly by the end of 2026 before the BEAD program addresses the rest. He said BEAD is a fully federal program for Florida, providing $1.16 billion from NTIA, with most of it reserved for infrastructure and additional amounts for workforce training and cybersecurity/digital literacy. He noted that Florida is prioritizing fiber but will also use fixed wireless or satellite where fiber is not cost-effective or feasible. He also said the office is seeking additional spending authority for the Digital Capacity Grant Program. Members asked about county coverage, especially Duval County, and Garcia said Duval and Monroe had not yet received funds because they currently have limited unserved or underserved areas, but they are expected to be addressed through BEAD and related workforce and literacy efforts. Senator Davis raised permitting delays as a major challenge, and Garcia said the office is exploring ways to help local communities process permits more quickly. Senator Wright asked about competition with satellite-based broadband providers, and Garcia said the state is technology-agnostic but prioritizes fiber for reliability. There were no public comments, no votes or formal actions taken, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of them are pretty similar to capital outlay requests.
• Different areas where that funds come in, so there's some amounts in capital.
• For example, in March of 2025, China invested $1.138 billion in a venture capital fund.
• And I think with that, John Clark, I would like to talk about the CGPT Capital Program.
• We have the largest regionally Focused venture capital program in the country.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We bought teenagers warm jackets, gloves, hats, and boots after their dad passed away unexpectedly and
• that role I started coming down<00:02:49.959> to<00:02:50.159> the<00:02:50.319> capital
• c><00:04:21.680> gloves<00:04:22.160> hats<00:04:22.360> and<00:04:22.520> Boots
• <00:04:23.199> after warm jackets gloves hats and Boots after warm jackets gloves hats and
• Boots after their<00:04:23.600> dad<00:04:23.960> passed<00:04:24.240> away<00:

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: State Representative Bjorn Olson opened by discussing House File 733, which he said would roll back restrictions placed on electronic pull tabs and charitable gambling two years earlier. He argued the 2023 changes hurt charities, veterans groups, and local communities by reducing revenue for donations to fire departments, youth activities, and veterans services. Olson said the bill had just been heard in the Veterans Committee and had been sent on to Commerce, and he expressed optimism about advancing it further. Several charity and gambling representatives testified in support of the bill. Amanda Jackson of the Spring Lake Park Lions Club said the new rules stripped entertaining features from electronic pull tabs and reduced revenue, citing a drop in January EAB sales from $947,000 in 2024 to $816,000 in 2025. She described how Lions Club gambling funds local equipment, eyeglasses, clothing, school programs, food shelves, and shelters. Rachel Keller of the Bloomington Kennedy Activities Foundation and Tim Angstrom of the Bloomington American Legion said reduced gambling revenue would hurt school support, student needs, and community programs; Angstrom said the Legion had funded a $3,000 English program and other local services. Rachel Jenner of Allied Charities said the group was also working on sports betting legislation, but that any sports betting revenue would not make up for the losses from the electronic pull tab changes. She said the 2023 law took effect January 1 and that no current game on the market fully matches the features now required, forcing manufacturers and charities to adapt. In response to questions, Olson said the bill’s path would depend on further House and Senate action, and he suggested a possible compromise could involve restoring some playability features while continuing to seek tax relief for charities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Investment profit is the income earned from investing premiums or other company capital.
• The cost of capital.
• The BOOT program.
• In accordance with federal guidelines, BOOT projects must be completed by the end of 2026.
• 1, Boot 2 programs.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Basically, it is venture capital money for small businesses, focusing on rural communities.

Bills: HB186, HB185, HB182, HB183, HB184, HB312, HB460, HB405, HB186, HB185, HB182, HB183, HB184, HB312, HB405

Keywords: Alabama budget, general fund appropriations, fiscal year 2026, state budget, appropriations act, HB186, executive branch funding, legislative branch funding, judicial branch funding, debt service, capital outlay, corrections, Medicaid, public health, mental health, transportation, education, law enforcement, tourism, veterans affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• house and gallery will please rise for the invocation which will be offered by pastor Scott wall from Capital
• Welcome to your Texas capital. Mr..
• Leilani and welcome to your Capital, thank you for your compassion, for your excitement, for your...
• Thank you. to your capital. 267 McCain on the floor of the house. Chair recognizes Mr.
• It would, I mean, while a high school could do. it, they typically don't have the capital infrastructure

Bills: HB 120, HB20, HB150, HB6, HB 100, HB 124, HB210, HB215, HB1393, HB1587, HB 1151, HB 1268, HB142, HB451, HB39, HB 102, HB 126, HB290, HB300, HB2143, HJR2, HB147, HJR6, HB 120, HB20, HB150, HB6, HB 100, HB 124, HB210, HB215, HB1393, HB1587, HB 1151, HB 1268, HB142, HB451, SB1

Keywords: career readiness, education reform, workforce training, public schools, financial aid, applied sciences, career education, high school diploma, certificate program, work-based learning, job placement, high-growth jobs, technical training, cybersecurity, state command, information resources, data protection, incident response, mental health, telehealth

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment makes the death penalty mandatory for an unauthorized alien who is convicted of a capital
• So we looked at cabinet positions and we said, where are their boots on the ground?
• With limited boots on the ground, representatives, With limited boots on the ground, representatives,
• A conviction for capital murder, Determining guilt or innocence of a defendant.
• A conviction for capital murder or treason would result in execution.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the journal, and adoption of the special order calendar for the day. The chamber then took up House Bill 1B on immigration, along with discussion of anticipated Senate changes. The sponsor described the bill as creating a chief immigration officer housed in the Department of Agriculture, establishing an Office of State Immigration Enforcement, expanding cooperation with federal immigration authorities, increasing criminal penalties for certain offenses by unauthorized aliens, ending undocumented-student fee waivers, and providing substantial appropriations for enforcement and related programs. Members also questioned the Senate version’s proposed mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses involving unauthorized aliens, as well as pretrial detention, 287(g) participation, DMV reporting requirements, and the bill’s effects on schools, teachers, social workers, and local agencies. The sponsor and supporting members repeatedly said the bill required broad cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and that existing federal law would control where conflicts arose. A major portion of the debate focused on whether the bill would allow or require immigration enforcement in schools and other sensitive settings, and whether teachers, school resource officers, and social workers could be placed in conflict with federal privacy or professional obligations. Members also raised concerns about detention based on suspected status, the standard of proof for immigration-status determinations, prison and jail impacts, workforce shortages, and the fiscal effects on counties and state agencies. The sponsor said the bill did not provide DMV funding, that the state would need to study some implementation questions, and that the appropriations included $25 million for a local law enforcement participation incentive program and up to $350 million for broader implementation and coordination. Several amendments were offered and failed. Representative Chambliss proposed protecting schools, churches, and places of worship from enforcement activity; Representative Escamani offered amendments to preserve in-state tuition for Dreamers and to grandfather currently eligible students; Representative Woodson offered a similar Dreamer-related amendment; and Representative Bartleman proposed barring local law enforcement from entering schools during school hours to detain children solely for immigration status. Supporters of these amendments argued they would protect children, preserve educational access, and prevent trauma in schools and houses of worship. The House rejected each amendment by voice vote, and the transcript ends during debate on the Bartleman school-safety amendment before final disposition is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Take off the boot.
• Take off the boot.
• Take off the boot.
• >> Capital<01:56:45.760> choir >> Capital choir >> Capital choir those<01:56
• Capital choir, calm down. Calm down. Capital choir, calm down. Calm down.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened after a brief recess for Appropriations, approved the journal from February 9, 2026, and then moved to third readings. House Bill 1038, concerning county commissioner redistricting, drew opposition from Representative DeGraaf, who argued the bill was an unnecessary state intrusion and criticized its emphasis on diversity and representation. Despite that, the bill passed third reading 40-25. House Bill 1020, dealing with field drug tests in drug possession cases, passed unanimously 65-0. House Bill 1040, concerning the sterilization rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, prompted extensive debate. Supporters, including Representatives Bradley, Bottoms, Brooks, DeGraaf, and Garcia, said the bill strengthens consent protections, prevents forced sterilization, and addresses Colorado’s history of discriminatory sterilization laws. Several speakers also raised concerns about broader consistency in protecting minors and vulnerable people, and Representative Luck noted a related organ-transplant conforming amendment that he hoped the Senate would refine. The bill passed 65-0. The final bill discussed was House Bill 1003, modifying the small business recovery and resiliency loan program. Representative DeGraaf opposed it, arguing it would extend government-backed loans and debt under vague hardship criteria, increase inflation, and amount to taxpayer-funded plunder. During that exchange, the chair cautioned him about name-calling after he referred to colleagues as “emo reps.” The transcript ends during continued debate on the bill, before any vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• The tribe is here visiting today their capital.
• And you may have seen them set up on the south lawn of the capital for the last couple hours feeding
• Members, please help me around. recognize this group to their Texas capital. Thank you, Mr.
• you to please stand, and members, please join me in welcoming these amazing guests to their Texas capital
• Speaker members today and through Thursday is finolio boot day here at the Capitol and Finoglio boot

Transcript Highlights:

• Capital problem that we need to be creative about addressing.
• Capital is available again to be lent out at the end of five years.
• And that points us toward what I think might be the way forward here, which is a blended capital model
• Loans and financing can dramatically expand the scale of upfront capital assistance for middle-income
• We have a lot of boots-on-the-ground feedback that people are disappointed with the insurance discount

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation held an oversight hearing on home hardening and defensible space as wildfire mitigation strategies. The chair opened by stressing that California has reached a tipping point, with repeated community-scale wildfire losses, rising insurance costs, and growing utility wildfire mitigation expenses. The hearing was organized around four panels: what home hardening and defensible space are, community risk reduction and coordination, evaluation of current defensible space programs and proposed investments, and the future of home hardening and the California Wildfire Mitigation Program. The first panel featured IBHS, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and local wildfire mitigation advocates. IBHS described wildfire spread through embers, flames, and radiant heat, emphasizing that structure separation, removing combustible materials within the first five feet of a home, and combining multiple mitigation measures significantly reduce loss. It highlighted its Wildfire Prepared Home and Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood standards, including an “essential” and “enhanced” level, and said California is ahead of other states but still needs scalable, standardized, and sustainably funded mitigation. The LAO outlined key policy questions for the Legislature, including the state’s role, intergovernmental coordination, cost-effectiveness, program design, measurement of success, long-term sustainability, and barriers to implementation. The chair and panelists discussed estimated costs, including roughly $15,000 for a basic retrofit and about $50,000 for more extensive ignition-resistant construction, and whether state funding should focus on the most cost-effective initial measures. The second panel focused on scaling adoption through local coordination, education, financing, and community-based programs. Megafire Action argued that home hardening is a market adoption problem and said the state should not try to pay for every home, but instead target high-leverage interventions across the “customer journey,” including education, financing, trusted certification, and neighborhood network effects. Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council described free home assessments, small retrofit grants, Firewise community support, and the importance of neighborhood-level action, local capacity, and cultural change. Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority described its locally funded model, grant program, public education efforts, and an Ember Ready program that helps residents navigate home hardening and Zone Zero compliance. The chair repeatedly emphasized the need for a coordinated statewide marketing campaign, stronger incentives, better insurance discounts, and more use of local, utility, federal, and private funding sources. The third and fourth panels addressed Cal Fire’s defensible space inspection program, the proposed defensible space financial assistance program, and broader state investments. Cal Fire said homes lacking compliant defensible space are far more likely to be damaged or destroyed and requested ongoing funding and staffing to stabilize inspections statewide; the LAO suggested the Legislature consider alternative funding sources such as GGRF or a reinstated SRA fee. Cal Fire and the State Fire Marshal explained that Zone Zero sets a minimum standard, local governments cannot go below it, and grant prioritization will favor jurisdictions that submit inspections. Cal Fire also said the new defensible space financial assistance program would focus on ember-resistant zone-zero work and, in the Southern California counties covered by the legislation, would assist about 3,125 homes at an estimated $8,000 per home. In the final panel, the State Fire Marshal described California’s layered strategy of parcel-level home hardening, defensible space, and neighborhood-scale mitigation, along with technical support, financial assistance, and incentives such as insurance discounts and builder marketing. The overall theme was that California must move from isolated efforts to a coordinated, science-based, and scalable statewide approach to reduce wildfire losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think that the job of the legislature should be to get the boot of the state government, both on
• Finally, recommendations include deleting Rider 2, the capital budget rider.
• There are no capital projects above $0.5 million recommended for the 2026-2027 biennium.
• Finally, recommendations include deleting rider two, the capital budget rider.
• There are no 412 capital projects above 0.5 million recommended for the 26, 27 biennium.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present to hear Article VI Natural Resources agency budget recommendations, beginning with the Railroad Commission. LBB staff summarized the commission’s 2026-27 base recommendation at $458.7 million, down from the prior biennium, with an increased FTE cap. The presentation highlighted reduced federal IIJA funding, volatility in oil and gas regulation account 5155, continued support for IT modernization, and rider changes. The commission’s major exceptional items were then presented, including requests for produced water and injection data reporting, an authorized pit registration system, regulatory filing/permitting upgrades, an underground injection well investigation team, site remediation support, and especially $100 million for orphan well plugging. Members asked about biennium-to-biennium comparisons, salary biennialization, the scale of orphan well risks, federal funding delays, bonding, and whether the state should rely more on industry or general revenue for plugging costs. Commission leadership explained that orphan wells can threaten water and public safety, that plugging costs have risen sharply, and that current funding is insufficient to keep up with emergency wells and the backlog; they also said the agency is moving to cloud-based systems with cybersecurity protections and that the proposed performance measure may need adjustment if funding does not increase. The Railroad Commission testimony was followed by LBB and agency testimony for the Texas Animal Health Commission. LBB described a $42 million recommendation for 2026-27, an increase overall, but with a reduced FTE cap due to turnover and salary reallocation. The recommendation maintained funding for cattle fever tick work, chronic wasting disease, lab testing through an MOU with Texas A&M’s veterinary diagnostic lab, and a new $5 million spay-and-neuter pilot program, while deleting a capital budget rider and adjusting riders tied to entry point inspection stations and clinical trials. Agency leadership then outlined the commission’s mission to protect livestock health and the state’s $22 billion animal industry, and described major disease threats including highly pathogenic avian influenza, cattle fever ticks, New World screwworm, and chronic wasting disease. Their exceptional items focused on recruiting and retaining veterinarians, replacing fleet vehicles, creating an ectoparasite identification lab, adding field staff and IT support, improving records and epidemiology reporting, strengthening central administration, supporting secure food supply planning, expanding chronic wasting disease work, and staffing the new spay-and-neuter program. Members asked about field identification of ticks, the use of disinfectants and PPE, fleet management, the scale of cattle fever tick risk, and chronic wasting disease; the agency explained its current inspection and lab-confirmation process, its reliance on field disinfecting and biosecurity, and the need for more staff and better data systems to keep pace with growing workloads and disease threats.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is every location that we had physical boots on the ground: 163 cities and communities, 48 counties
• Initiative, $167 million available in that program where we want to provide government-on-loan access to capital
• We want to be the first boots on the ground every single time a natural disaster...
• Want to be the first boots on the ground every single time a natural disaster hits.
• He's usually boots on the ground, and he's been a big part of responding to those emergencies.

Summary: The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee met to continue its review of hurricane impacts and state response. The committee first heard from the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which described its four core functions—preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation—and highlighted its 24/7 State Watch Office, regional training efforts, and disaster assistance work. Deputy Executive Director Keith Pruitt detailed the state’s 2024 storm response, including Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, citing large-scale mission support, flood-control deployments, meal and water distribution, power restoration, debris removal, and billions in disaster funding and mitigation dollars. He also discussed debris management challenges and recommended that local governments update and exercise debris plans and maintain contingency contracts.