Video & Transcript Research : 'disability'

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NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Chamber Meeting Part 2 Feb 12th, 2026 at 12:58 pm

New Mexico House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Speaker, members of the body, House Bill 285 is a bill that is intended to refine New Mexico's disabled
  • veteran property exemption, which applies to disabled veterans and, in some cases, their surviving spouses
  • expected to have no fiscal impact on state revenues, as its goal is to clarify and refine the existing disabled
  • Specifically, HB 285 as amended clarifies the scope of the exemption, including that it applies only to a disabled
  • situations involving properties with multiple owners, where one or more but not all owners may qualify as disabled
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

WAL Public Hearing - Thu Feb 19, 2026 @ 9:00 AM HST

Water & Land

Summary: The committee on Water and Land met on February 19, 2026, and the chair opened by emphasizing strict time limits and that all bills would be deferred if the agenda was not completed before the noon session. The first major measure discussed was HB 1739 HD1, which would preempt county land-use authority in transit-oriented development areas. The Department of Planning supported the bill, saying it could promote state-funded TOD and infrastructure, while the city and county’s position was raised in questioning. Unite Here Local 5 opposed the bill, arguing it would strip counties of self-determination, disrupt state-county policy collaboration, and remove a check on unrestrained development. Committee members pressed the supporters on whether the bill was really about higher density and whether it would override local zoning and sustainability concerns. The committee then heard testimony on HB 1741 HD1, a housing bill described by supporters as reducing inclusionary housing mandates and increasing supply. Grassroots Institute of Hawaii argued affordability mandates reduce overall housing production and raise market-rate prices, while a Zoom testifier said the bill would improve housing stability, health, and community outcomes for working families, kupuna, and young residents. Members asked about the bill’s needs assessment and who would conduct it, with a witness saying the counties would likely contract it out but that the bill did not clearly specify the reviewer. HB 2668 HD1, dealing with water heating systems, drew testimony from the Hawaii State Energy Office and industry representatives. Supporters generally backed adding heat pumps to the law, but one solar-water-heater industry witness asked for amendments to remove or extend the current 15-year statutory life limit for solar water heaters and to update outdated standards and variance rules. A Kauaʻi Climate Action Coalition witness opposed the existing solar-only structure, arguing heat pump water heaters are cheaper, align with climate goals, and should be allowed without a variance. The Energy Office said the current law already allows variances in some cases, suggested adding high-efficiency heat pump water heaters to the exemption, and said the 15-year figure may be too short, with 18 years mentioned as a possible alternative. The committee also briefly moved through several other bills, including HB 2606 HD1 on off-site construction and HB 2362 HD1 on housing, with no notable testimony or action recorded in the excerpt.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/11/2026 - Senate Public Safety

Public Safety

Summary: The committee first approved its February 4 minutes and announced several bills would be held, including SB 1317, SB 1416, SB 1419, SB 1490, and SB 1493. It then heard SB 1579, which would appropriate about $4.7 million from the state general fund to expand a law enforcement data-sharing pilot through the Department of Administration, with funds for DPS, county sheriffs, university police, and city/town police departments. Testimony from the sponsor, Flagstaff’s mayor, Eloy’s police chief, and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office staff emphasized faster records access, better coordination, and officer safety; an amendment added $125,900 for the Scottsdale Police Department after it had been omitted. The committee adopted the amendment and gave SB 1579 a do pass recommendation by a 6-0 vote with one not voting. The committee next considered SB 1581, which appropriates about $1.4 million from the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund for pepperball equipment and about $1.316 million for public safety training simulators, with an amendment increasing the Nogales Police Department’s pepperball allocation and expanding simulator funding so Yavapai County could buy two simulators with a three-year warranty. Supporters from Navajo County, Phoenix, Glendale, Flagstaff, and Cochise County described pepperball as a de-escalation tool and simulators as important for crisis-response and use-of-force training. The committee adopted the amendment and passed SB 1581 as amended on a 7-0 vote. SB 1673 was heard next and would appropriate $8.2 million from the general fund to the Law Enforcement Crime Victim Notification Fund, exempting the appropriation from lapsing. The sponsor and law enforcement witnesses said the automated notification system has improved victim communication, reduced workload, and sent millions of updates; committee members asked about funding sources and why a bill is needed for a constitutionally mandated program. The committee approved SB 1673 without amendment on a 7-0 vote. The committee also heard SB 1544, which would make adult probation records public on request, while requiring redaction or withholding of sensitive information such as victim data, minors’ information, medical or counseling records, active investigations, and confidential informants, and creating a process for written denials and court appeals. The sponsor said the bill is intended to increase transparency and data access, while witnesses raised concerns about risk-assessment language and confidential information; the sponsor said amendments would be brought later to clarify those provisions. The committee passed SB 1544 on a 4-3 vote. Finally, SB 1376, creating a civic leadership development special plate and fund for a youth mentoring nonprofit, passed unanimously, and SB 1550, a three-year Queen Creek pilot program to prevent runaway youth exploitation and improve investigations, also passed after testimony from Queen Creek officials and police; one senator voted no, citing concerns about how runaway youth are treated in other legislation. The committee then began hearing SB 1504, a pension bill modifying retirement dates and COLA timing for Tier 2 and Tier 3 public safety personnel, with supporters arguing it would improve recruitment and retention and opponents warning it would create significant unfunded liabilities, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

TRS-EIG, TRS Public Hearings 02-05-2026

Transportation

Transcript Highlights:
  • , intellectual disabilities, and senior citizens like me.
  • , disabilities, disabilities, intellectual<00:31:16.880> disabilities intellectual disabilities
  • I'm the director of the Disability Rights Center. So, we've been working throughout the interim.
  • <00:32:29.440> Rights the director of the Disability Rights the director of the Disability
  • importance for those with disabilities importance for those with disabilities like<00:37:33.680>
Summary: The committees heard testimony on several transportation-related measures. SB 2356, relating to parking, drew support from the Office of Planning, the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Appleseed Center, Realtors, and the Hawaii Bicycling League. Members discussed the bill in the context of the planned stadium-area mixed-use development, with questions about whether parking would be built in structures rather than as large surface lots. Senators expressed support and noted the measure’s broader housing and parking-reduction goals, but no vote was taken during the hearing. The bulk of the hearing focused on SB 2699, which would create a fare-free youth transit program, a special fund, annual evaluations, and appropriations tied to the environmental, energy, and food security tax. The Attorney General’s office raised technical concerns about whether the special fund met statutory requirements. The Department of Education and Department of Health supported the bill, as did the City and County of Honolulu DOT, Appleseed Center, Hawaii Youth Transportation Council, Public Health Institute, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, Hawaii Bicycling League, Our Children’s Trust, and numerous youth testifiers. Supporters emphasized reduced family transportation costs, better school attendance, improved health and mobility, and environmental benefits. One senator raised emergency-planning concerns about how children using free transit would be handled during events like tsunamis; DOT and DOE responded that emergency procedures are being developed. The chair said the committee would work on language changes, including a delayed effective date to July 2027, and defer decision-making until the 12th. The final measure discussed was SB 2470, which would require leading pedestrian intervals, accessible pedestrian signals, and other safety improvements at state-controlled intersections, and create a process for community requests for accessible pedestrian signals. Appleseed Center, the Hawaii Association of the Blind, and the Disability Rights Center supported the bill, citing pedestrian safety, reduced collisions, and the need for audible cues for blind and low-vision pedestrians. Testifiers urged a phased-in approach that prioritizes high-traffic intersections. The hearing ended with the bill still under consideration and no final vote announced.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • For various conditions such as if the property owner was over 65 or disabled. Mr.
  • It is people with disabilities, and it is nonprofits.
  • If you take advantage of ...of somebody who's disabled through deed fraud, you're going to get a penalty
  • We clarify that severely disabled students at campuses which are primarily comprised of that student
  • This came from some of our disability rights groups. Groups.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Public Health Apr 28th, 2025 at 08:04 am

Public Health

Transcript Highlights:
  • We travel throughout the state to provide vaccines to intellectually disabled patients. and their nursing
  • Texas, to Laredo, along the border, Texas, providing immunizations to intellectually disabled patients
  • Silver commitment, juvenile and adult beds, and intellectual and developmental. developmental disability
  • Chair. recognizes Angela Ott, testify. on behalf of Disability Rights Texas against House Bill 1656,
  • This bill could unknowingly incentivize more fraud and abuse of individual. with disabilities and of
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • And it is, you're correct on the intellectual disability. is beyond a reasonable doubt, but one of the
  • I teach genetics in the law, disabilities in the law. and a seminar on new health technologies.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Chamber Meeting Feb 11th, 2026 at 11:17 am

New Mexico House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Disability is a natural part of the human condition.
  • And disability advocates work on policy. That's what led me, Mr.
  • with disabilities of all sorts.
  • Only for students with disabilities. It's for the general population.
  • Students with disabilities need a different type of approach.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Education 3RD REVISED Feb 24th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • I had a number of parents reach out to me who have children with disabilities, and what would that do
  • out was that I didn't want to take care of kids on IEP, so I didn't care about children that were disabled
  • men take a little longer to grow into some of those aspects, and even children who have certain disabilities