Video & Transcript Research : 'garbage fees'

Page 17 of 424
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Environment, Climate and Legacy - 04/09/26

Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, you're intending to put fees on producers of these elements.
  • fees across all battery stewardship organizations as the bill currently requires.
  • Secondly, the<00:58:32.760> state<00:58:33.120> administrative<00:58:33.800> fees
  • fees must be assigned<00:58:35.080> also<00:58:35.400> based<00:58:35.680> off<
  • I assume there's some value in the materials, or do they just become garbage, but special garbage?
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • Some we hold fee simple. Some we put into partnerships for long-term developments.
  • Okay, MUDs can impose assessments, fees, and taxes.
  • It's almost always taxes and fees. Okay. Give me an example of a fee. For a water bill.
  • Okay, and then fees, that's like you said, the garbage fee.
  • And you basically—cities do wastewater, garbage, fire, police, parks.
Summary: The committee heard testimony first from the Texas General Land Office and School Land Board. GLO officials described the agency’s role in managing more than 13 million acres of state lands and mineral interests for the Permanent School Fund, overseeing the Alamo, coastal programs, veterans’ services, and federal disaster recovery. They said the agency has generated about $6 billion for the Permanent School Fund since Commissioner Buckingham took office, and that its disaster recovery portfolio is about $14 billion across multiple events, with more than 22,000 housing units rebuilt or reconstructed since Hurricane Harvey. Members asked about land purchases such as Brewster Ranch, rare earth mineral leasing, SpaceX-related beach access, and whether the lands are public access lands; GLO staff said the holdings are managed to maximize revenue for education, that most land is leased rather than open to public access, and that they are coordinating on coastal access and compliance. On the School Land Board, members sought clarification on the difference between GLO-managed lands and the Permanent School Fund Corporation’s investment role, and staff explained that GLO generates the revenue while the separate corporation invests it. No votes or formal actions were taken. The Board for Lease of University Lands then testified. University Lands officials explained that they steward 2.1 million acres of surface and mineral interests in West Texas for the Permanent University Fund, which supports UT and Texas A&M institutions. They said a 2025 lease sale produced about $50 million in bonus revenue from 28,000 acres, and described the Board for Lease’s role in approving lease forms, lease sales, and development agreements. Members asked about the size and use of the PUF, how distributions work through UTIMCO, whether PUF money can be used for athletics, and how the land is managed; the witness said the fund is a constitutional endowment, the land is largely leased rather than sold, and distributions are generally used for buildings, labs, and other permanent structures, with some institutions also using a portion for operations. No votes or formal actions were taken. The committee then took up municipal utility districts. Testimony from a law firm, the Texas Municipal League, Fort Bend County Commissioner Vincent Morales, and Johnson Development largely supported MUDs as a financing tool for infrastructure tied to growth. Witnesses said MUDs help fund water, sewer, drainage, roads, parks, and related infrastructure, allowing development to proceed without shifting costs to existing taxpayers and helping keep housing affordable. They emphasized that MUDs are created with disclosure to homebuyers, are subject to the Open Meetings Act and Public Information Act, and are overseen by TCEQ for bond issuance and related financial stress tests. Members questioned whether MUDs are taxing entities, whether they can be created inside city limits or ETJs, how much control cities and counties retain, and whether MUDs are becoming permanent local governments; witnesses acknowledged they levy taxes and debt, can exist within city limits with city consent, and often function as long-term local entities. The committee did not take any formal action during the hearing.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Environment and Natural Resources Mar 17th, 2025

Environment and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • They recommended adding fees to some of these single-use plastics.
  • Some of it's just being blown out of garbage cans, blowing around our beaches.
  • They recommended adding fees to some of these single-use plastics.
  • Some of it's just being blown out of garbage cans, blowing around our beaches.
  • Garbage cans blowing around our beaches. This is just a bad idea.
Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met with a quorum present and considered a series of environmental, water, waste, boating, and land-use bills. SB 834 on recreational fishing vessel licenses was briefly explained as aligning licensure rules for freshwater and saltwater captains and was reported favorably. SB 1208 on service lateral assessment and rehabilitation would require periodic CCTV inspections, a seven-year assessment cycle, and a long-term public database for sewer laterals; county representatives opposed it over private-property and cost concerns, but the bill was reported favorably. SB 978 on advanced wastewater treatments, as amended, would require DEP reports and a long-term prioritization plan for upgrading large wastewater facilities to advanced treatment; the committee adopted the amendment and then reported the bill favorably. The committee then took up SB 1822 on auxiliary containers, which would preempt local regulation of certain packaging and define the term in statute. The sponsor argued it would reduce a patchwork of local rules and help businesses, while opponents from environmental groups, local advocates, and some local governments warned it would weaken plastic and foam restrictions, including in parks and coastal communities. Despite substantial opposition and several senators expressing concern, the bill was reported favorably. The committee also approved CS for SB 384 on notice for annexation of state-owned lands, after a technical amendment requiring written or email notice to legislative delegations, and reported it favorably. SB 1008 on waste incineration would bar new ash-producing incinerators or waste-to-energy facilities within a half-mile of residential, commercial, or school property. The sponsor said the bill was aimed at preventing another fire-related incident like the Doral plant and clarified it was intended to apply only to new facilities, not existing ones; waste-to-energy and county representatives opposed it as too restrictive, while several senators sought clarifying changes. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also adopted a substitute amendment to CS for SB 594 on port channel and turning basin buffer zones, reducing the proposed anchoring setback from 5,000 feet to 2,500 feet and allowing ports to create buffer zones after public hearings and rulemaking; the bill was then reported favorably. Finally, SB 830 on lost or abandoned property, aimed at streamlining removal of migrant vessels that pose navigational and environmental hazards, was reported favorably after brief support testimony.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/18/2026 - House Judiciary

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • The residents pay a $25 voluntary fee.
  • The residents pay a $25 voluntary fee.
  • Reed when looking at whether attorney fees would be recoverable as restitution in criminal proceedings
  • United States Supreme Court, and courts of other jurisdictions have upheld the award of attorney's fees
  • affirm an award ruling that the Superior Court did not abuse its discretion in awarding attorney's fees
Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills dealing with criminal justice, victims’ rights, education funding, and public safety. SB 1094, which would create a civil cause of action for minors who received irreversible gender reassignment surgery in violation of Arizona law, drew extensive testimony. Supporters argued it would provide compensation for harmed minors and extend accountability similar to sexual abuse cases; opponents said it was discriminatory, targeted transgender people and providers, and interfered with informed consent and parental decision-making. The committee voted 6-3 to give SB 1094 a do pass recommendation. SB 1635, which creates the offense of unlawfully alerting someone to an imminent arrest, also passed 6-3 after strong debate. The sponsor said it was intended to stop people from warning specific targets of arrest, including in immigration enforcement and other criminal cases, while preserving First Amendment protections for general alerts. Opponents, including the ACLU and community members, argued the bill criminalized speech, was overbroad, and duplicated existing obstruction laws. SB 1673, appropriating money for the crime victim notification fund, passed unanimously after an amendment increasing the appropriation from $5 million to $8.2 million was adopted. The committee also approved SB 1092, which bars early termination of probation for dangerous crimes against children, after testimony from victims’ advocates and defense-side witnesses about probation, online evidence, and the risk of re-victimizing survivors. SB 1239, extending the statute of limitations for failure to register as a sex offender, passed 6-4 despite arguments that registration is already continuously monitored and that the bill could create redundant liability. SB 1139, a strike-everything bill requiring GPS monitoring for registered sex offenders without a permanent residence, failed after members noted existing monitoring systems already cover many offenders. Later, SB 1502, increasing penalties for unlawful flight when accompanied by aggravating danger, passed 5-1 amid concerns about over-criminalization and possible impacts on drivers trying to pull over safely. Additional measures included SB 1248, clarifying county use of accommodation schools for juvenile detention and jail education programs, which passed unanimously, and SB 1240, excluding dangerous-crime-against-children probationers from county probation incentive calculations, which passed 5-4 over objections that it would undermine rehabilitation incentives. SB 1669, changing rape-shield evidence rules to focus on physical injury, passed 6-3 after a dispute over whether the bill would narrow or clarify admissible evidence. The committee then began hearing SB 1540, a new offense targeting fuel dispenser theft and manipulation devices, with the petroleum industry describing organized gas theft schemes and the sponsor’s amendment removing mere possession of a device from the criminal statute.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/18/2026 - House Transportation & Infrastructure

Transportation & Infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:
  • They charge us a fee. That's my understanding.
  • Their equipment, they pay, they charge us a fee.
  • And the assessments are fees that are charged directly from these fees.
  • Probation fees. So $20 goes to probation fees, which is great.
  • The baseline fee for a photo radar ticket is $37, and the baseline fee for one with a cop is $78.
Summary: The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard a series of transportation, traffic enforcement, and memorial bills. SB 1024, dealing with licensing and registration for roadable aircraft, drew a question about where vehicle license tax revenue would go, but with no sponsor present the committee still advanced it on a do pass recommendation by a 3-2 vote. SB 1205, which creates rules for private-property vehicle booting, was supported by industry and sponsor testimony as a consumer-protection framework modeled on towing laws; it passed 5-0 after discussion of time limits, recordkeeping, dispute resolution, and penalties. SB 1366, creating a temporary study committee on public-property towing and impound practices, was presented as a bipartisan, data-gathering measure and passed 5-0. SB 1232, a billboard/outdoor advertising zoning bill tied to military compatibility and ADOT permitting, was described as a technical cleanup measure negotiated with ADOT and local stakeholders; it passed unanimously 6-0. The committee spent the most time on SB 1624, which would cap photo-enforcement civil penalties at $75 and limit the effect of photo-radar violations on licensing and insurance. Supporters argued the bill would simplify enforcement and reduce reliance on cameras, while opponents from insurers and local governments warned it would mask risk, shift costs to other drivers, and reduce revenue for several state funds and local programs. An amendment was adopted to treat excessive speeding caught by photo enforcement as a class 3 misdemeanor and direct $15 of the penalty to the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund. The amended bill then passed 4-2, with members citing concerns about school zones, revenue impacts, and the role of photo enforcement. The committee also advanced SCR 1004, a voter referral that would let Arizona voters decide whether cities may continue using photo enforcement; it passed 4-2 after testimony that it was a negotiated compromise preserving local control while requiring a future local vote in affected cities. The final items were memorials naming highways. SCM 1002 would rename a portion of State Route 77 the L.F. Quinn Memorial Highway, and SCM 1006 would rename a portion of U.S. Route 70 the PFC Michael A. Nolene Memorial Highway. Both were described as constituent-driven and appropriate under naming procedures, with members noting Quinn’s long-ago death and Nolene’s service as the first Native American to die in the Gulf War. Both memorials passed unanimously 6-0. Earlier in the meeting, SB 1010 and SB 1552 were announced as held, and the committee adjourned after completing the remaining agenda.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/04/2026 - Senate Education

Education

Summary: The committee took up several education bills. HB 2395 would create a voluntary Arizona School Fitness Program in ADE to recognize schools that participate in nationally recognized fitness testing or events and allow the designation on school report cards. Supporters, including the sponsor and outside witnesses, argued it would encourage student activity and support the whole child; the bill passed with a 6-0 do pass recommendation. HB 2409, the Getting Arizona Ready for AI Act, would create a voluntary summer AI course program through ADE with curriculum on digital hygiene, civic integrity, and AI for small business/entrepreneurship, with optional facility use and academic credit. The sponsor said it was meant to prepare students for AI-driven job disruption without requiring new appropriations; it passed 4-2. HB 2203 would direct ADE to review public school and agency reporting requirements for duplicative, expired, or obsolete reports and recommend consolidation or repeal, and an amendment making a technical correction was adopted before the bill passed 6-0. HB 2008 would bar school libraries from using public money to pay dues to certain professional library associations; opponents from Secular AZ and the ACLU argued it was viewpoint discrimination and a threat to professional association rights, but the bill still received a do pass recommendation on a 6-0 vote, with one member explaining a no vote because the problem did not exist. The committee also heard HB 2075, which would require school districts to submit superintendent and CFO employment contracts to ADE, post them online, keep them available for five years after termination, and create a searchable database with compensation details. The Goldwater Institute supported the bill, citing difficulty obtaining contracts through public records requests and examples of very high superintendent compensation and opaque contract terms; the Arizona School Administrators opposed the bill as singling out districts while not applying to charters or other public-dollar schools, though they said they could support it if expanded to all schools receiving public funds. Members debated whether charters are political subdivisions and whether the bill should extend to charters and ESAs, and some discussion also focused on transparency and public records access. The bill ultimately received a 4-2 do pass recommendation.
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama House Ways and Means General Fund Committee Mar 4th, 2026

Ways and Means General Fund

Transcript Highlights:
  • I did look at some fees and taxes.
  • I did look at some<00:01:58.000> fees<00:01:58.320> and<00:01:58.560> taxes.
  • 01:59.360> this<00:01:59.759> may<00:01:59.920> be<00:02:00.079> a some fees
  • This this may be a some fees and taxes.
  • and different u fees that are received and different u funds<00:17:25.839> that<00:17:26.000>
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Jan 28th, 2026

Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • The funds from the annual fee would go toward needs-based scholarships, academic programs, athletic programs
Bills: S0382, S0628, S0654, S0696, S0880
Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development met with a quorum and considered five bills, all of which were reported favorably. First, SB 628 designated a portion of South Navy Boulevard in Pensacola as “Warrior Sacrifice Way” to honor Ensign Joshua Watson, Petty Officer Muhammad Hatham, and Cameron Walters, who were killed in the 2019 Naval Air Station Pensacola attack. Senators spoke in support, emphasizing remembrance and support for the families. The committee then heard CS/SB 382 on electric bicycles and scooters. The bill would require riders on shared pathways to yield to pedestrians, sound an audible signal before passing, and limit speed near pedestrians, while creating an e-bike safety task force and reporting requirements. Law enforcement, local officials, and school board representatives supported the bill and described safety concerns and data gaps, while several senators raised questions about enforcement and asked that e-scooters be addressed more explicitly. The bill was reported favorably. Members also approved SB 880, creating a Miami Northwestern Alumni Association specialty license plate to fund scholarships and school programs, and SB 696, which allows online trademark registration applications and updates Florida’s trademark classification and verification procedures. Finally, the committee took up CS/CS/SB 654 on traffic infraction enforcement cameras for red light, school zone speeding, and school bus violations. The bill and an amendment added guardrails on data use, hearings, reporting, signage, and contract limits; senators raised concerns about privacy, surveillance, and school zone enforcement, and a Hillsborough County sheriff’s representative testified that all-day school zone enforcement has improved safety. All measures were reported favorably, and the committee adjourned after recording additional affirmative votes on SB 628 from Senators Martin and Smith.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Judiciary Jan 27th, 2026

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • They may not pay or offer to pay a referral fee or commission to any person.
  • They may not pay or offer to pay a referral fee or commission to any person, assign or securitize a litigation
  • It does not ban contingency fees.
  • Burt Harris bill, we allowed the prevailing property owners, should they prevail, to seek their legal fees
  • and so. ...allowed the prevailing property owner, should they prevail, to seek their legal fees beginning
Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee met with a quorum present and first postponed SB 532. It then heard and approved SB 620, which requires candidates for federal, state, county, district, judicial, and school board office to disclose any citizenship other than U.S. citizenship. The bill drew one waiver in opposition from Common Cause and passed 8-0. The committee also heard SB 1396 on litigation financing consumer protection. Supporters said it would add transparency, limit funder control over litigation, and require disclosure of foreign entities involved in funding; opponents argued it would create strategic advantages for defendants and could burden plaintiffs. The bill passed 7-2. The committee later approved SB 192, repealing a $1,500 cap on patient funds held in trust by chiropractic physicians, and SB 888, extending limits on indemnity and insurance requirements for design professionals in private contracts; both passed unanimously among those voting. The committee also approved several Judiciary-related measures. CS/SB 332, as amended, creates a narrow temporary public meetings/public records exemption for certain pre-suit Burt Harris litigation strategy discussions by local governments, and passed 7-0. SB 820, which strengthens quarterly reporting requirements for problem-solving courts, passed 10-0. SB 1500, implementing probate process recommendations to raise small-estate thresholds, clarify access to safe deposit boxes, and improve enforcement in uncontested probate, also passed 10-0. SB 144, creating a public records exemption for personal information of current and former Judicial Qualifications Commission employees and their families due to harassment concerns, passed 9-1. The committee then approved CS/SB 1224, as amended, making it a third-degree felony to fraudulently obtain possession of a rental unit through false written statements, counterfeit documents, or impersonation; the bill passed 10-0. SB 1000, setting a floor and ceiling for interest rates on law firm trust accounts tied to the Wall Street Journal prime rate, passed 10-0 after testimony from banking and credit union representatives and support from Senate leadership. Finally, CS/SB 694, providing compensation to the descendants of the Groveland Four, was heard with emotional testimony from family members and advocates describing the wrongful convictions, killings, and decades-long effort for redress; an amendment specified equal shares for the four families, and the bill passed 10-0. Several members requested to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on specific bills before the committee adjourned.
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama House Agriculture and Forestry Committee Jan 21st, 2026

Agriculture and Forestry

Transcript Highlights:
  • It doesn't increase any fees or, uh, in the old days, you know, if you wanted a burn permit, you called
  • They do have an amendment to correct some of the fees on the permitting. We just got to fix that.
  • They do have an amendment to correct some of the fees on the permitting.
  • If they already have one, would they have to pay a bill of fee later or what is that?
  • You don't pay us another fee. >> Any other questions? >> Is there a motion on the bill as amended?
Bills: HB267, HB271, HB267, HB271
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Intergovernmental Affairs Mar 18th, 2025

Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • There weren't going to be a big set of fees and what have you.
  • While it's very significant about the loss in property tax, there's also something else which is the fees
  • And so should Dallas allow the HFC, our own Dallas HFC would collect millions of dollars of fees that
  • things that they do, and I don't mean just issuing opinions, but they make determinations on contingency fee
Bills: HB21, HB211, HB223
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Commerce May 18th, 2026

Commerce

Transcript Highlights:
  • So how much was the 1% administrative fee?
  • And if they go before the board, their fee, their fine can continue to increase as the attorney fees
  • , how do they determine what the attorney's fees are?
  • And again, right now, they may charge the attorney fees.
  • They don't have to charge the attorney fees now.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Criminal Jurisprudence Apr 29th, 2025

Criminal Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:
  • A standardized $25 fee per entity for cases where electronic service is not available ensures a more
  • Currently, an expunction is filed by the petitioner and it's a $350 filing fee.
  • If they retain an attorney, they have to pay that return. ...attorney's fees, and then they pay $15 per
  • Our bill would repeal all those fees as long as the agencies are providing us or the petitioners with
  • The first is that the fee; there is a fee under this bill that is mandatory and it's not... ...discretionary