Transcript Highlights:

• THIS LEGISLATION MAKES CLARIFYING CHANGES FOR THE FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FOR AGENCY BUDGET.
• ALSO KNOWN AS TAJH BY IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS PROPOSED BY PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, PSC AS
• RULE MAKING THE AUTHORITY FOR IMPLEMENTATION. GRANTING TO ENSURE BAN ENFORCEMENT.
• WE DON'T WANT ANYONE MODIFYING THE WEATHER SO IMPLEMENTING PERMITTING SO IT'S DONE RESPONSIBLY AND SAFETY
• FOR THE SAKE OF OTHER AMERICANS, OTHER CITIES LIKE SALT LAKE WHICH IS CURRENTLY RADICALLY UNDER BUDGETED

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If a school implements Barr, it will work 100% of the time.
• We've seen improvements since implementing Barr.
• Over the years, we've had four implementations.
• Over the years, we've had four implementations.
• We implemented that. That started January 2026.

Summary: The committee met to hear presentations on dual credit programs from North Dakota higher education leaders, a school superintendent, and teachers. Valley City State University described its dual credit model, emphasizing quality control through annual teacher training, syllabus and outcomes alignment, faculty qualification review, school visits, and pathways aimed at the College Studies Certificate. Members asked about teacher employment, course scheduling, revenue, scholarships, and whether a centralized model might improve efficiency; VCSU said most instructors are K-12 employees, online offerings are still small, and centralization could weaken local relationships and choice. Lake Region State College similarly stressed access and partnerships, noting about half of its headcount is still in high school, with both online and face-to-face dual credit options, district reimbursement arrangements, and support for rural schools. Lake Region also said dual credit helps students who might not otherwise see themselves as college-bound, but reduced tuition can still be a barrier for some families. Fargo Public Schools reported continued growth in dual credit, with 50 courses offered in partnership with several NDUS institutions and a 12.61% increase in participation. The superintendent highlighted a growing education pathway, including students completing Introduction to Education and field experience, and said the district is exploring a grow-your-own teacher pipeline. He also raised concerns about inconsistent institutional processes, teacher credentialing requirements, and transfer clarity, arguing for more aligned statewide systems. In response to questions, he said AP and dual credit can coexist, with AP often better for highly selective out-of-state colleges and dual credit better for students targeting North Dakota institutions, and he described some use of Arizona State online courses in earlier rural partnerships but said Fargo is focused on local institutions. Two teachers then testified on the classroom perspective. A West Fargo anatomy and physiology teacher said dual credit has expanded access, lowered costs, and prepared students well, but agreed that foundational science courses may be more effective when taken later in high school to reduce knowledge loss before college. A Drake-Anamoose English teacher, who has taught dual credit for more than 20 years, said the program has supported many students who went on to a wide range of careers and emphasized that small rural schools rely on dual credit to provide opportunities they otherwise could not offer. No formal votes or actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee will come to order. Connor, please call the roll.
• Five years ago, the state's total budget was $92 billion.
• The current year budget is nearly $119 billion. This is an increase of 30%.
• The current year budget is nearly $119 billion. This is an increase of 30%.
• Last fall, the Legislative Budget Commission published the Long Range Financial Outlook.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met to release its fiscal year 2025-2026 budget recommendations. Chair Busata explained that the higher education budget recommendation totals $8.6 billion, which is $385 million, or 4%, below the current year, citing strong recent budget growth and projected future deficits as reasons for tighter spending. The chair also noted that the committee’s earlier meetings provided background on vocational rehabilitation, blind services, private colleges, student financial aid, workforce programs, and universities. The recommendation included increases for service provider rates in Vocational Rehabilitation, use of additional federal funds in Blind Services, an EASE grant increase for private colleges and universities, and adjustments to several student financial aid programs based on enrollment projections. It also moved the Open Door Grant Program from recurring to non-recurring funding, added modest increases for workforce education programs such as technical career education incentives, adult basic education, teacher apprenticeships, and workforce capitalization grants, and provided increases for the college system and state universities, including IFAS, strategic emphasis programs, performance funding, and faculty recruitment and retention. The chair also highlighted that the proposal includes recommended higher education member projects and outlined the next steps in the budget process, including compilation into a proposed committee bill, publication of the bill and related language, and consideration by the Budget Committee the following week. No votes were taken on the budget recommendation itself, and the meeting adjourned after a motion to rise without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• One time to work out the kinks and get people ready for implementing this bill successfully.
• The districts are all filing their budgets quarterly with the Department of Finance.
• They do have to submit their budgets. It's pretty hard for them to comply.
• They do have to submit their budgets.
• The fiscal impact report says there's already $2 million in the budget for a fish hatchery.

Bills: SB47, SB195, SB196, SB197, SB198, SB78

Keywords: food recovery, composting, waste management, solid waste surcharge, organic waste reduction, environment, grants, advisory group, soil conservation, water resources, training services, outreach programs, environmental protection, animal care, veterinary services, spay and neuter, Las Vegas, community funding, animal welfare, animal shelter

Transcript Highlights:

• present SB 954, which provides thoughtful improvements to the CEQA exemptions passed through the Budget
• Last year, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 131 through the budget process, which created over a dozen
• He added that he voted on the budget with the understanding that the committee would come back and fix
• I think you took a lot of amendments today that make it a very implementable bill in the long run as
• I think you took a lot of amendments today that make it a very implementable bill in the long run as

Summary: The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee heard several bills focused on labor standards, worker safety, and public transparency. SB 954 by Senator Blakespear would revise last year’s CEQA exemption for advanced manufacturing by adding worker protections such as prevailing wage, a skilled and trained workforce, high-road employment standards, and environmental guardrails. Supporters from labor, environmental justice, and conservation groups said the bill restores promised safeguards after SB 131, while business groups argued the added requirements would undermine the exemption and discourage investment. The committee voted 5-0 to do pass and re-refer SB 954 to Appropriations, leaving the roll open for absent members. The committee then considered SB 966 by Senator Gonzalez, which would codify refinery worker participation and safety protections adopted in 2017 after the 2012 Chevron Richmond fire. Supporters, including United Steelworkers and a former refinery worker, said the bill would preserve workers’ ability to report hazards, select representatives, and stop unsafe work, preventing future disasters. The Western States Petroleum Association opposed the bill, arguing it could be preempted by federal labor law and would add regulatory uncertainty. The committee passed SB 966 3-0 and re-referred it to Appropriations, with the roll left open. Next, SB 1203 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas sought to modernize private security guard training, expand de-escalation instruction, strengthen accountability, and create a clearer professional pathway for the industry. The author and many security workers testified that guards are often first responders in volatile situations and need more practical training and better standards; opponents from industry and business groups warned the bill would raise costs, worsen staffing shortages, and create implementation problems, especially around third-party training and a new wage order. The committee voted 4-1 to do pass and re-refer SB 1203 to Public Safety, with one no vote and the roll left open. The committee also heard SB 1284 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, a transparency bill requiring DHCS to publish the names of large employers with workers enrolled in Medi-Cal and the estimated taxpayer cost. Supporters said the measure would show how low wages and unaffordable coverage shift health costs to the public, while opponents argued Medi-Cal enrollment depends on many factors and that naming employers would be misleading and amount to public shaming. After discussion, the committee voted 4-2 to do pass and re-refer SB 1284 to Appropriations, leaving the roll open. The transcript then began discussion of SB 1054 by Senator Cabaldon, which would improve workforce data collection and sharing to better evaluate job-training pathways, but the excerpt cuts off before testimony or action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• AG's office reporting performance measurements to the legislative budget board and lawmakers.
• I'll do whatever I can to make sure that they don't get a budget for this. Okay, all right.
• Our issue is not in the budget.
• What is the roughly the annual budget that you guys get from us? Do you know about what it is?
• So, the Legislative Budget Board...

Bills: HB 111, HB1545, HB2145, HB2467, HB2520, HB4136, HB4181, HB4214, HB4218, HB4219, HB4359, HB4437, HB4822, HB111

Keywords: Texas Public Information Act, open records, public records, government transparency, confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, governmental body, Chapter 552, public information law, nonprofit association, quasi-governmental entity, economic development, trade secrets, proprietary information, commercial financial information, Alamo restoration, local workforce board, TDCJ contract facility, civil commitment facility, water supply corporation

Transcript Highlights:

• I do want to ask a couple follow-ups, especially again about the budget.
• Especially again about the budget. So you say $17 billion and it's 0.2%.
• Again, it's 0.2% of their overall budget.
• especially again about the budget. So you say $17 billion and it's 0.2%.
• Again, it's 0.2% of their overall budget.

Summary: The committee first took up PCS for CS for HB 1279, a higher education bill focused on Florida’s preeminent universities. The sponsor said the measure would increase access for Florida students, strengthen accountability and transparency, update accreditation references, adjust performance metrics, and address issues such as GPA weighting, engineering credit-hour differences, and certain fee-waiver and dental-program provisions. Members raised questions about the 95% Florida-resident enrollment target, possible funding impacts, Pell Grant metrics, and whether the bill would affect community college pathways; the sponsor said the bill was aimed at first-time-in-college students and that the 95% standard would be measured on a three-year rolling average. After an amendment removing an adjustment to the four-year graduation metric was adopted, the bill was reported favorably by a 17-2 vote. The committee then heard PCS for CS for HB 1059, which would strengthen speech and debate education by designating the Florida Debate Initiative as the statewide organization, supporting coach and judge training, statewide data collection, tournaments, and a Florida Speech and Debate Week. The sponsor and several students and advocates testified that speech and debate builds confidence, civics knowledge, leadership, and opportunities for English learners and other students, with multiple speakers describing how the program changed their lives. Members from both parties spoke strongly in support, and the bill was reported favorably without opposition. Finally, the committee considered PCS for HB 725 on political activity at public institutions of higher education. The sponsor said the bill would standardize campus policies, require notice to students and employees about free-expression and political-campaign rules, and align state practice with federal guidelines while preserving free speech and nonpartisan voter engagement. An opponent argued the bill could create barriers to civic engagement and student organizing, while supporters said it would clarify existing rules and prevent institutions from favoring one viewpoint over another. The sponsor closed by emphasizing that the bill was about information and neutrality rather than restricting speech.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Senator Avila: SENATE BILL 500 ESTABLISHES AND IMPLEMENTS THE SPECTRUM ALERT STANDARDIZE SYSTEM
• THE TRAINING PROGRAM MUST IMPLEMENT CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAMS TO A QUICK LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WITH
• THESE FUNDS ARE SPECIFICALLY EARMARKED FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SPECTRUM ALERT PROGRAM DURING THE
• MANY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES DO NOT HAVE DEDICATED DNA TESTING FUNDING AND THEIR BUDGET.
• TODAY APPROXIMATELY 12 COUNTIES ACROSS FLORIDA HAVE IMPLEMENTED SIMILAR REGISTRIES.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our basin are working on water supply solutions to help meet those needs, we know that even if we implement
• help address the urgency of water infrastructure needs across the state, allowing for faster implementation
• This includes Implementation of strategies to secure long-term water supply That are recommended through
• The need for state assistance to implement the state water plan projects alone. has narrowly doubled
• are x-based so it's just how they were set up so us doing this funding relieves a pinch on their budgets

Bills: HB 1089, HB 1163, HB 1177, HB 1238, HB1318, HB1400, HB1407, HB1532, HJR7, HJR7

Keywords: coastal protection, environmental management, Gulf Coast, storm risk management, funding, Texas General Land Office, healthcare, insurance reform, patient access, insurance regulation, affordable care, health insurance, consumer rights, coverage transparency, claims process, insurance regulations, aggregate production, environmental impact, financial responsibility, reclamation

Transcript Highlights:

• that we be briefed by DOE and its Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence about how it is implementing
• we do make cuts in our foreign employees from our federal government. employees is it's based on budget
• But you do it in almost a two-year process while you develop this budget, because the priorities are
• Specifically, though, you mentioned the DOE was getting prepared to implement Section 3.1.1.2 of the
• Yeah, so one of the orders that we also implemented was banning giving money to university researchers

Keywords: national security, Department of Energy, foreign espionage, security protocols, Chinese Communist Party, national laboratories, research security

Summary: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee convened to address pressing issues related to research security risks at the Department of Energy, focusing specifically on foreign nationals' access to sensitive information. The meeting highlighted the increasing threats posed by espionage from the Chinese Communist Party, which has sought to infiltrate U.S. national laboratories and exploit American research for military purposes. Discussions included the importance of tightening security protocols to safeguard national interests and maintain technological advantages. Witnesses provided insight into historical contexts and current vulnerabilities, emphasizing that without proper measures, the gaps could jeopardize national security.

Transcript Highlights:

• domestic manufacturing supply chain has been firmly established to increase capacity and speed implementation
• I've simplified this bill to make it as easy as possible to implement, operate, use, store, and protect
• So it can be just implemented. Here's the stick: implement the program, move forward.
• long to install it, it's out of service date by the time we get the project complete, and it's over budget
• They're still weighing how they would implement it.

Bills: HB2809

Keywords: cybersecurity, post-quantum encryption, CMMC 2.0, state agencies, data protection, US-based vendors, 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:10:18.560> officer spoke to the legislative budget officer spoke to the legislative budget
• all the states that have implemented all the states that have implemented these<04:43:19.840>
• > could<04:58:30.080> impact This not implementing this could impact This not implementing
• So, we're looking at implementing and continuing to implement a lot of those strategies going forward
• government uh to look at implementing government uh to look at implementing certain<05:19:21.760

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The FY26 operating budget.
• So to kind of kick off the reason for my budget and what I'm requesting, on August 15th, I implemented
• The FY25 budget was 61,262 overall.
• Last year, thank God y'all did budget them.
• So we're not traveling because also one of the budget crises or budget issues that came up is per diems

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment makes many changes to better and more cleanly implement the Commission's recommendations
• The bill implements several recommendations made by the Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use
• That's almost a third of the budget. For the entire court system. Just think about that.
• Many law enforcement agencies do not have dedicated DNA testing funding in their budgets.
• This program will only be implemented in Hillsborough County.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• time or during the budget stuff.
• be doing this in the during the budget be doing this in the during the budget time<00:57:34.640>
• I to time or during the budget stuff.
• You had an amount that was budgeted.
• after some outreach from the budget after some outreach from the budget office<01:46:29.119>

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 210; 22 January, 2026: 1:30 PM, 925, all

Summary: The meeting began with a budget presentation from the insurance commissioner’s office. The commissioner said most of the request was for personnel costs, including an increase above LBO and two additional IT positions tied to a possible conversion to a state-based system and cybersecurity needs. The office also discussed travel costs, contractual expenses, vehicle replacement, and hurricane mitigation funds, noting that some funds are in trust accounts and require legislative authority to spend. The commissioner also briefed members on possible policy changes affecting the ACA exchange and a proposed low-cost plan for the high-risk pool, warning that if coverage options are not developed, more people could shift into uncompensated care. Members asked about the budget request, the IT positions, and a constituent question about propane meter regulation, which the commissioner said falls under the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, though his office sometimes checks related issues informally. The committee then moved to the State Fire Academy hearing. The academy director described a workforce stabilization proposal focused on retaining and recruiting fire instructors, citing competition from local fire departments that pay more, a shrinking applicant pool, and a growing number of retirement-eligible staff. He said the academy’s instructors are being recruited away by municipalities, that recent applicant pools have produced very few qualified candidates, and that the academy may soon have to cut advanced courses if staffing does not improve. He referenced a State Personnel Board review that supported the need for compensation changes and said the academy is trying to remain competitive while continuing to train firefighters, hazmat responders, EMS personnel, and fire officers statewide. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken in the portion provided. Members mainly asked questions, requested written follow-up on some budget items, and indicated they would work with the agencies later in the session if pending bills or funding needs changed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Historically, what you'll find is that in the appropriations bill the budget, that any of these concerns
• are shored up in the budget process.
• I know the budget climate is not the result of good luck or good management.
• AISD is currently facing a $110 million budget deficit.
• My district has been in a deficit budget for years. The time has passed.

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• While this number of products reviewed in a Second year of 1605 implementation is ambitious.
• The The funding was budgeted for five employees, although it's not in the bill. would be very similar
• It's a fiscal note, that is accounted for in the budget, there is a rider for that.
• Um, what would just be a ball park figure or the fiscal note for the budget?
• Implementing the great ideas is really a challenge given the law and the agencies involved.

Bills: HB367, HB497, HB549, HB983, HB 1188, HB 1290, HB1368, HB2243, HB2310, HB2849, HB3099, HB3546, HB3629, HB3627

Keywords: education, absences, severe illness, life-threatening, school policy, verification, healthcare, insurance, affordability, coverage, patient rights, school health, respiratory distress, airway clearance devices, medication training, public health, HB 983, Texas Education Agency, TEA, educator privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• with to implement this.
• But it depends how it's implemented by the department. Okay. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr.
• Navajo County defender fees make up 0.05% of the public defender budget.
• And we compare what this fee removal would do to budgets across all city and county budgets, so their
• entire budgets, this fee would be 0.007% of that.

Bills: HB2205, HB2265, HB2413, HB2415, HB2418, HB2495, HB2589, HB2661, HB2720, HB2771, HB2833, HB2870

Keywords: criminal damage, trespassing, critical facilities, felony, Arizona Revised Statutes, court fees, public defender, criminal justice, legal aid, indigent defense, appeals, administrative assessments, sex offender, electronic monitoring, registration, public safety, youth protection, Kratom, narcotic drugs, regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• Innovation schools systematically implement coordinated strategies driven by a locally created graduate
• When implemented well, high-quality CTE offers students a path out of poverty.
• Actual requests for reimbursement rather than how LEAs budgeted their CTE grant funding.
• Models of high-quality CTE implementation... high-quality CTE implementation.
• , reducing allowances for non-priority programs, and enforcing maximum allocations within certain budget

Transcript Highlights:

• Lincoln Willis, representing the Avis Budget Group.
• Chairman, members of the committee, Lincoln Willis, representing the Avis Budget Group.
• program may be funded through Delaware's Federal Rural Health Transformation Program Award and implemented
• also consider funding through Delaware's Federal Rural Health Transformation Program Award and implementation
• state and members of the General Assembly as health care workforce initiatives are developed and implemented

Summary: The committee met in hybrid format, approved the June 24 and June 25, 2026 minutes, and then heard several bills and a joint resolution. On House Bill 382 with House Amendment 2, Senator Hoffer explained the measure as a technical correction to prior rental-car and peer-to-peer car-sharing law that would clarify when loss-of-use damages may be recovered while preserving recovery for intentional, willful, or criminal conduct. Avis Budget Group and Enterprise Mobility supported the bill, saying it resolved ambiguity and restored limited common-law recovery, while Allstate and Toro opposed it, arguing the bill could reintroduce unfair and unpredictable fees and leave too much discretion to rental companies. No vote was taken in the transcript, and Senator Townsend said he still had questions about how the bill would operate. The committee then considered House Bill 476, a Frederica charter change that would reduce town council meetings from twice monthly to monthly and make ordinances effective immediately unless otherwise stated. Representative Postles presented it as a simple, noncontroversial change, though members noted Senator Buckson, the Senate sponsor, was not present at the time. No public comment was offered on that bill. The committee also heard House Joint Resolution 13, which directs the Department of Labor to study a Delaware health care apprenticeship degree program and report recommendations; the Delaware Health Care Association supported the resolution and urged coordination with existing workforce efforts. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 458 with House Amendment 1 on backflow devices in low-hazard buildings. Senator Pardee said the bill would exempt residences and office-type buildings from costly backflow retrofits until regulations are updated, and DHSS said the current regulations do not clearly define low hazard but that the bill’s list of exempted buildings would not raise immediate public health concerns. The Delaware Association of Realtors supported the bill, arguing the regulations were overbroad and costly, while the Delaware Rural Water Association opposed it, warning that weakening backflow protections could threaten drinking water and aquifers. The committee then adjourned without any recorded votes on the substantive bills in the transcript.