Transcript Highlights:

• Moore, the recommendation from the study committee, what was it, the salary?
• For the study, we delayed those bills. It has now been three sessions.
• I've been studying a lot of the budget and different bills.
• And look, we studied other states as well. I'm up for debate.
• And it's been studied. And this isn't something I took lightly in doing.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 513 by Representative Young, which would regulate name, image, and likeness activity for intercollegiate and interscholastic athletes, especially high school athletes. Young said the bill reflects recommendations from a task force and sets guardrails such as parental consent and prohibited NIL categories. The committee adopted a technical amendment and then reported the bill favorably as amended. Members then heard several Senate bills from Senator Mizell and Senator Cloud. Senate Bill 233 would create a statewide data exchange compact to allow state agencies to share information more efficiently; it was reported favorably. Senate Bill 300 would make various changes to the Procurement Code, including auction techniques, sole sourcing for consulting services in limited cases, and procurement process clarifications; it was reported favorably. Senate Bill 303 would allow executive branch agencies to buy or share technology solutions with other states and use the federal GSA schedule, and it was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 411, removing a 20-year lease limitation for certain Orleans Parish state property, was also reported favorably. The committee spent substantial time on House Bill 660 and House Bill 719, both dealing with district attorney funding and staffing. HB 660 would raise the state warrant amount for assistant district attorney salaries from $50,000 to $60,000, with supporters arguing it is needed to recruit and retain prosecutors; an opposition witness argued the state should fund both prosecutors and public defenders more equitably. The committee adopted an amendment making the bill effective only upon appropriation and reported it favorably as amended. HB 719 would increase the number of assistant district attorney warrants statewide, with most of the new warrants directed to Baton Rouge, St. Tammany, and Caddo; it too was amended to be subject to appropriation and reported favorably as amended. House Bill 596, which would have created an inactive well-feet assessment credit for oil and gas operators, was voluntarily deferred after concerns that it could reduce funding for the oil field site restoration fund. Later, the committee reported favorably as amended House Bill 802, which redirects existing revenue to watershed and flood restoration work in the Amite River Basin, and House Bill 940, which creates a task force and rules framework for law enforcement responses to unlawful drone activity. It also reported favorably House Bill 76 on coverage for orally administered anti-cancer medications, House Bill 950 on consumer protection materials for seniors, and began discussion of House Bill 1028, which would require higher Medicaid reimbursement rates for non-emergency medical transportation providers.

Transcript Highlights:

• In preparation for the hearing, I was reading a couple of intergenerational studies by academics in the
• And, you know, in preparation for the hearing, I was reading a couple of intergenerational studies by
• So how have you done that since the study came out? Yeah, no, that's a wonderful question.
• And so we've heard from the Department of Aging about the study and what they do.
• And I do have our study, the Ross Lally, and who oversaw the study, if you want more details, he is here

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And is there some study material that you found in your studies?
• But there's, I didn't read every study.
• I don't purport to know every study, but just the grazing information. Every study.
• But let's go into a study and see what works best if we can. Tablet form, maybe something else.
• But let's go into a study and see what works best if we can possibly make that work. Perfect.

Summary: The House Insurance Committee met on April 23 with a quorum present and first deferred HB 1142. The committee then heard HB 1187, which would direct any excess Louisiana Citizens emergency assessment funds, after related debt is paid, toward the Louisiana Fortified Homes Program or future Citizens debt. Representative Sawyer and Commissioner Tim Temple said the bill would likely redirect about $50 million in one-time surplus funds and would help expand a popular roof-mitigation program that has already awarded more than 4,600 fortified roofs. The bill drew support from several witnesses and was reported as amended without objection. Next, HB 1210, dealing with insurance claim disputes and a pre-suit review process for Louisiana Citizens claims, was discussed. Representative Dana Henry said he was voluntarily deferring the bill and instead pursuing a study resolution after hearing concerns from members and stakeholders. Department and Citizens officials said the proposal was modeled on Florida’s process and could help resolve disputes faster and cheaper, but the bill was ultimately voluntarily deferred after testimony and some opposition cards were noted. The committee then took up HB 1199, which requires coverage for genetic testing and treatment related to SCN2A-associated disorders. Representative Jordan and the Diedon family gave emotional testimony about their daughter Emily’s diagnosis and the importance of timely genetic testing. The bill was amended to require that testing be ordered by a provider and deemed medically necessary by the health plan, with discussion about whether a neurologist should be involved; members said that issue could be refined later. HB 1199 was reported as amended. Finally, the committee considered HB 880, the Louisiana Artificial Intelligence Insurance Fairness Act, which would regulate AI use in underwriting, rating, and claims. After a lengthy discussion about state insurance regulation, McCarran-Ferguson, and concerns that the bill could jeopardize federal broadband funding, Representative Jordan voluntarily deferred HB 880, and HB 920 was also deferred. The committee then heard HB 1221, which would limit the policy data collected for the Louisiana Fortified Program Fund. Former Representative Bowler argued the bill was needed to protect policyholder privacy, while the Department of Insurance and Commissioner Temple said the data is needed for surplus-lines premium tax audits, fraud detection, and consumer assistance after disasters. The discussion continued with questions about what data would be visible and how it would be used, but the transcript ends before a final action on HB 1221 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2022, they did a study.
• In 2022, they did a study.
• In 2022, they did a study.
• In 2022, they did a study.
• In 2022, they did a study.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: On February 3, 2025, the committee first took up Senate File 483, as amended by the A2 author’s amendment, which would expand Minnesota’s medical-review exemptions for drivers with a history of loss of consciousness or seizures. The bill’s author explained that current law still requires some people who have been seizure-free for years, and off medication for years, to keep returning to a physician for paperwork even when their doctor says no further review is needed. A testifier described losing his commercial driving career after a seizure disorder, then being forced to keep paying for periodic neurologist visits despite being seizure-free since 2003 and off medication since 2009. The committee adopted the A2 amendment and then approved the bill, sending Senate File 483 to the State Government Committee. The committee then heard Senate File 737, which would increase mandatory minimum fines for repeated school bus stop-arm violations from $500 for a first offense to $700 for a second and $950 for a third. The author and the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association argued that repeat violations remain too common and that stronger penalties, along with stop-arm cameras, would help deter dangerous driving and protect children. A State Patrol representative said 2024 saw about 2,100 stop-arm charges, roughly double two years earlier, and attributed much of the increase to cameras making violations easier to prove; he also said conviction rates on the charge are about 50 to 55 percent. Committee members asked about repeat offenders, camera coverage, and whether bus stop locations should be safer, with one member noting only 23 people had been convicted of a second offense since 2015 and one of a third offense. The discussion ended with no final vote shown in the transcript, but the bill received supportive testimony and extensive questioning about enforcement and bus-stop safety.

Transcript Highlights:

• We commissioned a study that was conducted by Price Waterhouse Cooper between 2017 and 2021.
• We commissioned a study that was conducted by Price Waterhouse Cooper between 2017 and 2021.
• We commissioned a study that was conducted by Price Waterhouse Cooper between 2017 and 2021.
• We commissioned a study that was conducted by Price Waterhouse Cooper between 2017 and 2021.
• <00:26:50.520> that economies we commissioned a study that economies we commissioned a study

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• People get funding every so many years, and they come out and study.
• So I wanted to question him where the funding was going to go and who was going to do the study.
• I questioned him where the funding was going to go and who was going to do the study.
• People get funding every so many years, and they come out and study.
• How would they know, how would we know, the feedback and that their studies and their findings?

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large slate of House and Senate bills, with staff giving short descriptions and members flagging a few concerns. Topics included veterans’ services and courts, child care grants, midwife medication authority, home- and community-based services funding, EMS reciprocity, prescription monitoring, electronic monitoring in care facilities, pregnancy resource center funding, mental health transportation, Access coverage for mild obstructive sleep apnea, school spending requirements, mobile home park training, local government investment pools, task order contract posting, tourism improvement areas, child welfare and kinship placement, neglect standards, family court evidence, prostate cancer cost sharing, assisted living hearings, manufactured home installer licensing, supervised parenting time, vulnerable adult trespass penalties, uranium contamination monitoring, a gas and petroleum refinery study committee, and state park fee exemptions for veterans. Several bills were described as unanimous or on consent, while others drew objections or were noted as controversial. Members raised privacy concerns about electronic monitoring in nursing homes, due process and rural capacity concerns about restricting police transport for mental health patients, opposition to pregnancy resource center appropriations, concerns about environmental review for power plant replacement, and questions about the Access sleep apnea mandate as potentially favoring vendors. Some bills were noted as having committee amendments, including changes to appropriations, eligibility criteria, reporting requirements, and definitions. No floor votes were taken in the transcript itself; instead, the chair repeatedly noted whether bills were unanimous, on consent, or had split votes in committee. The caucus also heard brief announcements about an upcoming breakfast with the CAP director, a Latino Caucus meeting, and an Affordability Award presented to Representative Volk, after which the caucus adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This was something I did a, oh my gosh, summer study committee.
• On the House side, we removed the Probate Study Committee.
• So the conference committee report just reinserts the Probate Code Study Committee, which is the way
• The Probate Code Study Committee is the way it came over from the Senate and the way that it's been.
• Revision Task Force to study the recodification of the current guardianship code.

Keywords: 964, all

Transcript Highlights:

• questions come from so if you've studied questions come from so if you've studied the<01:43:46.760
• I'll draw your attention to two major studies. The first one is a 2015 study by the U.S.
• safety and from all of the uh studies safety and from all of the uh studies that<04:02:25.680>
• your attention to two two major studies your attention to two two major studies uh<04:02:37.000>
• A 2018 study, a differences-in-differences study on New Jersey, which is actually kind of one of the

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Transportation Committee held a public hearing on HB 249, which would allow bicycles, and in the bill’s language human-powered vehicles and e-bikes, to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs when safe. The bill sponsor, Rep. Seth Miller, said the measure is intended to improve cyclist safety and traffic flow at no cost to the state, citing Idaho and Delaware as examples where similar laws were associated with fewer crashes or injuries. He emphasized that the bill would remain optional, would not let cyclists ignore cross traffic, and would help riders avoid the unstable “wobble” that comes from repeatedly stopping and starting, especially on cargo bikes or other heavier bicycles. Committee members raised concerns about predictability, liability, and whether the proposal creates a special class of vehicle. Rep. Crawford asked why the bill also addresses left turns on red for one-way streets; Miller said that provision is meant to address situations where bicycles do not trigger signal equipment and could otherwise be stranded at a light. Rep. Gannon questioned the lack of explicit liability language, and Miller said he did not know of a separate provision but would be open to an amendment if the committee wanted clearer language. Rep. Hill and Rep. Emble expressed concern that other drivers would not know what cyclists intend to do and that the bill could create special rules; Miller responded that cyclists would still be required to yield and that the law would not change right-of-way rules. Several witnesses testified in support. Michael Frank, a Spofford cyclist and League cycling instructor, said the bill would help him safely commute and carry heavy groceries by reducing the effort and exposure involved in restarting after a full stop. Tim Blagden, former head of the Bike Walk Alliance of New Hampshire, said the bill reflects how many people already ride, saves energy and time, and would still require cyclists to stop at red lights unless the intersection is clear. He also noted that traffic signals often do not detect bicycles. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, you why you do a cluster study.
• whatever<03:31:05.520> comes We're going to study whatever comes We're going to study whatever
• So we ran a study.
• <03:47:18.800> uh we've spent a lot of time studying uh we've spent a lot of time studying
• <03:49:02.319> are spent a lot of time studying are spent a lot of time studying are important

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:45:50.480> costing committee for the study of the costing committee for the study of the
• It’s one program of studies.
• you from the umbberger study you from the umbberger study the<03:22:46.960> page<03:22:47.279
• these other studies that have been done. these other studies that have been done.
• <04:33:48.480> and established a commission to study and established a commission to study

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I just wanted to point out I think that it's as part of the study.
• that study. that study.
• Spinsk's comments about the need for a study outside of industry.
• um outside of the need for a study um outside of industry.<01:36:52.320> Um<01:36:52.719>
• So maybe we have to lean upon the results of the study, and that might be a different discussion.

Bills: SF0028, SF0030, SF0031, SF0032

Keywords: voting, elections, electronic voting systems, transparency, public testing, voter registration, qualified elector, residency requirements, voting rights, mortgage modification, priority, electronic signatures, real property, financial covenants, 911 services, emergency response, grant funding, next generation technology, government accountability, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• committee to study committee to study neonicotinoid seed<00:49:01.040> treatments.
• <00:52:55.880> We to me we could at least study it. We to me we could at least study it.
• This bill is a result of the study This bill is a result of the study committee committee committee
• Is to refer this bill to interim study.
• quick three sentences from the SAU Study quick three sentences from the SAU Study Committee.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• interim study for SB570. interim study for SB570.
• Just want to say I agree with the motion of interim study.
• Um I was particularly concerned study.
• . study. study.
• study on Senate Bill 570. study on Senate Bill 570.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What we did in our time as a study group, um, which I'll break down in a minute, but we realize that
• We did in our time as a study group, um, which I'll break down in a minute, but we realize that when
• Representative Vernig was part of the study group, and it’s been fantastic working with her.
• Representative Vernig was part of the study group, and it’s been fantastic working with her.
• “One of the things that I really enjoyed about the study group was the bipartisan work, working with

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Fast forward to today, if you're a Chinese national looking to come study research in the United States
• We've moved those pieces around a lot in the last couple of years, and all we're doing is study.
• And that's all this study does. And all the partners have talked, everything should be good to go.
• Everybody that wants to be involved has been involved and invited, so it should be a good study that
• H.R. 171, as the representative said, calls for a study of the workforce-aligned aid programs, M.J.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 399 by Senator Bass, which would create the Louisiana Higher Education Research Security Council to review and potentially block certain gifts, contracts, academic partnerships, and research partnerships involving foreign adversary sources. Bass said the bill is intended to protect university research, intellectual property, and students from foreign influence, and would also require public disclosure of certain foreign-linked arrangements and a plan to eliminate foreign-adversary-linked software. Supporters from State Armor argued Louisiana universities have been vulnerable to Chinese Communist Party influence and intellectual property theft. Representatives from Tulane University and Lenovo raised concerns that the bill could create duplicative review, delay research, raise costs, and sweep in legitimate private or multinational entities; a proposed amendment to exempt entities operating under a CFIUS national security agreement failed 4-8. After debate, the committee moved SB 399 favorably. The committee then considered Senate Bill 310 by Senator Cloud, presented by Representative Carlson, which would require public school and college health centers to display information about pregnancy resources available in Louisiana. Supporters from Louisiana Right to Life said the bill would help connect pregnant students with existing state and private assistance programs, while the ACLU submitted a red card in opposition without speaking. The bill was moved favorably without objection. The committee also advanced House Resolution 171 by Representative Turner, which calls for a study of the workforce-oriented TOPS Tech and M.J. Foster programs, with business and workforce groups supporting the study as a way to measure outcomes and return on investment; it was moved favorably. Next, the committee took up House Bill 1084 by Representative Turner, a tuition autonomy bill for public post-secondary institutions. An amendment was adopted to add a conceptual framework for tuition-setting considerations, but the bill would still remove the existing 10% over two years cap and allow institutions to set tuition more freely. Turner argued universities need more flexibility because state funding has declined and campuses face deferred maintenance and operating pressures. Several members, especially Representative Carlson, warned that higher tuition could reduce access and that the bill did not address broader structural problems in higher education. Despite those concerns, HB 1084 was moved favorably by an 8-3 vote. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 351 by Senator Jackson Andrews, which would let families apply for child care assistance through CCAP once pregnancy is known, rather than waiting until after birth, to help move them up the waiting list. An amendment was adopted to have BESE, rather than the department, handle rulemaking and to allow the House and Senate education committees to approve the implementation process. The bill was then discussed as a way to help parents return to work sooner, and the hearing continued with questions from members.

Transcript Highlights:

• We, last year, I approached a senator about helping us with a study about the pay. Excuse me.
• We have a study resolution out. We have a study that actually Ms.
• And the other instrument that Senator Boudreaux talked about, the study resolution, is that something
• And that study is going to do the exercise that we had done privately?
• That would bring us the four years; they would line up at 2029, and from that point forward your study

Bills: HB27, HB143, HB205, HB308, HB311, HB417, HB430, HB562, HB812, HB1129

Keywords: inmates, department of public safety, per diem, local correctional facilities, jail funding, insurance premiums, Municipal Fire and Police, dedicated fund, assessments, Louisiana legislation, hazardous waste, cleanup fund, environmental protection, state treasury, Consumer Price Index, law enforcement, firefighters, health insurance, survivors benefits, Lafayette

Transcript Highlights:

• So the motion is interim study. Um, anyone else want to address this one? Interim study.
• make everything be study commissions. make everything be study commissions.
• uh, the motion is, uh, interim study. uh, the motion is, uh, interim study.
• >> 110 um motion of um interim study >> 110 um motion of um interim study passes.<04
• ,<04:38:57.840> but interim study, but interim study, but >> I<04:38:58.879> think

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the study the study school<00:06:51.800> calendars<00:06:52.880> and<00:06:53.040>
• study school calendars? study school calendars?
• <00:08:28.600> in they often are, it's it's a study in they often are, it's it's a study in
• We have history is already studied.
• on the brand new social studies on the brand new social studies framework<00:19:00.560> that<

Keywords: House streaming session for Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, quorum call, and approval of the previous day’s journal, then received Senate Bill 890 and several House committee reports. The first major measure taken up was House Bill 627, which establishes a Commission on Histories, Culture, and Civics in Education. Committee amendments clarified the commission’s purpose, membership, and charge to review curriculum materials and school calendars and make recommendations to the State Board of Education and the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Additional amendments added a disability community expert and preamble language. The bill prompted extended debate about whether the commission would promote diversity in curriculum, how it would address religious and ethnic representation, and whether it would include Christian or Catholic perspectives; supporters said it was meant to reflect communities that had requested inclusion and to improve the completeness of Maryland history, while critics questioned the need for a new commission and raised concerns about identity politics and curriculum control. The bill was ordered printed for third reading after second-reader consideration. The House also considered House Bill 1582, the Education Program Accountability, Comprehensive Outcomes and Measures of Progress for Supporting Schools (COMPASS) Act. An amendment removed references to advanced professional certificates and national board certification from school quality indicators and required annual reporting on the relationship between composite scores and concentrations of low-income students. During discussion, members asked whether the bill was changing the scoring system and how much weight academics would carry; the response was that academic indicators would remain a majority of the score, but no single indicator could exceed 20% of the composite. The amendment and favorable report were adopted, and the bill was ordered printed for third reading. The House then took up House Bill 1514 concerning Calvert County county officials and Board of Education salaries and benefits. Committee amendments were technical and removed a benefit provision related to a former commissioner; both the amendment and favorable report were adopted without opposition, and the bill was ordered printed for third reading. Finally, the chamber moved to special order calendar item Senate Bill 283, the Maryland Consolidated Capital Bond Loan of 2026. The House Appropriations Committee presented 198 amendments to the capital budget, describing them as balanced across regions and within debt affordability limits, and began moving the amendments in groups, starting with a technical amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• to do that study.
• <01:16:42.640> And Foundation to do that study. And Foundation to do that study.
• <01:17:17.199> I fund the study themselves. Thank you. I fund the study themselves.
• It's because the triannual Minnesota homeless study and its companion tribal reservation study.
• Any further study going forward.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I look forward to seeing the results of this study because I believe they will shine a light on just
• I look forward to seeing the results of this study because I believe they will shine a light on just
• There's actually a study that's going to be kicked off by the Longwood Collective, Dave Sweeney, who
• And I hope somebody's going to do a study on the transit. ...that's impacting everybody else.
• And I hope somebody's going to do a study on the transit. that's impacting everybody else.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on H. 3599, a bill concerning access to historic Indian lands and easements for landlocked tribal parcels in Massachusetts. Witnesses, including members of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Herring Pond communities, said the bill would restore access to family lands that have long been treated as landlocked and had been denied easements by necessity in prior court rulings. They described heavy tax burdens, prior litigation, and support from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, with conditional support from the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe pending language changes. Committee members asked about the tax assessments and the status of tribal support, and the chair said the committee would follow up on possible amendments. The committee then took up S. 2922, which would authorize an underground easement at Magazine Beach in Cambridge for the Greater Cambridge Energy Project. Eversource representatives said the easement is needed for a transmission line connecting the Brighton and Kendall Square substations, supporting grid reliability and the Commonwealth’s clean energy transition. They said DCR would receive fair market value and replacement land in Wendell to satisfy Article 97 requirements. No objections were raised, and the panel’s testimony concluded without a vote recorded in the transcript. Most of the hearing focused on H. 5047, which would authorize the Commonwealth to take the Norwood Hospital site by eminent domain so the hospital can be restored. Sponsors, local officials, hospital task force members, EMS and fire representatives, a chamber of commerce leader, and a former hospital administrator all argued that the 2020 flood and Steward’s bankruptcy left the region without adequate care, causing longer ambulance transports, emergency room boarding, staffing strain, and economic losses. They said the site remains a partially completed shell, that the state should be able to acquire it and bring in a nonprofit operator, and that the taking would not require state funding because an operator would pay the acquisition costs. Committee members from both chambers expressed support and asked about costs, timing, infrastructure, and whether a nonprofit operator is being pursued. The chair took the bill under advisement after extensive testimony; no vote was taken in the transcript.