Video & Transcript Research : 'constitutional amendment'

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TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Session Aug 12th, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's also grounded in the 14th Amendment and Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution.
  • Members, there is an amendment. The secretary will read the amendment, floor amendment number...
  • I follow an amendment. The secretary will read the amendment. Floor amendment number one by Hughes.
  • Amendments, excuse me. Amendment. Amendment. Or amendment number one by Bettencourt.
  • Hearing none, the amendment is adopted. The following amendment... I read the amendment.
Bills: SB8, SB4, SB43, SB1, SB2, SB13, SB6, SB10, SB16, SB14, SB3, SB8, SB4, SB43, SB1, SB2, SB13, SB6, SB10, SB16, SB14, SB3
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Local Government Apr 14th, 2025

Local Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • The act takes effect on January 1, 2026, but only if a constitutional amendment is created to provide
  • The act takes effect on January 1, 2026, but only if a constitutional amendment is created to provide
  • The legislature codified the constitutional principle Taxation shall be equal and uniform.
  • Because allowing sales into an equal and uniform case distracts from the constitutional question: is
  • , as long as those amendments still preserve those core principles that I just laid out.
Summary: The committee heard several local government and property tax bills, with most testimony focused on appraisal disputes, tax administration, and development rules. Senate Bill 1052 by Senator Hinojosa would address coastal county appraisal litigation by requiring property owners in certain large-value disputes to report an uncontested taxable value while appeals are pending, so taxing units can base truth-in-taxation calculations on more realistic revenue. Nueces County, Del Mar College, and Corpus Christi ISD testified in support, describing major budget shortfalls caused by refinery valuation disputes; the committee substitute narrowed and clarified the bill’s scope. No opposition was heard, public testimony closed, and SB 1052 was left pending. The committee also heard Senate Bill 1531, which would require local tax collectors to accept common electronic property tax payments such as credit cards, debit cards, and e-checks. Witnesses supported modernizing payment options and the committee substitute removed ACH/electronic funds transfer language to avoid bank-account disclosure concerns. Public testimony closed and the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 325, by Senator Perry, would restore platting and groundwater-certification requirements that were unintentionally weakened by prior legislation; supporters from county government, water groups, and builders’ representatives debated whether the real issue was groundwater protection or road standards for private roads. The bill was left pending after extensive testimony and no vote. The committee then took up Senate Bill 994 and SJR 46, which would exempt certain livestock feed inventory from property tax and provide the constitutional amendment needed for that change. Feed store and Farm Bureau witnesses supported the measure as relief for seasonal inventory taxes, and the bills were left pending. Senator Paxton presented SB 467 and SJR 84 to create a temporary property tax exemption for homes completely destroyed by fire, with refunds or corrected bills based on the date of loss; both were left pending. SB 1237 would clarify charitable property tax exemptions for senior housing and retirement communities, with testimony from Catholic and Baptist retirement organizations and a resident describing rising costs and exemption revocations; it was also left pending. The committee later voted 6-0 to report SB 2073, a pending bill on appraisal district authority to purchase or finance real property, and recommended it for the local and uncontested calendar. Finally, the committee heard SB 2172, SB 2173, and SB 2063, all related to property tax administration. SB 2172 would limit when appraisal districts can require homeowners to reapply for homestead exemptions, requiring a specific reason and written notice; SB 2173 would protect new homeowners from surprise tax liabilities caused by prior owners’ erroneous homestead exemptions, with testimony describing large back-assessment bills; both were left pending. SB 2063 would bar appraisal districts from using market-value evidence in unequal appraisal protests, and testimony sharply divided between taxpayer advocates, who said market data improperly overwhelms equity claims, and appraisal district representatives, who argued market value is inherently tied to equal-and-uniform taxation and cited a recent Texas Supreme Court decision; the bill was left pending after testimony.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

01/21/2026 - House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

Transcript Highlights:
  • Chair, members, House Concurrent Resolution 2001 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would be
  • Chair, members, House Concurrent Resolution of 2001 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would
  • With a constitutional amendment, you must refrain from being overly prescriptivist. Why is that?
  • I think separate issue with the bill and the constitutional amendment.
  • ...ballots, chaos in our elections as a constitutional amendment, you know why?
Summary: The committee met to hear several measures, beginning with HCM 2001 and HCM 2002, both memorials urging Congress to review and potentially designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations. Supporters argued the groups have documented ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood’s stated goal of undermining Western civilization, citing the Holy Land Foundation case, FBI concerns, and testimony from national-security advocates. Opponents, including CAIR representatives, Muslim community members, and civil-rights advocates, said the memorials relied on guilt by association, would stigmatize Muslims, and lacked a factual or legal basis; they emphasized CAIR’s civil-rights work and warned of First Amendment concerns and community harm. After extensive debate and questions about the relationship between national and Arizona CAIR entities, the committee approved HCM 2001 and HCM 2002 on 4-3 votes, with members on both sides explaining their votes at length. Supporters framed the measures as simple requests to Congress based on existing federal findings, while opponents called them political theater and discriminatory. The committee then recessed briefly. When the committee returned, it heard HB 2009, which would prohibit committees primarily organized to influence constitutional amendments from accepting foreign national contributions and require donor verification and disclosure of out-of-state funding. The sponsor said the bill is meant to help voters understand outside influence on Arizona constitutional initiatives and suggested it could be broadened to all ballot measures. The bill passed 4-3. The committee then took up HCR 2001, a proposed constitutional amendment on elections that would limit voting to U.S. citizens, ban foreign contributions to candidate and ballot measure campaigns, require government-issued ID, and adjust early voting and mail-ballot rules. A late amendment clarified that the citizenship requirement applies to primary, general, and municipal elections, set early voting to end the Friday before an election, and refined mail-ballot rules while preserving federal overseas military voting requirements. The sponsor argued the measure would make Arizona elections more secure and efficient, while critics said it would create barriers and longer lines. The transcript cuts off during sponsor questioning on the amendment and ballot-access provisions.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Leg Committee Meeting - 2025-04-09

Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • There is one more amendment, which is the A1, correct?
  • You move your amendment? I move that we approve Amendment A-1. All right.
  • They were going to get one-eighth of the money not through a constitutional amendment but through a carve-out
  • I mean, the stuff that was passed in this constitutional amendment would very easily be left on the sidelines
  • Now that we have the legacy amendment.
Bills: HF2563
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

House Legacy Finance Committee 4/9/25

Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • You move your amendment. I district. You move your amendment.
  • They were going to get 1/8 money, not through a constitutional amendment, but through a carveout when
  • They were going to get 1/8 money, not through a constitutional amendment, but through a carveout when
  • <00:54:56.720> amendment<00:54:57.200> would<00:54:57.440> very constitutional amendment
  • would very constitutional amendment would very easily<00:54:58.000> be<00:54:58.240> left<
Bills: HF2563
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Environmental Regulation Apr 3rd, 2025

Environmental Regulation

Transcript Highlights:
  • So the bill really needs to be amended.
  • So the bill really needs to be amended.
  • Representative Bell moves that HB 2546 be passed without amendment. be reported to the full House with
  • So, the primary difference in this bill is that there is a specific reference to the amendments to the
  • So the bill really needs to be amended.
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee Feb 11th, 2026

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • amendment.
  • Hearing none, the amendments amendment.
  • . amendment. amendment.
  • discussion on the amendment? discussion on the amendment?
  • amendment? amendment? >> All<01:06:53.760> right.
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

State Affairs Aug 15th, 2025

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • This bill poses significant risk to incarcerated trans Texans, particularly concerning the Eighth Amendment
  • statute unconstitutional, nor can it prevent individuals from seeking judicial relief under the Constitution
  • That's why we repealed the prohibition of alcohol through constitutional amendments.
  • This would lead to a constitutional crisis.
  • Um, I am against this bill, um, in part because of First Amendment issues, as was stated before.
Bills: SB6, SB7, SB8, SB11, SB12, SB13, SB15, SB17
Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 8, the Texas Women's Privacy Act, and heard extensive public testimony both for and against the measure. Supporters, including representatives of Texas Values and Texas Values Action, argued the bill was needed to protect women’s privacy and safety in restrooms, locker rooms, showers, prisons, domestic violence shelters, and other government-controlled spaces, and said it would provide clear, sex-based rules. Opponents, including many transgender Texans, civil rights advocates, clergy, business and public safety voices, and others, argued the bill would invite harassment, gender policing, lawsuits, and invasive inspections, while harming trans, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people as well as cisgender women who do not fit stereotypes. Several witnesses said the bill would conflict with federal law or prison standards, worsen safety in shelters and prisons, and hurt Texas’s reputation and economy. The chair repeatedly noted the compressed special-session schedule and said flood relief remained the session’s top priority. Public testimony on SB 8 was eventually closed, and the bill was left pending. The committee then moved to Senate Bill 6, dealing with consumable hemp product restrictions. Testimony on SB 6 focused on whether the bill went too far in restricting hemp-derived THC products. Opponents argued hemp and THC have medical and economic value, that the bill would criminalize conduct and burden courts, and that regulation—not prohibition—was the better approach. Some witnesses supported tighter rules such as testing, child-resistant packaging, and limits on marketing to children, but still opposed the bill’s broad THC ban, higher fees, and age restrictions. Several speakers emphasized benefits for veterans, chronic pain patients, and small businesses, and warned that prohibition would push consumers toward the illicit market. The committee heard the testimony and then continued with additional witnesses, with no final vote or disposition reported in the excerpt.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Ways & Means May 12th, 2025

Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • This would take effect on January first of 2026, but only if a constitutional amendment is approved by
  • SJR 84 is the constitutional amendment for a Senate bill.
  • Senate Bill 1453 amends the definition of current debt for the purpose of calculating an INS rate to
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

State Affairs Mar 19th, 2025

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Um, so my question is, are we gonna make another propose another constitutional amendment to fund the
  • Are we're going to make a constitutional amendment and put money into a big pot, and we're going to fund
  • Importantly, House Bill 274 will only take effect if voters approve a constitutional amendment allowing
  • I'm a big believer in the Constitution.
  • It was a walk bike road amendment to that plan.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

State Affairs - Part 1 Mar 19th, 2025

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Amendment. I'll just say substitute. The chair hears none. Substitute is adopted.
  • Without amendment, be reported favorably to the full House with recommendation that it do pass, be printed
  • Because this is currently in the definition of what constitutes. critical loads for public safety and
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • The AR-50 proposes a constitutional amendment that prohibits the legislature from imposing imposing new
  • Why a constitutional amendment prohibiting the legislature, or future legislatures, from taking this
  • And that's where this constitutional. Amendment came from in 2021.
  • How would failure to pass this constitutional amendment threaten retiree benefits?
  • Is that constitutional amendment as well? Yeah. No sales tax. Yeah, sales tax.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Ways & Means Mar 3rd, 2025

Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'd like to amend that to just on the bill, I apologize. Very good. Hold on.
  • Homestead exemption is more permanent because it's in the constitution.
  • That's why we have additional bills and constitutional amendments because we as a state, both the House
  • Resolution 1 is a constitutional amendment for House Bill 9.
  • This amendment simply allows the legislature to increase the business personal property tax exemption
Bills: HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22, HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee Mar 18th, 2026

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • Uh, that constitutional amendment is given favorable report at the time. >> Mr.
  • Uh<00:18:19.520> that<00:18:20.080> constitutional<00:18:20.559> amendments<00:18
  • :21.039> given Uh that constitutional amendments given Uh that constitutional amendments given
  • I just think you know we we move the<00:19:25.200> constitutional<00:19:25.600> amendment
  • c><00:19:25.919> out<00:19:26.080> of the constitutional amendment out of the constitutional
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama House Financial Services Committee Mar 4th, 2026

Financial Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • Um, it ended up in a really long amendment, which was confusing. So, we just appreciate that.
  • Yeah, because when we talked Thursday afternoon when you brought a three-page amendment I was like that
  • <00:06:49.840> long Um, it ended up in a really long Um, it ended up in a really long amendment
  • > three-page afternoon when you brought a three-page afternoon when you brought a three-page amendment
  • I was like that could be amendment I was like that could be problematic.<00:07:42.479> So,<00
Bills: HB259, SB247, HB259, SB247