Transcript Highlights:

• This is a time to reflect on the profound contributions Black Americans have shaped our history, our
• I think one of the things that's important that we recognize today is that we honor the contributions
• And their important contributions to our society, and I respectfully ask. your aye vote.
• Violence in dating is not limited to adults. Sadly, it can affect our youth as well.
• Her contributions to law enforcement and the community will ever be forgotten.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Tarr: contribution limits to state party committees. Mr. President.
• Tarr: increasing individual contribution limits to candidate committees.
• Tarr: increasing individual contribution limits to candidate committees.
• Tarr: increased PAC contribution limits. The question comes on adoption of the amendment.
• Rausch, late contribution reporting.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate considered a campaign finance and ballot question transparency bill, taking up a series of amendments. Several amendments offered by Senator Tarr were rejected, including proposals on safety-based redactions, standardized valuation/liability reporting, higher contribution limits, municipal ballot question reporting, tax-exempt entities in ballot campaigns, and post-election audits for all statewide elections. Amendments by Senators Rausch and DiDomenico were adopted, including late contribution reporting and retroactive reporting with an emergency preamble. Senator Feingold’s amendment to prohibit pay-per-signature arrangements for petition gathering was also adopted after a roll call vote. The bill, Senate No. 2898, An Act improving campaign finance reporting by state ballot question committees, was then passed to be engrossed by a 38-0 vote. The Senate next took up Senate No. 2903, An Act honoring Blue Star families, which would provide specialty license plates at no charge to the parent, child, or spouse of a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty. Senators spoke in support, emphasizing the sacrifice of officers and their families, including the recent funeral of Officer Stephen LaPorteur. The bill was ordered to a third reading and then passed to be engrossed by a 38-0 vote. The chamber also approved several committee extension orders. These extended deadlines for the Committees on Aging and Independence, Education, Public Service, and Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, with members noting the limited number of bills and the need for additional time to complete review, cost analysis, or respond to commission reports. The Senate then adopted an order to meet again the following Tuesday at 11 a.m., dispensed with printing a calendar, and adjourned in memory of Stuart H. Altman.

Transcript Highlights:

• Defined contribution benefit.
• Contributions into the assumed income match their actual defined contribution account, but there is an
• that some assumptions increased contribution rates...
• That's the measurement date used to calculate those contribution rates.
• Thank you. ...decreases in contribution rates for most plans.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, it's limited to eight semesters or 16 quarters. ...limited to eight semesters or 16 quarters with
• We put a measure in a couple of years ago that limited budget growth to 6.25%.
• to... ...payroll growth, it can contribute to unfunded liability.
• How long does a defined contribution last?
• They have to be contributing along the way for that to have that opportunity.

Bills: HB188, HB52

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, patient rights, medical treatment, access, affordability, income tax, CHOOSE Act, education funding, ABLE account, tax credits, poverty threshold, legislative funding, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• previous year's 2023 contribution limitation.
• previous year's 2023 contribution limitation.
• previous year's 2023 contribution limitation.
• previous year's 2023 contribution limitation.
• previous year's 2023 contribution limitation.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a 2% contribution called the Public Education Employer Contribution, or the PEEC.
• ISDs contribute 2% on the minimum salary schedule.
• ISDs contribute based on the minimum salary schedule, but we are contributing on employees' full salaries
• So, charter schools contribute 2%, ISDs contribute 2%, and 2% on the minimum salary schedule.
• doesn't mean we go to the limit every time.

Bills: HB886, HB1514, HB2434, HB2688, HB2802, HB3161, HB3221, HB4029, HB4339, HB4591, HB4774, HB4802, HB4853, HB5627, SB1737

Keywords: retirement, supplemental payment, benefits, Employees Retirement System, eligible annuitants, legislation, annuity, service credit, Employees Retirement System of Texas, employee benefits, pension reform, public retirement systems, municipality pensions, firefighters, police officers, retirement age, DROP program, actuarial studies, pension benefits, municipal retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• I have Miss limits of two minutes.
• contribution increase of 3.8%. contribution increase of 3.8%.
• employer's contribution. employer's contribution.
• large part of my mandated contributions large part of my mandated contributions are<01:19:53.600
• bill which I'm okay with within limits. bill which I'm okay with within limits.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am especially proud of the contributions our small businesses have made here in Sacramento.
• SCR 178 appropriately recognizes the profound contributions Jewish Americans have made to California's
• Members, California is stronger when we celebrate the contributions of every community that helped to
• But beyond those contributions, this resolution is also about values.
• And it's used to collect contributions for those in need, making giving and service a visible part of

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, guest recognitions, and approval of the journals. A motion by Senator Strickland to withdraw SB 1035 from committee for a floor vote, described as a temporary gas tax suspension to lower gas prices, was debated procedurally and failed on a 22-aye, 22-no vote. The body then moved through Governor’s appointments, confirming Siva Gunda to the California Energy Commission, Tony Sertich as Executive Director of the California Housing and Finance Agency, and Craig Snellings to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, all by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The Senate also adopted several commemorative resolutions. SCR 151 designated May 2026 as ACL Injury Awareness Month; SR 105 declared May as National Tennis Month; SCR 175 recognized Behavioral Health Awareness Month; SCR 176 designated Small Business Month; and SCR 178 recognized Jewish American Heritage Month. These measures drew extensive floor remarks, especially SCR 178, with senators from multiple caucuses speaking about Jewish history, contributions, diversity, and the need to oppose anti-Semitism and hate. All of these resolutions passed, with SCR 178 adopted 38-0. The chamber then considered a series of policy bills, many of which passed with broad support. Measures approved included SB 922 on local cost recovery for street damage from public service operations, SB 932 on litigation transparency, SB 971 on older adult community connections, SB 1400 on Alameda Health System governance, SB 1228 on certain existing outdoor advertising displays in former redevelopment areas, SB 997 on groundwater agency authority, SB 1115 on reforming the Tulare County Public Cemetery District, SB 1088 on advance care planning forms, SB 1242 on family participation in CARE Court, SB 1364 on parental rights in rape-related child custody cases, SB 993 on protecting mental health professionals’ identifying information, SB 1094 on prescription drug biosimilar use, SB 1117 on ADU fee calculations, SB 1244 on broker compensation disclosures for public agency health plans, SB 1315 on autonomous vehicles, SB 1398 on Green Globes building certification, SB 1085 on water supply assessments for large projects, and SB 1316 on wage theft and labor enforcement. SB 1177 on high-speed rail reporting drew opposition from Senator Strickland, who argued the project should be ended, but the bill still passed after debate. The transcript ends as the Senate begins consideration of SB 1146, which would require disclosures for AI-generated health advertisements.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:24:33.679> or determined separate health limits or determined separate health limits or
• systemic barriers that often limited systemic barriers that often limited that<00:35:42.880>
• The contributions and innovations.
• There are times when is very limited.
• gross domestic product, contributing gross domestic product, contributing $450<01:36:30.880>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's not limiting. ...litigation to make certain that it has merit.
• And that's not limiting liability in a fashion? No, it's not.
• has not limited transport of goods and services.
• Contributions were never submitted. Officers were never properly enrolled.
• Contributions were never submitted... Officers were never properly enrolled.

Summary: The committee first approved the May 5 minutes and then heard House Bill 578, which would define sex in Louisiana law as biological sex, replace references to gender with sex in various statutes and forms, and direct the Law Institute to make conforming changes. Supporters from the governor’s office said the bill would bring clarity and consistency, while opponents argued it could create conflicts with existing law and weaken protections tied to gender identity. After debate, the committee reported HB 578 favorably. Members then considered House Bill 1250, a measure aimed at aerospace-related litigation. The bill would allow a special motion to strike certain claims against aerospace flight entities when the claims are preempted by federal law. Senators raised concerns that the language was broad enough to affect airports, airlines, contractors, and even unrelated incidents, and the author said he was willing to work on narrowing amendments. The committee nevertheless reported HB 1250 favorably. House Bill 718, dealing with liability protections for private airstrips used for recreation, was amended to narrow its scope and then reported favorably, while House Bill 163, a narrower related airstrip bill, was voluntarily deferred so the committee could work from the other measure. The committee also approved House Concurrent Resolution 61, which asks the Louisiana Law Institute to review possible conflicts between the constitution and statutes on expropriation. House Bill 180, defining foreign adversaries and agents of foreign adversaries for a proposed constitutional amendment, and House Bill 192, a constitutional amendment barring foreign adversaries from expropriating land in Louisiana, were both reported favorably. House Bill 1008, which sets out academic freedom and whistleblower protections for higher education, was rejected on a roll-call vote after concerns about its scope and limits on university discipline. House Bill 638, a prompt-payment bill for contractors, was set aside while amendments were being located. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 71, which would extend existing liability protections for justified use of force to properly trained armed security guards. The author and the Board of Private Security Examiners said security officers receive training and often face dangerous situations, but opponents argued the bill would give too much protection to personnel with far less training than law enforcement and could shield bad shootings. After debate, the committee voted to defer HB 71. The last measure discussed was House Bill 1082, which would change venue rules for lawsuits involving the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System so actions by the system would be filed where the employer is located; the author said the bill was meant to help small municipalities, and members indicated they were open to narrowing amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• . contribution. contribution.
• We have employer contributions contributions contributions 1.363 1.363 1.363 uh<00:59:43.599> billion
• Uh, the employer contributions...
• Uh, the employer contributions there is a fixed statutory rate for employer contributions.
• contributing uh to health insurance. contributing uh to health insurance.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The meeting opened with a quorum call, the Pledge of Allegiance, a prayer, and approval of the prior meeting minutes. The first presentation was from Bo Craycraft of the Judicial Form Retirement System, who gave an update on investment performance, asset allocation, cash flow, and projected employer costs. He reported strong fiscal year 2025 investment results, with both the legislative and judicial retirement plans outperforming their actuarial assumed rates of return and benchmarks, driven largely by U.S. equity performance. He also noted the plans remained near their target asset allocation and continued to experience negative cash flow, though he said that was manageable in context of strong asset growth. Craycraft then discussed a recent experience study and actuarial assumption changes, especially a revised salary growth assumption and a higher cash balance interest credit rate. He said these changes increased projected employer costs, with contributions rising from about $700,000 to a projected $2 million in later years, though he expected the eventual 2025 valuation and investment gains to reduce that estimate. Members asked about mortality assumptions, the impact of the experience study on liabilities, and the sharp increase in the judicial plan’s projected employer cost. Craycraft explained that the increase was driven mainly by the updated assumptions and that no other major plan changes were involved. At the chair’s request, Craycraft also addressed the recent rise in Medicare Advantage premiums for the plan’s health coverage, saying the 2025 increase was largely tied to Part D changes and the Inflation Reduction Act and had been about 45%, but that future growth was expected to be under 5%. After his presentation, the committee moved to the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority update, where the next speaker began by saying the funds had exceeded actuarial assumed returns for the fiscal year.

Transcript Highlights:

• Young people in secure confinement at Echo Glen have limited programming opportunities.
• And as a result, we've been forced to limit our activity in that program.
• In total, donors contributed $40 million to communities.
• However, the exact role of the preference in contributing to those goals is unclear.
• Going forward, the exemption is now limited to new construction.

Summary: The committee met on July 15, 2026, but initially lacked a quorum, so it could not adopt prior minutes. Chair Jerry Pollett welcomed new member Senator Victoria Hunt and new JLARC staff, and noted national recognition for recent JLARC reports. The meeting then moved into a series of preliminary audit presentations and an agency strategic management update, with committee members asking questions after each item. JLARC presented a preliminary audit of DCYF’s Juvenile Rehabilitation programs. Staff concluded that crowding, staffing shortages, weak risk assessments, and inconsistent programming combine to create unsafe conditions. The report found that most youth are housed in two large secure facilities operating near or above capacity, incidents rise as population rises, 47% of frontline staff leave within a year, current assessment tools are not valid for the population, and program access depends more on facility than individual need. JLARC made one recommendation to the legislature to address crowding and seven to DCYF, including improving retention, training, incident response procedures, validated assessments, program alignment, and data quality. DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter said the agency agreed overcrowding is a serious problem, described ongoing efforts to improve staffing and safety, and said a detailed response would be provided later. Committee members raised concerns about education access, retaliation against staff or youth who participated in the audit, and whether JR-25 has helped or worsened conditions. JLARC then presented a preliminary audit of Labor and Industries’ enforcement of farm worker labor laws. The audit found that L&I generally meets inspection timelines for health and safety complaints, but not for wage and hour or retaliation complaints, where delays are driven largely by time before assignment to an investigator. Staff said complaint volume exceeds capacity, though the agency has added staff, created screening processes, and reorganized workloads, and 2026 legislation now allows prioritization of complaints and broader investigations. JLARC recommended that L&I report back in December 2026 and December 2027 on backlog reduction and implementation of the new law. An L&I representative said the agency is hiring additional staff and will provide a formal response later. The committee also received a JLARC overview and Department of Health strategic management plan update on hospital data reporting, inspections, complaints, and adverse event reporting. DOH reported measurable progress on inspection compliance, new staffing and licensing systems, translated complaint forms, and plans for future work on language access, adverse event reporting, and financial data dashboards. After lunch, JLARC began its 2026 tax preference performance reviews. The first review covered the Main Street tax credit, which JLARC said has helped increase the number of Main Street communities and businesses, with positive growth near designated districts; JLARC recommended continuing the preference and improving business-count data. The second review covered the equitable access to credit program, which JLARC said appears to support underserved communities by funding loans through CDFIs; JLARC recommended continuing the preference beyond its 2027 expiration. The committee began questions on the program mechanics and the role of the Community Reinvestment Act, and the presentation was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• to spend tax revenues beyond a certain limit each year.
• That's called the State Appropriations Limit at the state level.
• And then the third is that it limits.
• So the voluntary contributions have been very significant if you look at it as what was contributed in
• the moment that it was contributed, right?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• limits.
• limits.
• You'd be stuck with the same limits you have.
• You'd be stuck with the same limits you have.
• Contributions to candidates or reasons we limit how much lobbyists or interest groups or others can give

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, within limits, of course.
• In addition to the limitations that are in statute, there's also limitations on rulemaking authority
• They continue to grow. employee and employeer contributions and employee and employeer contributions
• members can make pre-tax contributions members can make pre-tax contributions into<03:39:21.720>
• Contributions.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held an orientation for new and returning members of the House committee on agencies and administration, with introductions from members and staff. Chair Carol Maguire outlined her expectations for hearings: keep questions focused on the bill, be respectful to witnesses, and use the committee’s orientation opportunities to learn about the jail staff, retirement system, and Office of Professional Licensure. Members also discussed related assignments on other bodies, including the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules and the Joint Committee on Employee Classification, and noted that some members already serve on those panels. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the State Building Code and the committee’s upcoming workload. Members explained how the state code is intended to provide a common baseline while allowing limited local options, and why municipalities must formally adopt and publish any local amendments. They reviewed several anticipated bills: a consolidation bill to gather building-code enforcement materials in one place, a bill to update the state energy code, a bill to restrict municipal adoption of building-code changes, and a bill to update the electrical code. Members also discussed how building codes apply to older homes and commercial buildings, and why code updates are important for safety and clarity. The chair said the committee had 36 bills currently scheduled, including many early bills that must move by March 6 because they will be heard by two committees. She said the committee would use subcommittees for harder bills, with three subcommittees this year: pensions, licensing, and likely state building code. She also outlined the hearing schedule, including lighter bills on February 12 and the expectation of executive sessions later in the month. No votes were taken during the orientation, but members were told that public hearings do not require a quorum and that hard copies of bills would be distributed by committee staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• And they contribute their business knowledge.
• , and their ability. you to contribute as you've heard this evening.
• And have no doubt that sexism has contributed to that fall in poverty.
• She is a contributing taxpayer and, of course, a public servant to her community.
• There is no time limit. and possibly claw back tuition if things change.

Bills: HB232

Keywords: disaster recovery, natural disaster, weather disaster, emergency relief, flood relief, hurricane relief, storm damage, wildfire, tornado, hail, windstorm, extreme heat, ice storm, snowstorm, property damage, personal injury, temporary housing, relocation assistance, lost wages, state emergency management

Transcript Highlights:

• Dreamers living, working, and contributing to the San Antonio economy.
• They are already contributing, already dreaming of giving more.
• That somehow limits somebody else from not getting that seat.
• In Texas, undocumented immigrants contribute $5.4 billion to our economy.
• This translates to more than $450 million in economic contribution.

Bills: SB1798, SB1835, SB1319, SB2942, SB2928, SB784, SB1049

Keywords: higher education, tuition rates, financial support, immigration status, Texas law, SB 1835, resident tuition, nonresident students, scholarship students, public higher education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Education Code Section 54.213, tuition waiver, in-state tuition, out-of-state students, higher education finance, enrollment cap, capacity limit, workforce development area, nonimmigrant visa

Transcript Highlights:

• startup costs and initial contributions startup costs and initial contributions and<01:51:40.159
• maximum aggregate limit. maximum aggregate limit.
• DRA has aggregate limit is reached.
• So you contributions to the account.
• for dollar like credit for contributions for dollar like credit for contributions up<02:09:20.239

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that brings the overall contribution level in line with the contribution levels of the previous plans
• contribution would not be impacted by this draft.
• The employer contribution amount would not be impacted by the draft.
• This bill would transition the coverage from a dollar limit to a service limit, irrespective of the cost
• This bill would transition the coverage from a dollar limit to a service limit, irrespective of the cost

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• had to have to adhere to that limitation had to have to adhere to that limitation that<00:33:10.320><
• And I contributed to that, but that's not the answer for me to contribute to Northwood. Okay.
• answer for me to contribute to the answer for me to contribute to Northwood.<01:08:11.599> Okay.
• Thank you. the so-called budget limitation, but by the so-called budget limitation, but by the<01:29:
• And then the question limitation.

Keywords: 1189, house, all