Transcript Highlights:

• Council District 1, millions of dollars are barely going into putting these solar lights.
• We don't have solar for that. It doesn't fix when the red lights go out.
• We don't have solar for that just yet.
• We don't have solar for that. It doesn't fix when the red lights go out.
• We don't have solar for that just yet.

Committee: House Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:09:39.160><c> work</c><00:09:39.320><c> to</c><00:09:39.519><c> build</c><00:09:39.760><c> a</c> solar
• um and as we work to build a solar um and as we work to build a reliable<00:09:40.399><c> affordable
• that you see with migrating<00:13:55.399><c> birds</c><00:13:56.199><c> with</c><00:13:56.360><c> solar
• <00:13:57.000><c> it</c><00:13:57.160><c> it</c><00:13:57.480><c> there's</c> migrating birds with solar
• it it there's migrating birds with solar it it there's effects<00:13:58.079><c> on</c><00:13:58.279>

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Transcript Highlights:

• Noticing you have a slide that has quite a bit of solar and battery on there.
• And then, in recent years, you see the growth in solar, wind, and batteries.
• And this last year, we did almost 14 gigawatts of combined wind, solar, batteries, and gas.
• The red line reflects the intermittency that you see in solar and wind.
• And then during the winter peaks, there's no solar support.

Bills: SB438 , SB512 , SB647 , SB648 , SB1495 , SB2121 , SB2145 , SB2154 , SB2167 , SB2184 , SB2211 , SB2268 , SB2349 , SB2443 , SB2629 , SB2702 , SB2902

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce met with a quorum and took up several pending bills, voting favorably on SB 1612, SB 2717, SB 1468, SB 1642, and SB 1789. SB 1612 was reported favorably with objections to the local and contested calendar, while SB 2717, SB 1468, SB 1642, and SB 1789 were reported favorably, with SB 1642 and SB 1789 sent to the floor. SB 2717 would create the Texas Energy Efficiency Council; SB 1642 would add an executive director to the Texas Department of Insurance structure; and SB 1789 would establish pole standards and clarify PUC authority and remedies. The committee also heard an ERCOT update from CEO Pablo Vegas on the updated long-term load forecast, which showed a much higher unadjusted growth projection driven largely by data centers. ERCOT described an adjusted forecast using historical delays and lower realized build rates, and members discussed reliability, generation timelines, and the importance of SB 6 for demand response and flexibility. The committee then heard and left pending SB 2629, which would allow condominium and property owners’ association meetings and voting by electronic means; SB 2702, which would let nationally certified professionals test backflow prevention assemblies without a separate TCEQ license; SB 2167, which would let TDLR pause new license applications tied to human trafficking emergency orders or pending SOAH cases; SB 2349, which would exempt short-term leases and certain leasebacks from flood disclosure requirements; SB 2121, which would tighten the data broker registry law; and SB 2443, which would authorize TDLR electronic delivery of notices and other documents. Testimony generally supported these bills as cleanup, modernization, or workforce-streamlining measures, with some members expressing caution about electronic meetings and emphasizing in-person accountability. The committee also heard SB 2902 on coerced debt and identity theft, with testimony from a law professor and family violence advocates supporting stronger protections for survivors and suggesting a police report as an additional proof option. SB 512, a refiled bill restricting money transmission license holders from fining users for terms-of-service violations, also received supportive testimony and was left pending. Later, the committee heard SB 2145 on allowing certain TIF boards to meet virtually in narrow circumstances, SB 2268 on extending Texas Energy Fund loan deadlines in some cases, SB 1495 creating an EV supply equipment advisory board, SB 2154 regulating delivery network companies under a statewide framework, SB 2184 lowering the age for pyrotechnic operator and fireworks display permits from 21 to 18, SB 2211 on combining data centers, power generation, and produced-water desalination projects, and SB 647 on title theft protections and clerk authority to refuse fraudulent filings. Most of these bills were left pending after brief testimony and questions, with members focusing on reliability, regulation, and safeguards against fraud.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Lillian Mervis with the Large Scale Solar Association here today in strong support for SB 1097.
• LSA's member companies are responsible for developing much of California's existing solar and storage
• My understanding is California actually is a leader in terms of solar and geothermal development, among
• Jacob Brent, with the California Retailers Association, in respectful opposition. In opposition.
• Jacob Brent, with the California Retailers Association, in respectful opposition.

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Summary: The committee heard several bills related to environmental quality, housing, transportation, and waste policy. SB 1375, by Senator Cortese, would create a narrow CEQA exemption category for certain transit and rail projects that have already undergone extensive environmental review. Supporters, including VTA, the City of San Jose, BART, Caltrain, MTC, and Climate Reality Silicon Valley, said it would reduce duplicative review and speed projects like the Diridon Station modernization. Committee members emphasized added amendments requiring displacement, construction-impact, and natural resources plans, and the bill passed 5-0 as amended to Transportation. The committee then took up SB 1031 on compostable plastics labeling. The author and supporters such as Californians Against Waste and the California Compost Coalition argued the bill would reduce consumer confusion, curb contamination in compost and recycling streams, and direct OEHHA to study health and environmental impacts. Opponents including manufacturers, BPI, retailers, and other industry groups said the bill would effectively ban compostable products in California, harm businesses, and fail to fix the underlying National Organics Program issue. After extensive discussion about labeling, composting capacity, and costs, the bill passed 2-2 on call to Appropriations. SB 958, relating to the Midway Rising redevelopment project in San Diego, was presented next; supporters said it would help move forward a large housing and mixed-use project on city-owned land after years of review and voter approval, and it passed 3-0 on call to Local Government. SB 1075, the Clean Air Promise, drew the most extensive debate. The bill would strengthen implementation and enforcement of AB 617 community emissions reduction plans and local plans in overburdened communities. Environmental justice advocates and youth supporters backed the measure, while local governments, business groups, air district representatives, and industry groups warned it would create uncertainty, add land-use constraints, and act as a housing and cost driver. The author accepted several committee amendments and said the bill was still being worked on, but the motion to pass it to Local Government resulted in a 2-2 tie and the bill remained on call. SB 1064, by Senator Dahle, would reduce clean truck check testing frequency for low-use heavy-duty vehicles and equipment from twice a year to once a year. Agricultural and trucking witnesses supported it as a practical, cost-saving change, while air quality advocates opposed weakening a program they said prevents excess emissions and protects public health. The bill passed 4-0 on call to Transportation. Finally, SB 1258 was presented as a revised measure on remediation of hazardous waste sites on the Cortese list. The author said the committee amendments replaced the bill’s original approach, but he continued to argue that remediation should be aligned with housing development so contaminated infill sites can be cleaned up and built on more efficiently. Developers and environmental consultants supported the concept, saying current timing rules create risk and leave sites idle, while the committee continued to hear testimony as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Jacob Brent with the California Retailers Association, with a respectful oppose-unless-amended
• I'm Lillian Mervis with the Large Scale Solar Association, here today in strong support for SB 1097.
• LSA's member companies are responsible for developing much of California's existing solar and storage
• Jacob Brent, with the California Retailers Association, in respectful opposition.
• Jacob Brent, with the California Retailers Association, in respectful opposition.

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Uh, it can be for solar projects.
• </c><00:16:58.160><c> It</c><00:16:58.320><c> can</c> &gt;&gt; Uh it can be for solar projects.
• It can &gt;&gt; Uh it can be for solar projects.
• It also puts retailers at a disadvantage versus online retailers.
• Uh this bill came at the request of some retailers in the state.

Transcript Highlights:

• The retail will stay at the base.
• </c> where you'll keep retail at the base. where you'll keep retail at the base.
• That is commercial or retail use.
• </c> now between office employees and retail now between office employees and retail tenants.<00:48:29.680
• But solar and wind generating resources.

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of our projects just Excuse me, the The solar, the solar project that we were expecting, um, that
• for 100% daytime solar.
• A very big ah solar system. And then we use the solar energy to power the reactor.
• Um, the reactor is a closed system and so basically we have a solar panel and then the solar energy will
• because it's used at non-solar times.

Transcript Highlights:

• As we look up in the northern part of the state with a co-op that's developing significant solar plus
• storage resources, I think we'll see these... ...solar plus storage resources.
• I'm asking, if we're bonding for specific 10 acres right now, that's where we're going to put new retail
• and perhaps housing and stuff like that, that's going to pay for the bond. ...retail and perhaps housing

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 248, the general obligation bond bill, which would authorize about $392.5 million in bond capacity for senior centers, libraries, and higher education, special schools, and tribal school projects. The sponsor highlighted major projects including a new UNM School of Medicine, a multidisciplinary building at NMSU, renovations at New Mexico Tech, a technical innovation center at CNM, an agricultural science and arts building at ENMU, and library renovations at New Mexico Highlands. Public testimony was supportive, especially from the New Mexico Library Association, and members discussed how the bond process works, including application timing, readiness to spend funds, voter approval, and how unspent bond proceeds revert. The committee voted do pass on HB 248 without opposition. The committee then considered House Bill 309, which would clarify property tax valuation rules for electric energy storage facilities by extending the existing special valuation method for electric generation, transmission, and distribution to battery storage and similar technologies. Supporters from PNM, InterWest Energy Alliance, and Inventergy said the bill would provide consistency and clarity as storage becomes more important to grid reliability and clean energy development. Members raised questions about depreciation, the 12-year schedule, the 20% floor on valuation, possible effects on local government revenues, whether the bill would apply to utilities and co-ops, industrial revenue bonds, and whether it covered microgrids or only battery systems. The committee approved HB 309 on an 8-3 vote. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 48, which would authorize $92 million in bonds for the State Fairgrounds District to support redevelopment of the southwest corner of the fairgrounds, including land acquisition, green space, water and sewer infrastructure, and traffic calming and pedestrian safety improvements near San Pedro and Central. Support came from neighborhood groups, housing advocates, the city of Albuquerque, the chamber of commerce, and others who described the project as a long-term investment in safety, infrastructure, and economic revitalization for the surrounding area. Members questioned the bond repayment structure, the 25-year term, the use of district gross receipts and gaming tax revenues, parking impacts, and future bonding needs. The committee voted do pass on SB 48 by a 10-2 margin.

Transcript Highlights:

• Reservoir, the first above-ground storage in half a century, as well as the world's largest battery and solar
• You provided grants to police departments and prosecutors to combat organized crime, retail theft, and
• You provided grants to police departments, prosecutors, to combat organized crime, retail theft, and
• Two-thirds today, two-thirds of our energy comes from clean sources: solar, hydro, wind, geothermal,

Transcript Highlights:

• The solar farm that came to North Caddo Parish, we learned from Dr.
• Now the port did receive $225,000 a year from the solar farm to the port.
• The port has room for retail development.
• And if you watch a lot of these abatements, the taxes that pay, like with the solar farm, most of them
• The port was very active in doing that with the financing of that, also the solar farm in North Caddo

Summary: The committee first heard and favorably reported House Bill 1175, which updates aeronautics-related definitions to make Louisiana more attractive to the aviation industry. It then approved House Bill 655, giving DOTD clearer authority to contract for operation and maintenance of state ferry systems on a cost-plus basis, with testimony focused on flexibility for the Cameron Ferry and other state-run ferries. House Bill 1037, which reorganizes certain DOTD operations by shifting duties to a chief operating officer and extending work on a unified permitting platform, was also reported favorably, as was House Bill 1174, which recreates the Department of Transportation and Development on a revised cycle. House Bill 714 was voluntarily deferred. The committee next took up several port-related measures. House Bill 871, which would have added two St. Tammany appointees to the Port of New Orleans board, was voluntarily deferred after the author said the timing was premature given ongoing work on the LIT project and regional trade zone issues. House Bill 345, expanding the Rail Infrastructure Improvement Program to include rail infrastructure at ports, was reported favorably. House Bill 713, which would cap the Caddo-Bossier Port executive director’s compensation at the statewide average of the top ten port directors, drew extensive testimony for and against; supporters argued the salary was excessive and the port needed accountability, while opponents said ports are different from one another, the local appointing authorities already oversee the board, and the bill could hurt recruitment. The committee voted 12-1 to involuntarily defer HB 713. House Bill 667, which would change the Caddo-Bossier Port Commission from appointed to elected members, also drew strong opposition over cost, voter confusion, and loss of local appointing authority, and it too was involuntarily deferred by a 12-1 vote. The committee then favorably reported House Bill 743, creating the Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport District in St. Mary Parish, after testimony that the airport should be managed as a dedicated economic development asset. House Bill 836, which would reconfirm members of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East, was amended to move the reconfirmation date from August 1, 2026, to December 1, 2026, to avoid disrupting hurricane-season operations, and was reported favorably by substitute. Finally, House Bill 730, concerning the use of ADS-B aircraft tracking data, was discussed with an amendment limiting the bill’s application to smaller aircraft; the measure was presented as a privacy and safety bill to prevent assessors or others from using ADS-B data to impose fees or taxes on aircraft owners.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:53:31.040><c> and</c><00:53:31.280><c> solar</c> we've found that with uh solar and solar we've
• battery policy, I mean solar and and battery policy, I mean solar and solar<00:53:34.000><c> and</c>
• In the Solar United Neighbors.
• of solar.
• </c><01:31:54.719><c> Um</c> plug-in solar. Um plug-in solar.

Bills: HF2986 , HF3555

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• flexible options, from acquiring zero-emissions trucks to building charging infrastructure, installing solar
• in the South Coast created a menu of options, flexible ability for industry to comply by installing solar
• Leticia Garcia with the California retailer. Mr.
• Lettisa Garcia with the California retailer. Opposed. Hi, good evening.
• Leticia Garcia with the California Retailers Association, also in respectful opposition. Thank you.

Committee: House Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• It amends and reenacts two sections of the Code of Virginia relating to retail franchise agreements,
• The bill provides for non-compete and retail franchise agreements. I move the committee substitute.
• House Bill 683 relates to a solar interconnection grant program, established report, and sunset.
• House Bill 1234 relates to land development and solar canopies in surface parking areas.
• House Bill 1234 relates to land development, solar canopies in surface parking areas.

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 2296 establishes requirements and other conditions for the use of portable solar generation
• in your EBB by Representative Hall, H-3246.1, first it removes all provisions related to portable solar
• So the intent of the underlying policy is to create pressure on the market to test, develop, and retail
• So the intent of the underlying policy is to create pressure on the market to test, develop, and retail
• or still asking for a yes vote on this bill to create pressure on the market to test, develop, and retail

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2436, a technical fix to Washington’s oil tanker escort tug requirements in Puget Sound waters. The bill would require escort tugs to have either horsepower equal to 5% of the tanker’s deadweight tonnage or 3,000 horsepower, whichever is greater. Rep. Lekanoff and the Washington State Board of Pilotage Commissioners said the change aligns statute with existing rules and industry practice and supports protection of the Salish Sea and southern resident killer whales. No opposition was raised, and the hearing was closed without action at that point. The committee then heard House Bill 2322, which changes Clean Fuels Program rules and tax incentives for alternative jet fuel. Supporters, including Rep. Dent, Sky Energy, 12, and the City of Moses Lake, said the bill would provide certainty for large-scale sustainable aviation fuel investment by changing the trigger for tax incentives and clarifying that certain renewable electricity, including hydro, can count as zero carbon. Ecology opposed the bill’s treatment of electricity accounting, saying it would weaken incentives for new renewable generation and could reduce the clean fuels program’s emissions benefits. U.S. Oil asked for additional clarification or changes to allow Pierce County participation or define “blender.” No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. In executive session, the committee passed several bills. Substitute House Bill 2343, dealing with discharge permits for publicly owned animal facilities, passed 21-0. Proposed second substitute House Bill 1420, creating a textile and apparel coordinating organization for a needs assessment, passed 12-9. House Bill 2426, allowing Pollution Control Hearings Board appeals to be heard by a single member or alternative panel by agreement, passed 19-2. Substitute House Bill 2271, expanding post-consumer recycled content requirements for certain plastic products, passed 12-9. Substitute House Bill 2215, adjusting Climate Commitment Act fuel supplier thresholds, passed 12-9. Substitute House Bill 2421, restricting 6PPD and certain substitutes in tires, passed 11-9 with one excused after an amendment to exempt rural eastern Washington was rejected. Action on House Bill 2301 and House Bill 2296 was deferred to a later meeting due to time constraints.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> &gt;&gt; Uh,<00:32:33.440><c> Retail</c><00:32:33.840><c> Merchants</c><00:32:34.159><c> of</c><
• ; Uh, Retail Merchants of Hawaii in support.
• My name is Dave Erdman, interim president and CEO of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii.
• to be a burden for our retail member businesses and working families.
• </c> continue to be a burden for our retail continue to be a burden for our retail member<00:32:59.279

Bills: SB3326 , SB2911

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Summary: The committees heard SB 3001 on artificial intelligence in a joint Commerce and Consumer Protection/Labor and Technology hearing. Testimony included support from the Department of Education and Google, comments from the Office of Consumer Protection and the Attorney General’s office, and late opposition from Agentic LLC. The Attorney General raised constitutional and vagueness concerns and suggested clarifying amendments, while Google said the bill’s risk-based approach and proposed amendments could help establish industry-wide safety standards for minors. The committees recessed and then voted to pass SB 3001 with amendments, adopting DCCA/OCP recommendations on data minimization for minors and UDAP clarity, the Attorney General’s proposed clarifications and deletions, and Google’s nonconflicting amendments; the effective date was deferred to July 1, 2050. The vote passed unanimously among members present, with some members excused. The Commerce and Consumer Protection committee then took up several previously heard measures in decision-making. SB 2045 on combat sports passed with amendments reflecting DCCA and boxing commission recommendations, including clarifying the on-site medical professional requirement, reporting duties, promoter payment, removal of the combat sports registry and ambulance requirement, and other technical changes; the effective date was deferred to July 1, 2050. SP 2347 on the residential landlord-tenant code passed with amendments striking landlord requirements so OCP could work on a multilingual tenant-rights notice, and SP 2495 on consumer protection passed with amendments requiring OCP to publish an annual report on potential code violations. SB 2777 on insurance was deferred to February 17, 2026 for further decision-making. At a later CPN decision-making agenda, SB 2471 and SB 2829, both relating to the powers of artificial persons, passed with amendments clarifying the preamble, removing language about foreign artificial persons, and making other consistency and non-substantive changes; both effective dates were moved to January 1, 2027. SP 2033 on renewable energy also passed with amendments clarifying the definition of grid-ready homes, cost-sharing provisions, applicability to interconnecting customers, and safety/certification compliance, with the effective date deferred to July 1, 2050. In each case, the committee voted to adopt the recommendations without objections from members present. The committees also heard SB 3000 on insurance, which would authorize the Attorney General to bring civil actions to recover costs and losses tied to climate-attributable harm and future climate risk, including costs incurred by state insurance-related entities. The Insurance Division and Attorney General’s office offered comments seeking clarification and warning about redundancy, implementation issues, possible representation of private insurers, and concurrent litigation concerns. Supporters, including the Center for Climate Integrity, a resident testifier, Sierra Club, and Green America, argued the bill would help shift insurance costs to fossil fuel companies responsible for climate harms and address rising premiums and nonrenewals in Hawaii. Opponents, including the American Petroleum Institute, argued the bill singled out one industry, raised constitutional concerns, and should be deferred because related climate litigation is already pending. The transcript ends with the committee continuing testimony and discussion on SB 3000 and then moving into SB 3326 on energy, where the consumer advocate and Hawaiian Electric opposed the bill’s proposed separation of generation from transmission and distribution, while the PUC stood on written testimony, Retail Merchants of Hawaii supported it, and Life of the Land raised concerns about assumptions and the need for more substance.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the AG's office, we pursued a solar company that went out of business.
• In the AG's office, we pursued a solar company that went out of business.
• In the AG's office, we pursued a solar company that went out of business.
• In the AG's office, we pursued a solar company that went out of business.
• Company that went out of pursued a Solar Company that went out of business<00:24:36.640><c> we</c><00

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• There are solar with electrolysis and battery energy storage.
• Like any new part of the economy, especially the green economy, wind and solar and geothermal, you don't
• The dealers themselves, on the retail side, are facing a flattening, if not declining, market.
• You know, 2015 is when the first retail hydrogen station came online, and at the time the first cars
• It would be really tough to do this with wind and solar.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are solar with electrolysis and battery energy storage.
• Like any new part of the economy, especially the green economy, wind and solar and geothermal, you don't
• The dealers themselves... ...and be successful, the dealers themselves on the retail side are facing
• You know, 2015 is when the first retail hydrogen station came online.
• It would be really tough to do this with wind and solar.

Summary: The Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy held an informational hearing on California’s hydrogen leadership, with the chair framing hydrogen as a complementary clean-energy pathway for hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy-duty trucking, transit, rail, ports, industrial uses, and backup power. The first panel of private-sector witnesses from the California Hydrogen Business Council, Bosch, Hyundai, and Sierra Northern Railway described existing deployments in California, including hydrogen buses, trucks, fueling infrastructure, and the nation’s first hydrogen fuel cell switcher locomotive. They emphasized that the technology is commercially ready but scaling is constrained by permitting delays, high fuel and equipment costs, infrastructure gaps, and uncertainty around federal support and incentives. Witnesses urged stable state policy, targeted investment, and concentrated deployment in high-impact corridors such as ports and freight hubs. Committee members also asked about labor standards, community engagement, and the current size of the hydrogen vehicle fleet in California and abroad. The second panel focused on air quality, climate, safety, and public health. Testimony from CAPCOA, the Coalition for Clean Air, the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, and a UC Berkeley researcher argued that hydrogen fuel cells can reduce diesel-related pollution and health harms when used in the right applications, especially in ports, rail yards, warehouse corridors, transit depots, and backup power for facilities like data centers. Witnesses cautioned that hydrogen should be used selectively, produced as cleanly as possible, and paired with early community engagement, safety planning, and environmental justice protections. The researcher cited projected reductions in NOx, particulate exposure, premature deaths, and health costs under broader hydrogen adoption. Committee members discussed workforce training, apprenticeship programs, and how to balance near-term costs with long-term infrastructure value. The final panel provided public-sector updates from SamTrans, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Port of Long Beach, and First Public Hydrogen Authority. SamTrans described its transition to a large hydrogen bus fleet and said the loss of expected ARCHES funding created a major infrastructure gap; it asked the state to protect transit funding, restore a sales tax exemption for zero-emission buses, and address axle-weight rules. GoBiz said the state should focus on creating demand, reducing costs, and streamlining permitting, while acknowledging the disruption caused by the federal cancellation of ARCHES funding. The Port of Long Beach reported hydrogen truck deployments, port incentives, and a planned public fueling station, but said high costs, fuel shortages, and uncertainty have slowed momentum. First Public Hydrogen Authority described efforts to aggregate municipal demand and support new green hydrogen production projects, stressing the need for long-term market signals and financing. Committee members repeatedly emphasized the need for state support, infrastructure investment, and a diversified fuel strategy to keep hydrogen deployment moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• other sorts of occupied uh office retail other sorts of commercial<01:22:33.920><c> property</c><01:
• So if you start to see a few hundred-acre tract now covered with solar panels, number one is how are
• So if you start to see a few hundred-acre tract now covered with solar panels, number one is how are
• There's a planned 1,500-acre solar installation that's scheduled to go online in 2027, so I've had the
• installation. hundred acre tract now covered with hundred acre tract now covered with solar solar solar

Committee: Senate Taxes