Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here to present AB 2110, which provides local governments with the authority to...
• And around California, affordable housing developers and their partners, and local governments and local
• A motion do pass to the Assembly Committee on Local Government. Roll call vote.
• Many of us served on local government before. I know my colleague did. I did.
• AB 2252 also authorizes local governments to pursue single-stair local standards.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It inserts government into a doctor's examination room.
• , something which is what makes government effective.
• , something which is what makes government effective.
• It plainly states a violation of state or local law.
• Senate Bill 1055 requires local police to report a person to ICE and Senate Bill 1055 requires local

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And often, your zip code is the strongest predictor of whether you do.
• This is not a little local home rule bill.
• States are organized into local associations.
• Pilots know the local details such as depths, currents, and hazards.
• governments alike.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee hearing covered several bills related to environmental, natural resources, and maritime issues. Representative Markey testified in support of H. 1000, which would create a commission to study financing wastewater infrastructure, especially in southeastern Massachusetts and the South Shore, citing combined sewer overflows and impacts on aquaculture. Members agreed the core challenge is finding long-term financing for wastewater solutions. The committee also heard testimony on H. 902 to establish an Office of Outdoor Recreation, with supporters describing its role in expanding access, supporting underrepresented communities, and helping grow the outdoor economy. Related testimony also supported H. 986, which would codify the Division of Ecological Restoration and the Office of Fishing and Boating Access within the Department of Fish and Game, with witnesses emphasizing habitat restoration, flood reduction, public access, and boating/fishing opportunities. A major portion of the hearing focused on H. 901/S. 597, “An Act Providing Nature for All,” which would dedicate existing sporting goods sales tax revenue to a new conservation fund. Supporters from Mass Audubon, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Appalachian Mountain Club, Trust for Public Land, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, and conservation groups argued the bill would provide a sustainable revenue stream for land conservation, parks, trails, wetlands, water protection, and climate resilience, while also advancing environmental justice and outdoor recreation. They said the state needs roughly $300 million more per year to meet land conservation goals and that the bill could generate about $100 million annually without raising taxes. Committee members asked about balancing conservation with housing and development, and witnesses said the goals are compatible and that the bill includes safeguards. Witnesses also noted similar funding models in other states. The hearing also included H. 1053, a bill to create a Merrimack River Collaborative. Regional planning and watershed advocates said the river faces bacterial contamination, heavy metals, combined sewer overflows, and other pollution, and that a formal collaborative would help coordinate municipalities, state agencies, and nonprofits across the watershed and possibly across state lines. Another bill, H. 4109, would relocate harbor lines in New Bedford Harbor to allow reconstruction of deteriorating bulkheads at a waterfront industrial site; the New Bedford Port Authority, engineers, and the property owner said the change is needed for permitting and would support port modernization and jobs. Finally, the committee heard extensive testimony on S. 641 regarding marine pilotage in New Bedford. Supporters argued the bill would remove a District 3 pilotage restriction and improve port flexibility and offshore wind operations, while opponents warned it would undermine the state’s compulsory pilotage system, weaken safety, and allow ship owners to shop for pilots. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas and New Mexico certainly stand out.
• Texas and New Mexico certainly stand out.
• Local property tax authority decreased significantly with...
• The local share is 60 mills on the taxable valuation and 75% of other local in-lieu of property tax revenue
• and 30 days in prison in Century Code already.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Texas Tech University and is a proud graduate of
• The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee, to whom has been referred House Bill 24
• Government elections, Indian Affairs Committee, then the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.
• House Bill 165, introduced by Representative Serato and Dixon, an act relating to local government, clarifying
• House Government Elections and Indian Affairs Committee. Too late. I just gaveled. It's too late.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh so that is something government.
• government intervention. government intervention.
• > legislature<01:40:22.719> had just what the Texas legislature had just what the Texas
• <02:59:18.000> Um, federal government, CMS. Um, federal government, CMS.
• and service code.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Bills: SB1636, SB1772, SB1221, SB1932, SB1687, SB1213, SB843, SB1410, SB1317, SB1338, SB1976, SB1314, SB1191, SB1613, SB1246, SB1439, SB1930, HR1044

Keywords: cold case, unsolved homicide, violent crime, case file review, law enforcement, police records, victim family, immediate family member, designated person, forensic testing, witness reinterview, investigative leads, cold case unit, unsolved murder, public safety, Title 21, Oklahoma statutes, motor vehicle safety, headlamps, headlights

Transcript Highlights:

• For both the state of California and local governments, and that lower-income Californians won't be the
• Texas does this, but Texas actually goes further. Texas taxes custom software.
• These employees can live in Texas.
• These employees can live in Texas.
• You see, unlike our sister units of local government, cities and counties, special districts do not generally

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:21:13.440> More and local taxes to our country. More and local taxes to our country.
• and state federal government.
• private forest owners, tribes, and local private forest owners, tribes, and local and<01:21:14.320
• May their may their local community.
• submitted by the Code, code of the rule submitted by the Environmental<03:35:30.080> Protection

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This undercount cost Texas seats. There’s no question.
• But the reason I showed you is Texas has 250-plus counties.
• About 20% of the counties in Texas actually did something in LUCA.
• This is based on a sample of blocks in Texas that gets compared to the actual enumeration.
• Rural clerks are at the hands of local budgets.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on the Census met on December 8 at 9:32 a.m. to examine the dynamics that drive census undercounts and overcounts, with testimony first from Joseph Salvo and then from Susan Strait of the UMass Donahue Institute. Salvo explained the Census Bureau’s two main evaluation tools: demographic analysis, which uses vital records, migration estimates, and Medicare data to produce a national benchmark, and the post-enumeration survey (PES), which compares a separate sample-based count to the census. He said the 2020 census showed a small national net undercount, but larger age- and race-based disparities, including the highest undercount among children ages 0 to 4, higher undercounts for men, substantial undercounts for Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations, and overcounts among some older and college-age groups. He also described how self-response, non-response follow-up, administrative records, proxy responses, and imputation affected data quality, arguing that proxies and imputation were especially weak and that outreach remains critical for 2030. Committee members asked Salvo to clarify the methods and error bands, the role of international migration estimates, and how the PES differs from the census address list and LUCA. He explained that PES is based on a separate sample of blocks and can add units within sampled blocks, but it does not measure units missed entirely from the original address list; LUCA matters because it improves that list before enumeration. He also discussed age heaping, duplicate responses among older adults, and why group quarters and COVID-related disruptions complicated the 2020 count. Senator Driscoll briefly interrupted to describe Randolph’s successful appeal of its 2020 count after an undercount in disability care homes, and Salvo noted that the post-census group quarters review helped correct some missed facilities. Susan Strait then focused on Massachusetts-specific results. She said Massachusetts’ 2020 count was strong overall, with population growth above the national average and a PES-based finding that the state was overcounted by 2.24 percent, though she emphasized that this did not mean all areas were accurately counted. Using demographic analysis, she said Massachusetts had an estimated 4.15 percent undercount of children ages 0 to 4, with the largest county-level undercounts in Hampden, Suffolk, and Essex, and she linked higher child undercounts to lower educational attainment and female-headed households. Strait also reviewed operational metrics showing that Massachusetts had relatively strong internet self-response, but that non-response follow-up relied heavily on household interviews, administrative records, proxies, and imputation in different counties. She highlighted higher proxy use in college-heavy counties such as Hampshire and Suffolk, and said counties with more minority residents were more likely to have population-count-only cases and other indicators of harder-to-count populations. The hearing ended with discussion of how these findings could inform outreach and census planning for 2030.

Transcript Highlights:

• The state understood the magnitude of that decision and committed to hold local governments harmless
• It's an avenue... ...that, you know, any local government would take to try to open up an opportunity
• My name is Felipe Donair, and I'm AFSCME Local 29 president.
• This is really government in action.
• But they also operate networks in Texas... ...but they also operate networks in Texas, Florida, I believe

Summary: The hearing began with a vote-only agenda and then focused first on San Mateo County’s request to restore in-lieu vehicle license fee (VLF) funding. County officials, city leaders, labor representatives, nonprofits, and public safety advocates argued that the loss of roughly $157 million would force major cuts to homelessness services, housing assistance, mental health programs, libraries, parks, fire and police staffing, and other local services. They described the current formula as outdated and unfair, tied to school funding and basic-aid dynamics that no longer work for San Mateo County, and urged both an immediate budget restoration and a permanent legislative fix. The Department of Finance said the payments are discretionary, not statutorily required, and noted the administration does not view the expenditure as sustainable in the current fiscal climate. Committee members expressed sympathy, questioned the formula, and said they would keep the issue under consideration; the committee later voted to move the two vote-only items on the agenda. The committee then received an update from the Department of General Services on state property redevelopment, including the Hillcrest DMV site in San Diego, the Fell Street DMV site in San Francisco, and other state-owned properties. DGS explained that Hillcrest is not currently an active project, while the Fell Street project shifted from an integrated DMV-housing plan to a more feasible relocation of the DMV into leased commercial space, with a budget change proposal pending. Members pressed DGS on the slow pace of redevelopment, the potential for housing on state sites, and the costs and feasibility of adaptive reuse. DGS said many state buildings are aging and that adaptive reuse depends heavily on building design, floorplate depth, light, and risk from unknown conditions behind walls. The Government Operations portion then turned to the California Education Learning Lab, which supports intersegmental higher education innovation grants. The Lab asked for permanent restoration of $4 million in ongoing funding and a move of its home agency from the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to GovOps, along with technical trailer bill changes. Supporters said the program has funded more than 120 projects reaching thousands of faculty and hundreds of thousands of students, including work on generative AI in higher education. The Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended rejecting the restoration and continuing the wind-down, citing the state’s projected deficit and suggesting the California Education Interagency Council could pursue non-state-funded grant opportunities instead. The committee held the item open. Finally, GovOps presented the new California Education Interagency Council staffing request, seeking four ongoing positions to support the council, with funding already included in last year’s budget. The department said the governor has appointed Debbie Cochran as executive officer and that the remaining positions are being recruited. Finance and LAO had no objections, and the committee began questions about how the council will be staffed and organized.

Transcript Highlights:

• An oil field service company based in Beaumont, Texas, is a foreign corporation.
• An oil field service company based in Beaumont, Texas, is a foreign corporation.
• What governs?
• It should be the code, but it depends upon the judge. Thank you.
• We fix something in the statute, in the code.

Summary: The Senate Judiciary A Committee met on May 5, 2026, with five members present and adopted the April 28 minutes. The committee then heard and favorably reported several measures, including HCR 31, which asks the Louisiana Law Institute to study replacing or clarifying the term “foreign” in state law; HB 263, allowing the 14th JDC magistrate judge to handle certain specialty court felony matters; HB 299, clarifying paper filing rules for jury bonds and related payment issues; HB 535, simplifying hospital-based acknowledgments of paternity by removing the two-witness requirement while keeping notarization; HB 571, codifying the 19th JDC’s complex litigation section program; and HB 538, increasing the East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Court fee cap from $15 to $75 to help offset court costs. The committee also reported HB 215, raising the small succession affidavit threshold from $125,000 to $200,000, and HB 226, adding a 10.1 conference requirement before requests for admissions are deemed admitted, with discussion about discovery fairness and default judgment exceptions. The committee also took up HB 324, which makes judicial stipend increases permanent and adds a 2.7% salary increase for judges effective July 1, 2027; an amendment restoring the second year of the COLA was adopted, and the bill was reported with amendments. HB 1043, raising the jurisdictional amount in Jefferson Parish first and second parish courts, was amended to increase the amount from $35,000 to $50,000 and then reported with amendments. HCR 6, directing the Law Institute to study forced heirship and disinherison issues, was amended to add reporting language and related Civil Code references and then reported with amendments. HB 1006, changing summary judgment deadlines to give opponents more time to respond, was amended and reported by a 3-2 vote after roll call. Two more substantive bills drew extended debate. HB 1239 would strengthen the presumption that parents share physical custody equally unless a court finds that arrangement infeasible or not in the child’s best interest; supporters framed it as a parental-rights measure, while an attorney in opposition warned it would increase litigation, reduce stability for children, and be used as leverage in child support disputes. Despite the opposition, the committee reported the bill favorably. HB 190, as amended, would create a duty of reasonable care for certain software/app providers toward minors and require expert testimony, while excluding manufacturers; supporters said it was aimed at protecting children from harmful platform design, but opponents argued the proposal was unnecessary because existing tort law already covers negligence and warned it could create new causes of action and uncertainty over whether software is a “product.” The committee heard testimony from the Louisiana State Law Institute, the sponsor, and outside witnesses, but the transcript ends before final action on HB 190 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• The more you are involved in your local county government and the local city government, the more you
• understand the machinations of county government and the local city government, the more you understand
• Very simply, this bill creates a statewide framework if local code enforcement officers for a local government
• Very simply, this bill creates a statewide framework if local code enforcement officers for a local government
• The procedure is coming from the local governments.

Summary: The Committee on Rules met and first approved several open-government sunset repeal bills and related measures. SB 7024 and SB 7026, both sponsored by Senator Mayfield, were explained as consolidating and extending public records/public meetings exemptions for cybersecurity information and trade secrets held by agencies; both were reported favorably. SB 7020, sponsored by Senator Trumbull, reenacted an aquaculture records exemption for records held by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and was also reported favorably. Later, the committee approved SB 14 and SB 24, claims bills for relief involving Miami-Dade County, and SB 16, a claims bill for Heriberto Sanchez Mayan against the City of St. Petersburg; all were reported favorably without opposition. The committee also approved CS for SB 806, a consumer right-to-repair bill creating portable wireless device and agricultural equipment repair acts, despite opposition from several industry groups, and reported it favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• govern that behavior?
• It's knowing codes. It's a whole broad range of things.
• It's knowing codes. It's a whole broad range of things.
• It's knowing codes. It's a whole safety. It's knowing codes.
• > a<04:47:57.920> broader Texas, for example, allows a broader Texas, for example, allows

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that is local officials, local governments, few in the state.
• The extension of us as a state, that's local governments as well as the state itself, from participating
• I think there are three local governments that should terminate their contracts with ICE at the earliest
• And the audacity that the state government is coming here and telling local and federal government how
• Would this, I hear you talking about local governments, would this also prohibit state government from

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:26:09.080> for funding uh through the government for funding uh through the government
• Part of the insurance code. Yes, it's part of the insurance code. Thank you.
• Part of the insurance code. that? Part of the insurance code.
• include a few local ones, too. include a few local ones, too.
• government has done things. government has done things.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• government, etc.
• It has a government slant in payment.
• And then code groupings. So those are like super code groupings.
• I am the President of CWA Local 7076.
• We should be able to follow through on what I believe is natural; that government, especially government

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is a refund of local sales and use taxes. That's for House Bill 1033.
• That's assistance to emergency medical assistance and local law enforcement.
• Weaver touched on was being able to go back to the local high schools.
• The LEARNS Act has made the local offices noncompetitive with the schools.
• There's this budget here, and then there is the local.

Summary: The committee first filed a report on the executive protection detail and then reviewed a long list of House and Senate bills that were ready for action, with members instructed to hold any items they wanted removed. The committee then took up several agency requests to amend bills: the Auditor of State’s request for a $370 increase for special deputy expense allowance, the Administrative Office of the Courts’ requests for additional funding for court interpreters and substitute court reporters, and requests tied to local sales tax refunds, county property tax redistribution, emergency medical and law enforcement support, and Northwest Arkansas Community College tornado-related repairs. All of those amendments were adopted, and one amendment on House Bill 1034 was held over at Senator Johnson’s request. A major portion of the meeting focused on an amendment for the Department of Corrections to fund a pilot program using mobile technology to identify and disable illegal inmate cell phones at Varner and Cummins prisons. The bill sponsors and Corrections officials described the problem as a serious public safety issue, saying inmates use contraband phones for criminal activity, trafficking, scams, and outside coordination. Members asked about FCC rules, procurement, whether the system would jam or only identify phones, whether it would affect staff or nearby users, how quickly it would work, whether it would be a one-time or ongoing cost, and whether the department had existing budget authority. Officials said the proposal would require an RFP, that current funding was not available in the department’s budget, and that the technology would be a two-year pilot. The committee ultimately adopted the amendment and then gave the underlying bill a do-pass recommendation. The committee also considered an amendment for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, which sought a $4 million increase in appropriation authority. Senators discussed the division’s role in county extension offices, 4-H, research, and salary competitiveness, while others questioned why the division needed more appropriation room when it already had about $10 million in headroom and had requested a different funding level through higher education. Division representatives said the increase would help with salaries and provide flexibility for future funding, and Higher Education staff clarified the original request and recommendation amounts. After extensive discussion, the committee adopted the amendment and gave it a do-pass recommendation. Finally, the committee began acting on governor’s letters, adopting amendments for a homestead property tax credit increase, insurance department conference travel, property appraisal analysis support, career and technical education professional development, regulatory and casino gaming appropriations, a new program integrity line for the Department of Inspector General, consolidation of licensing board appropriations, deletion of a completed Fort Chaffee Readiness Center appropriation, and a revised reappropriation package for prison expansion that included special language limiting use of the funds. Members asked several questions about the prison reappropriation, including whether it still related to the earlier Calico Rock project and whether special language should be considered separately; the committee moved the governor’s letters forward for drafting and further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then on the last page, uh, here is where we cover, um, the codes, so current codes and then codes to
• National Electric Code. National Electric Code.
• Worse, there are some existing code provisions that local authorities might enforce improperly. also
• code is part of the state building code. code is part of the state building code.
• > that<01:21:30.719> local existing code provisions that local existing code provisions

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• government administration. government administration.
• He noted his concern about the state coming into local government and controlling what is going on at
• getting a new area code in McGomery. getting a new area code in McGomery.
• our local boards as well. Correct. our local boards as well. Correct.
• This bill would also reduce receipts to any local government that levies a rental or lease tax that parallels

Keywords: 1136, house, all