Transcript Highlights:

• And are we going to provide an opportunity for all Californians to benefit from that, no matter where
• California women's business centers create $79 in local economic benefit for every dollar invested.
• This limited access to providers further exacerbates existing health care disparities.
• Because we were the first, the limits were narrow.
• If approved, however, the bill should at least be limited to handicapped drivers.

Committee: Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think I'm probably at my limit.
• Limited and effective... Limited and effective government.
• Government's limited, but it's still vital as we're moving through things.
• . ...they'll lose eligibility for those important benefits.
• And how soon will the people start getting those SNAP benefits again?

Committee: Joint Economic Development and Workforce Services Interim Committee

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that I think are for the benefits that I think are for the Commonwealth<00:26:51.600><c> our</c><00:
• Currently, under the statute, limited x-ray machine operators are not allowed to perform their duties
• x-ray machine operators are not limited x-ray machine operators are not allowed<00:29:48.440><c> to<
• If an LXMO comes into a practice, then it might limit the ability for the students to come into that
• Chairman. and we're we're able to do it and it uh and we're we're able to do it and it uh benefit<00:

Keywords: Call to Order 00:00 Roll Call 00:05 HB 566 Discussion 01:34 HB 566 Vote 16:42 HB 39 Discussion 19:15 HB 39 Vote 23:10 HB 70 Discussion 24:48 HB 70 Vote 27:36 HB 72 Discussion 28:58 HB 72 Vote 39:45 HB 79 Discussion 41:45 HB 79 Vote 42:58 HB 223 Discussion 45:34 HB 223 Vote 46:24 Adjournment 47:38, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 566, which would implement the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation created last year. Chairman Cook described major provisions affecting charitable gaming, horse racing, sports wagering, and quarter horse racing, including locking charitable gaming fees in statute at a slightly lower rate, expanding charitable gaming board representation, preserving existing gaming technology, allowing school districts to hold charitable gaming licenses, and setting up self-funding for the new corporation through administrative set-asides from gaming-related funds. The bill also addresses uncashed vouchers, cross-training of investigators, ethics and employment provisions, and a three-year quarter horse breeding incentive intended to grow the industry. A committee substitute made two technical changes: clarifying voucher money stays with the track facility and making the school district itself the license holder. The substitute and then the bill both passed favorably, with several members noting concerns from last year but supporting the revised structure. The committee then heard House Bill 70, an interstate compact for dietitians. Sponsor Representative Vanessa Grossl and witnesses said the measure would allow reciprocity with other compact states, improve workforce mobility, help military families, expand patient access and telehealth, and reduce administrative burden on the licensing board. The committee substitute created a third license category for educational interpreters, but that language actually belonged to the next bill; for HB 70, the committee voted the bill favorably without reported amendments. The bill passed unanimously or near-unanimously and was sent to the House floor. Next, House Bill 72 was presented by Representative DJ Johnson to amend the law governing limited x-ray machine operators. The sponsor explained that current law effectively prevents limited x-ray operators from working in the same facility as other imaging equipment, which he said creates compliance problems, disrupts training, and can force practices to move equipment or lose employees. The bill would allow limited x-ray technicians to operate in the same facility as other imaging equipment. During discussion, some members noted opposition from students and others in the field, and the sponsor invited industry witnesses to explain their concerns. The transcript cuts off before final action on HB 72 is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Statutes of the limitations of God on by. True confessions time.
• If we make this a mandated benefit, it could be a statewide effect of 1 to 4%.
• In California, the state limited the rates that were set generally.
• We said, we mandated as a state what the minimum limits... We did that.
• We said we mandated as a state what the minimum limits had to be.

Bills: SB154 , SB187 , SB193 , SM3

Committee: Senate Senate Conservation

Keywords: insurance, wildfire, flood damage, natural disasters, property coverage, water projects, appropriation, New Mexico, finance authority, infrastructure, New Mexico Finance Authority, funding, SB193, acequia, community ditch, irrigation works construction fund, water infrastructure, ditch infrastructure, irrigation, New Mexico water law

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> a federal government, but it was limited a federal government, but it was limited and<00:12:44.880
• And then a calls for term limits.
• </c> gotten to 34 states on on term limits. gotten to 34 states on on term limits.
• </c> term limits has 12 states. We have 28. term limits has 12 states. We have 28.
• I end up benefit from the funding.

Keywords: Concurrent meeting of the House Standing Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs and the House Standing Committee on State Government. Title of video has been shortened due to YouTube length restrictions. Discussion of HCR 45: 00:04:14, 958, all

Summary: The joint meeting of the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee and the House State Government Committee was called to consider House Concurrent Resolution 45, sponsored by Representative Jason Petri. The resolution would support calling for a federal balanced budget amendment through the Article V process. Petri argued that Kentucky’s own constitutional balanced-budget requirement shows the value of fiscal restraint, and he said decades of federal deficit spending and rising debt make a constitutional amendment necessary. Governor Ron DeSantis and Lauren Ends of the National Campaign for a Balanced Budget Amendment also testified in support, emphasizing the growth of federal debt, the risk of a future debt crisis, and the view that Congress is unlikely to solve the problem on its own. Members asked about the mechanics and risks of an Article V convention, including whether the convention’s “sole purpose” language would be enforceable and whether a convention could become a “runaway” process. DeSantis and Ends said states can impose guardrails on delegates, including criminal penalties and delegate-limitation laws, and noted that any proposed amendment would still require ratification by 38 states. They also said that if Congress chose to draft the amendment itself in response to state pressure, that would be acceptable. One witness said 18 states have passed faithful-delegate or delegate-limitation laws. Representative Callaway asked what would happen if the debt issue is not addressed. Witnesses responded that continued borrowing could lead to economic dislocation, higher interest costs, and a debt crisis that would crowd out other federal spending. They said the current debt burden is already more than $100,000 per U.S. citizen and roughly $300,000 per taxpayer, and that a balanced budget amendment would be a first step toward stopping the growth of debt before any long-term paydown could occur. The transcript provided does not show a final vote or other committee action on the resolution.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will not limit testimony to the three minutes, but...
• to be. that we're limiting that liability.
• Do they not have immunity or limited immunity for...?
• Well, the bill limits... If the processor, the mediator that's...
• So, it enjoyed maybe a little bit more benefit.

Bills: HB48 , HB49 , HB 1169 , HB1971 , HB2584 , HB2663 , HB2890 , HB48 , HB49

Committee: House Energy Resources

Keywords: HB 48, oilfield theft, organized theft, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, DPS, Department of Public Safety, Texas, Railroad Commission, criminal justice, energy resources, theft prevention, organized crime, border region, El Paso, law enforcement task force, asset recovery, pipeline theft, drilling equipment, equipment theft

Transcript Highlights:

• That instability affects staffing, limits access to care, and ultimately impacts patients.
• Acupuncture is a critical form of health care with proven benefits for pain management, mental health
• It's time to put it in statute that this is a covered benefit under Medi-Cal.
• that allow shops to bill insurance directly with limited consumer oversight.
• SB 988 addresses these concerns by restricting the assignment of policy benefits to repair shops and

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> a learning key or learning mode to limit a learning key or learning mode to limit the<01:07:30.920
• </c> providing a variety of other benefits providing a variety of other benefits including<01:24:42.600
• benefit benefit everyone<01:40:38.639><c> any</c><01:40:38.880><c> other</c><01:40:39.119><c> questions
• </c> market um we just would not be benefited market um we just would not be benefited by<01:51:50.400
• </c><04:33:02.279><c> and</c> corresponding individual benefits and corresponding individual benefits

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed scheduling and notice for upcoming executive sessions on a larger slate of bills, including plans to take up eight bills in the morning and possibly the last three bills in the afternoon, with caucus time provided if needed. The chair emphasized advance notice, publication, and flexibility if more bills are added later. The hearing then opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and proceeded to HB 568, a bill allowing local planning boards to request water supply studies for subdivisions to ensure water adequacy as housing density increases. Representative Kat McGee, the prime sponsor, said HB 568 was developed after constituent concerns about private wells being affected by nearby development. She described the bill as narrowly tailored, non-mandatory, and intended to preserve local control while clarifying that planning boards may request studies under local regulations. She noted bipartisan support, an exclusion for community water systems and larger groundwater withdrawals regulated elsewhere, and said the bill would help prevent water shortages and related problems for new and existing homes. Questions from members focused on whether the bill should specify that it applies to subdivisions of four or more lots, since that language had been in an earlier version. Testimony on HB 568 was mixed. Bob Quinn of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors opposed the bill, arguing it lacked a definition of “water supply study,” could lead to expensive hydrology studies, and might raise housing costs; he suggested more work with DES or a study committee. DES administrator Brandon Kernin said the department had worked from a 2010 groundwater commission report, that such problems arise only intermittently in certain areas, and that the bill would make explicit local authority to adopt such ordinances. He also said DES data and homeowner surveys can help identify problem areas and that more robust wells could be considered in the long term. The committee noted 10 online submissions in favor and 3 opposed, plus blue-sheet testimony of 2 in favor and 1 neutral, and then closed the hearing on HB 568. The committee immediately opened HB 582, a bill on safety requirements for operation of personal watercraft. Representative Darby, the sponsor, said the bill responds to the speed and maneuverability of modern personal watercraft, which he described as more like motorcycles on water than traditional boats, and cited a fatal accident on Lake Monomonac as an example of the risks. He said the bill is not intended to restrict ordinary recreation or wake surfing, but to update safety standards for a newer class of larger, quieter three-person PWCs. The hearing began with Darby’s presentation, and no vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• our dependents or our... benefit some of our military veterans and their children.
• This data is used for the purposes of administering the benefits.
• The expected benefits of the research outweigh the privacy risk.
• We issued a line of duty death benefit to someone with COVID.
• Now, it limits the distilled can. Now, it limits the volume, the amount of alcohol in it.

Bills: HB 14 , HJR 31 , HB 43 , HB 18 , HB 106 , HB 36 , HB 26 , HB 149 , HB 121 , HB 206 , HB 136 , HB 3114 , HB 2733 , HB 1732 , HB 3700 , HB 467 , HB 1130 , HB 1846 , HB 1442 , HB 1147 , HB 2176 , HB 2701 , HB 805 , HB 2890 , HB 1154 , HB 1644 , HB 2118 , HB 1718 , HB 2488 , HB 2596 , HB 1971 , HB 2468 , HB 484 , HB 2578 , HB 3204 , HB 1041 , HB 307 , HB 685 , HB 1710 , HB 538 , HB 2525 , HB 3125 , HB 2027 , HB 2894 , HB 3077 , HB 3684 , HJR 99 , HB 1399 , HJR 5 , HB 1330 , HB 2110 , HJR 2 , HJR 6 , HB 1587 , HB 14 , HJR 31 , HB 43 , HB 18 , HB 106 , HB 36 , HB 26 , HB 149 , HB 121 , HB 206 , HB 136 , HB 3114 , HB 2733 , HB 1732 , HB 3700 , HB 467 , HB 1130 , HB 1846 , HB 1442 , HB 1147 , HB 2176 , HB 2701 , HB 805 , HB 2890 , HB 1154 , HB 1644 , HB 2118 , HB 1718 , HB 2488 , HB 2596 , HB 1971 , HB 2468 , HB 484 , HB 2578 , HB 3204 , HB 1041 , HB 307 , HB 685 , HB 1710 , HB 538 , HB 2525 , HB 3125 , HB 2027 , HB 2894 , HB 3077 , HB 3684

Keywords: nuclear energy, advanced reactors, energy security, grant programs, Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, farm products, tax exemption, ad valorem taxation, agriculture, Texas Constitution, livestock, producer, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, rural health, hospital funding, healthcare access, mental health services

Transcript Highlights:

• It also adds the option for the Legislature to create general law to include conditions, limitations,
• This amendment limits the exemption to only one property of a person that otherwise qualifies for the
• Of course, we don't know what the fiscal impact will be, given this amendment to the amendment limiting
• Chairman, and senators, the amendment to the amendment limits the exemption to a single-family home,
• It limits the tourist development tax revenue that must be spent to promote and advertise tourism to

Summary: The Finance and Tax Committee considered several tax-related measures. SB 674, allowing county property appraisers to budget for and pay hiring or retention bonuses with Department of Revenue approval, was supported by property appraisers and reported favorably. C.S. for SJR 318, as amended, would create a tangible personal property exemption for agricultural land used in agricultural production or agritourism; the amendment clarified the property’s location and allowed the Legislature to define conditions, and the resolution was reported favorably with support from Farm Bureau and the Florida Chamber. The committee also advanced C.S. for SB 1664, as amended, which requires locally approved discretionary taxes to be reauthorized by voters when they expire and sets rules for taxes tied to revenue bonds. Local government and tourism-related groups raised concerns about impacts on tourist development taxes, beach funding, transportation surtaxes, and long-term planning, while supporters argued voters should periodically reaffirm taxes; the bill was reported favorably. C.S. for SJR 1510 and its implementing bill, SB 1512, were both amended to sharply narrow a proposed long-term lease property tax exemption to one qualifying property and to single-family homes, mobile homes, and condominiums; counties and cities opposed the measures as tax shifts, but both were reported favorably. The committee then took up SPB 7034, the Senate tax package, which includes permanent sales tax exemptions for certain clothing and bullion, multiple tax holidays, a temporary motor vehicle fee reduction, a property tax study, corporate and insurance tax credit changes, a communications services tax freeze, and other tax provisions, with staff estimating $2.1 billion in total revenue reduction. Testimony included support for studying property taxes and strong opposition to the firearm and ammunition tax holiday from students and advocacy groups, who argued it was unsafe and inappropriate; others urged adding combined reporting or removing tourist development tax changes. After debate, the committee reported the package favorably and also approved a motion to submit it as a committee bill. The meeting ended after Senator Bernard recorded an affirmative vote on tab 5 and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• They really are the direct and indirect benefits that ecosystems provide.
• But the environment provides so many other benefits.
• Address limitations and barriers to market entry.
• And then it's further limited at current prices.
• And then it's further limited at current prices.

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee opened its 2026 session with committee housekeeping, member introductions, and a reminder that schedules are set a week in advance and amendments must be submitted by the prior day’s deadlines. Chair Reeves emphasized solution-oriented, collaborative, and respectful participation, then outlined that the committee would focus on three interim reports relevant to its work this session: municipal water efficiency, ecosystem services, and food policy. The first presentation, from the William D. Ruckelshaus Center and WSU, reviewed Washington’s municipal water efficiency statute and regulation. Presenters said interviewees largely agreed on the need for better data collection, more technical assistance for smaller systems, and more state funding for both agency staffing and water system infrastructure. Most opposed shifting oversight of the conservation program from the Department of Health to Ecology, and the report recommended keeping oversight at DOH while improving collaboration across agencies and tribes. The presenters also urged broader statewide water planning, more consistent reporting using the AWWA water audit method instead of leakage percentage, re-evaluating the 500-connection threshold, and addressing outdoor water use, rebates, reuse, and public education. Members asked about creating a new office for water oversight, but the presenters said that idea was generally viewed as too costly and impractical under current budget conditions. DNR then presented its 2025 ecosystem services work group report. The department described ecosystem services markets it studied, including regulatory and voluntary forest carbon, avoided wildfire emissions, and water leasing, with lower potential identified for blue carbon, biodiversity, and water quality markets. DNR said about 15,000 acres of state forest land may have carbon-market potential, but emphasized that the analysis was broad and not project-specific, so the report recommends pilots, continued market monitoring, use of third-party developers, and clarification of authority through House Bill 2170. Committee members asked about economic feasibility, timber tradeoffs, and how success would be defined, and DNR said those questions would be better addressed in future, more detailed project-level work. The final presentation covered the Food Policy Forum’s 2025 report to the legislature. Speakers described broad consensus recommendations on food security, local foods in schools, farm-to-food-bank programs, a state farm bill, commercial access, and food system infrastructure. They highlighted pressures on agriculture from development, flooding, drought, water shortages, and the need to preserve farmland and support farmers, food banks, and local procurement systems. The committee chair thanked the presenters and noted that several related bills and policy proposals would be heard later in session. No votes were taken; the meeting concluded after the presentations and brief member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the state of Texas has benefited tremendously from this organization's compassion.
• HB 3735 by Schaffner relating to the public health benefit coverage for prenatal care, childbirth, and
• care organizations to inform Medicaid recipients about the availability of certain private health benefit
• HB 3812 by Vaughn and relating to the health benefit plan pre-authorization requirements for certain
• HB 3838 by Curry relating to the limitations on the enforcement of certain occupational regulations for

Transcript Highlights:

• But we cannot realize the full benefits of these projects... ...benefits of these projects and emerging
• Of these 1,200 scenarios, all the ones that led to safety depended on limiting warming to 1.5 degrees
• His expertise is not limited to the theoretical, however.
• Nebraskan farmers benefit from the certain...
• The EPA has limitations to its regulatory authority when it's the implementation authority.

Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> considering um legislatively the benefit considering um legislatively the benefit of<01:08:57.440
• in terms of the benefit early on.
• So if we turn to page three benefit.
• </c> we're seeing start to see some benefit we're seeing start to see some benefit in<01:11:31.280><c
• That's great to same kind of benefit.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee met on January 23, 2026, to approve prior minutes and receive an update from the Department of Health and Human Services. The main presentation focused on “Project Compass,” an internal cross-department effort to prepare for changes to Medicaid and SNAP eligibility. Department staff said the goal is to maintain continuous coverage for eligible people, align policy, operations, communications, legal, finance, and eligibility work, and use the new integrated New HEIGHTS system to streamline implementation. They emphasized outreach to beneficiaries, providers, managed care organizations, and other partners, and said temporary manual workarounds had already been used to stay in compliance with fast-moving SNAP changes. Members questioned how the department would avoid repeating the costly outreach effort used in a prior Medicaid work-requirement rollout. Department officials said they are focusing on ex parte processes, sharing eligibility information across programs, and using community partners to reduce duplicate contacts and paperwork. They also said the department is monitoring the SNAP error rate closely, expects automation and a planned system contract amendment to help reduce it, and noted that current error rates are trending downward and remain below the national average. Questions were also raised about possible future SNAP restrictions on certain foods; the department said it can implement whatever the legislature directs, but that defining and administering such restrictions would be complex. The commissioner and CFO then outlined the department’s budget reduction plan. They said the department has begun implementing required “back of the budget” reductions for fiscal year 2026, using contract savings and not cutting existing services where possible. Examples included dental and home-visitation contracts, where spending was adjusted based on utilization and projected need. Officials said they had already written down a little over $15 million in prior-year encumbrances, but that this one-time source will not be available next year, making fiscal year 2027 more difficult. They also explained the difference between legally required back-of-budget cuts and lapse, and said staffing remains a major challenge because vacancies have increased and customer-facing service levels are strained. Dr. Jonathan Ballard then began an update on opioid overdose fatalities, presenting the latest medical examiner data and describing the long-term rise in deaths after fentanyl entered the illicit drug supply, with a peak in 2017 and a later increase in 2022. The transcript cuts off before his full presentation and any further committee action beyond discussion of the minutes and receipt of the department updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• In some cases, That limit what businesses can operate on a site.
• origin, disability, or sex. ...or use discriminatory benefit designs or limitations, and it clarifies
• Similar to how age limits are used to reduce harm for products like alcohol and tobacco, limiting youth
• Second, historically, there were limits on the observational data that were collected.
• They benefited from the economic wealth transfer of free labor.

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have thousands of residents who would severely benefit from this proposal.
• What the state grants, the state may limit. A corporate charter is not a right.
• It does not limit the rights of individuals. It does not silence speech or restrict advocacy.
• under the rules impermissible benefits under the rules in place at the time.
• Speed Task Force measures including faster permit processing, limits on corporate contributions... limits

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All those people, almost three-quarters of them, all benefit. Pointing out the hypocrisy.
• All those people, almost three-quarters of them, all benefit from an exemption on the proxy tax.
• What specific benefits do they receive from keeping these loopholes open?
• It's limited in scope to just five years.
• to 10 kilowatts and limit the exclusion to additions to existing property.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We had increases in the eligibility limits for families. We’ve had increases in the provider rates.
• And so existing access is limited.
• All road designs on non-arterials should be based on the actual posted speed limit.
• All road designs and non-arterial should be based on the actual posted speed limit.
• “The actual posted speed limit.

Summary: The committee held a work session on form-based codes, child care facility siting, and street standards/frontage improvements. On form-based codes, Commerce’s Dave Anderson explained that these codes emphasize building form, orientation, and the public realm more than traditional use and density tables, and that they are typically applied in specific districts rather than citywide or statewide. Lacey’s Vanessa Dolby described the city’s Woodland District code, developed through community charrettes, fiscal and market analysis, and subdistrict-specific standards to create a walkable downtown. She said the approach has helped produce a more desirable built environment and more flexibility in permitted uses, but also noted it can be less user-friendly for applicants and still requires some use restrictions; both presenters said a hybrid approach is often best. The committee then heard from DCYF and multiple providers about barriers to opening child care facilities. DCYF officials said Washington has more than 6,500 licensed providers and that a new pre-licensing support team is helping applicants navigate licensing, but local zoning, building, fire, parking, utility, and occupancy requirements still create delays and confusion. Testifiers described long permitting timelines, inconsistent local interpretations, costly upgrades, and utility hookup delays; one Yakima provider said county requirements, a floodplain-related elevation certificate, and a private well issue stopped her in-home child care proposal, while others described traffic impact fees, parking mandates, and zoning barriers that made projects infeasible. Enterprise Community Partners highlighted examples of successful local reforms, including fee waivers, expedited permitting, and zoning changes in several cities, and DCYF said it is working toward a 2026 action plan and a resource guide for providers. In the final section, planners and developers discussed how street standards and frontage improvement requirements can undermine infill and middle housing. Poulsbo’s planning manager said current standards were designed for greenfield subdivisions and often force costly curb, gutter, sidewalk, stormwater, and utility upgrades on small infill sites, sometimes adding tens of thousands of dollars and causing projects to be abandoned. A Seattle-based developer made similar points about small middle-housing projects being burdened by frontage work, curb ramps, buried standards, and EV-ready parking requirements that can trigger expensive undergrounding. Committee members asked about possible state-level changes, including whether child care should be treated as an essential public facility and whether parking requirements had already been reduced; one senator noted that minimum parking requirements for child care facilities were eliminated in prior legislation, with implementation phased in over the next few years.

Transcript Highlights:

• This focuses on program allocations, particularly given limited resources in this year's budget.
• Limitations in the general fund this year, particularly for ongoing initiatives.
• limited resources on households that have the greatest financial need.
• This again provides a $30 a month benefit to. To low-income families to help purchase diapers.
• California, as you know, is our state's health benefit exchange.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> I don't think the approach of just limit I don't think the approach of just limit limiting<01:15
• cuz SNAP benefits in SNAP benefits cuz SNAP benefits themselves<01:17:28.520><c> are</c><01:17:28.680
• </c> uh purchase via SNAP benefits. uh purchase via SNAP benefits.
• The state doesn't pay pays in benefits. The state doesn't pay these<01:50:07.240><c> benefits.
• </c> benefits because of federal changes. benefits because of federal changes.

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all