Transcript Highlights:

• undergone extensive R&D, that are ready for demonstration and deployment, and have the potential to scale
• It went from lab experiments to real projects with measurable carbon dioxide impacts at the scale of
• It's just the question of how do we make it work at scale?
• Third, this bill allows for marine geoengineering, which involves large-scale manipulation of the ocean's
• And I just don't see it getting to scale, to attracting investments—I forget which of the witnesses said

Summary: The committee heard several energy and water affordability bills, with extensive testimony on SB 254 by Senator Becker, SB 541 by Senator Becker, SB 453 by Senator Stern, SB 292 by Senator Caballero, and SB 473 by Senator Padilla. SB 254 was presented as a broad utility affordability package addressing short-term climate credits, a Power Fund, tighter scrutiny of rate increases and utility profits, wildfire spending, securitization of future utility costs, and streamlining. Supporters, including TURN and several environmental and public power groups, said it could lower bills and reduce long-term costs; opponents from investor-owned utilities, labor, business, and local government raised concerns about market impacts, insufficient analysis, and the breadth of the bill. The committee approved SB 254 on a 6-3 vote and placed it on call. SB 541 focused on load flexibility and using existing grid capacity more efficiently. Senator Becker described it as a transparency and planning measure to identify cost-effective load shifting and reduce peak demand, while supporters said it could improve resiliency and save money. Several CCAs and utilities opposed the bill in print or unless amended, arguing that some language implied a mandate and that the concept needed more cost-effectiveness analysis; the author said amendments would remove language dividing the state goal among retail suppliers and clarify that the bill is not a procurement mandate. The committee passed SB 541 as amended to Appropriations on a 9-1 vote and left it on call. SB 453 by Senator Stern would return unspent ratepayer-funded microgrid program dollars and was described as a way to keep the lights on and redirect unused funds. It drew support from local government and environmental groups, with PG&E expressing concern about how the bill would affect its ability to spend awarded funds. The committee passed SB 453 as amended to Appropriations on a 12-0 vote. SB 292 by Senator Caballero would require more granular outage and reliability reporting, including census-tract-level data, to better inform resilience planning after PSPS events; utilities opposed unless amended, citing duplicative reporting and regulatory overlap, but the bill passed 12-0 to Appropriations. SB 473 by Senator Padilla would require or expand water utility decoupling to promote conservation and affordability. Supporters, including water utilities, labor, business, and local government groups, argued decoupling stabilizes revenue, supports conservation, and can keep rates lower for low-use customers. The Public Advocates Office opposed, saying prior pilot data showed no conservation benefit and about $1 billion in added costs, and that the CPUC had already rejected similar requests. Committee members questioned the conservation and capital-investment effects of the different rate structures; the author and supporters argued decoupling helps utilities fund infrastructure while allowing lower fixed charges for low-use customers. The transcript ends during that discussion, before a final vote on SB 473 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• No, we're increasing the amount of spending, and our kids, 50% of our kids can't read at grade level.
• <01:15:57.520> I help them increase their grade scores.
• I help them increase their grade scores.
• our kids, 50% of our kids can't read and our kids, 50% of our kids can't read at<01:16:20.080> grade
• at grade level. They can't do math. at grade level. They can't do math.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• free speech if it intervened with the type of ideas they wanted to instill in kindergarten or first grade
• or second grade students with regard to human growth and development programs.
• or first grade or second grade<02:47:02.319> students<02:47:03.040> with<02:47:03.279>
• regard<02:47:03.520> to<02:47:03.760> human grade students with regard to human
• grade students with regard to human growth<02:47:04.240> and<02:47:04.479> development

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, February 12, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• for children who receive special ed to attend their own IEP meetings by the time they're in eighth grade
• for children who receive special ed to attend their own IEP meetings by the time they're in eighth grade
• for children who receive special ed to attend their own IEP meetings by the time they're in eighth grade
• And it's looking at 6th through 12th grade, we see that these kids just want to play sports with their
• And it's looking at 6th through 12th grade, we see that these kids just want to play sports with their

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The sad fact, when you have this level of loss at scale, thousands and thousands of people losing their
• And to the gentleman's comment, because of the scale of the situation, I mean, to think, contemplate

Summary: The Assembly Banking and Finance Committee met to hear its only agenda item, AB 493 by Assemblymember Harabedian, which would require lenders to pay interest to homeowners on post-loss insurance payouts held in escrow. The author said current law already pays interest on some escrowed funds, but excludes insurance proceeds after a loss; he argued the bill would help wildfire survivors and other homeowners rebuilding after major property damage. He noted amendments clarifying that the bill applies only to loans and only to insurance payouts still held in escrow on or after the bill’s effective date. Support came from the Consumer Federation of California, whose representative said the measure closes a loophole and would provide modest but meaningful help to homeowners facing long rebuild timelines. The California Bankers Association did not oppose the bill but raised concerns about aligning it with existing mortgage servicing law and the treatment of hazard insurance proceeds, saying it wanted to work with the author on technical issues. Committee members expressed support, emphasizing the need to help displaced homeowners access funds more quickly. The committee voted unanimously to pass AB 493 and refer it to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. The roll call showed the bill receiving eight votes, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• so what what them in commercial scale so what what this<00:22:53.960> would<00:22:54.279>
• , what’s being developed, you know, a 2-hour battery that could scale up to a 4-hour battery is in the
• <00:35:31.760> uh<00:35:31.880> what's at least with large scale uh what's at least
• with large scale uh what's being<00:35:32.320> developed<00:35:32.960> you<00:35:33.079
• up to a 4H hour battery that could scale up to a 4H hour battery<00:35:36.680> uh<00:35:37.079

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The department is asking to surrender three administrative coordinator positions at grade SGS 04 in return

Summary: The committee first took up several personnel and compensation requests. It approved a Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism reclassification that would trade three administrative coordinator positions for one park superintendent, one maintenance supervisor, and one park manager. It also approved one-time bonus and recruitment plans for the Department of Commerce and Department of Veterans Affairs, including up to $5,000 bonuses tied to the unemployment insurance modernization project and $2,000 bonuses for certified nursing assistants at the state veterans homes. A Department of Health request to reinstate a previously frozen fiscal support manager position for the State Medical Board was also approved; members were told the position was already authorized and would not increase total positions. The committee then reviewed a Department of Commerce reduction in force affecting the Division of Workforce Services for the Blind and Employment and Training divisions. Secretary Hugh McDonald and Workforce Connections Director Cody Waits explained that the cuts were driven by over-obligated federal funds, a prior realignment, and what they described as long-standing fiscal mismanagement in the Division of Services for the Blind. They said 56 employees remained furloughed, five employees in a separate grant group were still working, and 17 positions were on the permanent RIF list. Senators questioned the division’s accountability structure, the role of the independent board, and whether the layoffs were being handled fairly, including a request for racial composition data on the workforce and the RIF group. Members also discussed quarterly employment and overtime reports. Staff explained that the reports cover average staffing levels over each quarter, and members focused on overtime spending, especially in DHS, the Department of Correction, and the Department of Transportation. OPM said overtime is being reviewed, direct care positions remain exempt from the hiring freeze, and agencies have been hiring more staff since the new pay plan took effect. The committee asked for additional reporting on overtime trends, and the meeting adjourned without further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• The year after we did it, the year after it was repealed The eighth-grade reading scores dropped.

Bills: HB2650, HB3277, HB3386, HB3419, HB3430, HB3742, HB3791, HB3835, HB3905, HB3968, HB4119, HB4153, HB4408

Keywords: probate, estate administration, summary administration, decedent, inheritance, vehicle inspection, title registration, salvage vehicles, ownership, Oklahoma Statutes, evictions, forcible entry, mediation, residency proof, children, housing law, corruption, nonpublic information, government accountability, criminal law

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1810, eighth grade social studies civics. SB 1811, school policies internet wireless devices.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• quit it is that there are appropriate procedures in place for medical training, just like in a second-grade

Bills: SB1117, SB1373, SB672, SB1986, SB1098, SB626, SB1784, SB2480, SB2487, SB437, SB660

Keywords: dentistry, botulinum toxin, aesthetic treatments, dental regulation, training, medical staff privileges, hospital administration, healthcare regulation, Texas Health and Safety Code, consistency in privileges, SB 672, Texas hospital emergency operations plan, hospital diversion, emergency department, cyberattack, cyber security, power outage, electrical outage, patient diversion, hospital preparedness

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 458 by BC relating to the discipline of students enrolled in certain grade levels or receiving special

Transcript Highlights:

• by Creighton, relating to the development of a standard method of computing a student's high school grade

Summary: The Senate met briefly to receive first-reading referrals of a large number of bills, resolutions, and joint resolutions. The measures covered a wide range of topics, including public education, health care, criminal justice, business regulation, transportation, water and natural resources, local government, taxation, elections, and public information. Many of the filings were by Senators Hughes, Perry, Alvarado, Creighton, Hancock, Parker, Zaffirini, Blanco, and others, and included proposals on school safety, health records and billing, election procedures, water planning, housing and rent issues, energy and environmental regulation, and criminal penalties. The chamber also read several concurrent and joint resolutions, including measures designating state symbols and local honors, a proposed constitutional amendment related to gaming by the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, a proposal concerning special-session subjects, and resolutions on fiscal restraints and retirement obligations. No debate, testimony, or substantive action on the merits of the measures occurred in this portion of the transcript; the items were simply read and referred to committees. At the close of the proceedings, the Senate adjourned pursuant to a previously adopted motion and announced it would reconvene at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 4.

Transcript Highlights:

• realize that and so there are many nitrous oxide sellers such as galaxy gas that provide commercial-grade

Bills: SB18, SB19, SB666, SB688, SB707, SB888, SB 18, SB 19

Keywords: municipal libraries, state funding, gender identity, public events, children's literature, SB 19, Texas, political subdivision, local government, county, city, municipality, taxpayer-funded lobbying, lobbying ban, public funds, registered lobbyist, Chapter 305, Government Code, Local Government Code, county association dues

Transcript Highlights:

• And so there are many nitrous oxide sellers such as Galalaxy Gas that provide commercial grade size canisters

Bills: SB 18, SB 19, SB 666, SB 688, SB 707, SB 888

Keywords: municipal libraries, state funding, gender identity, public events, children's literature, SB 19, Texas, political subdivision, local government, county, city, municipality, taxpayer-funded lobbying, lobbying ban, public funds, registered lobbyist, Chapter 305, Government Code, Local Government Code, county association dues

Transcript Highlights:

• CURRENTLY AT THIS TIME THE SYSTEM HAS SEVERAL OF GRADES AND ENHANCEMENTS OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And when funding is allocated, it tends to be temporary, short-term, or insufficiently scaled to make
• scaled to make a meaningful impact. scaled to make a meaningful impact.
• This is a solution that meets the scale of that challenge.
• For a solution of this scale, it is essential that it remains grounded in community voice over time.
• This is a solution that meets the scale This is a solution that meets the scale of<00:59:58.160>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It has helped me learn all about the best practices across the country, and it has also helped scale
• across the country and it has also across the country and it has also helped<00:04:36.240> scale
• The difference with virtual power plants is their scale and the fact that the aggregation is meant to
• The difference with virtual power plants is their scale and the fact that the aggregation is meant to
• The difference with virtual power plants is their scale and the fact that the aggregation is meant to

Bills: HF2986, HF3555

Keywords: virtual power plant, VPP, distributed energy resources, DER, demand response, load management, grid modernization, peak demand, peak shaving, battery storage, energy storage, solar photovoltaic, solar panels, electric vehicles, smart thermostats, heat pumps, aggregator, public utilities commission, PUC, rate recovery

Transcript Highlights:

• It would not be able to predict water availability at the scale of an individual site.
• County-scale geologic and groundwater atlases are still being completed for large portions of the state
• <01:20:33.560> of<01:20:33.679> an availability at the scale of an availability at
• the scale of an individual<01:20:34.440> site<01:20:35.239> we<01:20:35.360> also
• <01:21:21.159> in information at a large wated scale in information at a large wated scale

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• But we're doing it sort of on a pilot scale.
• It's sort of a pilot scale this year to help us make sure we know how it's going to work.
• We're doing it sort of on a pilot scale.
• It's sort of a pilot scale this year to help us make sure we know how it's going to work.
• And then obviously it does allow us to build projects on the smaller or moderate scale that cannot be

Summary: The committee met for an informational hearing focused largely on the state capital outlay process and House Bill 2. Roger Husser and Matt Baker of the Division of Administration/Facility Planning and Control described how the office prepares and administers the capital outlay bill, said the bill has grown substantially over five years, and argued that recent changes in culture, staffing, project management, cash-flow analysis, and use of third-party support have more than doubled project expenditures and improved delivery. Members asked about the use and cost of third-party project managers, delegation of smaller projects to agencies, hiring difficulties, and whether the changes represented better interpretation of existing law versus statutory changes. Husser said some statutes were amended, some internal customs were removed, and the office would provide a list of those changes. He also explained that the office is trying to move away from overly rigid practices and toward faster project completion while still following public-bid and oversight rules. A major portion of the discussion centered on the size and structure of the capital outlay bill, especially the gap between Priority 1 cash capacity and the much larger Priority 5 backlog. Husser said the current annual Priority 1 limit is tied to construction inflation and is about $574 million, with additional surplus funds also available, but that the bill contains far more Priority 5 funding than can realistically move in a five-year plan. He and members discussed dormant projects, scope creep, legacy projects that have sat in the bill for years, and the problem of false expectations for non-state entities. Proposed solutions included limiting Priority 5 to five times Priority 1, requiring annual re-endorsement by members, setting district or project caps for non-state projects, requiring time limits and reporting for grant-like non-state projects, placing matches in escrow, requiring design readiness before submission, and consolidating the many existing reporting requirements into one clearer report. Members also discussed bundling multiple projects under one agency project, which the House had begun piloting for LSU, UL Lafayette, Southern, and DOTD, and which Husser said could improve flexibility, reduce overappropriation, and better reflect actual spending. Baker then explained cash-flow management and the commitment process, saying FPC now analyzes projects annually to estimate what can actually be spent in the next fiscal year and uses commitments to allow projects to proceed when future-year funding is expected. He said overappropriations can result from poor cash-flow estimates, delays, dormant projects, or projects coming in under budget, and that the office is already reworking cash-flow assumptions and reappropriating savings where possible. Members also raised concerns about change orders and low bids; staff said project managers review change orders closely, require concurrence on non-state projects, and sometimes reduce scope to keep projects within budget. After FPC’s presentation, the committee heard the beginning of Louisiana Economic Development’s capital outlay discussion, where LED explained that its projects generally fall into three categories, including the Economic Development Awards Program and Site Readiness Program, both used to support targeted economic development and job creation.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got growth in production, and we've got scale and speed to scale, which is making a...
• We've got growth in production, and we've got scale and speed to scale, which is making a big difference
• natural gas industry has a huge opportunity in front of it to better position itself on the global scale
• So we are not a future concept; hydrogen is being produced, it's being sold, it's being scaled across
• Similar large-scale projects would no longer qualify under JETI due to the limited job creation that

Keywords: 1184, house, all