Transcript Highlights:

• For entities like an electric utility, it means AI can operate on process-control data that regulations
• prohibit from leaving the utility systems.
• interpret and summarize process-control network data that is restricted by regulation from leaving the utility
• Today, if a U.S. utility wanted to run a capable model in an air-gapped OT environment, the only practical
• It's, I need to shut off the electric grid for an hour to apply this patch.

Transcript Highlights:

• Worker Appreciation Day at the State Capitol, and to commend the men and women who serve Arkansas as utility
• Worker Appreciation Day at the State Capitol, and to commend the men and women who serve Arkansas as utility
• Worker Appreciation Day at the State Capitol and to commend the men and women who serve Arkansas as utility
• non-appropriation bill to require a digital asset mining business to pay a fee for extraordinary electrical
• industry, how it's impacting our other industries, the data centers, and the obscene amount of electricity

Transcript Highlights:

• Workers, the California Coalition of Utility Employees, and the Western States Council of Sheet Metal
• sight of the fact that I think we're falling very short on what we need to be doing in terms of electric
• That too, I guess, but electric vehicles. But I just want to make that point on the record.
• Julie Melanowski-Bah, on behalf of the California Electric Transportation Coalition, in support.
• Julie Melanowski-Bah, on behalf of the California Electric Transportation Coalition, in support, looking

Committee: House Natural Resources

Summary: The Assembly Natural Resources Committee heard three major bills focused on California’s energy transition, fuel supply, and climate investments. SB 237 by Sen. Grayson proposed short-term measures to stabilize gasoline supply and prices, including validating the Kern County EIR for new oil and gas permitting with setbacks, a well cap, offshore/pipeline provisions, possible suspension of summer fuel blend requirements, and a study of regional fuel blends. Supporters argued it would help keep refineries operating, protect jobs, and reduce price spikes during a “mid-transition” away from fossil fuels, while opponents said it was a fossil-fuel giveaway that would worsen pollution in Kern County and fail to address refinery-community protections or broader transition planning. The committee approved SB 237 on a due-pass vote, with some members voting no or not voting. The committee also heard SB 352 by Sen. Reyes, which would strengthen implementation of AB 617 by codifying the Environmental Justice Bureau in the Attorney General’s office, requiring at least five years of monitoring in AB 617 communities, and mandating annual reporting by CARB and air districts on program implementation. Supporters said the bill would add accountability and ensure the new continuous funding for AB 617 leads to real emissions reductions, while opponents criticized the process and argued the bill was an end run around separate negotiations and imposed rigid requirements on limited resources. The bill advanced on a due-pass vote after extensive testimony from environmental justice groups, business organizations, and local air districts. Finally, SB 840 by Sen. Limon was presented as the cap-and-invest package, maintaining California’s climate leadership while directing revenues to state and community priorities. Supporters highlighted stronger offset integrity, more frequent protocol updates, continued funding for programs such as AB 617, transit, housing, and other climate investments, and broad labor and local government support. Some witnesses and members noted the bill did not include dedicated funding for zero-emission vehicles or climate-smart agriculture and urged future work on those priorities. The committee passed SB 840 on a due-pass vote as well, and all three bills were later confirmed out of committee on the floor call.

Transcript Highlights:

• So they said, hey, we're going to utilize this funding that has just shown up.
• On page 77, this is the core for fuel and utilities.
• Fuel and utilities include electricity, gas, fuel, wood chips, steam, water, and sewer, along with maintenance
• No, that would be the fuel and utilities expense. Oh, just the fuel. Okay.
• So how will these funds be utilized?

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• moving, how we're spending the taxpayers' dollars, that it's being spent wisely and that it's being utilized
• That's the area that we're focusing on that we could open up and utilize those.
• But this is to get this open because there are plenty of beds up there not being utilized.
• But something I know from taking some electrical engineering classes in college is that if you're working
• on an electrical circuit without taking proper safety precautions, that's not any less dangerous because

Committee: Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Summary: The committee heard and voted on several health and human services bills. SB 1192 would exempt good-faith basic first aid given without compensation from Arizona Medical Board licensure requirements, with added consent and law enforcement notification rules for injured minors; an amendment clarifying that the bill does not limit existing liability protections was adopted, and the bill passed 5-2. SB 1398 would require AHCCCS to redetermine eligibility for members over 21 every six months and report eligibility data annually; AHCCCS testified it would create significant administrative costs and that the bill lacked federal-population exemptions and an appropriation, while supporters argued it was needed for transparency and fraud detection. The committee adopted a technical amendment and passed the bill 4-3. SB 1399 would require prepaid capitated AHCCCS contractors to report spending on direct patient care versus administrative costs; supporters framed it as taxpayer accountability, and it passed 6-1. The committee also considered SB 1494, a strike-everything amendment making it a felony for providers, institutions, or drug manufacturers to pay premiums or otherwise steer enrollees to change health plans for financial gain, while exempting licensed insurance producers. Blue Cross Blue Shield and brokers supported the anti-patient-brokering goal, but ARMA warned the language was too broad and could chill ordinary provider-patient conversations and navigator/social worker assistance. The committee adopted the striker and passed the bill 4-3, with several members saying they wanted to refine the language on the floor. SB 1813 would remove the Maricopa County 55-bed cap at the Arizona State Hospital and require admission based on clinical need; supporters said the cap is outdated and leaves beds unused, while ADHS and others warned about rural access, fiscal costs, and possible litigation under Arnold v. Sarn. The committee adopted an amendment removing a citizenship requirement and passed the bill 5-2. Later, SB 1821 passed 6-1. It would let JLBC audit teams review DCS’s case-management system, allow unannounced inspections of licensed group foster homes, prioritize placement with relatives or other significant adults, and require newly hired child safety workers to train for a year under experienced staff. Finally, SB 1557 would require signed informed consent before medical interventions except in emergencies; supporters said it simply codifies standard practice, while the ACLU argued the bill lacked clear standards and could create burdens for ongoing or controversial care. The committee passed SB 1557 4-3 and then adjourned after completing its agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or secondly, they can continue to utilize coal, natural gas, and gasoline at more expensive rates than
• Energy Information Administration electricity demand is expected to grow 15% in the next five years.
• Ultimately, utilizing the domestic sources of energy that Texas is blessed with, without a cumbersome
• promote the alternatives in the industry, which would be renewable energy sources like solar and electric
• Well, you're referring to the emissions that we have when we produce. and utilize fuel; that's what I'm

Bills: HB 103 , HB 1256 , HB1587 , HB1632 , HB2027 , HB2525 , HJR88 , HJR138 , HB103

Committee: House Ways & Means

Keywords: taxing unit, bond database, local government, transparency, civil penalty, education reform, funding allocation, school infrastructure, teacher recruitment, student achievement, tax exemption, water conservation, graywater systems, rainwater harvesting, ad valorem taxation, county commissioners, HB 1587, Texas sales tax holiday, back-to-school tax holiday, clothing tax exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• Eventually, state and tribal leaders struck a more cooperative tone and began working together on the
• Salmon is such a big part of the agreements and the cooperation between our state, our feds, and our
• Initiative 456, now codified as RCW 77.110, was intended to block these cooperative agreements to prevent
• with the federal reserved treaty rights and are inconsistent with well-established state-tribal cooperative
• The farm I represent today has decades-long history of utilizing the diversified produce grown throughout

Summary: The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held public hearings on several House bills. ESHB 2238 would require the Department of Agriculture to develop a statewide food security strategy, monitor food system performance, and report on agricultural regulatory costs and competitiveness; the sponsor and many stakeholders from agriculture, food banks, school nutrition, counties, and advocacy groups supported it as a coordinated response to food insecurity and farm viability, while one requested amendment was addressed on the House floor. HB 2199 would expand the derelict vessel removal program by changing the definition of derelict vessel to allow earlier intervention when vessels are unregistered for two annual periods; ports, local officials, and environmental advocates testified in support, and the bill had no fiscal impact noted. HB 2104 would remove the sunset from the Aviation Assurance Funding Program for wildland fire response, with support from fire chiefs and the sponsor emphasizing its value for rapid initial attack and cost savings. HB 2554 would repeal statutes from Initiative 456 that conflict with treaty fishing rights; the Attorney General’s Office, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the sponsor supported repeal as necessary to remove unenforceable anti-tribal language, while testimony comments showed substantial opposition. HB 2619 would create a legislative task force to review regulatory stress in agriculture and recommend changes; the sponsor linked it to farmer mental health and suicide prevention, and there was no public testimony. HB 2343 would require public game farms operated by Fish and Wildlife to obtain water discharge permits and meet manure/runoff controls; staff noted it would apply to the known public facility and carry modest compliance costs, with no public testimony. The committee also unanimously waived the five-day notice rule for HB 2104, 2554, 2619, and 2343, and closed the hearings without taking final votes, planning to consider all six bills in executive session at a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So are you considering also about the electricity, the roads, and the sewer that the foreign countries
• So are you considering also about the electricity, the roads, and the sewer that the foreign countries
• I don't know, as far as the other utilities and the roads, I don't know how that arrangement is.

Committee: House Resources and Conservation

Transcript Highlights:

• Before we begin, I'd like to thank the staff and management at OSPI for their cooperation throughout
• Before we begin, I'd like to thank the staff and management at OSPI for their cooperation throughout
• That allows us to utilize new tools for internal controls. All of that is absolutely true.
• That allows us to utilize new tools for internal controls. All of that is absolutely true.
• The new platform that we are moving to, we intend to utilize contractors to a much lesser degree.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee subcommittee heard a State Auditor’s Office performance audit on the accuracy and reliability of OSPI’s school apportionment system. Auditors said the system, which calculates and distributes K-12 funding using multiple feeder systems and a core apportionment engine, is outdated, unstable, inefficient, and at high risk of failure. They reported weak controls over data input, documentation, oversight, and staffing, and said OSPI relies heavily on manual workarounds, a few knowledgeable staff, and vendor support. In limited testing of three districts, the auditors found the system calculated funding correctly for the 2023-24 school year, but they identified nine small input discrepancies tied to differences between budget materials and state law, which they said could compound into larger dollar amounts. The auditors recommended replacing or modernizing the system and noted that delays in doing so prolong risk. OSPI largely agreed that the current platform needs replacement and said it has been working toward a new system for years. Agency officials clarified that the Legislature requested a feasibility study in 2022, that the study found the system at risk of catastrophic failure, and that funding for a replacement is now in the state IT pool subject to OCIO/OFM gate reviews. OSPI disputed the audit’s characterization of the rounding and budget-law discrepancies, saying the issue was an agency rule and implementation choice, not an error that caused under- or over-allocation. Officials also said the current system is too old to easily absorb future formula changes, but that the planned replacement should be flexible enough to handle a new funding model if the Legislature adopts one. Committee members asked about the amount and timing of the $16 million project funding, whether smaller districts face greater risk, how many times data is entered, and whether the funding formula should be simplified. Auditors and OSPI both emphasized that formula simplification is a policy question for the Legislature, not the audit. Public testimony came from one online witness, who urged full implementation of the audit recommendations and modernization of the system. The subcommittee took no formal vote and adjourned after the presentations and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we utilize the science to understand a recovery of a species? Mr.
• What this bill does, it limits the cooperation with the federal conservation programs of the Endangered
• What this bill does is limit cooperation with the federal conservation programs of the Endangered Species
• What this bill does, it limits the cooperation with the federal conservation programs of the Endangered

Bills: SB1075 , SB1144 , SB1280

Committees: House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs , House House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee of Reference

Keywords: foreign ownership, land sales, review commission, national security, property rights, veterinary technicians, certification, education alternative, Arizona Revised Statutes, veterinary education, Mexican gray wolf, Mexican wolf, Mexican gray wolf puppies, Arizona Game and Fish Commission, Arizona Game and Fish Department, endangered species, wolf reintroduction, wolf translocation, cross-fostering, wildlife management

Transcript Highlights:

• We have in the past been able to utilize ABC funds to provide some summer programming.
• There's the operations and maintenance, which is electricity and water and all that.
• Okay, but obviously we're saying you have an electric bill and you can use this money to pay that electric
• bill, what keeps a homeschooler from not being able to use it for an electric bill?
• bill, what keeps a homeschooler from not being able to use it for an electric bill?

Summary: The committee met to receive an update from Department of Education officials Jacob Oliva and Stacey Smith on early childhood education, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. They said Arkansas recently received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ABC as a large state-funded program serving about 23,800 slots at roughly $114 million annually, with most providers being school districts. They reported that about 1,000 funded seats are currently unfilled despite a waiting list of more than 2,000 families, and said the department is notifying providers that slots must be filled or funding will be reduced. Members asked about school choice, income eligibility, summer programming, curriculum flexibility, transportation, and whether slots could be moved to areas with greater need. Officials said the program is being reviewed for possible modernization, including slot allocation, income thresholds, and per-student rates, and the committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee for further study. The committee then moved into the adequacy study presentations. Taylor Lloyd of the Bureau of Legislative Research reviewed the constitutional and legal framework for Arkansas school funding, focusing on the state’s duty to provide a general, suitable, and efficient public school system under Article 14, Section 1, and on the Dupree and Lake View cases. She explained that adequacy is a policy question for the General Assembly, while the courts determine constitutional compliance, and that equity concerns how resources are distributed while adequacy concerns whether the system provides enough resources. She also described the matrix as a funding tool, not a spending mandate, and noted that categorical funds are separate from the matrix. Members asked about how the framework relates to Education Freedom Accounts, homeschool/private school funding, stakeholder input, average daily membership versus attendance, and whether school board members should be surveyed in future studies. Elizabeth Bynum then gave the historical framework for adequacy, walking through legislative responses from Dupree through Lake View and the post-2007 adequacy process. She reviewed major funding changes such as the creation of equalization funding, student growth and declining enrollment funding, the 2004 Continuing Adequacy Evaluation Act, the financial reporting requirements, and later changes to the matrix and categorical funding. She noted that the current adequacy process relies on committee study, agency assistance, stakeholder testimony, surveys of educators, and occasional outside consultants. Members asked follow-up questions about how much funding districts can spend at their discretion, whether school board members should be included in surveys, and the historical shift from average daily attendance to average daily membership. No votes were taken on the adequacy presentations, but the committee indicated it would continue the study process and consider additional recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the cost of living increases that a lot of those small businesses are seeing right now: higher utility
• Now, higher utility bills, higher prices, uh, upwards pressure on wages that they've been seeing over
• Now, we won't forget the fact that Arkansas has subsidized electricity; story for another day.
• I think that is intended to be utilized first.
• </c> think that is intended to be utilized think that is intended to be utilized first. first. first.

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• ... ...electric vehicle might pay under this VMT tax and perhaps make EV buyers whole.
• You do pay the Eversource electricity rate.
• So those rates make Eversource whole, paying for their wires and their electricity and so forth.
• So those electric vehicle owners are not paying for that infrastructure. If I can't follow them.
• So they're spending lots of money on electricity all day, all night.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Revenue

Summary: The hearing opened with remarks from the co-chairs explaining committee procedures, testimony limits, submission instructions, and the new deadlines for acting on House and Senate bills. The committee then heard testimony on several bills related to agriculture, land use, environment, housing, transportation, and taxation, with legislators often taken out of turn. No votes were taken during the hearing. The first major topic was H. 3206, a bill to allow fossil fuel-free 529 college savings plans to qualify for the state tax deduction if MEFA does not offer a comparable option. Representative Steve Owens said the bill would not force MEFA or Fidelity to change existing plans, but would create a definition for fossil fuel-free funds and extend the deduction to qualifying out-of-state plans. The committee also heard strong local testimony on a Belmont home-rule petition, H. 3970, to change tax treatment for the Belmont Country Club under Chapter 61B. Belmont residents and officials argued the private golf course receives an unfair tax break that shifts costs to other taxpayers, while Senator Brownsberger and Representative Rogers supported the measure as a way to help the town recover revenue. Committee members asked about town meeting support, the club’s lack of payment in lieu of taxes, and the size of the tax savings. The committee next heard testimony on a vehicle miles traveled tax proposal, S. 1925, from Senator Barrett and economists Gilbert Metcalf and Christopher Knittel. They argued that declining gas-tax revenue and rising fuel efficiency, especially with electric vehicles, require a more stable transportation funding source; they also said a VMT tax could be designed to be revenue-neutral and mildly progressive, though members raised concerns about administration, fairness, EV disincentives, and the possibility of annual tax shocks. The largest block of testimony focused on the Ahead Act, H. 3194/S. 1973, which would double the deed excise fee and dedicate the new revenue to affordable housing and climate adaptation. Supporters from MACDC, MAPC, FICC, Boston Climate Action Network, CLF, 350 Mass, CHAPA, and a tenant advocate said the bill could generate about $300 million annually for housing production, vouchers, weatherization, resilience, and environmental justice communities, and that it links two urgent crises with a stable funding stream. The committee also heard testimony on the Conservation Land Tax Credit bills, H. 3147/S. 2083, which would raise the annual cap on the credit from $2 million to $5 million for three years and then sunset back down. Conservation groups and a landowner said the program has conserved thousands of acres and that the higher cap would reduce delays and help meet state conservation goals. Finally, the committee took testimony on the Fairness for Farm Workers bills, S. 2011/H. 3107 and S. 2012, which would extend overtime, minimum wage, breaks, and paid time off protections to farm workers and include a refundable tax credit to help farmers offset overtime costs. Senator Gomez and advocates described the bills as overdue civil rights and public health measures, citing low wages, long hours, dangerous conditions, and the racial history behind farm labor exclusions. The hearing also included testimony on H. 3240, a bill to give municipalities a local option vacancy tax on chronically vacant shopping malls, with the sponsor arguing it would help towns address blight, encourage redevelopment, and potentially create housing and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• When they go into a community to look at access to utilities and what the workforce is like, they're
• When they go into a community to look at access to utilities and what is the workforce like, they're
• can't go to work if their child care facility is closed, just like a lineman who's repairing the utility
• We don't want to pass a law that then, or a tax credit that's then not utilized because people don't
• Chairman, Shannon Cooper once again on behalf of the Civic Council, Greater Kansas City, and the Kansas

Committee: House Joint Committee on Rural Economic Development

Summary: The Committee on Economic Development met with a quorum and first heard House Bill 2409 from Rep. Brenda Shields, which would create three child care-related tax credit programs to help address Missouri’s workforce and child care shortages. Shields said the bill is aimed at expanding affordable, reliable child care through community partnerships involving businesses, nonprofits, and providers, with credits for contributions to child care facilities, employer-provided child care assistance, and provider facility improvements. She and supporters cited child care deserts, high costs, and lost economic output, arguing the bill would help parents work and businesses recruit and retain employees. Witnesses in support included the Missouri Chamber, Kids Win Missouri, Associated Industries of Missouri, local chambers, economic development groups, and child care-related organizations; there was no opposition testimony. The committee then moved into executive session and approved House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2508 and House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2517, both by unanimous 12-0 roll call votes and both sent do pass on consent. The 2508 substitute dealt with series LLC language, including searchable records and stand-alone certificates of good standing. The 2517 substitute addressed wholesaling, adding a 14-day disclosure period and changing Attorney General enforcement language from “shall” to “may.” Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2654 from Rep. Knight, which would create a Missouri Works capital investment track for projects with at least $50 million in investment, offering a 2.5% tax credit without requiring new job creation. The sponsor and Department of Economic Development said the proposal is modeled on programs in other states and is intended to help Missouri compete for large investments, especially in manufacturing and automation. Many business and economic development groups testified in support, emphasizing retention, expansion, and regional competition; several members asked whether the $50 million threshold could be lowered, and the sponsor said he was open to discussion. No opposition testimony was offered, and the committee adjourned after the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Association of Minority Contractors, Minnesota Minority Goods and Services, Minnesota Chamber of the Electrical
• 31.320><c> the</c> and Services, Minnesota Chamber of the and Services, Minnesota Chamber of the Electrical
• ><00:19:32.880><c> a</c><00:19:33.440><c> uh</c><00:19:33.960><c> um</c><00:19:34.520><c> a</c> Electrical
• Association who has a uh um a Electrical Association who has a uh um a letter<00:19:34.919><c> in</c
• We generally work with the local jurisdictions to cooperate and respond to their requests.

Bills: HF4364 , HF4821 , HF4543 , HF3945

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• 03:48.480><c> Highway</c><00:03:48.959><c> 63,</c><00:03:49.519><c> striking</c><00:03:50.000><c> utility
• </c> 16 onto US Highway 63, striking utility 16 onto US Highway 63, striking utility pole<00:03:50.799
• And what it does is it appropriates or it increases the surcharge for electric vehicles for registration
• </c> continues to have any utility. continues to have any utility.
• You probably know this, the public might not, but we're not even through the... ...the electric vehicle

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• the new Mina Trails located at Queen Wilhelmina State Park, including clearing, access, lift, and electric
• This is a new contract, and it is for the appraisal of utility, communication, and transportation property
• This is for expert witness testimony with issues related to the utility industry.
• This is on-call skilled trade labor, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, boiler, valve controls, welding

Committee: All ALC-REVIEW

Summary: The committee first considered an $88,000 used tire program contract for District 4 with LTR Intermediate Holdings. Senators raised concerns that the tire district’s revised business plan had not yet been approved and that the contract could worsen cash flow before funding was confirmed. Questions were also raised about procurement language in the RFP that excluded bidders under corrective action plans. After discussion, a motion was made and approved to hold the contract until next month so the tire board could appear and answer questions. Members then reviewed a large slate of methods of finance, alternative delivery projects, and discretionary grants. These included capital projects at ASU Mid-South, Arkansas Tech, Ozarka, UA Fayetteville, UA Little Rock, UAMS, and UCA; a new UCA multi-purpose arena project estimated at $75.5 million; and DHS and Department of Health grants for aging services, substance abuse prevention, mental health, nutrition, hearing-loss follow-up, HIV services, and rural hospital quality improvement. All of these items were reviewed without objection. The committee also heard a ratification request from UAMS for a Family and Medical Leave Act outsourcing contract with FMLA Source. UAMS said an amendment had been prepared but never submitted for review, and payments continued after expiration; members expressed frustration and asked UAMS to review whether other contracts had similarly lapsed. The committee then reviewed numerous construction-related, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including airport economic impact study work, parking guidance technology at the University of Arkansas, veteran nursing services, and multiple DHS service contracts. Most items were reviewed without objection, and the meeting adjourned after reports of routine contract amendments and minor contracts were presented for information.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now you have another health care provider who can be utilized to address those health care issues.
• Madam Chair, Shannon Cooper today, representing Blue Cross and Blue Shield at Kansas City, and I hate
• Medicare Advantage plans versus private insurers, we see a 20% higher utilization rate of name-brand
• Cooper identified before, this is affecting only 28% of the marketplace. As Mr.
• Cooper identified before, this is affecting only 28% of the marketplace of insurers that are either in

Committee: House Health and Mental Health

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill also does not detail who is going to pay for the electric that's being transferred, whether
• </c> choice to invest in providing electric choice to invest in providing electric vehicle<03:30:07.920
• </c> that's been identified for an electric that's been identified for an electric vehicle.<03:31:00.000
• </c> installing and maintaining electric installing and maintaining electric charging<03:31:20.880><c
• </c> electric that's being transferred. electric that's being transferred.

Transcript Highlights:

• utilities to attempt to add to their rate base, increasing what customers must pay.
• </c> to deliver electricity to its customers. to deliver electricity to its customers. that<00:04:48.080
• </c><00:05:36.720><c> have</c> uh in an arena where most utilities have uh in an arena where most utilities
• He said there are indications that electric rates and utility rates are lower in those states with elected
• , providing that public utility commissioners are elected.

Committee: House Election Law

Summary: The committee first held a public hearing on CACR 30, a constitutional amendment that would make Public Utilities Commission members elected rather than appointed. Representative Thomas Opel testified in support, arguing that rising energy costs and the utility rate-setting structure make the PUC too insulated from ratepayers, and that elected commissioners would be more accountable. He also said the proposal should ideally include a ban on contributions from regulated utilities to PUC campaigns, and acknowledged the draft had errors and needed work. Representative Lane questioned whether a contribution ban would be constitutional, and Opel said there may be ways to structure one to survive legal challenge. The hearing closed with five online supporters and two opponents reported, and no one else testified. The committee then went into executive session on House Bill 1062, authorizing the Secretary of State to conduct random audits of voters’ citizenship qualifications. Representative Newsome offered an amendment to clarify how voters with no evidence either way would be treated and to require a public report on audit results, including referrals, costs, and databases used. Representative Aqua opposed the amendment, saying the bill should pass as written. The amendment failed 9-7, and after further debate over privacy and the purpose of audits, the committee voted 9-7 to recommend ought to pass on HB 1062. Representative Barry was assigned the majority report and Representative Newsome the minority report. The committee next considered House Bill 1388, which would clarify the form of ballots for constitutional amendments. Representative Weary said the bill simply provides clarity for voters and imposes no hardship on the Secretary of State’s office. The committee unanimously voted 17-0 to recommend ought to pass and placed the bill on the consent calendar. Finally, the committee opened a public hearing on House Bill 1125, enabling school districts to adopt partisan school district elections. Representative Weary said partisan labels would help voters understand candidate positions and address low turnout in local elections. He emphasized the bill is enabling, not mandatory. Members questioned why the change was needed if few municipalities have used existing authority, and whether it would increase divisiveness. Weary said many voters are unaware of the option and that partisan labels would give them more information. The hearing closed with five online supporters and 184 opponents. The committee then began executive session on House Bill 1187, concerning the filing deadline for special-election candidates for state representative, but discussion was still ongoing in the transcript.