Keywords: 988, house, all

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Legislative Procedure and Arrangements Committee met with a quorum, approved the prior minutes, and then took up a draft bill to make legislators’ and candidates’ residential addresses confidential in public records. Legislative Council and the Secretary of State explained the proposal was prompted by security concerns and would protect residential addresses while still allowing election officials to verify residency and keep candidate names and offices public. Members raised concerns about unintended consequences, transparency, and how the change would affect rural districts and residency enforcement. The Secretary of State suggested an amendment to end the confidentiality when a candidate’s term ends, and the committee agreed to hold the bill over for further discussion at the next meeting. The committee also reviewed follow-up materials on legislator security and best practices, including advice on situational awareness, internet hygiene, varying routines, and reporting threats, along with NCSL materials comparing capitol security practices in other states. Members discussed a recent security incident and the need to keep alert contact information current, and staff said they would continue working with the Highway Patrol on legislative-specific notifications. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to Garrity Consulting’s final report on mitigating the effects of legislative term limits. The consultants summarized survey, focus group, and stakeholder input showing concerns about loss of institutional knowledge, leadership turnover, onboarding demands, and workload pressures, while also noting public support for term limits and annual sessions. Recommendations included considering annual sessions or shifting biennial sessions to even-numbered years, restructuring organizational session and interim committee work, creating office hours and more structured orientation and mentorship, expanding ongoing training and staff support, improving public communication and virtual testimony rules, and addressing barriers to service such as employer support and travel costs. Members discussed the tension between making the legislature more effective and preserving a citizen-legislature model, and the report was received as a roadmap for future implementation rather than immediate action.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the quality of questions from the group, followed by a series of technical presentations from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent nuclear regulatory changes tied to presidential executive orders, including NRC Part 53 for advanced reactors, the forthcoming Part 57 for very small reactors, and DOE updates to reactor authorization standards. He emphasized efforts to align DOE and NRC processes, use risk-informed and performance-based licensing, support reactor deployment for AI/data centers and national security, and use AI to speed communications and crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements. In response to questions, he said there was no plan to merge agencies, but rather to improve coordination and public outreach through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and reprocessing. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), why it is needed for advanced reactors, and DOE’s HALEU Availability Program and related investments in enrichment, transportation, deconversion, and supply chain development. He also covered spent fuel management, the possibility of centralized storage or a fuel-cycle campus, the Center for Used Fuel Research, and ongoing work on high-burnup cask testing and reprocessing technologies. Tolman described aqueous, pyrochemical, and fluoride-volatility reprocessing approaches, noting the advantages and waste characteristics of each, and said several companies are working with INL on these technologies. Ashley Shields presented INL’s AI and nuclear work, focusing on the Genesis initiative and the Prometheus effort to use AI to design, license, build, and operate reactors with far less human intervention. She described INL’s broad use of generative AI tools, the need to manage large volumes of legacy technical data, and applications in reactor design, materials discovery, autonomous laboratories, and digital twins. Shields said AI is being used to reduce the enormous documentation burden in nuclear licensing and to support autonomous or remotely operated reactor demonstrations, while stressing that humans remain in supervisory roles. In discussion, she addressed data security, model access, and the continued need for software engineers. The session then recessed briefly and resumed with Mitch Kerman beginning a presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Summary: The committee heard several education-related bills, with the most extensive discussion focused on AB 2189, AB 2615, AB 2496, AB 1750, and AB 1644. AB 2189 would create an $800,000 grant program through the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to support a statewide parent network for special education advocacy and training. Supporters said families need stronger coordination and information to navigate special education, while an opponent argued the bill could duplicate existing family-led organizations. The bill passed 6-0 and was sent to Appropriations, held on call for add-on votes. AB 2615, a cleanup bill to AB 715 on antisemitism and instructional materials, drew the most controversy. The authors said it was intended to clarify prior commitments by removing references to professional responsibility standards, refining the “factually accurate” language, and clarifying how discriminatory materials are handled. Supporters said it would help protect students from discrimination, while many educators, civil rights groups, and other organizations opposed it unless amended, warning that the factual-accuracy language could chill teaching and be applied too broadly. The committee chair and members raised concerns about implementation but ultimately supported moving the bill forward; it passed 5-0 and was held on call. AB 2496 would streamline school accountability reporting by making the California School Dashboard the primary transparency tool, phasing out the School Accountability Report Card over time, and making mid-year LCAP reporting optional. Supporters said this would reduce duplication and administrative burden while preserving access to key data; opponents worried families could lose the simplicity and accessibility of the current SARC and that the mid-year update still serves an important purpose. The bill was approved 3-0 and held on call. AB 1750, which would extend full salary for an additional five months for school employees who exhaust sick leave due to illness or injury, was supported as a dignity and retention measure but opposed by administrators over staffing and cost concerns; it passed 4-0 and was held on call. AB 1644 would require a bell-to-bell smartphone ban in TK-8 and recommend it for high school, with exceptions for instructional and safety needs; supporters said phones are harming attention and learning, while opponents argued districts had just adopted local policies and needed more flexibility. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with extensive testimony and debate. AB 2507 by Assembly Member Wynn would strengthen state consultation with federally recognized tribal governments by requiring clearer tribal liaison roles, a tribal advisory committee, and more consistent early engagement across agencies. Support came from Wilton Rancheria and the California Tribal Business Alliance, with members praising the bill as improving respect, coordination, and outcomes for tribes. AB 2024, also by Wynn, would require the Outdoor Advertising Act permitting process to reach a determination on submitted applications, aimed at reducing delays and uncertainty; it drew support from the outdoor advertising industry and the California Association of Realtors, with members describing it as a technical cleanup measure. Both bills were later moved to Appropriations, along with a consent calendar of several other measures. AB 1585 by Assembly Member Connolly would require wine labeled as American to be made from 100% American-grown grapes, aligning the federal “American” label with California’s existing 100% state-origin standard. Supporters, including California wine grape growers, family wineries, consumer advocates, and several local agricultural groups, argued the bill would improve truth in labeling and help struggling growers. Opponents from major wine companies and industry groups warned it could reduce flexibility, create labeling complications, and limit the ability to list varietal and vintage on some blended wines. After a lengthy debate over labeling standards, consumer expectations, and impacts on interstate wine sales, the committee passed the bill to Appropriations. AB 1605 by Assembly Member Ransom would allow judges to place a no-alcohol-sales notice on the licenses of repeat or serious DUI offenders, restricting their ability to purchase alcohol as a preventive measure. Supporters, including the California Police Chiefs Association, the Safe California Roads Coalition, and the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, said the bill would give courts another tool to reduce recidivism and save lives. Retailers and restaurant representatives raised concerns about implementation and ID-checking burdens, but the bill was amended and passed to Appropriations. AB 2211 by Assembly Member Hoover, which would allow craft distillers to operate a second tasting room, also advanced with support from the California Distillers Association. Finally, AB 1578 by Assembly Member Jackson, presented by Assembly Member Solache, would require anti-hate speech training for local and state elected officials; it drew strong opposition over First Amendment and definitional concerns, and members pressed for a clearer definition of hate speech before further action.

Summary: The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee heard and advanced a series of bills, mostly on worker safety, wages, workforce training, and retirement savings. AB 2137 (Chen) would strengthen safety rules and certification for artificial stone fabrication shops to reduce silica exposure; AB 2499 (Gibson) would require Cal/OSHA to develop heat-illness protections for incarcerated workers and staff in correctional facilities; AB 2300 (Arambula) would streamline the disbursement of state and federal workforce funds; AB 2646 (Krell) would establish a minimum wage floor for certain agricultural workers; AB 2227 (Connolly) would tighten licensing and bond requirements for farm labor contractors and add default-judgment procedures for wage claims; AB 1869 (Haney) would create a reporting process for alleged REIT interference in hotel operations; AB 2650 (Pellerin) would expand CalSavers with emergency savings accounts and other updates; AB 2634 (Zbur) would prioritize labor-management partnerships in High Road Training Partnership grants; and AB 1888 would require skilled-and-trained workforce and prevailing wage standards for work under the Safe Home Grant Program. AB 1534 (Irwin) would create California’s approval process for short-term Pell-eligible workforce programs. The committee also took up several consent items, including AB 1904, AB 1980, AB 2550, AB 2078, and AB 2682. Most bills were described as aligning state programs with federal law or improving worker protections and program quality, while opponents generally raised concerns about costs, administrative burden, regulatory uncertainty, or reduced oversight. Testimony was largely split along labor and industry lines. Supporters included labor unions, legal aid groups, workforce boards, and affected workers or family members, who emphasized heat illness, wage theft, silica exposure, poor prison conditions, and the need for higher-quality training and retirement access. Opponents on several bills, especially those affecting agriculture, REITs, and workforce administration, argued the measures would increase costs, create uncertainty, or duplicate existing law. On AB 2227, committee members engaged in extended discussion about Labor Commissioner delays and whether the bill’s default-judgment and bond provisions would meaningfully help workers. On AB 1869, members and witnesses debated whether the bill created new standards or simply improved enforcement of existing REIT rules. The committee voted to pass all of the measures heard, generally with motions to do pass and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. Several bills were held open for absent members during the meeting, and later add-on roll calls recorded additional ayes, moving the bills out of committee. The meeting concluded after the consent calendar was approved and the committee adjourned.

Summary: The Assembly Insurance Committee met as a subcommittee at first because a quorum was not initially present, then later established a quorum and heard several bills. The main special-order item was AB 1795 (Gibson), which would create statewide standards for testing, inspection, and remediation of wildfire smoke damage in homes, with CalEPA and public health agencies developing science-based standards and insurers required to follow new claims-handling timelines. Supporters, including Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and wildfire survivors, said the bill would bring consistency and safety; insurers and consumer groups generally supported the concept but sought further amendments on scope, standards, and claim handling. The committee voted do pass as amended and refer AB 1795 to Appropriations, with the roll held open for later additions. The committee also considered AB 1576 (Ortega) on the Subsequent Injury Benefit Trust Fund, which would make changes intended to reduce litigation and employer assessments while preserving the program’s purpose of encouraging hiring of workers with prior disabilities. Labor-side witnesses supported the bill as a reform step, while business, public entity, and insurance groups opposed it, arguing it did not address the core structural problems and that a trailer bill was a better vehicle for broader reform. AB 1576 was voted do pass to Appropriations, with the roll held open. AB 1931 (Papan) would create an optional limited-lines license for utilities to offer home protection products for repairs to appliances and utility service lines. Support came from HomeServe, utilities, and industry groups, who said the bill would clarify current law and add consumer protections such as training, disclosures, and a free-look period; there was no opposition in the room. The committee passed AB 1931 to Appropriations. AB 2361 (Pacheco) would limit vicarious liability for peer-to-peer vehicle-sharing platforms like Turo while preserving insurance coverage requirements; supporters said it would align California with other states, while consumer attorneys opposed it as reducing accountability and consumer recovery. The committee passed AB 2361 as amended to Appropriations. AB 2098 (Kalra), heard later, would require employers to allow leave for workers to attend treatment for occupational injuries during work hours, subject to notice and business-necessity limits; labor groups supported it and business and insurance groups sought narrower standards. It was also voted do pass to Appropriations. The committee then completed roll-call add-ons and adjourned.

Bills: SB44, SB237, SB248, SB985, SB1204, SB1239, SB1307, SB1360, SB1390, SB1400, SB1405, SB1427, SB1428, SB1732, SB1832, SB1859, SB1989, SB2018, SB2143

Keywords: sales tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, contractors, charitable purposes, state law, ad valorem tax, manufacturing facilities, exemption, battery energy storage, employment, payroll, state tax regulation, tourism, revolving fund, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, real property, fund management, Oklahoma Local Food for Schools, school meals, local food procurement

Keywords: 914, all

Bills: HB2299, HB2939, HB2941, HB2960, HB3062, HB3087, HB3114, HB3244, HB3262, HB3304, HB3345, HB3386, HB3431, HB3498, HB3581, HB3645, HB3648, HB3764, HB3852, HB3974, HB4141, HB4144, HB4227, HB4237, HB4343, HB4425

Keywords: Article V, convention, amendments, criminal penalties, legislative authority, absentee voting, electronic communication, facsimile device, voting materials, military voters, fentanyl, overdose, first responders, drug reporting, immunity, controlled substances, penalties, firearm liability, tort reform, manufacturers

Bills: HB1823, HB3031, HB3369, HB3378, HB3429, HB3624, HB3657, HB3880, HB4215, HB4476

Keywords: housing finance, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, publication requirements, housing policy, state regulations, HB3369, food truck, food truck fire suppression, mobile food establishment, mobile food preparation vehicle, mobile food vendor, automatic fire extinguishing system, fire suppression, fire extinguisher, Class K extinguisher, NFPA 10, State Fire Marshal, Oklahoma Liquefied Petroleum Gas Administration, Oklahoma Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board, liquefied petroleum gas

Bills: HB4028, HB4075, HB4077, HB4074, HB4076, SB1221, SB1921, SB2118, SB1932, SB2134, HCR1025, SB1432, HCR1024, HCR1022, SB1122, HB4029, HB4063, HB4073, HB4078, SB1936, SB44, SB237, SB248, SB1360, SB985, SB1204, SB1239, SB1307, SB2143, SB1428, SB1390, SB1400, SB1405, SB1732, SB1832, SB1859, SB1989, SB2018, SB1427

Keywords: tax deduction, venture capital, economic development, Oklahoma, investment, water resources, appropriations, funding, state treasury, infrastructure projects, emergency act, emergency management, disaster relief, pandemic response, state appropriations, HB4074, Health Care Workforce Training Commission, Health Care Workforce Revolving Fund, health workforce, health care workforce

Bills: HB1937, HB2153, HB3674, HB2978, HB3885, HB3671, HB3261, HB3021, HB3029, HB4274, HB3701, HB3076, HB2299, HB3852, HB3244, HB3345, HB3114, HB3764, HB4144, HB3304, HB2939, HB4227, HB3262, HB2941, HB3498, HB4343, HB4425, HB3386, HB3087, HB3062, HB3431, HB4141, HB3581, HB4237, HB2960, HB3645, HB3648, HB3974, HB3045, SCR18, HCR1024, SJR39, SJR49, HB4486, SB1130, SB1131, SB1132, SB1133, SB1134, SB1142, HB1823, HB4476, HB3378, HB3880, HB3031, HB3369, HB3429, HB3657, HB4215, HB3624, HB1170

Keywords: HB1937, Oklahoma schools, student communications, electronic communication, digital communication, parent notification, legal guardian, school personnel, teachers, coaches, administrators, charter schools, public schools, administrative leave, corroborated report, investigation, employee file, discipline, termination, school board

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The committee began by approving the November minutes on a roll-call vote, with a majority of members voting aye and the minutes adopted. Staff then provided updates on pending pension-related litigation, including Fowler et al. v. Leathers, where cross-motions for summary judgment were scheduled for May 1, and Dolan v. King County, where the court ruled against the state’s position on reimbursement of attorney’s fees but did not award fees against the state. The actuary also previewed upcoming presentations on OSA’s annual update and the June actuarial valuation and contribution rates, which will reflect updated demographic assumptions. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the interim work plan and possible study topics. Members discussed a potential study of Plan 3, including how it compares with Plan 2, retirement ages, benefit adequacy, and whether the plan is meeting its original purpose. Staff agreed to work with DRS on a study outline and bring back a proposal. Members also raised the ongoing COLA issue, noting interest from retiree groups and the need to develop a recommendation for the next budget cycle, likely by October or November. Another major topic was LEOFF 1 disability/medical boards; staff said they are still gathering basic information on how many boards exist, who administers them, and what they cost, and suggested separate briefings on House Bill 2034, LEOFF 1 governance, and the medical study. The committee also reviewed constituent correspondence, which included requests related to Plan 1 COLAs, a Plan 3 study, teacher retirement age, and a missed early retirement factor. Staff explained that correspondence procedures are being revised for cybersecurity and privacy reasons, and future public correspondence may be handled differently. The committee approved the draft May agenda, which will include the OPMA refresher, OSA’s annual update, the LEOFF 1 medical board study update, a Plan 2/Plan 3 study outline, an overview of House Bill 2034, and a correspondence update. The meeting then adjourned without further business.

Bills: HB1170

Keywords: fiduciary responsibility, proxy voting, public finance, Oklahoma statutes, pension plans, pecuniary factors, nonpecuniary factors, financial risk, Attorney General, 914, all

Bills: HB1937, HB2153, HB3674, HB2978, HB3885, HB3671, HB3261, HB3021, HB3029, HB4274, HB3701, HB3076

Keywords: HB1937, Oklahoma schools, student communications, electronic communication, digital communication, parent notification, legal guardian, school personnel, teachers, coaches, administrators, charter schools, public schools, administrative leave, corroborated report, investigation, employee file, discipline, termination, school board

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The House first approved the journal for the 54th day by roll call vote, 117-5, after a prayer, pledge, and a long series of introductions of guests and school groups. The chamber then took up a motion from the Clay County member to reconsider perfection and adoption of House Committee Substitute for House Bills 3283 and 3306, which was described as a precautionary step to send the bill back for legislative review because of possible conflict with current case law involving arbitration and court jurisdiction. Members supporting the motion said the bill protects first responders and should be tightened up before returning to the floor. The reconsideration motions and the motion to commit the substitute to the Committee on Legislative Review all passed, each by roughly 98-43 or 99-43 votes. The House then considered House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 982, a sex offender registry bill. The sponsor said it would streamline Missouri’s registry by moving to a clearer tier-based system, standardizing who must register, reducing litigation exposure, and aligning state law more closely with federal SORNA requirements. The bill also included language allowing the Department of Mental Health to contract with the Department of Corrections for housing sexually violent predators, plus other technical provisions. After a small technical amendment correcting a typo, members asked about whether the bill would allow offenders to petition off the registry; the sponsor said it would make removal easier for those who meet the tier requirements. The House adopted the substitute 141-4 and then third-read and passed the bill 141-4. The main floor debate centered on House Joint Resolutions 173 and 174, which would place before voters a constitutional change aimed at eliminating the state income tax over time and potentially broadening sales and use taxes to replace lost revenue. Supporters argued the proposal would shift Missouri from taxing income to taxing consumption, improve economic development, help attract businesses and workers, and give taxpayers more control over how they are taxed. They repeatedly described the measure as revenue-neutral and emphasized guardrails such as requiring any sales-tax expansion to be tied to income-tax reduction, done in the same legislation, and limited to a five-year window. Opponents argued the plan would raise taxes on most Missourians, especially lower- and middle-income families and seniors on fixed incomes, and would shift costs onto everyday goods and services, health care, and local governments. They also warned it could weaken funding for schools, hospitals, and other public services and noted that many witnesses and constituents opposed the measure. No final vote on the joint resolution was shown in the transcript excerpt.