Transcript Highlights:

• They were continuously busy. So it's really good to hear that going forward.
• So anyway, we have plans to continue to work in Deming.
• And I would hope that the committee, as you guys continue to have discussions, that we can continue to
• So that collaborative process has always been there and it continues to be there.
• Welcome to us to continue to bolster and support tourism in the state of New Mexico.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we need to continue more discussion.
• Members, I hope we can continue to work on this next year.
• Until they tell you no, I say you continue to listen to what your students need.
• If there are not consequences for behavior, that behavior will continue.
• It allows us to continue coming back year after year to do this important work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, seeing none, we'll continue with the regular order of business.
• So let's continue to invest in our students and let's continue to have parents at the forefront of the
• We have to continue to change and amend.
• It would be eligible to be developed as well, and the dominoes will continue to fall.
• His family continues that tradition of service.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and moments of silence, including tributes related to the FSU campus shooting, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, John Thrasher, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and visiting student and community groups. The chamber then moved into special order bills and adopted a resolution honoring Coach Abdur-Rahim. A number of measures were taken up and passed, including child care and early learning provider regulation updates, false reporting/swatting penalties, health care billing and collection protections, hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren, young adult housing support for foster and homeless students, the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, trust fund interest rules for IOTA accounts, transportation-related changes, public records exemptions for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate court clerks, municipal water and sewer utility rates in Miami-Dade, motor vehicle offenses involving obscured plates and impersonating law enforcement, trespass at large-scale ticketed events, refund of patient overpayments, stem cell therapy standards, insulin administration by direct support professionals and relatives, pre-arranged transportation services, and the Uniform Commercial Code update for digital assets. Several bills were amended before passage, often by substituting House companions and adopting late-filed amendments. The transportation bill was significantly revised to remove speed-limit increases and utility-related provisions while adding beach equipment removal, flood-wake enforcement, expectant mother parking permits, and local regulation of micromobility devices; it passed 37-0. The trust fund interest bill drew the most debate, with supporters arguing it right-sized a volatile funding stream for legal aid and opponents warning it would sharply reduce support for legal aid organizations; it passed 28-10. The municipal water and sewer rate bill also prompted extended debate over fairness, fiscal impact, and accusations of racism, but passed 36-2. Public records exemption bills for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate clerks passed with varying margins, with supporters emphasizing safety and anti-doxing protections. One bill on cardiac emergencies and another on education were temporarily postponed. Most measures were adopted by wide margins, often unanimously, after brief sponsor explanations and little or no debate. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the late USF coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and recognized several visiting groups in the gallery. After completing the day’s special order calendar, the Senate recessed for lunch until 1:30 p.m. or on call of the President.

Transcript Highlights:

• We serve approximately 10,500 credit students and another 10,000 plus continuing education and technical
• Kieschnick, these cases will certainly end up in court, where litigation can continue for years.
• So I grabbed the quench tank and put out the fire, and we continued with the robot display.
• All right, we're going to look forward to y'all continuing to work with the stakeholders on this.
• As you'll see in your handout, the sentiment has continued to worsen over the last several years.

Bills: SB467, SB325, SB867, SB994, SB1052, SB1237, SB1449, SB1531, SB2063, SB2172, SB2173, SB2520, SB2529, SB2538, SB2541, SJR46, SJR84

Keywords: SB 467, Texas property tax, ad valorem tax, homestead exemption, residence homestead, fire damage, house fire, destroyed home, temporary tax relief, appraisal district, chief appraiser, local taxing unit, tax rollback, tax refund, Tax Code Chapter 11, prorated exemption, homestead improvement, disaster relief, property tax exemption, residential property

Transcript Highlights:

• You can decide today if we continue to ignore sexual child abuse.
• Abusers should not continue to hide behind the law.
• It's beyond embarrassing, just abhorrent that we are allowing this to continue.
• So continuing on, Madam Chair, here, can you go a little bit on page four?
• to continue here.

Transcript Highlights:

• The next one is going to be to continue with the grant, the federal grant receipt, we receive... we're
• I think this is a direction Missouri should try to continue, and we're just going to cut it off if we
• They can have the flexibility, continue, and coordinate together.
• And I think we need to continue to try to strike this balance. And this is part of that.
• And so I would advocate we continue to hold to the House position here. We'll stay with the House.

Summary: The meeting was a lengthy conference committee review of multiple budget bills, with most of the discussion focused on House Bill 2 and related education funding. Members walked through numerous fund switches and appropriations tied to the foundation formula, blind pension, Capital Commission, Lottery Proceeds, and Classroom Trust funds. Several members urged fully funding the foundation formula or getting as close as possible, while others defended the compromise approach as a way to close the gap with available revenue. The committee also settled a number of education-related items, including child care grants, career ladder, school safety training, assessment pilots, Title I reallocation, parents as teachers language, child care subsidy language, and flex percentages on selected lines. The committee agreed to sign the House Bill 2 conference report after resolving the listed positions and language compromises. The committee then moved through House Bill 3 on higher education, agreeing to most Senate positions and a conference proposal directing the department to develop a new higher education funding model by December 1, 2026. Several members raised concerns about the timeline and whether the model would preserve separate funding buckets for two-year and four-year institutions, but the proposal was retained. House Bill 2004, covering transportation, was also reviewed, with compromises on items such as safety operations, low-volume roads, port funding, and several flex percentages. Members discussed the use of Capital Commission dollars and the status of road and port projects, and the bill was advanced with the agreed positions. House Bill 5, dealing with information technology and administration, generated substantial debate over a new Senate-added language proposal for OA/ITSD. Several members objected that the language was overly prescriptive, resembled a resolution, and could steer the state toward a specific cloud-computing direction or vendor; others said it was intended to create accountability and a plan for better oversight of IT spending. The committee left some items open briefly, then returned with a shorter conference proposal and agreed to distribute it. House Bill 7, House Bill 8, House Bill 9, and House Bill 2010 were also handled, with a mix of Senate, House, and compromise positions on public safety, veterans, agriculture, economic development, and behavioral health items. The committee recessed several times and repeatedly instructed members to sign the conference reports after the agreed changes were read into the record.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I continue to pray for our families that are in North Mississippi who continue to struggle to get
• And all I can ask of this body is to continue to trust me.
• We will continue to move forward.
• It is proper, and we will continue moving forward. And it is right.
• Okay, we'll continue to Anyone else?

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 24 March, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, opened with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then dispensed with the reading of the journal and committee report titles. The main business was a lengthy exchange over Senate Bill 2632, the local governments disaster recovery emergency loan program bill. The governor’s veto message argued that the enrolled bill had been materially altered after conference adoption, specifically over the interest-rate language, and called for an investigation. Senate leaders responded that the veto message was inaccurate, saying the word “monthly” had been removed earlier by unanimous consent to avoid an unintended 12% rate and that the bill was intended to provide disaster relief financing for local governments affected by Winter Storm Erin. Senators McCaughn and others defended the process, criticized the governor’s accusations as false and offensive, and emphasized that the legislation was meant to help struggling cities and counties with no interest until FEMA reimbursement, followed by a 1% rate. After the veto discussion, Senator McCaughn moved to refer the bill back to the committee from which it began, and the motion carried. The Senate then moved through routine business, including introductions and recognition of guests. Visitors included the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Peanut Committee, the Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind, the doctor of the day, and an NCSL representative, along with a National Ag Day milking champions presentation and a large group of junior pages. The chamber also honored the Starkville Oktibbeha County School District’s varsity boys and girls basketball teams. Senate Resolutions 64 and 65 were called up to commend the Starkville High School girls and boys teams for winning the 2026 Class 7A state championships, and both coaches addressed the Senate briefly to thank members for the recognition.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also continues long-term edits.
• > of<00:21:18.680> agate I've continued the legacy of agate I've continued the legacy of
• So, uh, go ahead and continue with your testimony. Sure, thank you, Chair.
• <00:36:53.080> Thank and continue with your testimony.
• Thank and continue with your testimony. Thank you,<00:36:53.400> Chair.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Everything from that point forward continues as has always been the case.
• So we'll cover that, and we'll just continue to make progress.
• And so if the activity continues to increase, should we expect a continuous supplemental increase, or
• And I believe with that we may continue. Oh, I'm sorry, I knew that.
• You may continue. Now we have the utilization costs for DMH.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The community said, "Hey, no, we want to continue to have the lake."
• We still haven't seen land grants reflected in that, but we'll continue to work on that issue.
• Sure that the work we've been able to do and institutionalize continues well beyond myself.
• What we remember is just on continuing resolutions.
• Continue to help that grow as different communities get affected.

Transcript Highlights:

• And there is, if we don't have an unbiased, we have no way... migration issue that is going to continue
• Additionally, the bill continues the requirement for all school buses in the state to have three-point
• The bill continues the requirement for all school buses in the state to have three-point seat belts,
• Members, before I continue, Members, before I continue with the bill layout, I do have a friendly amendment
• So I look forward to continuing to work on That important issue with our House colleagues, and I will

Summary: The Senate opened with an invocation by Pastor Jim Harris of Tilden Baptist Church, followed by remarks from Senator Zaffirini recognizing his service and retirement as an agricultural teacher. The chamber also received a message from the governor on appointments to the Coastal Water Authority Board of Directors. Senators then adopted SR 434 honoring Goodwill Industries of San Antonio’s 80th anniversary, with Senators Gutierrez, Menendez, and Zaffirini praising its workforce training and second-chance employment mission; SR 435 recognizing Dr. Christine Ramos Camacho as Doctor of the Day; and a group of additional resolutions adopted by voice vote. Senator Zaffirini also introduced the McMullen County Day delegation, and Senator Gutierrez introduced the Doctor of the Day. The Senate then took up and passed several bills. SB 1951 addressed penalties for late property rendition filings and removed a financial incentive for appraisal districts; SB 1261 related to financing water supply projects in the state water plan; SB 1620 created a Texas Forensic Analyst Apprenticeship Pilot Program; SB 530 updated higher-education accreditation rules; SB 2183 standardized fireworks sales periods statewide; SB 2368 strengthened the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act and added foreign-affiliation safeguards for electricity market participants; SB 1398 limited children without placement (CWOP) practices and added community-based care transparency; and SB 1960 established digital replication rights for voice and visual likenesses. Each of these bills advanced through suspension of the regular order, passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage, with recorded votes generally showing strong support and some opposition on a few measures. The chamber also debated SB 825, which would require an annual study of the economic, environmental, and financial impacts of illegal immigration. Senators Middleton, Hinojosa, Gutierrez, and Eckhardt debated whether the study should include positive as well as negative impacts; an amendment to require that broader analysis failed, and the bill was left pending after passage to engrossment. Other measures passed included SB 2010, prohibiting political subdivisions from operating guaranteed income programs; SB 546, requiring reporting and continued implementation of school bus seat belts; SB 586, establishing the Historical Texas Cemetery designation program; SB 1150, requiring inactive oil and gas wells to be plugged or returned to production under a compliance plan; SB 1184, lowering the minimum age of wine eligible for sale by wine collection sellers; SB 2185, clarifying bilingual education allotment funding; SB 1923, making child support follow the child in certain temporary placements; SB 2252, expanding early literacy and numeracy supports and screening tools; SB 1870, barring local decriminalization of drugs; and SB 2405, the major TDCJ sunset bill, which included facility planning, parole and rehabilitation reforms, and an amendment protecting parole board discretion. Most of these bills were adopted after floor amendments and passed with recorded votes, often along party-line or near-party-line divisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• It’s a continuation of policy.
• It’s a continuation of policy.
• So it's only a small amount that may have to continue to do it.
• So, okay, so let me continue then.
• So I wanted to clarify that this is going to continue to happen.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and considered several bills, mostly dealing with open meetings, public records, election administration, and local government notice requirements. Senate Bill 1 by Sen. Jenkins would authorize electronic voting under the Open Meetings Law and apply retroactively to validate prior electronic votes; after brief discussion and support from the Louisiana Municipal Association, it was reported favorably. House Bill 1052 by Rep. Spell would exempt certain child advocacy center and multidisciplinary team work product, forensic interviews, and related sensitive records from public records disclosure to protect child abuse investigations; testimony from child advocacy organizations emphasized the need to prevent misuse of records and preserve court-controlled access, and the bill was reported favorably. Senate Bill 289 by Sen. Abraham, concerning confidentiality of certain university records and negotiations, was amended to clarify protections for proprietary research, donor confidentiality, and limited confidentiality for industry negotiations, then reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 218 by Sen. Talbot, allowing alternative certification programs for election officials if approved by the State Board of Election Supervisors, and Senate Bill 220, a technical correction regarding the official journal of the state, were both reported favorably. Senate Bill 161 by Sen. Seaball, repealing a requirement that certain high-salary unclassified state employees register vehicles in Louisiana, was also reported favorably after questions about its scope and purpose. The committee then took up House Bill 1193 by Rep. Sawyer, which authorizes the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to use indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity construction contracts for maintenance and emergency work. CPRA officials said the model would speed small repairs and pre-construction tasks, improve efficiency, and mirror a similar DOTD approach; an amendment narrowed the public-records language and excluded design-build contracting. Members raised concerns about public records transparency and inclusion of minority and small contractors, but the bill was reported favorably as amended. House Bill 249 by Rep. Green, a constitutional amendment creating an independent compensation commission for elected officials and tying adjustments to CPI, drew extensive debate over removing the legislature from setting salaries, the appointment structure, and whether the state could afford automatic increases. After opposition from several members and a roll-call vote, the bill failed to be reported, 6 yeas to 9 nays. Because HB 249 failed, the companion enabling bill, House Bill 248, was deferred. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 997 by Rep. Edmondson, which would let parishes, municipalities, and school boards use their own websites as an alternative to newspaper publication for public notices. Supporters from the Police Jury Association argued the bill would reduce duplicative costs, preserve all existing notice requirements, and simply add a third option alongside newspaper publication and newspaper-hosted digital publication. An amendment narrowed the bill to parishes, municipalities, and school boards, removing other political subdivisions. Members questioned transparency, enforcement, record retention, and whether the change would undermine newspapers; supporters said courts would still enforce notice requirements and that local governments already maintain the records. The bill remained under discussion at the end of the transcript, with no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that normal process will continue.
• So that normal process will continue.
• So that normal process will continue.
• So that normal process will continue.
• So that normal process will continue.

Keywords: 00:14 Call to Order and Roll Call 01:10 Information Items and Introduction of Personnel Cabinet 02:44 Discussion of KHRIS HR system and need for replacement 05:52 Discussion of Challenges in managing HR for employees and records 09:16 Discussion of Employee Health Plan Record Management 12:56 Software and Hardware Discussion 16:15 Security Concerns 17:00 Costs, Staffing, and Implementation 24:09 Discussion of Data Integration and Hosting 32:20 Payment Methodology 35:20 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance held its first meeting and heard a presentation from personnel cabinet officials on a major request to replace the Kentucky Human Resources Information System, known as CHRIS, which currently handles HR, payroll, tax compliance, and health plan administration for state government and several local offices. Officials said the system supports payroll for about 48,000 employees, covers all three branches of government and 24 sheriff and county clerk offices, and stores records for nearly 475,000 current and former users. They explained that SAP has said the system will reach end of life and lose support by 2030, creating risks around security, maintenance, and tax compliance if it is not replaced. Commissioners and staff emphasized that the replacement is needed not just as an upgrade but as a full system replacement, especially because the current platform no longer receives meaningful HR enhancements and will eventually lose security updates and tax tables. They also described the Kentucky Employees Health Plan as a major driver of the project, noting it serves nearly 300,000 covered lives, many school boards, pre-65 retirees, and more than 700 entities, with significant complexity in billing, premium collection, and regulatory compliance. Officials said the new system would help address current manual workarounds, support changing insurance rules, and better protect personally identifiable and health information. Members asked detailed questions about the $151 million request, including why the estimate had risen by more than $50 million, what would happen if the project missed the 2030 deadline, how progress would be tracked, how vendor costs were estimated, and what the largest cost components would cover. Officials said the increase was mainly due to inflation and changing requirements, and that there was no real backup plan if the replacement was not completed before support ends. They said the project would be managed through an RFP process expected in July 2026, with kickoff in January 2027 and go-live by July 2030, and that oversight would include an enterprise steering committee, monthly updates, and existing quarterly COT reporting to LRC. They also explained that the largest share of the request is for implementation and integrator services, with additional amounts for software licensing and hosting, independent verification and validation, dependent verification, FSA administration, and limited contract support, and that payments would be tied to deliverables and acceptance testing.

Transcript Highlights:

• But they do have concerns with, continue to have concerns with this bill.
• Hopefully the bugs on the system are going to continue to get worked through.
• And we look forward to continue... Positive as always.
• As we continue to see urban sprawl, as our population continues to grow, and we start to creep our construction
• Okay, we'll bring it... ...has potential to continue to do some work on.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that continues all the way through page 5.
• There was a continuing appropriation authorized for that new purpose, though.
• And I think we're going to be continuing in that trend.
• I think we're going to be continuing in that trend. We'll have a lot of updated numbers.
• We are also continuing. The lead in terms of where our dollars are going.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to hear the Attorney General’s budget and related agency presentations. Legislative Council first reviewed the compliance with legislative intent report and the base budget worksheet, highlighting current and ongoing appropriations, FTE changes, one-time funding items, continuing appropriations, and major special and federal funds. Members asked about items such as the Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund, the Internet Crimes Investigation Fund, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit grant funding, and staff explained the funding sources and status of those programs. Assistant Attorney General Clare Ness then outlined the Attorney General’s office structure, staffing, and budget pressures. She emphasized the office’s broad statutory duties, the value of its legal and investigative work for state and local governments, and concerns about attorney salary competitiveness, the new and vacant FTE pool, and the impact of the 3% operating budget reduction on BCI, IT, and the crime lab. Members also discussed AG opinions, boards and commissions training, and the office’s litigation and settlement recoveries. Ness and committee members raised the possibility of broader attorney salary benchmarking across state government. The crime lab director described severe space and infrastructure constraints, including overcrowding, shared workspaces, glycol leaks, air handling limits, and aging fire and burglar alarm systems. She said the 2024 study projected a much larger facility would be needed and that a new building on the current health department site would best address the lab’s needs. She also reported that backlogs have improved significantly in DNA, drug, fingerprint, and firearms work, though toxicology had a recent delay after an air compressor failure. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit director described the unit’s fraud, abuse, and neglect work, noted federal-state funding and recent federal scrutiny, and said the unit needs more staff. The gaming division reviewed charitable gaming growth, e-tabs, trust accounts, and compliance issues, while BCI covered its caseload, cybercrime and child sexual abuse material investigations, the missing indigenous person task force, and the use of lottery funds for drug task forces. No formal votes or budget actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• But with your help, your continued help, especially.
• We hope to continue with you in the future. Thank you. Press the wrong button.
• Kind of a continuation of the spirit. Share the struggle of your ancestors.
• You guys had lumber mills, you know, and you continued using them into the 60s.
• We don't want to be so successful that we can't continue to sustain this and continue with the good work

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:15:16.880> uh<00:15:17.120> state operations for continuing uh state operations
• for continuing uh state government.<00:15:18.480> Um<00:15:18.959> and<00:15:19.199>
• to meet in conference going to continue to meet in conference committees<00:25:52.799> and<00
• c> committees and continue to pursue as committees and continue to pursue as much<00:25:54.320> as
• Of course, you don't need one to continue government.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I will continue to yield. Representative Cleavorn. Thank you again.
• Thank you, and would Representative Sexton continue to yield, please?
• They continue to do great work at the Attorney General's Office.
• This will continue funding for that. Thank you very much, chairs.
• And so I would like us to continue to protect it from their perspective.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have improved elections in Texas over the years because of your input and we want to continue to do
• We hope to continue to grow this program so that we can continue to ensure. that our counties are using
• In every single situation that I mentioned, voting continued and the election proceeded.
• And so nothing was paused, you know, our list maintenance still happens every day, we continue to get
• So the local election officials are kind of unlikely to continue to receive that breadth of election

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And just to preface my continuing questions, I absolutely agree with you on that.
• You expect that this Supreme Court will continue with that precedent?
• So my only comment here is to thank you. for working with us as we continue to, continue to define the
• Thanks for continuing to work with us on this and so many things. And thanks for serving.
• I continue to tell employers that it's not my money, it's your money.

Keywords: Texas Water Fund, water management, infrastructure funding, local governments, workforce development, community colleges, educational programs, sustainability

Summary: The meeting focused on several crucial issues, including the Texas Water Fund and its implications for development in the state. Various members highlighted the critical need for effective management of water resources, discussing the role of the Water Development Board and their strategies for outreach to local governments. The committee engaged in a thorough examination of funding projects and the sustainable financing necessary for communities facing challenges in meeting their infrastructure needs. Additionally, there was notable discussion regarding promoting workforce development and the alignment of educational programs with the demands of the job market as indicated by recent trends in community colleges.