Transcript Highlights:

• Delay the cut and help us get a task force assigned so that we can try our best to keep the people we
• delay the cut and help us get a task delay the cut and help us get a task force<01:36:40.800><c> assigned
• 41.440><c> we</c><01:36:41.600><c> can</c><01:36:41.679><c> try</c><01:36:41.840><c> our</c> force assigned
• so that we can try our force assigned so that we can try our best<01:36:42.560><c> to</c><01:36:42.880

Bills: HF2216, HF1978, HF2354, HF1963, HF1994, HF1995, HF1894

Keywords: assisted living, nursing home, long-term care, guardian, conservator, resident rights, arbitration, mandatory arbitration, consumer protection, fee increase, rate increase, price hike, private pay, public funds, Medicaid, waiver services, elderly, seniors, older adults, disability rights

Transcript Highlights:

• If it doesn't, it could be corrected at that time, and then a decal could be assigned to the home.
• then a decal corrected at that time and then a decal could<01:13:01.320><c> be</c><01:13:01.480><c> assigned
• > the</c><01:13:02.199><c> home</c><01:13:03.199><c> thank</c><01:13:03.360><c> you</c> could be assigned
• to the home thank you could be assigned to the home thank you um<01:13:04.080><c> and</c><01:13:04.239

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and they said forcing transgendered children to play on teams according to their sex assigned at
• /c><00:55:41.440><c> to</c><00:55:41.599><c> their</c><00:55:41.839><c> sex</c><00:55:42.520><c> assigned
• </c> on teams according to their sex assigned on teams according to their sex assigned at<00:55:43.160

Bills: HF1233

Keywords: women's athletics, gender, sports competition, Human Rights Act, biological sex, participation limits, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We as members have very limited time, and we're assigned to these boards and committees like this.
• /c><00:07:44.919><c> we're</c> have very limited time and we're have very limited time and we're assigned
• 00:07:46.400><c> and</c><00:07:47.319><c> and</c><00:07:48.319><c> um</c><00:07:49.039><c> in</c> assigned
• to these boards and and um in assigned to these boards and and um in committees<00:07:49.720><c> like

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Our staff does the first pass, deciding which are eligible, which are complete, and then we assign those
• Our staff does the first pass, deciding which are eligible, which are complete, and then we assign those
• Our staff does the first pass, deciding which are eligible, which are complete, and then we assign those
• Our staff does the first pass, deciding which are eligible, which are complete, and then we assign those

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• carry some of the body of the work that the committee carries this year, and it was inadvertently assigned
• was</c> carries this year and it was carries this year and it was inadvertently<02:09:00.880><c> assigned
• </c><02:09:01.320><c> to</c><02:09:01.520><c> the</c><02:09:01.679><c> labor</c> inadvertently assigned
• to the labor inadvertently assigned to the labor committee<02:09:02.599><c> have</c><02:09:02.760><c

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• a lot of stories from folks that have been struggling with addictive gambling, that they’ve been assigned
• addictive gambling um that<00:57:31.319><c> they've</c><00:57:31.559><c> been</c><00:57:32.359><c> assigned
• </c><00:57:33.359><c> um</c><00:57:33.760><c> private</c> that they've been assigned um private that
• they've been assigned um private hosts<00:57:34.480><c> and</c><00:57:34.880><c> concierges</c><00:57

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a matrix that assigns the responsibilities, and we have a probably 80% complete draft of exact
• thatou be completed we have a u Matrix thatou be completed we have a u Matrix that<01:22:09.679><c> assigns
• the</c><01:22:10.320><c> responsibilities</c><01:22:11.320><c> and</c><01:22:11.600><c> we</c> that assigns
• the responsibilities and we that assigns the responsibilities and we have<01:22:12.440><c> um</c><01

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Bachman Hall and heard testimony on several UH-related bills. HB 542 would expand the Hawaiʻi Promise Program to provide unmet-need scholarships at four-year UH campuses. UH system officials, the UH Student Caucus, and a Honolulu Community College student testified in support, emphasizing college affordability, student retention, and workforce needs. Committee members asked about current program data, eligibility, transfer patterns, and cost; UH said it had data available, noted about 10% of current Hawaiʻi Promise students transfer to four-year campuses, and estimated the full expansion would cost about $12 million. UH also suggested a possible alternative of focusing on transfer opportunities from two-year to four-year campuses. The committee then heard HB 840, which concerns athletics appropriations for UH. UH Mānoa and UH Hilo supported the bill. UH officials said the funding would help cover recurring athletics operating costs, women’s sports travel and recruiting, Austin Awards, and a new nutrition fueling station, while Hilo said the money would help with travel, per diem, and conference-related costs. Members asked about the history of the athletics funding, the difference between Austin Awards and special talent waivers, NIL planning, and whether the appropriation should be restored to the base budget. UH explained that a $4 million athletics appropriation was originally made in 2018 or 2019, later removed from the base, and has been reappropriated annually since then. Finally, the committee heard HB 842, which would fund three additional permanent mental health practitioner positions at UH Mānoa’s Counseling and Student Development Center. UH supported the bill, and Academic Labor United and a high school student testified in favor, citing student stress, overwork, and the need for more counseling access. In questions, members discussed the current counselor-to-student ratio, recruitment challenges in a tight labor market, and strategies for hiring, including looking at candidates on soft-money grants who may be seeking stable employment. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• an inmate leaves and they're transported on a bus back to their home city or to wherever they're assigned
• But I do believe, just correct me if I'm wrong, so the service members who are assigned to Operation
• So the service members who are assigned to Operation Lone Star are under the orders of Governor Abbott
• TDEM and the Texas A&M Forest Service during disaster responses, primarily with personnel being assigned

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard the Legislative Budget Board’s overview of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 2026-27 budget, followed by extensive testimony from DPS leadership. The LBB presentation covered funding and staffing changes across driver license services, facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, and border security. The recommendations included added support for customer service staffing and trooper hiring, but did not include several DPS exceptional items such as major driver license staffing and technology requests, new regional headquarters in El Paso and San Antonio, and other capital projects. Members also discussed proposed rider changes, including a new rider to lapse unused trooper funding and require reporting after recruit schools. Much of the committee’s questioning focused on driver license operations, where senators criticized long call wait times, low call-answer rates, appointment delays, and what they viewed as an overreliance on adding staff rather than improving processes. DPS and LBB witnesses said the agency is pursuing some technology upgrades, including automation, online pre-population of applications, and appointment-system improvements, but acknowledged that the driver license division remains a major problem area. Senators also raised concerns about whether the 2019 efficiency study led to meaningful changes and whether the agency should consider broader process redesign or even a different administrative structure. Colonel Freeman and other DPS officials then defended the agency’s broader law enforcement and border-security work, emphasizing the need for the Williamson County training academy, the 500 additional troopers funded in prior sessions, and continued support for Operation Lone Star. They described DPS’s role in border interdiction, threat-to-life investigations, oilfield theft cases, Capitol and Alamo security, and highway safety, and said the agency is stretched thin by deployments and overtime. Members asked about border reimbursement possibilities, regional staffing differences, pursuit safety, fleet and aircraft replacement needs, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame museum. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• reserved for the chair of the House and the chair of the Senate tax committees if they are not formally assigned
• 45.119><c> formally</c> committees um if they are not formally committees um if they are not formally assigned
• <00:44:45.800><c> to</c><00:44:45.880><c> the</c> assigned to the assigned to the commission<00:44:47.559

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> So they are the coaches and the mentors that are assigned to each of our public pre-K. >> Okay.
• to each of our public that are assigned to each of our public prek. prek. prek.
• So we just want to take that philosophy and apply it to the initiatives that have been assigned to us
• ;&gt; Yeah, we've been um assigned by the legislature<02:16:47.200><c> one</c><02:16:47.519><c> new</
• The law is written, it says whoever the legislature assigns projects. >> Yeah.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First, I'd like to thank the Chair and the Honorable assignment for allowing me the opportunity to speak
• We assigned counsel in my unit to people who require the assistance of attorneys for parole and medical
• With hundreds of case assignments and a close community of attorneys, we're very lucky to be a hub of

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security focused on several correction-related bills, including visitation reform, elder and medical parole, incarcerated persons’ human rights, and creation of an independent correctional oversight office. Vice Chair Christopher Worrell chaired the hearing in place of Chair Dan Cahill for much of the session and explained that the committee would first hear from incarcerated individuals remotely, then move to public testimony. The committee repeatedly enforced three-minute limits and accepted written testimony as well. Much of the testimony from incarcerated people emphasized that visitation is central to rehabilitation, family stability, and reentry, and that current DOC policies—visitor caps, pre-approval requirements, scheduling rules, dress-code enforcement, and restrictions on contact—have reduced family contact and caused harm. Several speakers argued that elderly and medically frail prisoners should be released through parole because incarceration is costly, ineffective, and inhumane for people who pose little public-safety risk. Others described poor prison conditions, limited programming, inadequate healthcare, segregation-like housing, and the impact of K2 use, suicides, and self-harm. Supporters of the oversight bill said an independent office is needed to address racial disparities, grievance failures, and lack of accountability within the DOC. A number of speakers tied their support to personal experiences, including alleged racial discrimination, denial of programs, and barriers to family visits. Some testified that rehabilitative programming, education, and restorative justice reduce violence and improve outcomes, while others said the DOC spends too little on programming and too much on punishment. Committee members asked a few follow-up questions, including about K2 contraband and how to reduce drugs in facilities, and one member asked about typical visitation lengths. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony on the bills and several witnesses urged favorable reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then they assign the LSIR, which is a risk assessment.
• Well, Madam Chair, and to extend that, I think only one of those three members that are assigned to that
• that's really, if you want to say, making prejudgment and then bringing it up to the three that are assigned

Summary: The committee opened with a moment of silence for a deceased member, then approved the April minutes and heard a presentation from HHS on the Diversion Task Force and related youth services grants. Chelsea Florey described the $750,000 one-time appropriation from HB 1012, the five awarded grants, and how programs in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot are using the funds for youth diversion, including school-based groups, physical activity, and services for problematic sexual behavior. Members raised concerns about staffing shortages, family engagement, service silos, and whether diversion eligibility rules are too rigid; Florey said the task force is focused on better coordination, broader education about available services, and possible changes to diversion criteria, with the Children’s Cabinet likely to drive broader recommendations. The committee then received a North Dakota Lottery biennium report from Director Thomas Lawler, who reviewed the lottery’s history, games, retailer commissions, player programs, and revenue distribution. He reported about $67 million in ticket sales for the 2023-2025 biennium, about $16.2 million transferred overall, including roughly $13.6 million to the general fund, plus transfers to drug task force and compulsive gambling funds. Members asked about the compulsive gambling allocation and whether it is set by statute. Next, the Department of Corrections presented on criminal justice data sharing and reentry. Adam Anderson explained that jails, courts, DOCR, HHS, and other entities use separate systems with limited interoperability, making real-time communication largely manual. He outlined possible hub or point-to-point IT solutions, but noted cost, vendor, identifier, and data-definition challenges. Robin Schmolenberger followed with an update on a Medicaid data exchange project between DOCR and HHS to suspend and reactivate inmate Medicaid coverage automatically and improve care coordination, with full bi-directional exchange expected in fall 2026. The committee also heard from county representatives on 24-7 sobriety program fees and an AG opinion allowing local sheriffs to use cheaper testing options when courts waive fees. Finally, the North Dakota Racing Commission reviewed a troubling audit. Bruce Johnson acknowledged serious findings involving overspending from the promotion fund, missing grant documentation, a reversed decision on breeders fund eligibility, and repeated procurement violations. He said the commission has begun corrective actions, including monthly tracking of the promotion fund cap, stricter grant documentation, written procurement procedures, and clearer eligibility rules in condition books. Members pressed him on how the overspending occurred, whether the commission board would impose consequences, and whether statutory clarification is needed on the promotion fund limit and related spending rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• crimes that occur in the capital area, and the House language also requires that state troopers assigned
• crimes that occur in the capital area, and the House language also requires that state troopers assigned
• That state troopers assigned to Capital Security have training or experience in criminal investigations

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Safety and Security Conference Committee met on May 13, 2026, with a quorum present and no immediate vote taken. Chairs explained the committee was working ahead of a possible target so it could act quickly later if needed, then proceeded with member introductions and a reminder about committee decorum. Staff noted a microphone delay and said the meeting would include a side-by-side walk-through of the House and Senate policy language and a review of the fiscal spreadsheet. Fiscal staff summarized major differences in court, public safety, and legislative security funding. The House and Senate proposals differed on safety and security funding for the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts, as well as on courthouse grants, capital security enhancements, and a new legislative/protective services unit. Staff also reviewed Senate-only and House-only items, including a Senate proposal to require removal of insignia from public safety vehicles sold to the public, and House provisions for a security services task force and member security costs. Total general fund impacts were reviewed, with the House total corrected to include an open appropriation that had been omitted from the spreadsheet totals. Nonpartisan staff then walked through the policy differences. The Senate language focused on a Protective Services Unit and security for principal state officials, while the House language focused on a Legislative Services Unit and security for legislators. Both bills included provisions on Capitol Complex Security, reporting requirements, and reimbursement arrangements with local law enforcement, but differed on details such as whether elected officials must provide contact information to DPS and how requests for personal protective services are handled. The House-only amendment A8 was presented for discussion; it would revise emergency contact provisions, replace the House’s personal protective services request language with a more detailed threat assessment and mitigation framework, direct implementation of the new unit, and make related reimbursement and technical changes. Judge Richard Kyle, president of the Minnesota District Judges Association, testified in support of stronger judicial and court safety measures. He described rising threats against judges, citing survey results showing high rates of judges limiting personal information, receiving inappropriate communications, changing personal behavior, and experiencing threats to themselves and family members. He said the association supports legislative authorization and funding for home security and personal data protections for judicial officers, and emphasized that safety concerns for judges and court staff have become more serious in recent years.

Transcript Highlights:

• acquiring the right to operate a well by any means, including, and I quote, by purchase, transfer, assignment
• acquiring the right to operate a well by any means, including, and I quote, by purchase, transfer, assignment
• , conveyance, exchange, or other disposition. ...including, and I quote, by purchase, transfer, assignment

Summary: The committee heard a long series of bills, beginning with AB 2026 on groundwater recharge. The author and supporters said the bill would streamline permitting for recharge projects, codify long-standing CEQA exemptions for flood diversions to recharge, and add tribal consultation and other guardrails. Water agencies and local districts supported the measure as a way to capture high-flow water and reduce groundwater subsidence, while environmental groups and some irrigation districts opposed it, warning that the bill’s exemptions and broader diversion authority could harm rivers, Delta resources, and public trust values. The bill was discussed but not voted on because the committee lacked a quorum at that point. The committee then took up AB 1577 on data center energy accountability, which would require monthly reporting of energy-use data and permit-related estimates of energy and water demand. The author and the Little Hoover Commission argued the bill would improve transparency, help protect ratepayers, and give regulators better information for grid planning. Data center industry representatives opposed it as duplicative, burdensome, and uniquely targeted, while local governments, environmental groups, and some utilities supported it or supported it if amended. The bill was later reported out with a due pass recommendation once a quorum was established. Members also heard AB 2245 on a producer responsibility program for lubricant products and containers, AB 2170 on CEQA language-access and environmental review protections for overburdened communities, AB 2059 on rural transportation and VMT mitigation, AB 1808 on Western Joshua tree permitting and fee relief, AB 2182 on industrial energy efficiency program changes, and AB 2231 on streamlining two hospital projects. Testimony was mixed on most of these bills: supporters emphasized affordability, local control, environmental justice, or project urgency, while opponents raised concerns about CEQA scope, regulatory duplication, costs, and environmental impacts. Several measures received due pass recommendations and roll-call votes, including AB 2170, AB 2059, AB 1808, AB 2182, and AB 2231, with some members voting no or not voting and some bills left open for absent members.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was assigned. I did not volunteer, but anything I can do for... I was assigned.
• businesses can transfer some of that depreciability, if you will, if there's a change in ownership or assignment

Summary: The Appropriations Committee considered a large agenda of bills and reported several measures favorably. Early action included SB 6, a settled claim bill involving the Department of Children and Families and a trust for Leila Estrada and Sapphire Williams, and CS/CS/SB 1266, which creates a cybersecurity experiential learning and clearance-readiness program through the Department of Commerce and Cyber Florida. The committee also approved SB 532 on clerks of court funding, allowing clerks to retain all excess Article V revenue rather than returning half to the state and clarifying foreclosure sale procedures. In addition, the committee passed CS/CS/SB 1602 and CS/CS/SB 1604 to create and fund a pilot housing program for veterans through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and CS/SB 1110 to expand Medicaid and private insurance coverage for medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics, including testimony from affected families and advocates. The committee also adopted an amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/SB 1012 on inmate services, removing the bill’s medical-services compensation provisions while retaining changes to the inmate welfare trust fund and related facility uses. It also adopted a delete-all amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/CS/SB 1614, which was narrowed to remove a provision allowing local governments to use excess fees to construct new buildings. The committee spent substantial time on CS/SB 17, a Medicaid oversight and transparency bill. The sponsor said the measure would create a joint legislative Medicaid oversight committee, authorize the Legislature to retain its own actuary, modernize Medicaid statutes, strengthen managed-care performance standards, and increase accountability for pharmacy benefit managers and related entities. After amendment, the committee adopted changes removing several PBM-related provisions while retaining the broader oversight framework. Testimony from supporters emphasized transparency, fraud prevention, and cost control, while a PBM trade association asked to continue working on affiliate-manufacturer, network, and payment issues. The bill was reported favorably. The most extensive discussion centered on CS/SB 1758, which proposes major changes to Medicaid and SNAP. The sponsor described five reforms: stronger fraud and overpayment recovery authority, a Medicaid work requirement for certain able-bodied adults, expanded behavioral-health services through Medicaid waivers, pharmacy-program changes to obtain rebates and reduce institutional costs, and SNAP/EBT reforms including photo IDs and work requirements. The committee adopted two amendments: one adding a transitional “glide path” for people who gain employment but risk losing Medicaid, and another exempting hospice patients with six months or less to live. Supporters argued the bill would reduce fraud, improve accountability, and encourage work, while opponents warned it would increase administrative burdens, push eligible people off coverage, and conflict with federal law or guidance. The bill remained under debate with extensive public testimony from advocates, providers, and affected families, and the transcript ends before final disposition on the measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• distribution to counties and cities would be based on the number of cases in which the public defender was assigned
• and for the Administrative Office of the Courts to collect data and report on the number of cases assigned
• making the timing and scope determinations, to consider its overall workload, other legislative assignments

Summary: The committee first received staff briefings on amendments for a series of bills, including measures on child care workforce standards, homelessness programs, community preservation authorities, domestic violence survivor relief, public defense funding, student behavioral health supports, water system ownership changes, nonprofit health carrier surplus assessments, 340B drug pricing reporting, Secretary of State filing fees, step housing, campaign security reimbursements, digital equity programs, a Boys and Men’s Commission, a waste-to-energy facility’s Climate Commitment Act obligations, 6PPD tire substitutes, and an early education scholarship. Staff described the policy changes and, where available, the expected fiscal effects of each proposed substitute or line amendment. The committee then went into caucus before returning for executive session. In executive session, the committee voted out House Bill 1073, then adopted a Couture line amendment to House Bill 1128 exempting private K-12 schools with licensed child care programs from the child care employer definition before reporting the bill out as Second Substitute House Bill 1128. House Bill 1316, 1408, 1591, 1592, 1634, 1906, 1960, 2073, 2145, 2248, 2266, 2301, 2333, and 2365 were also reported from committee, with several amendments adopted along the way. Notable actions included adopting an emergency clause for House Bill 1408, rejecting proposed amendments to House Bill 1591 that would have narrowed relief for survivors and removed retroactivity, adopting a narrower amendment to House Bill 1592’s public defense funding formula, and adopting a substitute to House Bill 2145 that limited 340B reporting to hospitals. The committee also debated and rejected several amendments to the step housing bill, House Bill 2266, including proposals for larger school/daycare buffers, more local oversight, and broader local government authority; the bill still advanced on a 16-13 vote. House Bill 2073, which requires nonprofit health carriers to contribute surplus funds to Cascade Care Savings, advanced over concerns about using one-time money for an ongoing program. House Bill 2248 advanced after an amendment redirected annual license fee deposits to the state treasury rather than the Secretary of State’s revolving fund. House Bill 2333 was narrowed to allow use of campaign funds for personal security reimbursements, and House Bill 2365 advanced with some amendments adopted and others rejected as the committee began discussing additional digital equity oversight provisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• And in fact, even the systems that live underneath the coordinating agency in those states have assigned
• And in fact, even the systems that live underneath the coordinating agency in those states have assigned
• The coordinating agency in those states has assigned separate roles to the system leadership and the

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> At this point in time we do not have any late bills assigned yet. >> I have not either. >> Okay.
• Thank you. >> Thank you. any late bills assigned yet. any late bills assigned yet.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• DHCS side, which is not in our assignment area, but we could take that back. Okay.
• My assignment also includes the Department of Health Care Services, so as my colleague mentioned, one
• administration I can sort of take this specific question back to our sort of colleagues within the medical assignment

Keywords: 988, house, all