Transcript Highlights:

• the mayor of Rahobitth, Alabama, which is a very small town on the outskirts of Dothan in southeast Houston
• the mayor of Rahobitth, Alabama, which is a very small town on the outskirts of Dothan in southeast Houston
• We provide a lot of the ambulance service for southeast Houston County, most of the unincorporated areas
• We are receiving patients from Kofi County, from Geneva County into Houston County.
• We are receiving patients from Kofi County, from Geneva County into Houston County.

Bills: HB185, HB378, SB28, HB400, SB155, HB312, HB185, HB378, SB28, HB400, SB155, HB312

Keywords: appropriation, transportation, judicial system, funding, state budget, Pickens County, local act, vehicle tag fee, registration fee, issuance fee, motor vehicle registration, license plate, replacement tag, transfer tag, renewal fee, county revenue, earmarked funds, ambulance service, emergency medical services, EMS

Transcript Highlights:

• This fall, Zachary will begin a new chapter as a law student at South Texas College of Law in Houston
• director, Andre Harris, our district intern, Sarai Chambers, and Brandon, who drove all the way in from Houston
• District 24, 124 constituents, excuse me, some of them have come as far as Houston to advocate today.
• He is such a profound leader in the Houston community.
• He currently sits on the board of directors for the Greater Houston Partnership.

Bills: HB5560, HB2, HB24, HB3233, HB1397, HB2067, HB3133, HB5696, HB5680, HB2885, HB3966, HB3556, HB3595, HB144, HB26, HB2038, HB521, HB4, HB 1178, HB42, HB 1211, HB783, HB3963, HB2240, HB1690, HB 1234, HB3372, HB27, HB4211, HB2243, HB2853, HB4638, HJR7, HB 100, HB 126, HB3783, HB5138, HB2512, HB5616, HB4751, SB17, SB1637, SB1833, SB2155, SB21, SB2778, SB260, SB8, SB12, SB37, SB379, SB441, SB1566, SB2878, HB4112, HB3866, HB4749, HB2844, HB150

Keywords: groundwater, civil penalties, water conservation, drought contingency, environmental protection, public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, zoning, public notice, local government, residential development

Transcript Highlights:

• I was staying at some apartments called The Referee in Houston, Texas.
• Our mayor in Houston, Texas is... Mr. Whitmire. John. He came to the apartments where I was living.
• In August of last year, a Houston ISD middle school student experienced a fatal medical emergency while
• Right here, I'm in like 11 different management districts throughout the city of Houston.
• I am with Brownstone out of Houston.

Bills: HB164, HB164, HB411, HB627, HB 1226, HB1677, HB1865, HB1997, HB2985, HB3462, HB4188, HB4685, HB4840, HB5370, HB5424, HB5466, HB5509, HB5660, HB5673

Keywords: HB 164, HB164, Texas Flood Recovery, Reimbursement, and Reconstruction Program, Texas Division of Emergency Management, TDEM, Hill Country floods, July 2025 floods, flood recovery, disaster relief, flood reimbursement, reconstruction grants, resiliency standards, floodplain, base flood elevation, FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance denial, property damage, tenant assistance, rental property

Transcript Highlights:

• Leslie Caldwell Houston... ...California Public Defenders Association in support.
• Leslie Caldwell, Houston, for the California Public Defenders Association, in opposition.
• Caldwell Houston.
• Caldwell, Houston.
• Leslie Caldwell, Houston, with the California Public Defenders Association.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety bills, with testimony split between supporters who framed the measures as targeted fixes and opponents who warned about overcriminalization and unintended consequences. SB 701, by Senator Wahab, drew support from law enforcement and local government groups, who said state law lacks a tool to address the conduct at issue; the ACLU opposed it as duplicative of existing law, while public defenders said they may withdraw opposition after amendments. Because there was no quorum at that point, the bill was held open without a vote. SB 834, by Senator DeRazzo, was presented as a technical cleanup bill to improve California’s automatic record clearance system by preventing outdated “pending” charges from blocking relief, requiring local court records to match DOJ records, and creating a way for people to obtain proof of relief. It received broad support from criminal justice reform and defense organizations, with no opposition, and the chair indicated support, but no final action was taken during the hearing. SB 248, by Senator Rubio, would require DOJ to send new gun purchasers educational materials during the waiting period about safe storage, suicide prevention, domestic violence, and related resources; supporters called it common-sense education, while one opponent argued the information is already available. The committee voted the bill out on a due-pass motion to Appropriations, but it remained on call pending one additional vote. Senator Rubio’s SB 19, the Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act, would create a new offense for credible threats against schools or houses of worship even when no specific individual is named. Supporters, including law enforcement and Jewish community advocates, said current law leaves a loophole and that the bill would help prevent panic and resource-draining lockdowns; opponents from civil liberties and youth justice groups argued existing law already covers threats and that the bill would worsen the school-to-prison pipeline. After a motion and second, the committee voted due pass to Appropriations, with the measure also left on call. Later, SB 759 by Senator Archuleta, prompted by the killing of Whittier Officer Keith Boyer, would require a court hearing after a third supervision violation or new offense for people on post-release community supervision; supporters said it adds accountability, while opponents said it removes probation discretion and could increase jail and court burdens. The bill passed due pass to Appropriations and was reported as passing. The committee also heard SB 6 by Senator Ashby, which would schedule xylazine as a controlled substance while preserving veterinary use. Supporters, including veterinarians, law enforcement, and a parent who lost a son to a drug-related death, said the drug is increasingly present in fentanyl mixtures and needs to be controlled; opponents from drug policy and civil liberties groups argued scheduling would criminalize users, hinder research, and repeat failed drug-war policies. After extensive debate, the committee voted the bill out due pass to Appropriations, and it passed. Finally, SB 11, the AI Abuse Protection Act, was introduced to regulate AI-generated voice, image, and video replicas, with supporters emphasizing protection against deepfakes and nonconsensual images; the California Chamber of Commerce opposed unless amended, seeking narrower definitions and limits on consumer warnings. The hearing ended while SB 11 was still under discussion, with no final vote reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the case in Houston, they had to have an MRI, and my son had to have an MRI. The bill...
• The bill for the MRI in Houston is $18,000.
• Federal court, state court, San Antonio, Houston, Beaumont, Dallas.
• In the city of Houston, we probably have as many as any.
• Largest neurosurgical group in the city of Houston. Now, before I leave, Mr.

Bills: HB4806

Keywords: civil action, damages, health care services, noneconomic damages, negligence, legal standards, 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sam Houston was born in Virginia, came through Tennessee.
• I feel as though Houston became the largest economy in the state because...
• This amendment gives school boards, May not fit in Austin or Houston.
• And I'm sure Houston, where you're from, has even 200—maybe 200 languages. Multicultural places.
• And look, I represent a district in Houston. We have an extremely diverse population.

Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, heard an invocation and pledges, and approved several routine motions, including excuses for absent members, permission for committees to meet while the House was in session, and postponements of some bills. The chamber also received a Senate message listing measures passed by the Senate and adopted a memorial resolution honoring the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, with remarks entered into the House Journal after a moment of silence. The House then took up a long third-reading calendar and passed a series of Senate bills on topics including criminal justice and corrections sunset provisions (SB 2405, 2406, 2407), election equipment testing (SB 2166), electric grid reliability and attack-preparedness exercises (SB 2148), firefighter collective bargaining (SB 777), DFPS and foster care procedures (SB 1141 and SB 1398), Medicare durable medical equipment billing (SB 1330), property tax administration (SB 1453), probate cleanup and record transfers (SB 1448 and SB 1839), mental health filing procedures (SB 53), school residency for children in safety placements (SB 226), diabetes-related amputation study (SB 1677), rapid DNA analysis (SB 1723), utility rate transparency and capacity cost recovery (SB 1664 and SB 1856), community supervision eligibility (SB 552 postponed), and other measures. Several bills passed with broad support, while others drew notable opposition and narrower margins, including SB 777, SB 2137, SB 2111, SB 1677, SB 1936, SB 1453, and SB 38. Two bills drew especially extensive debate. SB 2148, dealing with electricity supply chain reliability and tabletop exercises for critical facilities, was discussed as a grid-security measure aimed at coordinating utilities, law enforcement, ERCOT, and the PUC in the event of physical attacks; it passed unanimously. SB 1936, changing how LSD is measured for criminal prosecution from dosage-based to weight-based calculations, prompted extended discussion about lab consistency, carrier mediums, and fairness in charging, with supporters saying it would help crime labs and law enforcement and opponents warning it could distort penalties depending on the medium used; it passed 108-26. The House also passed SB 36, creating a Homeland Security Division within DPS, after questions about overlap with TDEM and the cost of adding personnel. Late in the day, the House debated SB 38 on eviction procedures, with supporters saying it targeted squatters and streamlined removal of unauthorized occupants, and opponents arguing it would make evictions too easy and worsen homelessness; it passed 85-44. The chamber also began debate on SB 37, a major higher-education governance bill that would expand governing-board oversight of curriculum, hiring, and faculty senates; members raised concerns about academic freedom, faculty governance, and the impact on humanities programs, and debate was still underway at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm also a student at University University of Houston downtown.
• Since that time, it has expanded to Austin, Houston.
• Worth, Houston, and Central Texas region.
• I'm from Houston, Texas. I'm here to support House Bill 850.
• In Houston, we are already living the.

Bills: HB4, HB54, SB 10, SB 24, HB4, HB54, HB775, HB850, HB 1122, HB 1249, HB1405, HB2336, HB2757, HB3372, HB3622, HB4442, HB4687, HB4893, HB5089, HB5515, HB5606, SB10, SB24, HB1573, HB3369

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, citizenship, U.S. citizen, non-citizen, public office, advisory board, task force, state government, local government, political subdivision, commission board, appointment eligibility, officeholder qualifications, public service, naturalization, Texas Government Code

Transcript Highlights:

• Boyd Mays, and I am and I am for HB 2967 representing both myself and Beatrice Mays Institute in Houston
• coordinating field trips to community-based vision clinics and partnering with organizations like Houston
• Seed to Succeed program and the University of Houston School of Optometry.

Transcript Highlights:

• I run the crime laboratory that services the city of Houston, the Houston Forensic Science Center.
• So I may be in Houston. Thank you to the city of Houston.
• Houston, absolutely. I give you an answer for Houston. So I would take an answer for Houston.
• We ended up in Houston. My husband thought marijuana was medicine, too.
• He went on to Sam Houston, Eagle Scout.

Bills: HB5

Keywords: hemp, cannabinoids, regulation, occupational licenses, consumable products, marketing, criminal offenses, labeling requirements, health and safety, 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't care if it's Houston, El Paso.
• You're in Houston.
• I know Houston has a very community of provider groups.
• So just for my colleagues from the Houston area, imagine vehicles swept off.
• But I have a heart in Houston as well and other areas.

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Fort Sam Houston did as well at the time. The city grew to the... The city grew to the cemetery.
• My wife and I, along with our kids, live in Kingwood, Texas, northeast of Houston.
• proud Fightin' Texas Aggie, a Rice alum, and currently work for Service Corporation International in Houston
• Currently, I work for Service Corporation International in Houston, Texas.
• You're going to have this in Dallas and Houston as these things begin to expand, as you begin to go in

Bills: HB447, HB897, HB993, HB2673, HB3671, HB3680, HB3897, HB4506, HB4753, HB4812, HB4894, HB5148, HB5437, HB5650, HB5652, HB5654, HB5656, HB5661, HB5665

Keywords: traffic impact studies, municipal utility district, bonds, road projects, eminent domain, HB 897, Texas land sale, state property, Austin real estate, Travis County, General Land Office, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission, state records facility, archives building, library funding, capital improvements, lease of state land, public land disposition

Summary: The committee heard testimony and took action on several land use, housing, municipal utility district, and cemetery-related bills. House Bill 447, dealing with transportation impact analysis requirements tied to MUD bond issuance, drew opposition from a witness who argued it would duplicate work, strain agency resources, and delay development; after the sponsor’s closing remarks, the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 1202, on third-party review of home backup power installations, was substituted and reported favorably to the full House by a unanimous roll call. House Bill 2494, on disannexation for failure to provide municipal services, and House Bill 1835, removing barriers to HUD-code manufactured homes, were also substituted and reported favorably; HB 1835 passed on a 5-1 vote. Senate Bill 15, limiting lot size and density requirements in certain large municipalities, was substituted and reported favorably unanimously. The committee also heard House Bill 897, which would authorize the sale or long-term lease of two state-owned Austin properties used by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and HHSC. The sponsor said the properties are in poor condition and that proceeds would benefit the state; after questions, the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending. Several template MUD bills were then laid out, including HB 5652, HB 5654, HB 5661, and HB 5656, each creating or authorizing municipal utility districts in Montgomery or Fort Bend counties for water, wastewater, drainage, road, and recreational improvements. These bills drew limited testimony in support and were left pending without objection. A major portion of the meeting focused on House Bill 2673, which would repeal last session’s change allowing new cemeteries within certain distances of municipalities and restore the prior rule limiting cemetery placement near growing urban areas. The sponsor and supporters argued the 2023 change created unintended consequences, removed valuable taxable land from future use, and complicated city planning; opponents, including a funeral service industry representative, argued the current law gives communities local control and helps address cemetery land shortages. After extensive testimony, the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4753, a bill allowing a property owner to use a municipal record showing a certificate of occupancy was issued when the original document is lost; it was left pending. Finally, HB 3680, a Cameron County-specific bill modifying subdivision/model rule procedures to reduce replatting burdens while preserving colonia protections, and HB 4812, clarifying that condominiums follow Chapter 82 of the Property Code rather than full subdivision platting, both received supportive testimony and were left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm with Onsite Towing out of Houston, Texas, and I'm in support of this bill.
• I'm here representing the Champions Private, uh, Social Club in Houston and Dallas.
• Mark Denson with On-site Towing out of Houston, Texas. Um, I'm in support of this bill.
• Um, the average going rate for paid parking for airports, for example, in, in Houston is $26 a day.
• And I spoke to Governor Connally, not 1968, uh, about 25 years later when he invited me to Houston to

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'll just say I'm from Houston. It's not making much of a dent for us.
• I'm from Houston. We've got a problem there. And are you based here in Austin? Yes.
• So Austin, I think, at least looks to me worse than Houston. and there's more visible unsheltered homes
• You had seen any problems with it, and you mentioned the mud outside of Houston.
• Texas, at Sam Houston State, and they took into account five years worth of historical inspection data

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If someone graduates from a Houston high school, goes to **Sam Houston State University**, is there for
• There are currently four institutions eligible for TUF appropriations: the University of Houston, Texas
• Currently, the University of Houston and Texas Tech University are eligible for Level 1 and each receive
• **Collin Brock.** Item ten on page ten outlines a request by the University of Houston to fund their
• PBRO formulas established in the 2020-21 biennium at UT Southwestern, UT Health Science Center at Houston

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• From Lindale to Aldine to Pasadena to Galena Park to Jacinto City to South Houston, we are a community
• Is there a map in the Houston area you have supported or in the Dallas and Fort Worth area?
• And so that was the one in the Houston area.”
• My name is Savant Moore, a resident of the historic Fifth Ward in Houston, Texas, a trustee in HISD,
• Now you're only letting Austin, Dallas, and Houston have one and rushing through it in 30 days.

Summary: The Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting held its first regional hearing, focused on South and Central Texas, including Bexar County, Travis County, and the Rio Grande Valley. After establishing a quorum, the committee adopted its rules on a 6-3 roll-call vote, with Senators Alvarado and Miles voting no. Chair Phil King explained the regional-hearing format, the use of 2020 census data, the online testimony process, and the availability of written comments and future hearings. Several members then gave opening remarks, with Republicans emphasizing public input and Democrats arguing the special session and mid-decade redistricting were unnecessary and aimed at minority districts. A major procedural issue arose over whether the committee should invite or subpoena the DOJ attorney who authored the July 7 letter that prompted the redistricting discussion. Senator Miles moved to subpoena the attorney; the motion was seconded but then set aside after the chair said the committee could not take formal action on a non-procedural matter during a regional hearing under the adopted rules. The chair said he would consult legal counsel about issuing an invitation, and members discussed the August 7 deadline referenced in the DOJ letter. The committee then moved on to public testimony. Witnesses, including Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, law professor Ellen Katz, and Texas NAACP president Gary Bledsoe, argued that the DOJ letter misread the law and that the targeted districts were lawful opportunity or coalition districts. They said the Fifth Circuit’s Pettway decision was limited to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and did not declare coalition districts unconstitutional, and they cited Bartlett v. Strickland as warning against intentionally dismantling effective minority districts. Garcia and Bledsoe said the hearing was politically motivated and would harm Black and Latino representation; Katz said Texas would act illegally if it followed the DOJ letter’s instructions. Members asked questions about the legal status of coalition districts, the 2021 map-drawing process, and the difference between opportunity, coalition, and crossover districts. The hearing continued with additional public witnesses, including labor representative Emily Amps, who said workers and communities of color were being harmed by the proposed redistricting effort.

Transcript Highlights:

• And many of these situations are urgent, as we've seen in Houston ISD, where we had many schools that
• El Paso ISD, Beaumont ISD, Houston ISD, and part of Austin ISD are examples of takeovers, but there really
• the clarifying questions and all the input because we're trying; you know, we see the success in Houston
• In Houston ISD, we've seen a comparison of the takeover in Beaumont ISD, not being as successful, and

Bills: SB2920, SB2929, SB2398, SB865, SB401, SB2619, SB2927, SB1395, SB1972, SB2540, SB1635, SB1581, SB2008

Keywords: steroids, student athletes, athletic competition, University Interscholastic League, medical purpose, gender transition, school athletics, spectator conduct, referees, ejection policy, extracurricular activities, concussion, brain injury, school policy, academic accommodations, student welfare, cardiac arrest, emergency response, CPR training, automated external defibrillators

Transcript Highlights:

• the south to Joint 45 going north, straight through downtown, and straight through the middle of Houston
• even cover the full cost private for private school tuition the average private school tuition in Houston
• We're going to give Texas taxpayers... affluent families across the state of Texas and cities like Houston
• We're going to provide more money for public schools, but in Houston Independent School District without

Bills: SB2, SJR36, SB2, SB2, SR29, SB2

Keywords: Maverick County, recognition, economic development, Texas Senate, community celebration, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are staffing in Houston and Dallas at 25%.
• Our staffing in Houston and Dallas has a 25% turnover rate.
• This happened to be in Houston. It did take time to do this investigation.
• Kelsey Vela: ...on that second location in the greater Houston area.
• , it's a midway point of Austin and Houston just a little closer to Austin than Houston.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not sure the exact number, but there's one in Houston, one in San Antonio, Dallas area.
• And in the Houston area, I mean in Texas, but we all collaborate, we pass information.
• I can tell you during Hurricane Harvey, as the Lubbock Police Chief, I sent officers down to the Houston
• And it was usually your bigger... cities, you know, we're in the city of Austin, you know, Houston, Dallas
• I'm the sheriff of Chambers County, east of Houston, between Houston and Beaumont.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ...more border infrastructure, but also frees up state funds for projects in cities like Dallas, Houston
• With Austin booming, Texas has a Houston Medical Research powerhouse and a business-friendly environment
• Sheba Medical is collaborating with MDI. understand that Houston has been a center for medical research

Bills: HB 1240, HB1353, HCR76, HCR90

Keywords: border region, infrastructure, economic development, government operations, education, international cooperation, infrastructure investment, bond issuance, state agencies, shrimp industry, federal regulations, foreign imports, economic impact, public health, Gulf Coast communities, Texas-Israel relations, Israel, Jerusalem, trade office, foreign relations