Transcript Highlights:

• gt;> Before I go to the commission, I think correcting<01:02:08.720> the<01:02:08.880> mud
• <01:02:09.119> is<01:02:09.359> about<01:02:09.599> 50 correcting the mud is
• about 50 correcting the mud is about 50 >> 50<01:02:11.280> providers.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Donald Trump has taken an economy that left other rich countries in the dust and he's covered us in mud
• Donald Trump has taken an economy that left other rich countries in the dust and he's covered us in mud
• Donald Trump has taken an economy that left other rich countries in the dust and he's covered us in mud

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, March 19, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm just going to say that in real-world driving conditions, when you talk about things like mud splattering

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard an informational hearing on California’s newly finalized autonomous vehicle regulations, with DMV and CHP officials describing the updated framework and committee members pressing them on safety, enforcement, and first-responder impacts. DMV said the rules, effective April 28, 2026, expand reporting, create a phased permitting system from testing to deployment, add requirements for safety cases, remote operations, and first-responder coordination, and open a path for heavy-duty AV testing and deployment while still prohibiting oversized loads and hazardous materials. CHP said it worked with DMV on enforcement tools, first-responder interaction plans, and training local agencies on the new notice of noncompliance process. Members asked about crash data, immobilizations, freeway and construction-zone safety, weigh-station enforcement, and whether foreign licenses can qualify for remote assistants or drivers; DMV and CHP said the rules are intended to keep AVs accountable and that heavy-duty AVs will be held to the same roadway standards as human-driven commercial vehicles. A second panel focused on data collection and enforcement. Consumer attorneys argued the prior rules were too limited because DMV stopped collecting meaningful data once AVs moved from testing to deployment, making it difficult for the public and litigants to understand incidents; they supported the new regulations but urged that the collected information be made public. The industry association said California now has the nation’s most robust AV oversight, with monthly or quarterly reporting of collisions, system failures, immobilizations, harsh braking, vehicle miles traveled, and notices of noncompliance, plus broad DMV authority to restrict or suspend operations. In response to questions, the industry said it generally supports the new framework, believes the regulations are clear, and does not favor full federal preemption of state AV rules, though it wants federal standards for design, construction, and performance. A third panel addressed first-responder interaction and remote operations. The San Francisco Fire Department described repeated AV interference with emergency scenes and said AVs have generated hundreds of “sleeper calls,” where passengers fall asleep and trigger 911 responses; the department said these incidents consume significant staff time and it wants better protocols to reduce unnecessary dispatches. Waymo said it has trained thousands of public-safety personnel, maintains a 24/7 emergency line, uses geofencing/avoid-the-area messages, and can allow first responders to manually override or move vehicles when needed. Committee members asked about sleeper-call prevention, remote assistant licensing and drug testing, communication redundancies during outages, and how manual overrides work for vehicles without traditional controls; Waymo said it is collaborating with responders and that its vehicles are designed to reach a safe stop if connectivity is lost. The final panel began with testimony on heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. A transportation researcher said freight is essential to California’s economy and that heavy-duty AVs pose distinct safety risks because of their weight, stopping distance, and the potentially severe consequences of crashes or immobilizations on highways. He said the new regulations are important because they create a regulated pathway for heavy-duty AV deployment, require a safety case, set mileage thresholds, and add reporting categories that can serve as leading safety indicators. The hearing was still in progress when the transcript ended, with additional testimony expected from labor and industry witnesses on heavy-duty AV deployment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm willing for people to throw mud at me for what is doing what is right.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and then moved through announcements about committee schedule changes, caucus events, and visiting student groups. Members also made brief housekeeping announcements, including committee meeting locations and bill order changes for several committees. The chamber then took up third reading and final passage on several bills. House Bill 1071, allowing a local government to locate an automated vehicle identification system on an interstate highway, passed 37-12 with six excused. House Bill 1034, modifying environmental standards for certain irrigation equipment, passed 59-1. House Bill 1070, concerning third-party network lease agreements for dental services, passed 48-12. House Bill 1136, creating the Pathways to Public Service Program in the Department of Personnel, passed 40-21. Senate Bill 10, clarifying definitions used in the taxation of agricultural property, passed unanimously 61-0 with four excused. The most extended debate was on Senate Bill 52, which would create hiring preferences for coal transition workers in coal transition communities and expand how public entities may invest just transition money. Supporters argued the bill was a necessary, if limited, response to job losses and economic disruption in coal-impacted rural communities, emphasizing the hardships facing workers, schools, roads, and local economies. Opponents said the measure was an inadequate “band-aid,” criticized the broader energy transition policies that led to coal job losses, and objected to the bill’s requirements on private businesses and perceived government overreach. Several members from rural districts spoke in favor of the bill as a practical way to help affected communities, while others said it would not solve the underlying problems and would not truly help workers. The transcript ends during this debate without showing the final vote on Senate Bill 52.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's clear as mud, I think. But I will trust her, so I will go with that.

Transcript Highlights:

• We play in the mud kitchens. She likes to get her hands dirty.

Summary: The California State Assembly Select Committee on Child Care Costs held its first hearing to examine the state of child care access, affordability, and provider compensation. Chair Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and other members described child care as essential infrastructure for working families and the economy, noting that costs are unaffordable for many households and that providers are underpaid. Early testimony came from a San Francisco parent, Quinn Chung, who described the difficulty of finding safe care and the financial and career sacrifices caused by lack of child care, and from Tuolumne County provider Anita Viscini, who detailed her monthly costs, low margins, and the need to work weekends and teach CPR classes to make ends meet. Assemblymembers also emphasized the crisis in rural communities and the need for a long-term strategy. The first policy panel featured Jennifer Troia of the California Department of Social Services, Laura Pryor of the California Budget and Policy Center, and Alexa Frankenberg of Child Care Providers United. Troia said the state has nearly doubled child care funding in five years, expanded subsidy slots, and reached a new tentative three-year agreement with providers that includes cost-of-living adjustments, stabilization payments, and continued work on an alternative rate methodology and single rate structure. Pryor argued that despite funding gains, child care remains too expensive, only a fraction of eligible children receive subsidies, and provider wages remain far below comparable jobs, worsening racial and gender inequities. Frankenberg said the tentative agreement is progress but not enough, calling for a true cost-of-care system, fair wages, paid time off, better support for emergency and nontraditional care, and stronger integration of family child care into the mixed-delivery system. Members asked about why the crisis persists, how the alternative methodology will work, how family fees and sliding-scale help are being used, and why middle-income families still struggle. The panel said the problem reflects long-term underinvestment, a broken market, and a system that still leaves many families without access. The committee also heard an economic panel from Ashley Hoffman of the California Chamber of Commerce and Sarah Bone of the Public Policy Institute of California. Hoffman described employer child care benefits and public-private partnership models in other states, including shared-cost programs and local chamber efforts. Bone said child care costs reduce family financial security and labor force participation, especially for mothers of young children, and estimated that if mothers of young children worked at the same rate as mothers of older children, more than 80,000 additional women could be in the workforce each year. In the final panel, parent and provider advocates, including Jennifer Greppie and Black Californians United for Early Care and Education co-founder Keisha Doyle, argued for fully funding child care, ending waiting lists, protecting culturally affirming care, and addressing racial inequities and private equity’s role in the sector.

Transcript Highlights:

• It’s my mud no longer can make their bond covenants because they’ve just lost their biggest taxpayer.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered an invocation, approved the previous day’s journal, and received a House message announcing passage of HB 4 on public school accountability and assessment. The chamber also recognized the Doctor of the Day, adopted SR 520 honoring Rosser Coke-Newton Sr. for his biography of former Governor Richard Coke, and adopted SR 518 recognizing Texas Moral Injury Awareness Day, with remarks focused on the impact of moral injury on veterans and first responders. The Senate later adopted SR 395 honoring the ninth class of Governor William P. Clements, Jr. Scholars, and several other resolutions were adopted by voice vote, including college savings awareness recognition and other member-sponsored recognitions. The body then took up several bills and resolutions on the floor. HB 3307, allowing online continuing education for arbitrators in property tax appeals, passed unanimously after suspension of the rules and the three-day rule. HB 913, renaming and reorganizing certain state hospitals, and HB 2970, governing the Gulf Coast Protection District and coastal barrier design, also passed unanimously. HJR 1 and HB 9 advanced a proposed constitutional amendment and statutory change to raise the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000; both measures passed, with HJR 1 receiving one no vote and HB 9 passing unanimously after a clarifying amendment. The Senate also passed HB 1151, which limits child removals and termination of parental rights based solely on parental medical treatment decisions, and HB 116, which revises grounds for involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship by removing the “O grounds” and requiring support from financially able parents whose rights were terminated. HB 1899 lowered the age for pyrotechnic operator licenses and fireworks display permits from 21 to 18. SB 1285, as amended, passed to protect bats by prohibiting entombment while preserving removal options from unoccupied spaces, and SB 2847 passed to promote innovations in core curriculum for faster bachelor’s degrees. On criminal justice, SJR 87, a proposed constitutional amendment requiring denial of bail for certain repeat violent felony offenders, passed after two floor amendments clarifying due process and representation language; Senator Eckhardt spoke against it on final passage, arguing it lacked judicial discretion and a clear-and-convincing standard. SB 3073, requiring magistrates to make written findings in certain criminal proceedings, also passed. Later, SB 128, requiring hospitals to report suspected child abuse-related information to HHSC, advanced on a divided vote, and SB 2619 and SB 2972 passed on public school accountability and expressive activities at public colleges, respectively, with Senator Eckhardt opposing SB 2972 as too restrictive on campus protest rights. The chamber also heard extended debate on HB 21, targeting “traveling” housing finance corporations and their use of tax exemptions for apartment projects, with supporters arguing it curbs abuse of the tax code and critics warning about unintended effects on affordable housing; the discussion continued with questions but no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Families who do not want to be dragged through the mud...

Bills: SJR36, SR8, SR14, SR15, SR17, HCR54

Keywords: accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, advocacy, legislation, business issues, memorial, law enforcement, sacrifice, tribute, community support, service, community, Holocaust, remembrance, antisemitism, human rights, education, Holocaust Remembrance Day, memorialization, sexual assault

Transcript Highlights:

• It's about as clear as mud. I still find it extremely hard.

Transcript Highlights:

• did earlier, and really making sure that we continue moving forward and not sticking our heads in the mud
• did earlier, and really making sure that we continue moving forward and not sticking our heads in the mud

Bills: HF1367, HF2732, HF1897, HF1424, HF1383, HF2728, HF2863, HF1685, HF2929

Keywords: child maltreatment, child abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, human trafficking, child protection, local welfare agency, county social services, Minnesota Department of Human Services, judicial review, district court appeal, venue, out-of-state abuse, cross-border investigation, Minnesota child welfare, family assessment, maltreatment determination

Transcript Highlights:

• for this legislation, and yet when you come into the medical side of things, it's about as clear as mud
• This is<00:48:28.280> clear<00:48:28.560> as<00:48:28.680> mud Representative Sharp

Keywords: 00:00:00 Call to Order/Roll Call 00:01:10 Discussion of 25RS HB 414 00:44:26 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 414 00:50:25 Discussion of 25RS SB 27 00:53:44 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 27 00:55:49 Discussion of 25RS SB 93 00:57:57 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 93 00:59:29 Discussion of 25RS SB 132 01:37:39 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 132 01:40:55 Discussion of 25RS SB 153 01:42:05 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 153 01:43:46 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Health Services Committee met with a quorum and took up House Bill 414 with a committee substitute. The bill, described by sponsors and supporters as a continuation of prior maternal-health legislation, was framed as a clarification of medical standards and an effort to improve care for women and families facing complicated pregnancies. Representative Tate, Representative Nemes, Adair Wushar of Kentucky Right to Life, and Dr. Jeff Goldberg of ACOG Kentucky all testified in support, saying the substitute was developed collaboratively to reduce confusion in the law and help physicians provide evidence-based care without fear of criminal penalties. Supporters said the committee substitute was intended to define what is not an abortion under Kentucky law and to spell out medical treatments for conditions such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, sepsis, hemorrhage, preeclampsia, premature rupture of membranes, and fetal demise. Dr. Goldberg said current statutes contain significant ambiguity and have created unintended barriers to treating pregnancy complications, including emergency situations, and he gave examples of patients who were delayed or harmed because physicians were uncertain about what the law allowed. Representative Nemes said the measure was the result of unusual cooperation among groups that do not usually agree and described it as a first step toward fixing a discrete problem. Representative Wilner raised concerns that the language could effectively require a patient to be in severe distress before treatment is clearly permitted and that it was too prescriptive about how physicians should manage miscarriages. In response, Dr. Goldberg and the sponsors said the substitute was not perfect, was meant as a short-term solution, and was designed to give doctors more confidence in providing routine, medically necessary care for pregnancy complications. The transcript indicates the committee substitute was adopted, but no final vote on the bill itself is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• It just — clear as mud. Well, and it may be clear one week and then, you know, the decision shifts.
• It just is clear as mud.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• constituent say we should have a black ply on one season, a snow shovel on another season, a pile of mud
• shovel on another season, >> a<00:11:14.800> pile<00:11:14.959> of<00:11:15.200> mud
• 00:11:15.519> on<00:11:15.839> another<00:11:16.240> season, >> a pile of mud
• on another season, >> a pile of mud on another season, >> that's<00:11:18.560> it.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not throwing dirt or mud. How many of you would do that?

Keywords: Continuation of today's legislative session, beginning at 7:45 pm., 981, all

Summary: The House took up House Bill 1410, the state’s long appropriations bill for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches and their agencies and institutions for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. The committee first recessed and then adopted a motion to rise, report progress, and sit again later that day. The House also adopted a motion under House Rule 14 to limit debate on House Bill 1410 to one hour during special orders on April 10, 2026, by a vote of 40-20, with four excused and one absent. During consideration of House Bill 1410, members debated Amendment J82/54A, which would require funding for wolf reintroduction to come from gifts, grants, and donations rather than general fund dollars. Supporters argued the state should not use taxpayer money for additional wolf reintroduction, especially during a budget crisis, and said rural ranchers and livestock producers are bearing the costs and impacts of wolves. They emphasized depredation concerns, the strain on rural communities, and the view that the reintroduction effort has been costly and poorly managed. Opponents of the amendment said the funding line is part of broader wolf management, not just reintroduction, and argued the state has a legal obligation to carry out Proposition 114. They said gifts, grants, and donations are not a reliable funding source for that mandate and noted the program also supports conflict minimization efforts such as range riders. One speaker also defended the ecological role of wolves, citing their benefits to ecosystems, elk management, and biodiversity. The transcript does not show a final vote on the amendment before the excerpt ends.

Transcript Highlights:

• Clear as mud. Cleborne. Representative Quam, I had to Cleborne.

Bills: HF4364, HF4821, HF4543, HF3945

Keywords: Central and Eastern European Affairs, ethnic council, advisory council, Minnesota state government, immigrant communities, refugees, humanitarian parolees, Ukraine, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Czech Republic, Baltic states, Slovakia, Slovenia, Kosovo, Russia

Summary: The committee first approved the April 7, 2026 minutes and then held an informal hearing on House File 4364, which would establish a Central and Eastern European Ethnic Council in Minnesota. Representative Jordan and testifiers Mykola Mager and Julia Miller described the large Central and Eastern European community in Minnesota, its contributions to the state, and the need for a formal advisory body to help address barriers to government services, support refugees, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and cultural understanding. Members expressed general support and noted the bill’s importance, but no formal action was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then took up House File 4543, a bill to create a centralized payroll reporting portal for prevailing wage projects. Representative Frazier said the bill would reduce administrative burden on project owners, improve transparency and accountability, and help prevent wage theft, misclassification, tax fraud, and insurance fraud. Testifiers from county, city, and contractor groups largely supported the idea of streamlining reporting, but contractor representatives raised concerns about employee data privacy, public access to sensitive payroll information, duplication of existing systems, interoperability with contractor software, and the need for stakeholder engagement. Members echoed both support and caution, and the bill was laid over as amended rather than advanced. Finally, the committee considered House File 4821, described by Chair Klevorn as addressing the “penny problem” and a related change to high-deductible insurance plans. The bill would authorize state agencies to round cash transactions because of the penny shortage and would change MMB’s obligation to offer certain high-deductible health plans from “must” to “may,” producing modest administrative savings. Members questioned the drafting of the rounding language and asked about cash transactions at state agencies and the handling of cannabis tax payments. The chair noted the bill had missed the deadline and would be caught by the chief clerk’s office; the discussion ended with the bill being laid over as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Anytime you want to walk through right now, you'd probably have to walk through some mud.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first approved the December 10 minutes and then received a DEQ base budget summary and agency overview. DEQ staff explained that the agency is largely federally and special funded, with major ongoing costs in salaries, operating expenses, grants, and continuing appropriations. Director Dave Glatt and accounting director Beth Jacobson highlighted core programs, the move to a new chemistry laboratory, the new state fuel inspection program, wastewater-related funding from HB 1577, and implementation of SB 2267 for on-site wastewater rules. They also noted the agency’s spending patterns, possible federal EPA cuts, and the likelihood of some fee adjustments or program changes if federal support declines. Members asked about DEQ’s travel, field offices, future staffing, and how the agency would respond to reduced federal regulation. DEQ said most staff are based in Bismarck, with field offices in Fargo, Sawyer, and Gwinner, and that travel is driven by inspections and spill response. Glatt said the agency would continue to rely on science and law, and that any future federal retrenchment could mean more state responsibility but likely not a wholesale increase in FTEs. The committee also discussed a feedlot enforcement case in the Minot area, with DEQ explaining its role in ensuring compliance, permitting, and animal-waste management standards. The Department of Health and Human Services then presented on FTE block grant reporting, TANF balances, child care transfers, and the Rural Health Transformation Program. Donna Ockland explained that no line-item transfers had occurred yet for the new rural health work, but about 33 positions were planned and some current staff time could be reimbursed through approved cost allocation. HHS also reviewed TANF’s frozen eligibility and block grant structure, the transfer of up to 30% of TANF funds to child care, and recent program changes that increased benefits and raised the income limit. Staff said the department is using TANF more strategically to support child care and other allowable uses, while still carrying over unused funds as many states do. Finally, Pat and HHS staff gave an update on the Rural Health Transformation Program, saying the first funding opportunity was being posted and that the state is on track to obligate the federal funds within the required timeline. They described priorities such as workforce retention, preceptor development, technical assistance for critical access hospitals, community wellness projects, and ambulance upgrades. Members asked about rural versus urban eligibility, immigrant recruitment, evaluation of year-two funding, and how the program would address varied local workforce needs. The meeting then shifted to an Office of Management and Budget update on the new State Hospital project, where Lindsay Ashley reported continued construction progress, updated cost information, and selected alternates, with photos and details showing work underway in multiple building sections.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uplift students who outperform their county peers must deal with playground. that are mud pits when it

Bills: SB451, SB762, SB1490, SB1262, SB1459, SB1750, SB1962, SB2252, SB2253, SB2365

Keywords: instructional materials, public schools, Education Code, adoption, rejected materials, local funds, open educational resources, Texas Education Code, school districts, open enrollment charter schools, funding restrictions, environmental regulation, business compliance, local authority, economic development, state preemption, local control, open education resources, SB 762, Texas public schools

Transcript Highlights:

• Bamboo and mud, without a bathroom and without a kitchen.

Bills: HB32, HB15, HB171, HB421, HB581, HB644, HB745, HB349, HB917, HB204, HB923, HB15, HB171, HB204

Keywords: eviction, landlord rights, tenant rights, justice court, property law, court procedures, chemical dependency, court-ordered treatment, mental health, health care, treatment facility, juvenile justice, criminal justice reform, deep fake, digital impersonation, age verification, private cause of action, explicit content, consumer protection, HB 581

Transcript Highlights:

• I started off in the industry for managing mud districts so I understand everything from the contracting

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not meant to address accumulation of mud and silt in the canal.
• It's not meant to address accumulation of mud and silt in the canal.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees first heard SB 1146, which would appropriate funds to the University of Hawaiʻi to develop an action plan and pre-engineering concept plan for debris management and water quality control in the Ala Wai Watershed. Testimony was largely supportive from DLNR, a UH student, and a special improvement district representative, while one speaker suggested the work should be coordinated with existing efforts to avoid duplication. Committee discussion focused on the multi-jurisdictional nature of the watershed, existing debris-trap work that captures only about 20 to 30 percent of debris, the role of the university in capstone projects and recommendations, and the relationship to the existing Geni project and other community efforts. Members also asked about costs, tracking progress, and the difference between water-quality improvements and the larger debris problem. The committees then voted to pass SB 1146 with amendments, including blanking out the appropriation and deferring the effective date to July 31, 2050. The motion passed in both committees, with votes recorded in support and no opposition noted during the decision-making. The committees also heard SB 321, which would deem certain fee simple privately owned lands transferred to adjacent property owners or community associations if specified conditions are met. Testimony was in support from several individuals, but members raised concerns about the lack of input from counties and the state, and about how the bill might affect roads already used by the public or maintained by local governments. After discussion, the committees voted to advance SB 321 unamended to the next committees, with the measure adopted in both committees despite one recorded no vote in the Water and Land committee.