Video & Transcript : 'Sandia National Laboratories' :

Page 20 of 500
ND

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee Apr 21st, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's called the Congressional Review of National Energy Laboratories.
  • Good morning, and welcome to Idaho National Laboratory.
  • This slide did not exist when I started at Idaho National Laboratory.
  • These test beds allow us to do that testing here in Idaho National Laboratory.
  • So, Idaho National Laboratory, you have seen this landscape as a whole.
Summary: The meeting was an extended briefing from Idaho National Laboratory officials on the lab’s mission, its role in nuclear energy research, and the federal push to accelerate advanced reactor deployment. Speakers described INL’s size and capabilities, including test reactors, fuel and materials facilities, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure work, and partnerships with DOE, the NRC, the Department of Defense, and private companies. They emphasized that the lab is supporting both commercial nuclear development and national security work, while also training a large intern workforce. A major theme was the current federal effort to streamline nuclear regulation and speed up licensing and demonstration. The speakers said recent executive orders and DOE/NRC coordination are reducing redundant requirements, shortening environmental review timelines, and aiming for three new nuclear systems to reach criticality by July 4, 2026. They argued that regulatory uncertainty has been a major driver of nuclear cost and that the administration’s actions, along with DOE’s pilot and demonstration programs, are intended to rebuild the domestic supply chain and industrial base. The discussion also focused on advanced reactor types, including small modular reactors, microreactors, molten salt concepts, and liquid-metal designs. Officials said these technologies are being developed for data centers, military bases, remote communities, industrial heat, hydrogen production, and other nontraditional uses. They highlighted several projects and companies, including Oklo, Aalo, Radiant, X-energy, TerraPower, Kairos, and DOE’s MARVEL and Project Pele efforts, and said some reactors are expected to reach criticality or operation in the next few years. Questions from attendees covered safety, public health impacts, materials and heat management, waste or used fuel handling, costs, and whether nuclear could remain competitive against other energy sources; the speakers responded that advanced reactors are designed with passive safety features, that used fuel should be viewed as a resource, and that cost remains highly design- and supply-chain-dependent.
ND

North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session

Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee Apr 21st, 2026 at 08:25 am

Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's called the Congressional Review of National Energy Laboratories.
  • Good morning and welcome to Idaho National Laboratory.
  • This slide did not exist when I started at Idaho National Laboratory.
  • These test beds allow us to do those testing here in Idaho National Laboratory.
  • It was built here in Idaho National Laboratory. It was built here in Idaho National Laboratory.
Keywords: 908, all
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • The solid line is the national average.
  • The Pullman Laboratory is our larger laboratory, but our Puyallup Laboratory is important for avian health
  • The Pullman Laboratory is our larger laboratory, but our Puyallup Laboratory is the laboratory important
  • Just real briefly at a national level, WADDL is a Level 1 National Animal Health Laboratory Network,
  • And we could literally watch it move across the United States because we could see laboratory after laboratory
Summary: The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee met for a work session focused on Washington agriculture’s condition, food security, behavioral health, and animal disease surveillance. WSDA Director Derek Sandison and economist Maddie Roy presented an update on agricultural viability, describing Washington agriculture as highly diverse and valuable but increasingly strained by rising production and labor costs, aging producers, consolidation, trade barriers, land pressures, stagnant research funding, infrastructure concerns, and climate impacts. They cited declining farm numbers, falling net farm income, and negative take-home pay for farmers, while also noting strengths such as climate, soils, ports, irrigation, universities, and other infrastructure. Committee members asked about commodity-specific impacts, comparisons with other states, and the role of regulation in worsening costs. Kelly McLean followed with a discussion of opportunities to support agriculture, including trade, domestic food systems development, climate mitigation, clean energy, ag tech, workforce and education, and mental health. She highlighted investments in port and transportation infrastructure, local food processing and distribution, land access and incubator opportunities, climate resilience projects, and programs supporting farmworker and farmer mental health. Katie Raines then updated the committee on food systems and food security, explaining WSDA’s reorganization into a Farm and Food Systems Development Division and describing trends in household food insecurity, the state’s hunger safety net, and the importance of food system infrastructure. She noted that food insecurity is rising again and that even higher-income households are reporting need, while legislators asked about eligibility thresholds and the impact on lower-income residents. The committee also heard from WSU Skagit County Extension’s Don McMoran and Maddie Van der Koi on agricultural stress and suicide prevention. They described the Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Partnership, crisis and referral resources, peer-to-peer outreach, trainings, and free counseling vouchers for farmers and farmworkers. They emphasized that farmers face chronic stress from financial volatility, weather, labor shortages, isolation, and stigma, and cited elevated suicide rates in agricultural populations. Members asked about reluctance to seek help and whether flooding had increased demand for services. Finally, Dr. Kevin Snekovic of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory described WADDL’s role in disease testing, food safety, wildlife surveillance, and rapid response to outbreaks such as avian influenza and chronic wasting disease. He said the lab supports trade and quarantine decisions, and members asked about elk hoof rot research, workforce needs, and how to connect constituents to the lab. No votes were taken; the session ended with a preview of upcoming Thursday work sessions on marine resources, Columbia River Basin supply, Ecology’s report back, and agricultural natural resources issues.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • So my question is, are there other laboratories that also bill for these codes other than Southwest Laboratories
  • area access where many national laboratories do not.
  • They talk about the lack of coverage from national laboratories, and Southwest Labs is utilizing our
  • They talk about the lack of coverage from national laboratories, and Southwest Labs is utilizing our
  • However, it's... ...clinical reference laboratories that are processed in this that are reference laboratories
Summary: The House Health and Human Services Committee first heard House Bill 256, which would require school cardiac emergency response plans to address sudden cardiac arrest at school athletic activities and ensure AEDs are clearly marked and accessible at those events. The sponsor and an American Heart Association representative said the bill builds on last year’s law and is meant to improve implementation, not add new equipment costs. Members asked about funding, were told the AEDs are already in place, and the bill received a due pass with no opposition. The committee then took up House Bill 278 on Medicaid reimbursement for toxicology testing in substance use disorder treatment. The sponsor and Southwest Labs argued that current payer policies limit providers’ clinical judgment, that a new flat-rate code for unlimited analytes would improve care, keep Medicaid dollars in New Mexico, and support local laboratories. Several members raised concerns about whether the bill effectively rewrites bundled G-codes, whether it mainly benefits one company, how it affects MCO contracts, GRT/tax issues, and whether the fiscal estimates were realistic. After extensive questioning and conflicting views, a due-pass motion was made but the vote ended in a tie, so the bill did not advance. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 287 to create a permanent, full-time Health and Human Services Committee with a director and expanded membership, similar to other permanent legislative committees. Supporters from advocacy and policy groups said health care is too large and complex to be handled by a part-time interim committee and that year-round staffing would improve oversight and policymaking. Members discussed committee composition, staffing, subpoena power, and the proposed appropriation, and the sponsor said the bill is a starting point that could be refined later. The committee approved HB 287 on a do-pass motion and then adjourned until Monday morning.
ND

North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session

Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee Apr 21st, 2026

Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • It’s called the Congressional Review of National Energy Laboratories.
  • Good morning and welcome to Idaho National Laboratory.
  • This slide did not exist when I started at Idaho National Laboratory.
  • These test beds allow us to do those testing here in Idaho National Laboratory.
  • It was built here in Idaho National Laboratory. This is the team of researchers that built that.
Summary: The meeting was a presentation and Q&A at Idaho National Laboratory focused on the state of nuclear energy, advanced reactors, and the lab’s role in testing, regulation, and commercialization. Speakers described INL’s broader mission beyond nuclear, including cybersecurity and critical infrastructure, but emphasized its major nuclear capabilities: the Advanced Test Reactor, TREAT, the Materials and Fuels Complex, and other test beds used to accelerate fuel and materials testing. They also highlighted the lab’s size, workforce, internship pipeline, and partnerships with DOE, DHS, DOD, and private companies. A major topic was the federal push to speed up nuclear deployment through executive orders and regulatory reform. Speakers said DOE and the NRC are reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, streamlining environmental reviews, and working toward a goal of having three new nuclear systems achieve criticality by July 4, 2026. They discussed the difference between microreactors, small modular reactors, and traditional gigawatt-scale plants, arguing that advanced reactors can be factory-built, safer, and better suited for data centers, military bases, remote communities, industrial heat, and other nontraditional uses. They also said the U.S. is rebuilding its nuclear supply chain, including enrichment and fuel fabrication, and that states willing to host parts of the fuel cycle could see major economic benefits. The speakers addressed questions about cost, safety, waste, and international competition. They said advanced reactors rely on passive safety features, TRISO fuel, and natural circulation, and that the industry’s challenge is often cost uncertainty rather than a precise fuel or materials limit. They argued used nuclear fuel should be viewed as a resource rather than waste if recycling becomes policy, and said microreactors should produce relatively small amounts of spent fuel. They also noted that China and Russia continue to build aggressively, with China on pace to surpass the U.S. in total nuclear generation, while U.S. projects such as Palisades, Crane Clean Energy Center, Duane Arnold, Oklo, Aalo, MARVEL, and Project Pele are moving forward under DOE and private-sector partnerships.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Health and Human Services Feb 7th, 2026 at 09:05 am

House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • So my question is, are there other laboratories that also bill for these codes other than Southwest Laboratories
  • in rural area access where many national laboratories do not.
  • Laboratories do not. That's one of the things.
  • They talk about the lack of coverage from national laboratories, and Southwest Labs is utilizing our
  • are reference laboratories.
Keywords: 996, all
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Jan 12th, 2026 at 01:30 pm

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's the lowest take-home pay in the nation.
  • The solid line is the national average.
  • The Pullman Laboratory is our larger laboratory, but our Puyallup Laboratory is the laboratory important
  • Just real briefly at a national level, WADDL is a level-one National Animal Health Laboratory Network
  • And we could literally watch it move across the United States because we could see laboratory after laboratory
Keywords: 904, all
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

Senate - Finance Mar 1st, 2025

Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • All of the research universities, we have partnerships with Los Alamos National Lab and Sandia National
  • Like we said, we are the state agency, and so we work with all of the nations.
  • Business Assistance Program and the State Trigger Program for collaborating with the national labs on
  • That's while nationally the number Or if doctors was going up by 44,000.
  • And we have to buy our water from the Hickory Nation. to put into that pipeline.
AR

Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session

ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE Jun 18th, 2026

ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE

Transcript Highlights:
  • That's also another great thing about our new laboratory.
  • I knew the CODIS program was being very effective across the nation.
  • That's not something that a lot of laboratories are using out there.
  • If that's calling a laboratory, if that's facilitating the transfer of evidence to another private laboratory
  • We have a great working relationship with that laboratory as well.
Summary: The committee met with representatives from the Arkansas State Crime Lab for what members said was likely the first appearance by the lab before this committee. Lab officials gave an overview of the new crime lab facility now under construction, saying it is on schedule, under budget, and expected to be completed by the end of July next year, with phased move-in beginning around August 1. They explained that the current building is over 40 years old and overcrowded, with caseloads having doubled over the past 20 years, and said the new facility will improve workflow, add morgue capacity, and allow new technologies and equipment to be brought online. Members asked about staffing and recruitment, and the lab said recent pay changes and legislative support have made Arkansas more competitive for forensic specialists and medical examiners. Officials said vacancies have been reduced, a new deputy chief medical examiner has been hired, two more medical examiners are starting in August, and a new fellowship program has already attracted applicants. They also said the lab is prepared for the staffing needs of the new facility and that training periods remain long for many analyst positions. The discussion also covered rapid DNA, CODIS, sexual assault kit processing, genetic genealogy, and overdose-related data sharing. The lab said rapid DNA is in final testing with pilot agencies in Faulkner and Saline counties and could go live by the end of July, which would make Arkansas among the first states to do so. Officials described CODIS as a key investigative tool, said DNA profiles are entered automatically when they qualify, and reported that the sexual assault kit backlog has been cleared with the lab now maintaining a 60-day turnaround. They also confirmed Arkansas uses a kit-tracking system, works with private labs such as Othram and Bode for genetic genealogy, and is developing an overdose dashboard to share toxicology and overdose data with public health and law enforcement partners. Members praised the lab’s progress and the committee adjourned after announcing an August site visit to Lake Conway and the dam project.
AR

Arkansas 2026 Regular Session

ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE Jun 18th, 2026

ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE

Transcript Highlights:
  • That's also another great thing about our new laboratory.
  • I knew the CODIS program was being very effective across the nation.
  • That's not something that a lot of laboratories are using out there.
  • If that's calling a laboratory, if that's facilitating the transfer of evidence to another private laboratory
  • We have a great working relationship with that laboratory as well.
Keywords: 1204, all
AR

Arkansas 2026 Regular Session

ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE Jun 18th, 2026

ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE

Transcript Highlights:
  • That's also another great thing about our new laboratory.
  • I knew the CODIS program was being very effective across the nation.
  • That's not something that a lot of laboratories are using out there.
  • If that's calling a laboratory, if that's facilitating the transfer of evidence to another private laboratory
  • We have a great working relationship with that laboratory as well.
Summary: The committee met with representatives from the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an update on operations, staffing, technology, and major projects. Crime lab officials said the new facility is on schedule and under budget, with completion expected at the end of July next year and phased move-in beginning around August 1. They described the current building as overcrowded and outdated, and said the new lab will expand workspace, improve workflow, double morgue autopsy tables, and allow new technologies such as 3D firearms microscopy, improved drug testing for emerging synthetic drugs, and enhanced fingerprint visualization. Officials also said the lab has been able to hire positions tied to the 2023 overdose-autopsy law and that recruitment for medical examiners and fellows has improved, including two new medical examiners starting in August and a successful new fellowship program. Members asked about rapid DNA, CODIS, forensic genealogy, sexual assault kit backlogs, and staffing. The lab said rapid DNA is in final testing with Faulkner and Saline counties and could go live by the end of July, which would make Arkansas one of the first states to do so. Officials explained that CODIS is used routinely, with DNA profiles from qualifying cases uploaded automatically and audited regularly, and cited it as a key investigative tool. On forensic genealogy, they said Arkansas currently relies on private labs such as Othram, Bode, and DNA Labs International, and is exploring whether to bring that capability in-house in the future. They reported that the sexual assault kit backlog from around 2016 has been cleared and that the lab is now meeting the statutory 60-day turnaround time, with kits tracked through a barcode-based system for transparency. The committee also discussed overdose data and confidentiality. The lab said a new overdose dashboard is being developed with the Office of State Technology and should go live by the end of the year, using newly available reporting data to help public health and law enforcement target prevention efforts. Members praised a recent law allowing toxicology information to be shared with the state drug director and another law protecting coroner records and toxicology reports from public release during criminal investigations; lab officials said both changes have been very helpful. The meeting ended with no votes or formal actions on the crime lab items, and the chair announced an August site visit to the Lake Conway dam project.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Capital Investment Committee 2/11/25

Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c><00:14:23.199><c> digital</c> volume in our DNA Laboratories digital volume in our DNA Laboratories
  • </c><00:15:58.680><c> there's</c> a gun range for our laboratory there's a gun range for our laboratory
  • He said that is accurate, and that the project will also be a drug laboratory and a DNA laboratory.
  • </c> they often have firearms Laboratories they often have firearms Laboratories you<00:31:57.360><c>
  • </c> about Kalia which is a nationally about Kalia which is a nationally accreditation<00:34:39.240><
Keywords: 1183, house
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Insurance May 6th, 2026

Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • Number two, for each national drug code in DC, the notification shall provide the following information
  • NADAC is a national average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy and charges that
  • Senator Bass: NADAC is a national average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy
  • worked on this compromise to partially offset it with programs that are allowed in other states in the nation
Committee: Senate Insurance
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Health and Welfare Apr 29th, 2026

Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:
  • Well, I know that the LINKS system, I don't know if it's a national system or not.
  • And in New Orleans, New Orleans has the sixth highest rate of Alzheimer's disease in the entire nation
  • Sex Registry, we do all of those. ...OIG screenings, National Sex Registry, we do all of those, as well
  • I'm a Louisiana State Ambassador for NORD, which is the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Patient
  • In most cases, over 4,500 hours of training, supervised clinical experience, and national competency
Bills: HB946 , HB1093 , SB26 , SB29 , SB30 , SB195 , SB219 , SB222 , SB255 , SB314 , SCR2 , SCR22
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Floor Session Mar 6th, 2026

Washington House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Harborview is one of the highest-volume trauma centers in the nation.
  • Specialty pharmacy networks all over our nation...
  • It's a pretty low number. 40B charity rate is nationally.
  • That's the national average.
  • That's the national average.
Summary: The House took up and passed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5292, which modifies the paid family and medical leave program. Supporters said the bill uses an actuarial model to set rates and maintains a four-month reserve to improve program stability. It passed final passage 95-1. The House then considered Substitute Senate Bill 5841, dealing with completion of course and financial aid-related requirements. An amendment was adopted to add a financial aid calculator and require outreach to students who indicate they have completed a financial aid form, with supporters saying it would help students understand aid eligibility and access college opportunities. The bill then passed as amended, 92-4. The most extensive debate was on Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5981, concerning the 340B drug pricing program and contract pharmacy relationships. Members offered many amendments seeking to limit the bill’s scope, add transparency, or direct 340B savings toward patient care, low-income patients, rural areas, or charity care; most were rejected. Supporters argued the bill would help safety-net providers, hospitals, and FQHCs, while opponents warned it would mainly benefit large hospital systems, create administrative burdens, and likely face litigation. After the House adopted the committee amendment and rejected the floor amendments, the bill passed 67-30. The transcript then moved on to other business, including Senate messages and the start of debate on House Bill 2487 on taxes, with one technical amendment to clarify taxpayer definitions.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Education Oversight Feb 25th, 2026 at 09:00 am

Education Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • all last year, you probably heard me say many times that we are facing an enrollment cliff in our nation
  • that are available that maybe would fit this are not considered quality accreditations across the nation
  • will this bill leave us in a position to be nimble the next time we have a regime change at the national
  • stay nimble the next time we have a pendulum shift and we have a different ideology controlling our nation
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Education Oversight Feb 25th, 2026

Education Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • all last year, you probably heard me say many times that we are facing an enrollment cliff in our nation
  • the ones available that maybe would fit this are not considered quality accreditations across the nation
  • will this bill leave us in a position to be nimble the next time we have a regime change at the national
  • ...to be nimble the next time we have a regime change at the national level.
  • stay nimble the next time we have a pendulum shift and we have a different ideology controlling our nation
Summary: The Education Oversight Committee heard several bills focused on higher education, school library materials, military student transfers, women’s privacy, academic grading standards, program review, and teacher professional development. HB 2950, by Rep. Woolley, would remove the ACT requirement for homeschool students seeking Oklahoma’s Promise and bar colleges from imposing extra homeschool-specific hurdles; supporters said it would treat homeschoolers the same as other students, while opponents raised concerns about oversight and taxpayer-funded aid. The committee also heard HB 3132, which would direct higher education institutions to seek accreditors that do not impose DEI mandates, and HB 3700, which would require colleges to grade students only on academic criteria rather than opinions or beliefs. HB 3701 would codify regents’ procedures for reviewing and acting on low-performing degree programs, and HB 4115 would cap required teacher professional development hours, with the sponsor emphasizing local control and that the bill is permissive rather than mandatory. The committee also considered HB 2978, which would prohibit public school library materials from including descriptions or depictions of sexually explicit conduct. Supporters framed it as protecting children and aligning library collections with community standards, while opponents worried the language could limit access to materials that help students understand abuse and safety. HB 4274, a cleanup bill on military student schooling and school choice, would restore omitted transfer language, clarify in-district enrollment timing, and align the six-month relocation requirement with the Open Transfer Act. HB 3242, dealing with privacy for women in schools, universities, and domestic violence shelters, drew questions about how gender would be verified and how the bill would affect transgender students and shelter access. Most bills advanced on motions for due pass after committee discussion. HB 2950, HB 2978, HB 3132, HB 4274, HB 3242, HB 3700, HB 3701, and HB 4115 all received due pass recommendations. HB 3467 was laid over until the next meeting, and the committee then adjourned.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Utilities REVISED: Link Added Feb 17th, 2026

Utilities

Bills: HB2989 , HB3724 , HB2992 , HB3464 , HB4246 , HB3989
Committee: House Utilities
Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 4246, which would expand training and technical assistance options for rural water-related programs by allowing the state to consider qualified suppliers other than the Rural Water Association. After brief questions about the type of vendors involved, the bill received a 7-0 due pass vote. House Bill 3989 followed and was described as cleanup language continuing prior negotiations among the oil and gas industry, electric co-ops, and investor-owned utilities; the committee adopted the PCS and passed the bill 7-0. Members then considered House Bill 2992, the Data Center Customer Protection Act of 2026. The committee adopted a PCS and an amendment reducing the threshold from 100 megawatts to 75 megawatts. The bill would require data centers to pay infrastructure costs tied to their electricity demand so those costs are not shifted to other ratepayers; it passed 7-0. House Bill 3464, which adds protections and regulatory requirements for battery storage and updates transparency and decommissioning provisions for wind and solar projects, also passed 7-0 after adoption of a PCS. House Bill 3724, as revised in a second PCS, drew the most debate. It would define high-demand facilities to include data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations, AI computing facilities, and large battery storage systems, and would impose restrictions on subsidies, infrastructure costs, water use, foreign ownership, agricultural land siting, noise, decommissioning, and local approval processes, including a petition mechanism to overturn local decisions. Supporters argued it was needed to protect communities, landowners, water resources, and ratepayers; opponents raised concerns about property rights, agricultural land restrictions, local control, and the petition/recall process. The bill failed on a 2-6 vote and remained in committee. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 2989, which would allow electric utilities to prepare wildfire mitigation plans, create a wildfire mitigation revolving fund, and direct the Conservation Commission to develop a wildfire mitigation test pilot and refine mitigation strategies. With a PCS adopted and no debate, the bill passed 8-0, and the meeting adjourned.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Health and Human Services Oversight REVISED: 11:15 a.m. - New Start Time

Health and Human Services Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • When someone retires in the Army National Guard or the Oklahoma Air National Guard, they do 20 years.
  • Page four, there's a lot of people that want to donate to the Oklahoma National Guard directly.
  • Example would be last year a veteran died and left $3 million to the Oklahoma National Guard that was
  • Page six, if you look at the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard, they are regulated by the
  • I don't think we should be very happy that we're double the national average with suicide.