Video & Transcript : 'legislative ethics' :

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TX

Texas 89th Regular

State Affairs (Part II) Apr 24th, 2025

State Affairs

Summary: The Senate Committee on State Affairs was called to order and a roll call showed most members present, with one absent. The chair explained that the committee had arranged witnesses for a later meeting but had received responses from some parties declining to testify, prompting Senator Bettencourt to offer a written motion for subpoenas. The motion authorized the committee chair, under Senate Rule 11.20, to issue subpoenas to BlackRock, State Street, or other financial services companies affecting Texas public pension investments, along with their subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, or representatives. The subpoenas would require testimony and production of records concerning investment practices, the impact on Texas public pension funds, and any investments intended to further political or social causes. Members discussed the importance of obtaining testimony and the limited but necessary use of subpoena power. The committee then voted, with 10 ayes, no nays, and one absent, to adopt the motion. With no further business, the committee recessed until the call of the chair, planning to return after the local calendar.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

State Affairs (Part III) Apr 24th, 2025

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Those sections were addressed in other legislation. And I do have a couple witnesses here.
  • Texans need to know that when someone breaks ethics laws, the response to the...
  • So members, I've also filed this legislation, Senate Bill 2781. It's in amendment format here.
  • This bill is about math, ethics, and constitutional duty.
  • The findings suggested that the legislation has had significant economic... It's interesting.
Summary: The committee heard Senate Bill 945, 946, 2044, 2819, 2403, 2337, and 312, with all bills left pending after testimony. SB 945 would restrict insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage based on oil and gas activity or ESG-related goals, and supporters argued it would protect Texas energy producers from politically motivated shareholder activism and insurance discrimination. SB 946 would bar creditors from using social credit, ESG, DEI, or religious/political affiliation as a basis for denying or limiting credit; witnesses said it would prevent viewpoint-based financial discrimination and protect access to capital for Texas businesses. SB 2337 would require proxy advisory firms to disclose when recommendations are based on non-financial factors or when they give conflicting advice to different clients; supporters said the measure would increase transparency and curb ESG-driven influence over shareholder voting. SB 312 would direct public retirement systems to focus on financial returns rather than social or political objectives, with the author saying the bill responds to activist pressure on pensions and would reinforce fiduciary duty. The committee also took up election and ethics measures. SB 2044 would strengthen electioneering restrictions for publicly funded education institutions and personnel, prohibiting use of official resources to promote political agendas; testimony focused on alleged school district electioneering in bond and tax elections. SB 2819 would prohibit county elections administrators from holding certain officer positions appointed by elected officials, addressing potential conflicts of interest. SB 2403, the Texas Ethics Commission sunset bill, would restructure complaint handling with a three-tier violation system, risk-based complaint prioritization, longer response times, bipartisan preliminary review panels, and expanded hearing options; members discussed amendments aimed at dismissing minor complaints, clarifying categories, and adjusting lobbying and penalty provisions, but the amendments were withdrawn during committee consideration. Across the ESG and finance bills, invited witnesses from the American Energy Institute, Heartland Impact, Consumers Research, ADF Action, Texas Civil Justice League, and related groups generally supported the measures, arguing that banks, insurers, proxy advisors, and asset managers have used ESG or reputational-risk standards to discriminate against energy, agriculture, firearms, and religious organizations. No opposition testimony was presented in the excerpt, and the committee closed public testimony on each bill and left them pending.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

89th Legislative Session Jun 1st, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I travel and attend legislative conferences, so if you're there, I'll see you.
  • We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Legislative Council.
  • HR1402 by Ashby, Legislative Fellowship Program.
  • What this legislation is doing is it's setting up a drug trial to.
  • Not every chamber, not every legislator gets everything they want.
Bills: HCR158, HCR159, HCR160, HCR161, HCR162, HCR163, HCR164, HR174, HR427, HR790, HR810, HR857, HR866, HR882, HR883, HR962, HR966, HR1001, HR1045, HR1085, HR1097, HR1127, HR1138, HR1141, HR1150, HR1152, HR1292, HR1296, HR1304, HR1305, HR1306, HR1308, HR1309, HR1310, HR1311, HR1312, HR1313, HR1315, HR1317, HR1318, HR1320, HR1321, HR1322, HR1323, HR1324, HR1325, HR1327, HR1328, HR1329, HR1330, HR1331, HR1332, HR1333, HR1334, HR1335, HR1338, HR1340, HR1341, HR1342, HR1343, HR1344, HR1345, HR1346, HR1347, HR1348, HR1349, HR1352, HR1353, HR1354, HR1355, HR1358, HR1359, HR1360, HR1361, HR1362, HR1363, HR1364, HR1365, HR1366, HR1368, HR1369, HR1370, HR1380, HR1383, HR1384, HR1385, HR1386, HR1387, HR1388, HR1389, HR1390, HR1392, HR1393, HR1396, HR1397, HR1398, HR1399, HR1400, HR1402, HR1403, HR1404, HR1405, HR1406, HR1407, HR1408, HR1409, HR1410, HR1411, HR1412, HR1413, HR1414, HR1415, HR1417, HR1418, HR1419, HR1420, HR1421, HR1422, HR1424, HR1425, HR1426, HR1427, HR1428, HR1429, HR1430, HR1431, HR1432, HR1433, HR1434, HR1435, HR1436, HR1437, HR1438, HR1440, HR1441, HR1442, HR1443, HR1444, HR1445, HR1447, HR1448, HR1449, HR1450, HR1452, HR1453, HR1454, HR1455, HR1456, HR1458, HR1459, HR1460, HR1461, HR1462, HR1463, HR1464, HR1465, HR1466, HR1467, HR1469, HR1470, HR1471, HR1472, HR1473, HR1475, HR1477, HCR132, HCR154, HR17, HR49, HR170, HR275, HR355, HR356, HR364, HR369, HR672, HR690, HR755, HR756, HR759, HR762, HR763, HR781, HR785, HR848, HR1240, HR1265, HR1303, HR1307, HR1314, HR1316, HR1319, HR1326, HR1336, HR1337, HR1350, HR1351, HR1367, HR1371, HR1372, HR1373, HR1374, HR1375, HR1376, HR1377, HR1378, HR1379, HR1382, HR1391, HR1395, HR1451, HR1457, HR1468, HR1474, HR1476, SB1637, SB2878, HB2885, HB2017, HB5246, SB8, SB2308, SB1405, HB 119, SB3059, SB15, SB568, SB2900, HB3642, HB3909, SB268, HB493, SB2217, HB2516, SB650, HB2963, SB1610, HB705, SB2972, SB1540, HB40, SB2753, SB1660, SB2024, HB1545, HB46
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/04/2026 - Senate Government

Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • The department does anticipate an increase in hearing costs associated with this legislation.
  • Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Okay, so you might have JLAC look into this.
  • And so you could— a legislator could not 1487 this, even if they wanted to. All right.
  • So I'll represent less people, but I'll be less powerful in terms of my influence on legislation.
  • Census Bureau must be used to determine the citizen population of each legislative district.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Feb 11th, 2025

Alabama Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • day and from the previous legislative day and from the previous legislative day and that we adopt said
  • day taking for the fourth legislative day taking for the fourth legislative day taking precedence over
  • to support uh with different legislation to support uh with different legislation to support military
  • legislation legislation um with that I'll note one more thing um with that I'll note one more thing
  • feel like they're a part of legislation feel like they're a part of legislation feel like they're a
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Session Feb 11th, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • On this side of the legislative building here. Yeah, the carpet's much nicer than over there.
  • And then also, last legislative session, the legislature established the tough the Texas University Fund
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Senate in Special Session C Feb 11th, 2025

Florida Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • SECTION 2 THE LEGISLATURE IS CONVENED FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF CONSIDERING LEGISLATION TO STRENGTHEN STATE
  • THE COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES OF EITHER HOUSE OF THE LEGISLATURE ARE AUTHORIZED TO CONSIDER LEGISLATION
  • SENATORS, THE LEGISLATION WE PASSED OUT OF THIS CHAMBER TWO WEEKS AGO WAS THE STRONGEST CRACKDOWN ON
  • WHILE THE MAJORITY OF THE LEGISLATION SENATOR GRUTERS HAS FILED FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IS IDENTICAL TO
  • IN TOTAL, THIS LEGISLATION RIGOROUSLY IMPLEMENTS PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PLAN TO SECURE OUR BORDER AND PROTECT
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • And so, point of clarification, I'm sorry if I miss this, this would effectively consist of legislators
  • It is set up of legislators by legislators. Your pay is already covered in that.
  • House Bill 4484, this legislation will allow the OCC workers to use...
  • This legislation is modeled after what the AG's office and Wildlife do.
  • This legislation is modeled after what the AG's office and Wildlife do.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

General Government REVISED: HB4434 - Added Feb 17th, 2026

General Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • It is set up of legislators by legislators. Your pay is already covered in that.
  • House Bill 4484, this legislation will allow the OCC workers to use...
  • This legislation will allow the OCC workers to use state-owned or state-leased vehicles between their
  • This legislation is modeled after what the AG's office and Wildlife do.
  • This legislation is modeled after what the AG's office and Wildlife do.
Summary: The committee took up several bills related to housing, state operations, veterans, and administrative cleanup. HB 4409, as amended by PCS, would create a bicameral, bipartisan legislative committee to oversee workforce and affordable housing issues and coordinate with outside stakeholders; members asked about membership, meeting frequency, and pay, and the bill passed 9-0. HB 4414, also with a PCS, would direct the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency’s housing stability program to use a needs-assessment tool to guide funding decisions, with the tool and related provisions sunset after five years; members discussed whether it would be data-mapping based and how it would connect to broader legislative decision-making, and it passed 6-3. The committee also advanced HB 4484, allowing Oklahoma Corporation Commission workers to use state-owned or state-leased vehicles between home and work when traveling statewide for duties; it passed 9-0. HB 4486 would authorize placement of a Gold Star Family Memorial Monument on state grounds as a gift from the Woody Williams Foundation, with OMES handling routine cleaning, and it passed 10-0 after questions about the final design and consultation with veterans groups. HB 3057, a cleanup bill based on a 2025 evaluation identifying more than 50 obsolete statutory reports, repealed outdated reporting requirements and passed 10-0. Two additional bills addressed governance rules. HB 2588 would add requirements for HOA board service, limiting board membership after developer turnover to owners who live in the neighborhood and excluding tenants and nonresident owners; it passed 10-0. HB 4434 would require the governor to notify officials in the line of succession before being out of state, with members briefly discussing whether 24 hours was enough notice and whether the succession order should mirror the federal model; it passed 10-0. The meeting ended with all bills reported due pass and the committee adjourned.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Judiciary Feb 11th, 2026 at 05:05 pm

House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • We are on H.J.R. 5, legislative compensation.
  • Being a legislator shouldn’t be reserved for the one percent, nor should it force legislators to make
  • Providing legislative compensation for our legislators will help keep a fair and broad representation
  • Providing legislation compensation for our legislators will help keep a fair and broad representation
  • within the legislation.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Judiciary Feb 11th, 2026

House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • We are on H.J.R. 5, legislative compensation.
  • Being a legislator shouldn't be reserved for the 1%, nor should it force legislators to make financial
  • Providing legislative compensation for our legislators will help keep a fair and broad representation
  • Providing legislation compensation for our legislators will help keep a fair and broad representation
  • within the legislation.
Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 99, a medical malpractice reform measure. Sponsor Chair Chandler and Minority Leader Armstrong described months of stakeholder negotiations aimed at balancing patient compensation with concerns from physicians, hospitals, and insurers about litigation costs, punitive damages, and access to care. The committee substitute kept the existing monetary damage caps but changed several provisions, including definitions of “occurrence” and “value of medical care,” treatment of future medical expenses, a higher clear-and-convincing standard for punitive damages, a two-step process before punitive damages can be pled, and a lower punitive-damages cap for smaller providers versus a higher cap for large hospital systems. Supporters said the bill would help recruit and retain doctors and stabilize the malpractice market; opponents argued it weakens accountability, especially for corporate and out-of-state hospital systems, and several speakers urged a stronger amendment to preserve patient rights. After debate, the committee voted 10-0 to give the House Judiciary Committee substitute for HB 99 a do-pass recommendation. The committee then heard House Joint Resolution 5, which would amend the state constitution to allow legislative compensation. Sponsors and supporters said paying legislators would make service more accessible to working people, parents, rural residents, and others without independent wealth, and would broaden representation. Several advocacy groups and individual commenters backed the proposal, while members raised questions about the pay formula, with the resolution tying compensation to the state median income. Some members supported the idea but preferred a salary commission or a different mechanism. The committee approved HJR 5 on a 7-3 vote. Finally, the committee began hearing House Memorial 39, which calls for a task force to study the current state of sexual assault examination kits and report on backlog progress. Sponsor Rep. Ferrari and the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs explained that a prior task force a decade ago found more than 5,000 untested kits and led to policy changes, including the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights and a statewide tracking system. The memorial is intended to reassess whether backlogs remain and recommend further fixes.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Judiciary Feb 11th, 2026

House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • I know that the House is moving a piece of legislation on here.
  • The House is moving a piece of legislation on here.
  • We are in support of the legislation before you.
  • I just want to commend the sponsors of this legislation.
  • I just want to commend the sponsors of this legislation.
Summary: The committee first took up a lengthy informational presentation on the Patient Compensation Fund (PCF) and New Mexico medical malpractice insurance. Teresa Hassey, a plaintiffs’ attorney, described the PCF’s origin in the 1976 Medical Malpractice Act, its role as a state-backed excess coverage system, and her view that it was mismanaged when hospital participation expanded without individualized risk assessments. She argued that hospitals underpaid surcharges, that the fund was depleted by claims, and that the 2021 amendments and later legislative infusions were meant to shore up deficits and phase hospitals out. Superintendent of Insurance Alice Kane and LFC analyst Julia Rodriguez presented a different perspective, emphasizing recent general fund infusions, current surcharge collections, the use of actuarial reviews, and the PCF’s budget and settlement activity. Kane said the market is highly concentrated, New Mexico’s malpractice costs and defense expenses are high, and the fund still provides lower-cost coverage than the open market, while also noting ongoing issues with future medical claims, TPA transition, and investment management. Committee members questioned the presenters at length about why New Mexico malpractice premiums are so high, whether defense costs were being conflated with claim payouts, how the PCF works with primary coverage and excess coverage, and whether hospitals were properly assessed when they entered the fund. Several senators raised concerns about punitive damages, corporate practice of medicine, and whether the state’s legal environment is driving doctors away. Others challenged the data comparisons, noting differences between one-year figures and multi-year averages, and asked why New Mexico’s costs remain far above neighboring states. Kane and Hassey disagreed on the causes, with Kane pointing to high claims and defense costs over time and Hassey arguing that hospital participation and punitive-damage exposure distorted the market. The chair concluded the discussion by saying the committee had not exhausted the topic and that he still wanted a clear path to reducing doctors’ insurance costs. After a break, the committee moved on to Senate Bill 41. Senator Charlie introduced the bill, which would eliminate the statute of limitations for the most serious sexual crimes in New Mexico. He argued that trauma, coercion, fear, and delayed disclosure often prevent survivors from reporting promptly, and said the law should reflect that reality. The bill was presented as a response to survivor testimony heard in a prior hearing, and the sponsor framed it as part of a broader effort to modernize the justice system for sexual violence cases.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Jan 13th, 2026 at 01:30 pm

State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's an honor for you to consider this legislation, especially as your first of this legislative session
  • And the Legislative Youth Advisory Council, which was also part of the program, stayed under... ...Legislative
  • That would ultimately be up to the Legislative Ethics Board.
  • There was a previous violation that the Ethics Board found where basically a previous legislator was
  • You get an ethics violation.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Appropriations Feb 25th, 2026 at 04:00 pm

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • There was even a documentary made about this program that I know that a bipartisan group of legislators
  • It actually impacts most of our legislative districts, Mr. Chair.
  • So I'd urge a yes vote on behalf of the Fourth Legislative District.
  • That's our core fundamental duty as legislators. That's what we're brought in...
  • That's our core fundamental duty as legislators. That's what we're brought here to do.
Bills: HB2289
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Appropriations Feb 23rd, 2026 at 04:00 pm

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • There is also revenue legislation assumed, the largest among those being $2.1 billion in assumed NGFO
  • General government, legislative, and judicial administrative savings generates about $155 million in
  • You'll also see $152 million for revenue legislation implementation to the Department of Revenue that
  • Nearly all legislators pledged to support public schools when they ran for office.
  • I speak not only as a legislative advocate, but as a mental health professional.
Bills: HB2289
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Appropriations Jan 14th, 2026 at 04:00 pm

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm the legislative director for Climate Solutions.
  • We propose legislation to do so. Again, please treat this issue as the emergency it is. Thank you.
  • Second, legislators should also be aware that DNR's budget shortfalls are partly due to paused timber
  • Plymouth provides permanent supportive housing for 1,400 people across six legislative districts and
  • It is absolutely essential that our legislators continue to provide funding for programs that support
Bills: HB2289
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Appropriations Jan 12th, 2026 at 04:00 pm

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • There are some policy proposals in this area that will be coming forward with some legislation soon,
  • I manage Foss Harbor Marina in Tacoma, and I live in the 29th Legislative District.
  • During 12 legislative sessions under Jay Inslee, taxes were raised $62.3 billion.
  • This last legislative session, you raised taxes 39 times and raised them $40.2 billion.
  • So in one legislative session, you did two-thirds of what it took 12 years prior to that.
Bills: HB2289