Transcript Highlights:

• They sell to non-lawyer JPs and they get them on board despite the experts at the training center saying
• We’re trying to say it’s one set of rules across the board.
• We would like to equalize it and make it very standard, in line with the way the act was originally intended
• I'm a board-certified family law attorney in Austin. ...and a partner at Nolke Maples St.

Bills: HB1193, HB2495, HB2733, HB3104, HB3395, HB4325, SB3009

Keywords: HB 1193, informal marriage, common-law marriage, declaration of informal marriage, confidentiality, privacy, county clerk, vital statistics unit, Family Code, Health and Safety Code, marriage records, public records, personally identifying information, PII, legal representative, Texas marriage law, child enrollment, parent rights, managing conservator, education

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:59.839> hearings, the special review board hearings, the special review board hearings
• <00:12:22.160> screening county board screening county board screening duties.<00:12:24.720
• So I think we made everyone equally frustrated with us. Mr.
• So I think we made everyone equally frustrated with us. Mr.
• So I think we made everyone equally frustrated with us. Mr.

Bills: HF2115, HF2276, HF1644, HF99, HF2068, HF2707, HF2704, HF2406, HF1674, HF1579

Keywords: human services, aging services, disability services, behavioral health, long-term care, nursing home, nursing facility, assisted living, waiver services, medical assistance, Medicaid, case mix reimbursement, PDPM, RUG, direct care and treatment, developmental disabilities, day services, positive support, guardian, conservator

Transcript Highlights:

• . bears that weight equally.
• It's time for receive equal recognition.
• You know, that is everybody equally?
• I'm representing our 11 member board of I'm representing our 11 member board of directors.<02:36:52.880
• I was turned language from the board.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• should be considered equally. should be considered equally.
• It was always the intention of the chair that we had to have Prairie Island and Xcel on board.
• It was always the intention of the chair that we had to have Prairie Island and Xcel on board.
• we had to have Prairie Island and Xcel we had to have Prairie Island and Xcel on<01:06:56.440> board
• <01:06:57.920> Senator on board. So, thanks to them. Senator on board.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The County Board of Education, on the counties that do elect their board, is incredibly important.
• I serve as a trustee on the Orange County Board of Education.
• And that was when it was only affecting the Orange County Board of Education.
• Our board voted unanimously to oppose this bill because it is unnecessary.
• or candidates to distinguish the role of the County Board of Education from the local school boards

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Generally, House Bill 1868 would direct the coordinating board to study the feasibility, fiscal, and
• It would require the board to submit a final report to the legislature by December 1, 2026.
• We have Sarah Keaton here as a resource witness for the Higher Education Coordinating Board. ...from
• the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
• The deputy commissioner of the Higher Education Coordinating Board is available.

Bills: HB4, HB20

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 heard a series of higher education and K-12 bills, initially without a quorum and with several measures left pending subject to the call of the chair. Early bills included HB 1868, which would direct a study on lowering the dual-credit funding threshold for public junior colleges from 15 to 9 semester credit hours; HB 2598, which would replace statutory references to “licensed specialist in school psychology” with “school psychologist”; HB 3629, which would bar registered sex offenders from serving on independent school district boards of trustees; and HB 4361, which would require the Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules for timely emergency notifications at public institutions of higher education. Each received brief sponsor explanations, no opposition testimony, and was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4848, requiring public higher education systems to ensure at least one institution offers affordable competency-based bachelor’s degree programs in high-demand fields, and HB 1211, which would remove the age 25 deadline for former foster youth to use public college tuition waivers. HB 1211 drew extensive supportive testimony from Texas CASA, a former foster youth who benefited from the waiver, and a current student headed to medical school, all arguing the change would better match the realities faced by youth aging out of care. Members discussed the bill’s fiscal uncertainty and the argument that the waiver is an investment in workforce participation; the bill was left pending. Later, the committee heard HB 20, creating an Applied Sciences Pathway Program to let high school students earn certificates in targeted industries such as welding, plumbing, electrical work, manufacturing, and oil and gas while in school. Industry and workforce groups strongly supported the bill as a way to address labor shortages, while Texas 2036 raised concerns about allowing applied versions of core academic courses to substitute for traditional instruction. HB 4687, which would extend governmental immunity protections to certain campus/district charter schools and adult charter high schools, also received support from a charter-school attorney who said it would align statutes with existing case law and not expand charter rights. HB 4236, as substituted, would create a study group to examine the property value study’s effect on school finance and alternative valuation methods; it was adopted as a committee substitute and left pending. The committee also heard HB 824 on civics instruction in high school government courses and HB 2243, which would create a commission on teacher job satisfaction and retention; the latter prompted debate over removing “ethnic diversity” language from the commission’s makeup. After adopting the substitute for HB 2243 by roll call, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• The second finding is that State Board of Finance rules state that all cash funds on deposit with a bank
• The collateral pledge must be held by an unaffiliated third-party custodian in an amount at least equal

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the prior meeting. It then heard audit reports from Tom Bullington, including two reports with findings and three without findings, which were filed without objection. The Department of Public Safety FY24 audit had two findings: a duplicate vendor payment of nearly $3,700 that was later recouped, and a $2.5 million collateral shortfall tied to bank-held cash funds because securities were not properly pledged in the State Police’s name. Agency representatives from Arkansas State Police and the Department of Public Safety answered questions, and members discussed how collateralization works for deposits above FDIC coverage. The committee next reviewed the Department of Transformation and Shared Services FY24 audit, which contained five findings. These included an $800 career service overpayment caused by a rehire data entry error, delayed deactivation and inventory issues for assets including stolen cameras, a double count of more than $940,000 in year-end cash records, $10.3 million in health claims that should have been recorded as fiscal year 2024 payables, and repeated deficiencies in vehicle mileage logs. Agency officials explained that the stolen cameras were recovered through restitution, that inventory reviews are being expanded, and that the vehicle log problems are expected to be addressed through a statewide electronic GPS/telematics system. Members asked about the scope of audit testing, asset tracking, vehicle oversight, and whether the new vehicle system would allow monitoring of use, fuel purchases, geofencing, and possible sharing of vehicles across agencies. Shared Administrative Services said it would administer the statewide system, with departments retaining operational responsibility and access controls. After discussion, the committee filed the report without objection and adjourned, noting the next meeting would be held June 4.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Elizabeth Dion, Select Board member from Belmont.
• The entire, all three members of the Select Board ran on pro-development, pro-growth campaigns, and we
• and planning board to work on those zoning issues.
• My name is Maggie Sullivan, and I'm a board-certified family nurse practitioner at a community health
• It is past time for farm workers, for those essential workers, for those promises of equal protection

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing opened with remarks from the co-chairs explaining committee procedures, testimony limits, submission instructions, and the new deadlines for acting on House and Senate bills. The committee then heard testimony on several bills related to agriculture, land use, environment, housing, transportation, and taxation, with legislators often taken out of turn. No votes were taken during the hearing. The first major topic was H. 3206, a bill to allow fossil fuel-free 529 college savings plans to qualify for the state tax deduction if MEFA does not offer a comparable option. Representative Steve Owens said the bill would not force MEFA or Fidelity to change existing plans, but would create a definition for fossil fuel-free funds and extend the deduction to qualifying out-of-state plans. The committee also heard strong local testimony on a Belmont home-rule petition, H. 3970, to change tax treatment for the Belmont Country Club under Chapter 61B. Belmont residents and officials argued the private golf course receives an unfair tax break that shifts costs to other taxpayers, while Senator Brownsberger and Representative Rogers supported the measure as a way to help the town recover revenue. Committee members asked about town meeting support, the club’s lack of payment in lieu of taxes, and the size of the tax savings. The committee next heard testimony on a vehicle miles traveled tax proposal, S. 1925, from Senator Barrett and economists Gilbert Metcalf and Christopher Knittel. They argued that declining gas-tax revenue and rising fuel efficiency, especially with electric vehicles, require a more stable transportation funding source; they also said a VMT tax could be designed to be revenue-neutral and mildly progressive, though members raised concerns about administration, fairness, EV disincentives, and the possibility of annual tax shocks. The largest block of testimony focused on the Ahead Act, H. 3194/S. 1973, which would double the deed excise fee and dedicate the new revenue to affordable housing and climate adaptation. Supporters from MACDC, MAPC, FICC, Boston Climate Action Network, CLF, 350 Mass, CHAPA, and a tenant advocate said the bill could generate about $300 million annually for housing production, vouchers, weatherization, resilience, and environmental justice communities, and that it links two urgent crises with a stable funding stream. The committee also heard testimony on the Conservation Land Tax Credit bills, H. 3147/S. 2083, which would raise the annual cap on the credit from $2 million to $5 million for three years and then sunset back down. Conservation groups and a landowner said the program has conserved thousands of acres and that the higher cap would reduce delays and help meet state conservation goals. Finally, the committee took testimony on the Fairness for Farm Workers bills, S. 2011/H. 3107 and S. 2012, which would extend overtime, minimum wage, breaks, and paid time off protections to farm workers and include a refundable tax credit to help farmers offset overtime costs. Senator Gomez and advocates described the bills as overdue civil rights and public health measures, citing low wages, long hours, dangerous conditions, and the racial history behind farm labor exclusions. The hearing also included testimony on H. 3240, a bill to give municipalities a local option vacancy tax on chronically vacant shopping malls, with the sponsor arguing it would help towns address blight, encourage redevelopment, and potentially create housing and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• You can see them all there and the boards that they go with.
• You can see them all there and the<00:25:42.240> boards<00:25:42.720> that<00:25:43.039
• Um I think the boards that they go with.
• In Article 3, covering the health licensing boards, there are only two sections that were not already
• ,<00:31:22.159> there health health licensing boards, there health health licensing boards

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I just wanted to also shout out our newly elected board chair, too, who is also watching this on Zoom
• pay for equal work provision as well as our equal employment opportunity provisions, and it, um, provides
• c><01:12:24.800> provision equal pay for equal work provision equal pay for equal work provision
• <01:12:28.000> employment as well as our um equal employment as well as our um equal employment
• We have the Hawaii Medical Board in support. The Queen's Health System is in support on Zoom.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I see an equal number of parental involvement in both cases for abortion.
• I trust this board is in favor of safety for all women.
• It's time that we are represented equally, even if our officials disagree with us.
• I live in Boston, and I'm a Reproductive Equity Now board member.
• Rachel Cannon, and I'm a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist with board certification in complex

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee opened by explaining hearing procedures and time limits, then heard testimony on House 2499, a bill to create a public awareness campaign on menopause and related midlife health issues. Supporters, including a nurse, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, and other advocates, said menopause is widely misunderstood by patients and providers, leading to delayed care, unnecessary suffering, workplace impacts, and inequities in women’s health. Several speakers shared personal experiences with symptoms being dismissed or misdiagnosed and urged the committee to advance the bill. The committee then took testimony on a package of endometriosis bills, including House 2527 and Senate 1564, calling for a task force and broader awareness efforts. Patients, a physician, and advocates described long diagnostic delays, severe pain, infertility, medical gaslighting, and limited access to specialists and effective treatment. They argued for more research, provider education, and a coordinated state strategy, and several asked for favorable reports. The chair also noted the hearing was running behind and extended time to allow more testimony. Later, the committee heard Senate 1579, which would eliminate parental consent and judicial bypass requirements for abortion access for minors under 16. Planned Parenthood representatives, physicians, legal advocates, and students argued the current law creates unnecessary delays and harms vulnerable youth, especially those in unsafe homes or foster care, while supporters said minors can already consent to other reproductive health care. A pro-life witness opposed the bill and emphasized parental involvement and support services. The committee also heard House 2403 and Senate 1560, which would create a Human Service Transportation Consumer Advisory Board; disability advocates and riders described past safety problems and current service gaps, and supported the board as a low-cost way to improve accountability, rider input, and reliability. No votes or final actions were taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not talking about everyone being equal; rather, we're looking at fairness and how positions are
• allocated and funded to make sure that there is fairness across the board.
• ... ...to be able to post things on their union information board, to be able to do what they call desk
• I'll let you, I won't read the slide to you. to be able to post things on their union information board
• former is new funding, and the rest is assumed to come from tuition increases implemented by our boards

Summary: The Joint Committee on Employment Relations met on May 8, 2026, to review goals and objectives for the 2027–2029 master collective bargaining cycle and to hear updates on higher education and Washington Management Service bargaining. OFM’s Jenny Sheehan outlined the state workforce, noting that most employees are represented, the workforce remains heavily governed by civil service rules and CBAs, and the state is entering bargaining under a constrained hiring and budget environment. She described the bargaining timeline, the role of the June revenue forecasts in determining whether targeted compensation increases can be funded, and the state’s goals of affordability, maintaining labor relations, supporting equity, and addressing non-economic issues such as AI use, leave, immigration-related workplace concerns, and union access in a hybrid work environment. Sheehan also reviewed the 2025–2027 bargaining cycle, including the prior WPEA ratification issue and the requirement that tentative agreements be submitted by October 1 for financial feasibility review and possible legislative funding. She said the 2025–27 agreements cost about $1.2 billion in general funds and $1.7 billion total, excluding the later-funded WPEA agreements. In response to a question, she explained that paid family and medical leave is not bargained over directly because it is governed by statute and ESD rules. She then presented on Washington Management Service bargaining, explaining that only certain WMS employees are eligible to bargain, that representation remains small, and that current WMS contracts are handled through addenda to existing agreements. She also described interest arbitration for certain groups, including ferries and public safety-related employees, and said arbitration awards still must be financially feasible and submitted by October 1. The committee also heard from Western Washington University and the University of Washington on higher education bargaining. Western described its locally bargained contracts, the importance of local bargaining for workload, tenure, grievance, and safety issues, and the impact of the state fund split on budget planning. Western said it has no state funding for student compensation and has requested inclusion of student employees in the wage base. UW outlined its large workforce and the different bargaining frameworks under RCW 41.56 and 41.80, emphasizing that state funding and tuition make up only a portion of its budget and that the fund split and health care cost increases significantly affect compensation planning. UW also highlighted its request for state funding for academic student employee compensation, saying rising costs are reducing the number of positions and affecting class sizes and the academic pipeline. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after members discussed the upcoming bargaining and arbitration timelines.

Transcript Highlights:

• LOCK THE BOARD AND RECORD THE VOTE. >> 39 YEA, ZERO NÉE MR. PRESIDENT. >>Pres.
• CARTE FOR THEM TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT FITS THEIR COMMUNITY AND HOW THEY CHOOSE TO GROW AND IT'S EQUALLY
• SECRETARY WILL UNLOCK THE BOARD AND SENATORS WILL PROCEED TO VOTE. HAVE ALL SENATORS VOTED?
• LOCK THE BOARD AND RECORD THE VOTE. >> 39 YEA, ZERO NAY MR. PRESIDENT. >>Pres.
• PLEASE LOCK THE BOARD AND RECORD THE VOTE. >> 38 YEA, ZERO NAY MR. PRESIDENT. >>Pres.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The clerk will ring the bell and open the board. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• The clerk will close the board and tally the vote.
• The Clerk of the House will now open the board.
• Clerk, please ring the bell and open the board. Thank you.
• The Clerk of the House will now close the board and please tally the vote. There are, how many?

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• each year of the program's operation to the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education, the State Board
• For the record, Alejandro Rodriguez, Nevada State Board of Education, and I'm in support of this bill
• Nicole Flangis with the Nevada Association of School Boards.
• Nicole Flangis, Nevada Association of School Boards: I will ditto the comments before.
• Then we've got Assembly Bill 345, also on the consent agenda, which requires the Board of Regents to

Bills: SB175, SB277, SB374, SB400

Keywords: military, veterans, education, teaching, Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, licensure, certification, public schools, charter schools, school social worker, school counselor, school psychologist, internship, practicum, student support services, mental health, harassment, bullying, power-based violence, school safety

Transcript Highlights:

• . equality. equality.
• our communities to feel seen equally. our communities to feel seen equally.
• . equality. equality.
• say in this fight for equality. say in this fight for equality.
• 073 is not a simple equal 073 is not a simple equal amendment.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• require that if an officer wants to make a civil arrest inside a courthouse or an industrial accident board
• My House colleague, Representative Borman, expanded the original bill to cover Industrial Accident Board
• It's not something we're going to use arbitrarily across the board; very specific guidelines are in there
• much reduced, more affordable rate. at a much-reduced, more affordable rate that creates a threat of equal
• I'm a National Board Certified Teacher, Department Chair of the Sussex Central Agriculture Department

Bills: HB372, HB414

Keywords: HB372, Justice of the Peace Court, Delaware courts, Title 10, court administration, judicial staffing, county courts, Kent County, New Castle County, Sussex County, Wilmington, 24-hour hearings, court locations, court hours, magistrate court, access to justice, court consolidation, Delaware General Assembly, destructive weapon, possessing a destructive weapon

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on public safety, courts, and family law. House Bill 141, with House Amendment 1, would require the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to create a firearm responsibilities notice for firearm purchasers through licensed dealers, covering Delaware gun laws, safe storage, lost/stolen reporting, straw purchases, suicide prevention, and other safety responsibilities. Testimony from the NRA, Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Moms Demand Action, the Coalition for Safer Delaware, and Delaware State Police was uniformly supportive, emphasizing education, standardized dealer practices, and potential evidence for straw-purchase prosecutions. No committee questions were raised, and the bill was moved forward after public comment. House Bill 326 would create a new offense for theft by impersonating a family member, aimed at scams involving spoofed calls, texts, or online messages that pressure victims to send money. The sponsor described the bill as a response to increasingly sophisticated fraud enabled by artificial intelligence, and noted that a House amendment removed an original mandatory minimum jail term, leaving sentencing to the courts. No public testimony was offered on the bill. House Substitute 1 for House Bill 150 would prohibit civil arrests inside courthouses and certain Department of Labor proceedings, with the sponsor arguing that such arrests deter people from coming to court or seeking protection; the bill would allow criminal arrests and civil arrests only with advance written notice. No testimony was taken on that measure. Senate Bill 284, the First State Emergency Responders Act, would create a narrowly tailored offense for intentionally approaching within 25 feet of first responders at emergency scenes after crossing a barrier or ignoring warnings, if done to interfere, threaten, or harass. Supporters, including police, fire service, and sportsmen’s groups, said it would protect responders and preserve emergency operations, while the Office of Defense Services opposed it on First Amendment and overbreadth grounds, arguing existing laws already cover much of the conduct. Senate Bill 304 would amend Delaware’s safe school zone law to allow private schools to use trained, vetted sentries or similar security arrangements; supporters said it would give smaller private schools an affordable safety option, while the sponsor said the bill needed more work and should not move forward yet. The committee also heard Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 314, which would clarify how courts handle evidence that a sexual assault complainant previously made a false allegation; DOJ and ODS said the substitute reflects a consensus approach, and YWCA Delaware supported it as a survivor-protective reform. Finally, Senate Bill 343 would expand methods for serving child support respondents in Family Court by authorizing service through certified mail and carriers such as USPS, UPS, and FedEx, addressing cases where people avoid in-person service using doorbell cameras and other technology. The Division of Child Support Services supported the bill as a practical update that would improve timeliness while preserving proof-of-delivery safeguards. At the end of the meeting, a motion was made and seconded, and the chair adjourned the session.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is that it allows local school boards to adopt policies that permit and encourage booster clubs
• So but it's a level playing field across the board for all districts.
• Is it the school board or the superintendent or is it the union through collective bargaining?
• But one of my best friends is here today whose the chairman of the Board of Lake Sumter, State College
• I was always seeking perfection and always working hard and always treating other individuals as equals

Transcript Highlights:

• question is, isn't There's just a platform you can create where what you're doing is you're setting up a board
• You're having the board not have liability, and you're setting up a platform now for us to pick what
• What I'm saying is, isn't there a way to create the board just to do the model?
• And so what I'm trying to get at is that now the state is in charge; this board is in charge of picking
• So what this is going to equal is more people getting tested. That's the bottom line.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:04:53.360> Rights inclusive possible Equal Rights inclusive possible Equal Rights Amendment
• c> the<00:04:55.840> law Amendment equal protection under the law Amendment equal protection
• Amendment is to establish equality Amendment is to establish equality rights<00:15:38.120> uh
• We want equal opportunity.
• We want the right to be seen in a court of law as being equal and to have equal opportunity.

Keywords: 1183, house