Transcript Highlights:

• Members of the public are also welcome to provide further comments through our committee website, and
• Public comment may be provided only at the designated time and place as permitted by the chair.
• In the general election, that electorate, I think, provides us... provides us a better sense of who is
• by the legislature. providing epinephrine in their preschool programs or not.
• Thank you for providing me the opportunity. to provide testimony today to address the need for SB 568

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so having the physicians in place to provide... ...care.
• And so having the physicians in place to provide those needs is critical.
• House Bill 42 seeks to provide for this increase.
• It provides a more cost-effective alternative for us sometimes as opposed to building new.
• It provides a more cost-effective alternative for us sometimes as opposed to building new.

Bills: HB42, HB125

Keywords: special prosecutor, state law, criminal justice, accountability, law enforcement, stormwater management, counties, regulation, environment, water quality

Summary: The Committee on Higher Education met to hear several bills and first corrected the minutes from its April 1, 2025 meeting to reflect that a committee substitute for HB 271 had been adopted before the bill was reported favorably. The committee then heard HB 3326, which would help Texas higher education employees, especially adjunct faculty, qualify for federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness by counting classroom hours toward full-time status, requiring institutions to verify employment within 60 days, and requiring annual notice to eligible employees. No witnesses testified against the bill, and it was left pending. Members then heard HB 2853, authorizing UTEP to phase in a student union fee increase to fund demolition and reconstruction of its aging student union. Representative Perez and UTEP student and university witnesses said the current facility is outdated and insufficient for a campus of more than 25,000 students, while some members raised concerns about the size of the fee increase and its impact on low-income students. UTEP representatives said most students receive aid, the fee would be phased in over time, and the project was student-approved; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4066, a one-line bill to abolish the Texas Research Incentive Program after the state cleared its backlog of matching obligations, with the author saying the program was no longer needed in light of newer research funding approaches. The bill was left pending. The committee spent substantial time on HB 125, which would create the Tarleton State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Supporters, including Tarleton leadership, the founding dean, a rural hospital CEO, and a feasibility consultant, argued the school would address severe rural physician shortages by recruiting Texas and rural students, training them in rural settings, and developing new residency slots rather than competing for existing ones. Members asked about affordability, residency placement, and whether the school would draw students from rural Texas; Tarleton said it would seek to keep tuition and debt low, had already raised private donations, and would request $25 million in state support over the biennium. The bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard HB 42, which would increase the annual Higher Education Fund appropriation and adjust its allocation methodology. The chair and university witnesses described rising deferred maintenance, inflation, cybersecurity needs, and enrollment growth at HEAF-eligible institutions, with witnesses from Texas Tech, Sam Houston State, and UNT saying the additional funding would help address aging facilities and technology needs. After testimony, the committee left HB 42 pending and recessed.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are asking California for legislation to provide consistency around the region.
• This bill provides clarity and codifies...
• Marie Lou, on behalf of the Central California Environmental Justice Network.
• So I provided you all with three different documents.
• It relaxes AB 1167 by providing a feasible compliance pathway.

Summary: The committee heard a series of natural resources bills, with several measures accepted on committee amendments and moved forward on party-line or near-unanimous votes. AB 2461 on oil and gas bonding and well-closure financial assurance drew strong support from environmental groups and some legislators, while an industry representative was neutral and warned about unintended consequences and reduced transfers. Senators Laird and Cabaldon supported the bill as a clarification of AB 1167, and the committee voted do pass as amended to Appropriations, with the bill placed on call. The committee also approved a consent calendar of 10 bills, which was moved and held on call. AB 53 by Assemblymember Ramos, as amended, would expand tribal eligibility for conservation grants and loans and express legislative intent to create a process for returning ancestral lands to federally recognized tribes. Tribal and environmental supporters argued the bill recognizes tribal stewardship and helps remove barriers to conservation participation, while county, farm bureau, and habitat league witnesses raised concerns about long-term land management, public accountability, easements, and jurisdiction if lands are transferred. Committee members emphasized the importance of preserving conservation protections and continuing work on the land-return framework; the bill was moved do pass as amended to Appropriations and held on call. AB 2679 on Lake Tahoe corridor safety and access was supported by local officials and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, who described dangerous parking, pedestrian conflicts, and a successful shuttle pilot, and the bill was moved do pass as amended to Appropriations. AB 1666, creating biomass innovation parks and other incentives for non-combustion uses of forest and agricultural biomass, received broad support from business, conservation, and local government witnesses, with senators framing it as a way to address wildfire debris and create rural jobs; it also advanced do pass as amended to Appropriations. AB 2494, which would modernize the demonstration state forest system and elevate biodiversity, recreation, carbon storage, and tribal stewardship over maximum sustained production, drew strong support from environmental and tribal advocates but significant opposition from forest industry, county, and research witnesses who warned it could undermine research, sustainable forestry, and local economies; the author said he would continue negotiations, and the bill was moved do pass to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 2234, which updates the definition of geothermal exploratory projects, and AB 2521, which seeks to use the California Council on Science and Technology for watershed-wide water availability analyses to help identify excess water for groundwater recharge. Both bills had support from sponsors and some stakeholders, while AB 2521 drew concerns from agricultural water interests about agency reliance, public trust considerations, and funding. Both measures were moved do pass as amended to Appropriations. Finally, AB 2410 would extend a CEQA exemption for certain fuels-reduction projects in high fire-risk areas; local government groups supported it as a wildfire-prevention tool, while environmental and other opponents argued the remaining exemption still weakens habitat protections and public review, and one witness sought to remove conventional herbicides from the exemption.

Transcript Highlights:

• We provide support in the enterprise.
• </c> can buy in and become an owner provided can buy in and become an owner provided you<00:22:43.600
• This would provide enforcement 177.
• You'll see provides civil penalties.
• It provides<01:16:17.680><c> some</c><01:16:17.840><c> prohibitions</c><01:16:18.760><c> for</c> provides

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In the event of a network failure, end.
• To promote uniform application and provide adequate public notice of the conduct, they recommend providing
• </c><00:50:22.079><c> 91,</c> provides for it 91 or 92, right? 91, provides for it 91 or 92, right?
• :23.760><c> case</c> which provides for contested case which provides for contested case hearings,<00
• </c> provide notice to those owners. provide notice to those owners.

Bills: HB1881, HB2218, HB1956, HB2151, HB1845, HB1844, HB2103, HB2424, HB1650, HB376, HB2599, HB1861

Keywords: land use, ropeway, transportation, state regulation, government exemption, DLNR, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Board of Land and Natural Resources, BLNR, public lands, public trust resources, community co-management, co-management agreement, community-based organization, Native Hawaiian, malama aina, ahupuaa, subsistence, cultural resources, religious practices

Summary: The committee on Water and Land met on February 10, 2026, with Chair Mark Hashem outlining strict testimony rules and noting a time constraint because of later hearings and floor session obligations. The committee then took up several bills, hearing mostly supportive testimony on HB 1881 relating to land use, HB 2218 relating to DLNR/community management, and HB 1956 relating to freshwater waves, while HB 1845 relating to the Land Use Commission drew legal concerns and opposition. HB 2151 relating to building materials had no substantive testimony presented in the excerpt, and the committee moved through it quickly. On HB 1881, testimony focused on protecting North Shore lands from overdevelopment. A supporter described the area as valuable precisely because it remains largely undeveloped, and a member asked whether the bill’s restrictions on “finculars” would affect existing or future private residential installations; the response suggested the bill was aimed at future commercial uses and that grandfathering or personal-use exceptions might be possible, but the exact wording would need legal refinement. HB 2218 received broad support from OHA, DLNR, Kua, Sierra Club, Hui Maka Aana, the Honlay Initiative, and others, who said the measure would expand community-based co-management across DLNR divisions, build on existing park partnerships, and produce real benefits such as better stewardship, safer access, local jobs, and stronger community trust. Members asked about the bill’s five-year review structure, how multiple community groups would be handled, and whether the model could apply to ocean or nearshore areas; DLNR said the board would retain authority, agreements would be non-exclusive and subject to review, and the department was still working through how the approach would function across different divisions and marine settings. For HB 1956, the Attorney General offered technical comments, urging clearer definitions of “residing” and “freshwater way,” clearer timing for citations and arrests, and more explicit procedural safeguards and agency roles. On HB 1845, the Attorney General and Land Use Commission raised concerns that the bill could conflict with constitutional protections for important agricultural lands and could not be reconciled with existing voting requirements; the LUC also said commissioners cannot vote by proxy under sunshine law and warned that the bill could allow too few commissioners to approve major boundary changes. Members questioned how the bill would work in counties without designated important agricultural lands, and the LUC explained that Kauai is the only county to have completed the IAL process, while the broader statutory process remains county-driven and has been the subject of litigation. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:32:35.919><c> services</c> our County uh Partners provide services our County uh Partners provide
• </c><00:34:02.440><c> uh</c> licensing County jails and providing uh licensing County jails and providing
• </c> current fiscal year the program provides current fiscal year the program provides an<00:44:52.160
• </c> better S sheriffs who uh cannot provide better S sheriffs who uh cannot provide the<00:48:07.559
• </c><01:00:28.400><c> to</c> intensify the services we provide to intensify the services we provide to

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It removes statutory provisions that require family and large child care homes to provide parents with
• It defines large family child care home, prohibits residential property insurance policies from providing
• It provides the definition of the Department of Education as a direct support organization to authorize
• It removes statutory provisions that require family and large child care homes to provide parents with
• They operate by creating local service networks, bringing together education, health care, employment

Bills: S0996, S1022, S1462, S1690

Keywords: dependent children, child welfare, cash allowance, caregivers, community organizations, empowerment, foster care, out-of-home care, temporary cash assistance, eligibility, drug trafficking, human trafficking, Florida statutes

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs heard and advanced four bills. CS/SB 1690, on early childhood education, was amended with a delete-all amendment that required public posting of child care inspection reports and data on child deaths, injuries, and substantiated abuse; changed certain notice and insurance provisions for family and large family child care homes; created the Florida Endowment for Early Learning; and made related definitional changes. The amendment was adopted and the committee reported the bill favorably. SB 1022, on children’s initiatives, would add two new Florida Children’s Initiatives in Bay County and Pompano in Broward County; the sponsor described the program as a community-based service network model, and the bill was reported favorably without opposition. SB 996, on dependent children, would require DCF and community-based care lead agencies to coordinate and regularly meet with organizations focused on people with lived experience in the child welfare system, and to publish how suggestions are implemented. Several young adults with foster care experience testified in support, emphasizing the importance of youth voice, normalcy, and teaching financial responsibility through allowance. The bill was reported favorably after supportive debate. The committee also considered CS/SB 1462, on temporary cash assistance eligibility, after adopting an amendment that narrowed a SNAP eligibility carve-out to people who were victims of human trafficking at the time of a drug conviction. The sponsor said the bill was intended to remove barriers to reunification and redemption. After supportive testimony and no opposition, the committee reported the bill favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• placements, terminating the Department of Family and Protective Services' legal responsibility to provide
• suits affecting the parent. child relationship while the child is missing from the substitute care provider
• By maintaining jurisdiction The courts and DFPS must continue efforts to locate, recover, and provide
• So this is an extremely important bill. to our network and to everyone who works with children and youth
• It's tight and set up creates the duty on the guardian or the applicant to provide the names.

Bills: SB66, SB2165, SB2342, SB2878, SB2903

Keywords: disability, supported decision-making, legal assistance, confidentiality, access to justice, autonomy, civil rights, advocacy, Texas Family Code, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child welfare, foster care, substitute care, missing child, missing from placement, permanency hearing, parent-child relationship, SAPCR, conservatorship

Transcript Highlights:

• placements, terminating the Department of Family and Protective Services' legal responsibility to provide
• Parker: affecting the parent-child relationship while the child is missing from the substitute care provider
• So this is an extremely important bill to our network and to everyone who works Sarah Crockett: with
• Requiring the guardian to provide the court with contact information of direct caregivers, require court
• So this tightens that up, creates the duty on the guardian or the applicant to provide the names and

Transcript Highlights:

• through financial through provide through financial through provide through financial through benefit
• It provides a different method clearly. It provides a different method clearly.
• Board shall provide payments following. Board shall provide payments following.
• So, it provides a to remember. Recall. So, it provides a to remember. Recall.
• So, an additional up and I say I said it provided 10,000. The law say I said it provided 10,000.

Bills: SB199, HB142, SB86, HB152, HB297, SB1, SB1

Keywords: parental leave, state employees, local education agencies, adoption, work-life balance, family support, portable benefits, portable benefit account, independent contractor, gig worker, 1099 worker, freelancer, app-based worker, rideshare, delivery driver, worker benefits, health insurance, retirement benefits, life insurance, income replacement insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to be today focusing on some updates for which the committee previously provided funding
• So to provide an update from the court system is the state court administrator.
• What I thought it would do is just provide a little context for how judges are created, then discuss
• a little bit about the process by which they're filled and then provide you with the status information
• And then it provides statutory authority for the judgeships because the district court of authority for

Transcript Highlights:

• >> They've started to provide us with um the secretary and CMS has started to provide us with initial
• >> They've started to provide us with um the secretary and CMS has started to provide us with initial
• </c><01:55:08.000><c> staff</c><01:55:08.320><c> with</c> provider, we will provide our staff with provider
• </c> uh does touch the provider tax program. uh does touch the provider tax program.
• </c> to lower our provider tax uh program to. to lower our provider tax uh program to.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint informational briefing by the Health and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection committees focused on projected impacts to Hawaii consumers from federal changes affecting Med-QUEST and the ACA marketplace, including the loss of ACA premium tax credits, OBVA/HR1-related Medicaid changes, immigrant eligibility restrictions, and new Medicaid work/community engagement requirements. Committee members noted the meeting was being streamed live and emphasized the need to explain potential coverage losses affecting a significant share of the state population. Med-QUEST administrators reported current enrollment at 390,766, about 27% of Hawaii’s population, and broke that down into major groups including roughly 128,000 ACA expansion adults and about 52,000 parent/caretaker relatives. They said the expansion adult population would be most affected by the new federal requirements, which will shorten renewal periods from 12 months to 6 months and impose community engagement rules beginning in late 2026 and 2027. They described the work requirement as 80 hours per month of work, community service, work program participation, or half-time education, with an income-based pathway tied to $580 per month at the federal minimum wage; they also noted a long list of exemptions, but said many details are still awaiting federal guidance and rulemaking. The administrators said federal changes to immigrant eligibility would eliminate Medicaid coverage for certain noncitizen categories, with an estimated 1,200 to 2,400 people affected, though about 200 may remain covered through a state-funded program for otherwise eligible individuals. They also said marketplace subsidies would no longer be available for some immigrants under 100% of the federal poverty level starting January 1, 2026, with further restrictions expected in 2027. For Hawaii overall, they estimated the new Medicaid work and renewal rules could push an additional 19,000 to 38,000 people into uninsured status, with another estimated 6,000 at risk from the six-month renewal process alone. Members asked about how exemptions would be determined, especially for medically frail and seriously mentally ill individuals, and administrators said they were still awaiting detailed federal rules and were working on data-matching and verification processes to reduce coverage losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• certainty to health care providers and patients.
• .and clarify that field medicine providers must be part of a managed care plan's network, along with
• If not, they should be free to choose a provider that meets their needs and their budgets.
• The Senate amendments were technical in nature and provided by DHCS.
• The Senate made amendments to recast the bill and incorporated feedback from transit providers.

Summary: The Assembly convened, initially lacked a quorum, then returned to session with prayer, pledge, and a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk following news of his shooting. Members then handled a series of procedural motions, including suspending rules, moving several bills to the inactive file, re-referring bills to committees, and authorizing committee meetings. The chamber also observed adjournments in memory for several individuals, including Ermilo Don Rodas, John Burton, Nina Chomsky, and Barbara “Bobby” Samperey. On the floor file, members considered and passed a long list of Senate bills, largely on bipartisan or unanimous votes. Topics included consumer protection and transparency for self-storage contracts (SB 709), adoption jurisdiction (SB 450), privacy and name/image protections (SB 683), an audit of the February 2025 bar exam (SB 47), data broker transparency (SB 361), used-car buyer protections (SB 76), state parks land acquisition streamlining (SB 630), cemetery work group deadlines (SB 777), financial enforcement authority (SB 825), utility outage reporting and reliability planning (SB 292), vital records confidentiality (SB 313), health care coverage and hormone therapy access (SB 418), workplace outreach (SB 578), Holocaust and genocide education (SB 472), county jail treatment for misdemeanor incompetency cases (SB 820), and AI companion chatbot safeguards for minors and self-harm risks (SB 243). Most measures passed with little or no opposition, though SB 578 drew sharp debate over the workplace outreach program and its funding. The Assembly also took up concurrence items and approved numerous Assembly bills with Senate amendments. These included transparency in legislative nondisclosure agreements (AB 1370), affordable faculty/staff housing provisions at community colleges (AB 648), tribal youth foster care reforms (AB 1378), EV charger payment regulations (AB 1423), technical Political Reform Act changes (AB 1511), diacritical marks on vital records (AB 64), reproductive health protections with urgency (AB 260), union and collective bargaining protections (AB 288), bench trial statement-of-decision streamlining (AB 515), agricultural land stewardship (AB 524), geothermal exploratory project rules (AB 527), Medi-Cal field medicine changes (AB 543), tobacco-related provisions (AB 573), social media platform rules (AB 656), state parks transaction reporting (AB 679), professional licensing changes (AB 742), and child care staffing and assistant teacher pathways with urgency (AB 753). Votes were generally strong, with several measures passing unanimously or near-unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> or an entity from offering or providing or an entity from offering or providing mental<00:17:59.280
• The transferee must provide a receipt and documentation of verified tracking.
• </c> public or independent school can provide public or independent school can provide access<01:29:27.120
• </c> provide tutoring? provide tutoring?
• </c> other information necessary to provide other information necessary to provide for<01:39:28.239><

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When we face trials and tribulations, You graciously... ...provide this opportunity for our faith to
• And provide for their needs.
• Legislation making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21, and legislation
• Legislation that provides a congressional redistricting plan.
• Legislation similar to Senate Bill number 648 from the 89th Legislature regular session that provides

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• with the Department of Family and Protective Services as a single-source continuum contractor to provide
• HB 3458 by Patterson, relating to the source of dogs and cats sold at pet stores and providing a civil
• HB 3464 by Meza, relating to the offense of providing a controlled substance to a person in custody of
• HB 3481 by Rick Turner, relating to the regulation of trampoline courts and providing injunctive relief
• by certain local governments to administer a healthcare provider participation program, referred to

Summary: The House met briefly to read a large number of first-reading bills, joint resolutions, and concurrent resolutions and refer them to the appropriate committees. The measures covered a wide range of topics, including public health, education, criminal justice, taxation, transportation, water and natural resources, elections, housing, veterans issues, local government, and constitutional amendments. Several bills focused on school policy, health care regulation, property tax and sales tax changes, criminal penalties, and local or state agency authority. Among the notable items were proposals on name and sex changes on birth records, college admissions inquiries into criminal history, foster care contractor liability, school nutrition and assessment policy, election procedures, homestead and franchise tax exemptions, public retirement system reporting, and numerous transportation and infrastructure measures. The House also received resolutions designating local honors and observances, including Brownsville as the bicycling capital of the Rio Grande Valley, Port Aransas as the fishing capital of Texas, and Selena Quintanilla Perez Day. Some measures proposed constitutional amendments on legislative procedure, homestead taxation, and election-law enforcement authority. No debate or testimony occurred in this segment; the action was limited to first reading and referral. The session also referred several resolutions to the Local and Consent Calendars. At the end of the proceedings, the House adjourned without objection until 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Transcript Highlights:

• We use electronic witness registration if you wish to provide testimony of any kind.
• Have they provided these contracts? We've been told it's proprietary.
• Just, there are answers that need to be provided; we need to know. Ms.
• I did not choose a commercial provider.
• I've also provided written testimony.

Bills: SB1406, SB1681, SB2480, SB2721

Keywords: body donation, medical science, forensic science, willed body program, informed consent, boarding home, boarding home facility, adult care home, group home, assisted living, county reporting, municipal reporting, annual report, reasonable accommodation, fair housing, disability accommodation, local ordinance, permit requirement, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, HHSC

Transcript Highlights:

• that are in the networks that are honestly providing the care.
• that are in the favor to the providers that are in the networks<00:37:13.280><c> that</c><00:37:13.760
• ><c> are</c><00:37:14.000><c> honestly</c><00:37:14.400><c> providing</c><00:37:14.800><c> the</c> networks
• that are honestly providing the networks that are honestly providing the care.<00:37:16.240><c> Um,<
• So thank you. provided by the the agency. And so I provided by the the agency.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I guess there's online—yeah, there's other companies that provide that service.
• Moreover, the secondary market often provides savings opportunities for fans.
• There are exceptions provided for small independent businesses with less than 50 employees.
• Enforcement provisions are provided under the Consumer Protection Act.
• We're happy... ...any network surveillance tools included in package deals.

Summary: The Senate Business, Trade, and Economic Development Committee heard several public hearings on consumer protection and business regulation bills. Senate Bill 6175, the WAVE Act on ticket sales, would create licensing and enforcement rules for ticket resellers, require all-in pricing and refunds, cap resale prices and fees at 110% of the original ticket price, and prohibit speculative ticketing and deceptive practices, with exemptions for some events such as agricultural fairs and sports. The sponsor and many arts, venue, labor, and consumer advocates said the bill would curb bots, fake websites, and predatory markups that harm fans and nonprofit venues; opponents from resale platforms and industry groups argued it would restrict legitimate resale, reduce consumer choice, and push transactions into less regulated channels. Public testimony was extensive and sharply divided, but no committee vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6230, which would require cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest five-cent increment in light of the federal decision to stop minting pennies. Retail and grocery groups generally supported the bill but asked for amendments to protect against audit and consumer-protection liability, preserve acceptance of exact change, and avoid conflicts with local ordinances and SNAP rules. The bill sponsor said the measure is meant to give businesses a clear framework for cash rounding, and staff noted the Department of Revenue would issue a revised fiscal note with minimal costs. Senate Bill 6312, concerning surveillance-based pricing in grocery establishments, would require posted prices, prohibit individualized surveillance pricing and surge pricing, and place a moratorium on electronic shelf labels in larger stores until 2030. Labor and privacy advocates supported the bill as a way to stop AI-driven price discrimination and protect workers and consumers, while retail and grocery associations and an ESL manufacturer warned the definitions were too broad and could unintentionally affect loyalty programs, discounts, and operational efficiency. After testimony, the committee suspended the five-day notice rule for the bill. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6149 on the definition of a rural county and Senate Bill 6248 on travel insurance, with testimony on the latter split between industry support for adopting a model act and state agency concerns about adjuster licensing and preserving Washington consumer and anti-discrimination protections. In executive session, the committee considered Senate Bill 6061 on the tourism self-assessment program and Senate Bill 6137 on sports wagering. The committee rejected an amendment to SB 6061 that would have allowed voluntary local tourism contributions, then advanced the bill with a due pass recommendation. It also advanced SB 6137 with a due pass recommendation. The meeting concluded after those votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, which is Missouri's nonpartisan state voting rights network
• Counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, which is Missouri's nonpartisan state voting rights network
• The bill provides a list of absentee voting applications for permanent disabilities, kept confidential
• people now receive emails from out-of-state campaigns and that most of the money goes to the service providers
• He noted that donors must be provided information on how to opt out, and that the Maryland bill requires

Keywords: 959, house, all