Transcript Highlights:

• , and what it meant in California to actually take dams down and return rivers, or restore rivers, both
• South of the mine, the San Juan River flows to the west. is fed by the Animas and La Plata Rivers upstream
• of the mine and the Chaco River downstream of the mine.
• So alluvial groundwater generally flows north to south. and to the San Juan River.
• Potential off-site receptors include the San Juan River and water supply wells located along the river

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, houses coming down, people screaming for help, horses floating down the river.
• Uh, just got water in the gas and now we were floating down the river just helpless.
• I mean, this was spot on that river.
• </c> help, horses floating down the river. help, horses floating down the river. you<00:10:40.320><c>
• </c> floating down the river just helpless. floating down the river just helpless.

Committee: Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• And these are little captures of water that feed into the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
• , the Cotterway River, the St.
• Francis River, and then eventually the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
• My entire eastern border is the Mississippi River.
• My entire eastern border is the Mississippi River.

Committee: House Conservation and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• I think you're probably from the river parishes, okay? So that red dirt is sandy.
• To be constructed over the Mississippi River connecting Louisiana Highway 1 and Louisiana Highway 30
• This legislation designates the new Mississippi River crossing connecting LA 1 and LA 30 as the Donald
• This proposed location protects Louisiana's role as a gateway to the Mississippi River system, which
• When you build a major river crossing like this, the land around those interchanges becomes extremely

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works met on March 10 and considered a series of highway, bridge, and ferry naming bills, many honoring deceased public servants, veterans, and community leaders. The committee first heard House Bill 346, which redesignates a portion of U.S. Highway 171 as the Speaker Joe Salter Memorial Highway. Members and witnesses from the Secretary of State’s office offered extensive tributes to Salter’s career in education, legislative service, and state government. The bill was reported favorably without objection. The committee then took up House Bill 221, which names a proposed Mississippi River bridge crossing connecting LA 1 and LA 30 as the President Donald J. Trump Expressway. Rep. Eccles argued the naming would help draw attention and funding to a long-discussed bridge project and emphasized toll-free, growth-based financing. Some members questioned the political and practical logic, but the bill was reported favorably on a 12-2 vote, with Reps. Murray and Walters voting no. The committee also reported favorably several other memorial naming bills, including HB 356 for the Elward T. Brady Jr. Memorial Bridge, HB 149 for the Senior Police Officer Trevor Abney Memorial Highway, HB 148 for the Eugene Washington Memorial Highway, and HB 716 naming the Schaumet Ferry Terminal after Michael C. Ginnart Jr. Additional measures were amended and reported: HB 355, designating Highway 10 as the Veterans Park Highway, was amended to add “Memorial Highway” and then reported favorably; HB 657, naming portions of LA 182 for Burrick B.J. Lejeune Jr. and Judge Richard T. Dickey Hike Sr., was amended to remove “Memorial” from the designations and reported as amended; HB 675, naming U.S. 425 in Franklin Parish for Assistant Chief Bill Putt Linder, was similarly amended and reported; and HB 384, naming a portion of U.S. 11 as the Dan de Blanc American Hero Highway, was amended to add “Memorial” and reported with amendments. HB 354, renaming the Magnolia Bridge as the Caleb Easterling Memorial Bridge, drew emotional testimony from the victim’s parents about his death in a drunk-driving crash and was reported favorably. HB 358, naming a portion of LA 433 for Charles R. Bordelon Sr., was also reported favorably. At the end of the meeting, the committee voluntarily deferred HB 129, HB 130, HB 360, and HB 401 to a later agenda. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a small one called the Little River, which is where our bulkhead is located.
• We have a lot of river gateway for us.
• Mississippi River.
• Mississippi River.
• Mississippi River.

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• The Red River Board is not against water quality standards.
• And so one other quick example is that we have the Roseau River watershed district.
• </c><01:02:21.520><c> They're</c> the Rosa River wershed district.
• They're the Rosa River wershed district.
• </c> River Basin flood mediation agreement. River Basin flood mediation agreement.

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Louis River.
• Louis River.
• Louis River.
• Louis River. native waters of the St. Louis River.
• Louis River. We'll plan to upper St. Louis River.

Bills: HF2411 , HF2471 , HF1440 , HF1393 , HF1631 , HF1259 , HF280 , HF1281 , HF1459

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Keywords: cultural heritage, funding, White Earth Nation, tribal community, construction, Delano, sesquicentennial, community events, fall of Saigon, Saigon anniversary, Vietnam War commemoration, Vietnamese Minnesotans, Cambodian Minnesotans, Lao Minnesotans, Southeast Asian refugees, Asian American heritage, cultural heritage fund, Minnesota Humanities Center, Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, equity funding

Transcript Highlights:

• Our challenges are that on one side is the Yakima River and the Greenway Trail, and then to the right
• And when I say this project, we're talking about the orange area there, which is a river crossing.
• We are going to set back that river, and that green area is going to be pushed behind that blue area
• We don't want to dump it in the river.
• And then that segregated off the section between the interstate and the river.

Bills: HB2495

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: vehicles, streetcar operation, public safety, urban regulation, transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> wi the Wind River? wi the Wind River?
• So lands north of the river, non-native ranchers, land south of the river, tribal land, and where we
• ,</c> So lands north of the river, So lands north of the river, non-native<00:26:13.039><c> ranchers,
• </c> river from me and couldn't be disturbed. river from me and couldn't be disturbed.
• </c> Wind River tribes. Wind River tribes.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Tribal Relations

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of the places that we drive through, be it the Cumberland River going through Harlan and Bell and
• People will have cars on this side of the river when they get there, but once they get across off of
• going through Harlan Cumberland River going through Harlan and<00:14:35.760><c> Bell</c><00:14:36.240
• ,</c><00:15:46.080><c> and</c> over it, crosses the river, and over it, crosses the river, and generally
• </c> have cars on this side of the river have cars on this side of the river when<00:16:31.000><c> they

Committee: Senate State & Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Our challenges are that on one side is the Yakima River and the Greenway Trail, and then to the right
• And when I say this project, we're talking about the orange area there, which is a river crossing.
• and that green riparian area is, as part of this project, we are going to set back that river in that
• and that green riparian area is, as part of this project, we are going to set back that river in that
• We are going to set back that river.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee held a work session on two major corridor projects before moving to public hearing and executive session. In the Yakima area, WSDOT, Yakima County, and Ecology described the Interstate 82/east-west connector work as a coordinated effort to add capacity, improve interchanges, and address the Boise Cascade mill site contamination that sits in the project footprint. County and Ecology witnesses said the county is ready to remove wood waste and contaminated material, but the project is stalled pending a draft work plan and a de minimis consent decree; several senators pressed for faster action and clearer direction from Ecology. The committee then heard an update on the SR 3 Belfair freight corridor, where WSDOT said environmental review is complete and the next major step is an access hearing this summer, followed by right-of-way acquisition and construction likely in late 2027 or early 2028. Local and tribal partners emphasized the project’s importance for freight mobility, housing growth, emergency access, and regional economic development. The public hearing was on engrossed substitute House Bill 2711, a transportation resources bill that largely tracks provisions from prior legislation but also adds or changes several tax and account provisions. Staff explained that the bill clarifies fuel tax and peer-to-peer tax distributions, treats trade-in value differently for recreational vessel and luxury vehicle taxes, provides a six-month motor home exemption and penalty waiver for the luxury vehicle tax, allows lease payments to be made over time, exempts tribal members and nonresidents, creates a Preserve Washington account, changes some transfer timing, and repeals the luxury aircraft tax. Testimony was mixed: aviation groups supported repealing the luxury aircraft tax; trucking and some citizens opposed fuel tax and diesel tax increases; Sound Transit, transit advocates, labor, and ferry interests asked for amendments such as 75-year bonding authority, mobile driver’s licenses, ferry funding, and bike education funding. Alaska Airlines and Delta also supported adding mobile ID language. In executive session, the committee advanced several bills, including SHB 1823, SHB 2114, E2SHB 2251, SHB 2323, SHB 2410, EHB 2588, 2SHB 1923, and HB 2495, all with due pass recommendations after adopting amendments where applicable. The committee adopted a striking amendment to E2SHB 2251 adjusting Climate Commitment Act account distributions and a striking amendment to EHB 2588 limiting the ferry district changes to Whatcom County and removing the voter-approval tax provision. It also adopted an amendment to 2SHB 1923 that added further conditions for passenger-only ferry districts, including whale-protection and fare-related provisions. Senator King voted no on E2SHB 2251, objecting that the bill reduced the transportation share of Climate Commitment Act revenues. The chair announced one more executive action meeting would be held Wednesday morning, with amendment requests due the prior day.

Transcript Highlights:

• What makes it unique is its impacts to the Trinity River.
• As the river crosses the aquifer, it loses water.
• Heavy pumping on these 43 wells is right adjacent to the east bank of the Trinity River.
• If it sucks water out of the river, that is water.
• If it sucks water out of the river, that is water out of the river that affects the population of Houston

Bills: SB 2 , SB 5 , SB 10 , SB 9 , SB 7 , SB 17 , SB 4 , HB17 , HB7 , HB7 , HB15 , HB15 , HB27 , HB1 , HB7 , HB15 , HB18 , SB9 , SB7 , SB17 , SB4 , HB17 , HB27 , HB1 , SB8 , HCR13 , SB2 , SB5 , SB10

Transcript Highlights:

• The east side is the Tom River.
• The east side is the Tom River.
• The east side is the Tom River.
• The east side is the Tom River.
• </c> and they'd go back to your major river and they'd go back to your major river swamps<00:35:54.880

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• I yield the balance of my time. the Powder River Basin. These Biden era the Powder River Basin.
• The Powder River Basin does reserves.
• </c> River Basin turns off, so does America. River Basin turns off, so does America.
• And that coal comes from the Powder River Basin.
• </c> villages across the Yukon River basin. villages across the Yukon River basin.

Bills: HB4553 , HJR105 , HJR106 , HJR104 , HR539 , HR672

Keywords: energy, water development, appropriations, fiscal year 2026, flood control, infrastructure, Bureau of Land Management, North Dakota, resource management plan, congression disapproval, public lands policy, HJR106, H.J.Res. 106, Congressional Review Act, CRA, BLM, Central Yukon, Alaska, public lands, land management

Transcript Highlights:

• Paul River asked that your name, with his consent, be recorded on the last roll call.
• Viola of Ball River. Thank you, Madam Speaker, and through you to the members.
• Ball River. Thank you, Madam Speaker, and through you to the members.
• Viola of Fall River. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
• the conveyance of certain parcels of land in the city of Fall River.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, increased salinity in the river impacts the quality of the water, which in turn affects
• And then it roughly tended to split equally and fairly, the rivers available, that natural quantity of
• rivers.
• Many of those communities are entirely solely dependent on The river for their water supply.
• There are limited groundwater supplies or if they are they're brackish but Both ends of the river, I

Committee: House Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• We have no opinion on the Winnipesaukee River Basin piece.
• </c><00:05:30.280><c> And</c> the Winnipesaukee River Basin piece.
• And the Winnipesaukee River Basin piece.
• And um, and then it discharges into the Merrimack River at that point.
• </c> Franklin, if you go down down uh River Franklin, if you go down down uh River Road<00:15:09.000>

Summary: The committee held a work session on House Bill 592, which concerns regional conservation and energy resources planning for habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors, and a commission to study transferring ownership of the Winnipesaukee River Basin Program to another authority. Jason Stock of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association said his group was fine with the bill as printed, especially after Senate language clarified that habitat stronghold designations are for information gathering and not regulatory purposes. Ted Diers of the Department of Environmental Services strongly supported the bill’s Winnipesaukee River Basin provisions, saying the state’s role in operating the wastewater system is outdated and that the communities are now capable of taking more control; he also supported creating a higher-level engineering/director position to oversee aging infrastructure and help manage a possible transition. Committee members asked about the facility’s location, capacity, costs, staffing, the possibility of private operation, the commission’s membership, and whether the six-month study timeline was realistic. Diers said there would be no state savings beyond administrative time, that the communities already pay the costs, and that a report in six months should provide useful next steps even if it would not resolve everything. The chair closed the work session on HB 592 and announced a brief recess before later action, while a member indicated interest in proposing an amendment to change the commission’s membership.

Transcript Highlights:

• Tucker to be a member of the Delaware River and Bay Authority Board. Madam Reading Clerk. Ruth J.
• Tucker to be a member of the Delaware River and Bay Authority Board.
• Tucker, to be appointed a member of the Delaware River and Bay Authority Board. Ruth J.
• Alex Hitch to be a member of the Delaware River and Bay Authority. Senator Sokola.
• Alex Hitch to be a member of the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

Summary: The Senate received communications from the House listing numerous bills, substitutes, amendments, and concurrent resolutions passed by the House or returned to the Senate, and it also noted a Senate amendment being stricken from House Bill 190. Committee reports were read on a wide range of nominations and bills, including favorable reports on several executive nominations and legislation involving nurse preceptors, voting, agricultural/forestry grants, child care, Title IX coordination, vehicle security devices, dry needling, human remains disposition, child care assistance, autism-related oversight, nursing advancement, correctional oversight, massage and bodywork, probate letters, computer security breaches, automobile insurance, medical debt protection, and technical corrections. The Senate also assigned House Bill 300, House Bill 64, and House Bill 385 to the Finance Committee. The chamber confirmed several gubernatorial nominations by roll call vote, each receiving the required majority: Heidi J. A. Gilmore to the Marijuana Appeals Commission; Lee Wynne and Ruth J. Tucker to the Delaware River and Bay Authority Board; Jennifer R. Hallman and Lindsay E. Alexich to the Professional Standards Board; Jason M. Munion and F. Todd Kulata to the Environmental Appeals Board. The Senate also passed House Substitute 1 for House Bill 383, which changes overtime eligibility for certain DelDOT employees and clarifies covered positions, and Senate Bill 315 with Senate Amendment 1, which revises the Delaware Technical Innovation Program to give the Division of Small Business more flexibility in using federal grant funds. Consent Agenda M passed unanimously, including Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 319 on menopause and perimenopause coverage, House Bill 411 on alcohol/tobacco/marijuana enforcement, House Bill 271 on marijuana establishment spacing, House Bill 258 on alcohol licenses, House Bill 303 on juvenile probation/parole officers and DCYF employees, and House Bill 377 on Ocean View municipal election deadlines. Consent Calendar 63 also passed unanimously, including resolutions recognizing Day of Service, National Adoption Month, National Coaches Day, Free Speech Week, Women’s Equality Day, and Spirit of America 250, along with resolutions encouraging a veteran cemetery in Kent County, seeking plans for repurposing underused public buildings, and honoring Delaware Boys State. The Senate spent significant time on floor remarks about the Boys State delegates and on a tribute to emergency responders who helped save a seven-year-old child trapped by a seatbelt; the responders were recognized individually and thanked for their work. Additional remarks explained the purpose of the menopause coverage bill, the adoption month resolution, the free speech resolution, and the America 250 resolution. The session ended with no further business and the Senate recessed until June 18.

Transcript Highlights:

• months have been very difficult for my poultry-producing neighbors and friends along the Illinois River
• watershed and to urge a return to good faith producers in the Illinois River watershed and to urge a
• months have been very difficult for my poultry-producing neighbors and friends along the Illinois River
• And if not settled, hundreds of poultry producers in the Illinois River watershed will not receive renewals
• To express support for Arkansas poultry producers in the Illinois River watershed and to urge a return

Transcript Highlights:

• I grew up on the Mississippi River.
• I grew up on the Mississippi River.
• This is the Yellow Medicine River Watershed in, um, that feeds into the Minnesota River.
• </c><00:23:09.679><c> uh</c> this is the yellow Medicine River uh this is the yellow Medicine River uh
• Louis River Estuary.

Committee: House Legacy Finance