Transcript Highlights:

• use of renewable hydrogen and turbines will be held to the same stringent standards that restrict emissions
• air quality management districts would not permit any power plant that didn't meet its world-class emission
• So it seemed like it was a rhetorical answer, but certainly an openness to considering that we limit
• things when it comes to... ...certainly an openness to considering that we limit things when it comes
• So, you know, that's a very limited portion of the state, frankly. Well, I appreciate it.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because of our 90-minute time limit for hearing, there will be a 2-minute time limit for all testifiers
• be limited to 1 minute. be limited to 1 minute.
• set a limit set a limit um<00:36:02.120> and<00:36:02.560> take<00:36:03.160> and
• carbon emissions carbon emissions >> footprint<01:07:16.720> would<01:07:16.920>
• will be limited to 1 minute. will be limited to 1 minute.

Bills: HB1736, HB1620, HB1695

Keywords: animal control, spay and neuter, pet overpopulation, sterilization, counties funding, tax designation, veterinary care, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, energy policy, rebate program, environmental impact, renewable fuels, sustainable aviation fuel, tax credit, greenhouse gas emissions, local production, energy resilience, agricultural innovation, job creation

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1737, which clarifies allowable uses in agricultural districts for farm dwellings and farm employee housing, and HB 1604 HD2, which creates an agricultural workforce housing working group within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. Testimony on HB 1737 was overwhelmingly supportive, with county agriculture officials, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Farmers Union backing the measure; one witness asked for a definition of “affordable” to guard against misuse of farm housing. For HB 1604, the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Housing Hawaii’s Future, Hawaii Farmers Union, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the bill, with OHA requesting disaggregated data and a seat on the working group. Committee discussion focused on housing shortages, possible misuse, affordability, and whether innovative housing models such as modular, tiny, and container homes should be considered. The committee then took action on both measures. HB 1737 HD3 was recommended to pass with amendments that would limit farm employee housing to agricultural employees and their immediate family members actively engaged in the farm operation, add a grandfathering provision for existing permitted housing, preserve county zoning authority, clarify that ag tourism must be secondary and not occur in employee housing, delete a square-footage-per-acre ratio, and defer the effective date to July 1, 2050. HB 1604 HD2 was also recommended to pass with amendments adding OHA and a housing-shortage organization to the working group, expanding its scope to include modular, tiny, and container homes and permitting/zoning streamlining, and deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050. Both motions were adopted unanimously by the members present. The joint hearing then moved to HB 1736, which would establish a spay and neuter special fund and require sterilization and declaration provisions for cats, with some discussion of dogs. DLNR and the Hawaiian Humane Society supported the bill, while Pacific Pet Alliance objected to the broader requirements and the inclusion of dogs; the Hawaiian Humane Society and American Bird Conservancy supported cat-focused sterilization and the special fund, while some testifiers opposed mandatory sterilization as too costly or intrusive. Members raised questions about toxoplasmosis, trap-neuter-release, enforcement, neighbor-island access, and funding needs, and DLNR indicated additional funding and third-party contracting would likely be needed. The transcript then began HB 1620 HD2 on energy, which would increase the environmental response energy and food security tax and shift funds from the hydrogen fueling subaccount to EV charging infrastructure; state agencies generally stood on written testimony in support, while the Tax Foundation objected to special fund earmarks and noted the bill raises only one part of the barrel tax structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• emissions. Uh moving to slide uh four. emissions. Uh moving to slide uh four.
• motor vehicle emissions program. motor vehicle emissions program.
• Are you aware of any emissions programs.
• So talking to the emission side of that.
• This has defender is above that limit.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, as we look at our limited state resources, does the bill itself actually...
• If you could limit it to two minutes, that would be appreciated. Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
• Certainly, we want facilities that are less harmful in terms of the release of emissions.
• Landfills are a major source of methane emissions.
• So the first amendment, the previous one, would have limited it to 1,500 feet.

Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met with a quorum present and considered a series of environmental, water, waste, boating, and land-use bills. SB 834 on recreational fishing vessel licenses was briefly explained as aligning licensure rules for freshwater and saltwater captains and was reported favorably. SB 1208 on service lateral assessment and rehabilitation would require periodic CCTV inspections, a seven-year assessment cycle, and a long-term public database for sewer laterals; county representatives opposed it over private-property and cost concerns, but the bill was reported favorably. SB 978 on advanced wastewater treatments, as amended, would require DEP reports and a long-term prioritization plan for upgrading large wastewater facilities to advanced treatment; the committee adopted the amendment and then reported the bill favorably. The committee then took up SB 1822 on auxiliary containers, which would preempt local regulation of certain packaging and define the term in statute. The sponsor argued it would reduce a patchwork of local rules and help businesses, while opponents from environmental groups, local advocates, and some local governments warned it would weaken plastic and foam restrictions, including in parks and coastal communities. Despite substantial opposition and several senators expressing concern, the bill was reported favorably. The committee also approved CS for SB 384 on notice for annexation of state-owned lands, after a technical amendment requiring written or email notice to legislative delegations, and reported it favorably. SB 1008 on waste incineration would bar new ash-producing incinerators or waste-to-energy facilities within a half-mile of residential, commercial, or school property. The sponsor said the bill was aimed at preventing another fire-related incident like the Doral plant and clarified it was intended to apply only to new facilities, not existing ones; waste-to-energy and county representatives opposed it as too restrictive, while several senators sought clarifying changes. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also adopted a substitute amendment to CS for SB 594 on port channel and turning basin buffer zones, reducing the proposed anchoring setback from 5,000 feet to 2,500 feet and allowing ports to create buffer zones after public hearings and rulemaking; the bill was then reported favorably. Finally, SB 830 on lost or abandoned property, aimed at streamlining removal of migrant vessels that pose navigational and environmental hazards, was reported favorably after brief support testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• wanted to have addressed to limit wanted to have addressed to limit lawsuits<01:22:17.320> though
• So we all have limited knowledge, right? So your question isn't definitive.
• <04:03:02.159> um Rel release of polluting emissions um Rel release of polluting emissions
• It could even be potentially as low as 30 for the upper limit, or it could go up to 300.
• This 15% limit is also a starting point for discussion.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to remind everyone to please limit your testimony to three minutes, and as is our custom, we
• However, with an area of only 4.7 square miles for over 27,000 residents, there's a limit to what we
• We had to limit four positions just this year, which not every town has to do.
• Our existing buildings are responsible for nearly a third of the state's carbon emissions.
• The more energy we spend to heat our homes, the more greenhouse gas emissions we're producing.

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:

• I know the question was just made, what should be the limit.
• It's less than 1% of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
• There can also be airborne emissions of oil and gas chemicals, especially during flaring.
• And Actually, our second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is vehicles.
• So I think I'll echo Marlene in saying we're facing greenhouse gas emissions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Carbon pricing is a market-based strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by assigning a monetary
• It incentivizes businesses and individuals to lower their emissions by making it more expensive to pollute
• Carbon pricing mechanisms often reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which can improve air quality.
• States money to invest in emissions States money to invest in emissions lowering<00:13:36.800> projects
• has come down or or that the emissions has come down or or that the emissions have<00:28:59.679> decreased

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Then you would, the municipality would not be eligible to lower the speed limit.
• , setting speed limits easily on residents.
• The speed limit on Ben Street was 30 miles an hour.
• The speed limit should never have been more than 30 miles an hour.
• And the engineers view the speed limit as a lower limit on how safe they can design a street.

Bills: HB 535, HB 2120, HB 2822, HB 3243, HB 3457, HB 3544, HB 4089, HB 4192, HB 4669, HB 4868, HB 4955, HB 5253, HB 5669, SB 1371, SB 1919, SB 2001

Keywords: motor vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, traffic safety, municipality, criminal offense, pedestrian safety, traffic regulations, municipal law, bicycle regulations, motor vehicle passing, traffic law, municipalities, bicycle operation, traffic laws, municipal regulations, port commission, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, San Patricio County

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 4192 aims to repeal the fee or at least limit it as much as possible.
• It would give cities unilateral power to lower speed limits down to 20%.
• The speed limit on Ben Street was 30 miles an hour.
• The speed limit should never... ...or have been more than 30 miles an hour.
• And the engineers view the speed limit as a lower limit on how safe they can design a street.

Bills: HB535, HB2120, HB2822, HB3243, HB3457, HB3544, HB4089, HB4192, HB4669, HB4868, HB4955, HB5253, HB5669, SB1371, SB1919, SB2001

Keywords: motor vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, traffic safety, municipality, criminal offense, pedestrian safety, traffic regulations, municipal law, bicycle regulations, motor vehicle passing, traffic law, municipalities, bicycle operation, traffic laws, municipal regulations, port commission, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, San Patricio County

Transcript Highlights:

• You may limit witness testimony to three minutes per person, so I ask that you be clear and concise with
• If it's an electrolyzer, it's zero emissions. Okay. Yeah. Thank you, sir. You bet. Thank you.
• And I guess, are the incentives limited to those specific uses, new uses that we're trying to develop
• There's a time clock; you're limited to three minutes. Short, concise, to the point.
• Sir, you're limited to three minutes. You may proceed with your testimony. All right.

Bills: HB3619, HB3652, HB4572, HB4891, HB4941, HB5103, HB5105, HB5106, HB5224, HB5600

Keywords: surface estate, well plugging, Railroad Commission, landowner rights, liability, strategic reserve, gas supply, petroleum products, disaster response, Railroad Commission of Texas, energy security, emergency planning, oil and gas waste, environmental regulation, waste management, mining pits, groundwater monitoring, regulation, commercial disposal facilities, environmental standards

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, it includes that the prohibitions do not limit the local government's authority in applying
• This limits the authority of the municipality in regulating that within this space. Yeah.
• by the House, House Bill 2428 authorizes a county to issue a voluntary permit to meet certifying emissions
• reduction credits if, after the effective date, participation of an on-road vehicle fleet in the emission
• seller of a digital good, including providing a prorated refund to a purchaser of a digital good, and limits

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a Republican caucus review of several Senate and House bills, with staff summarizing committee amendments and members indicating whether sponsors concurred with Senate changes. Topics included electronic monitoring in residential rooms (SB 1041), dental school complaint forwarding and licensure exemptions (SB 1168), revitalization district contracts (SB 1189), timeshare salesperson licensing (SB 1274), veterinary telehealth prescribing (SB 1286), insurance zero-estimated-exposure policies (SB 1428), advanced air mobility funds for border security (SB 1457), death benefits for law enforcement pilots (SB 1503), ATV definitions (SB 1519), pet and fowl restrictions in planned communities (SB 1582), and pharmacist independent testing/treatment authority (SB 1713). The caucus also reviewed education-related measures on school district self-insurance procurement (SB 1497) and a strike-everything amendment to SB 1118 that instead allowed duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes in historic areas if compatible with surrounding character. The group then considered several blue-sheet House bills. HB 2120 made technical changes to align property-tax disability language with updated statute; the sponsor concurred. HB 2174 changed terminology from advisory organization to modeling and data organization and required model filing; the sponsor concurred. HB 2203 directed ADE to review statutory reporting requirements and report recommendations to the legislature; the sponsor concurred. HB 2383’s Senate amendment simply designated a 2014 trampoline court law as “TIE’s law,” with the sponsor concurring. HB 2877 was amended into an alternative education pathway for certified veterinary technicians, and HB 2875 adjusted municipal and county drone restrictions near airports, expanding the relevant airport buffer and preserving some local authority. Additional bills discussed included HB 2428 on voluntary county emissions-reduction credit permits, HB 2176 on DHS health care institution complaint investigations, and HB 2050 on radiologic technology standards and radiologist assistant supervision. Members discussed that HB 2050’s Senate changes narrowed some supervision provisions to rural counties and critical access hospitals, prompting questions about the scope. Finally, HB 2010 on digital goods refunds was amended to shorten the refund window from 10 years to five years, but a sponsor said the amendment contained a drafting error and refused concurrence, meaning a conference committee would be needed. The caucus then concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• A limited autonomy demo we're targeting next year.
• Pick up that coal or burn it and have air emissions.
• We should be able to control emissions and bring down, you know.
• The construction materials that you see are emissions in the position.
• Did I have anybody when I said it's low emissions?

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Steinborn, an act relating to crime, increasing the statutes of limitations for criminal sexual
• vehicles. to reduce the cost of transportation and delivery for sale of zero-emission vehicles.
• . upon the application of two-thirds of the states for the limited purpose of proposing amendments to
• the United States Constitution to impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power
• and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for federal officials.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will not ask what speed limits you violated to get here.
• And the testimony is always compelling so long as in my mind the witness honors the time limit.
• Please be advised that if the time limit is two minutes attention for the time and I certainly always
• We administer 12 incentive grant programs under the Texas Emission Reduction Plan, or TERP.
• That put TCEQ in a difficult position of implementing our programs with limited time and resources.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Report of the Committee on Health, Report number 23. limitation on the bill, clarifies limitation on
• different ways that zero emission different ways that zero emission vehicles<01:36:36.960> have
• concerned that you didn't put any limits concerned that you didn't put any limits on<01:38:16.240
• .<01:38:24.719> So limited.
• So limited.

Keywords: House streaming session for Monday, March 23, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House took up the Appropriations Committee’s report on the fiscal 2027 budget, including Senate Bill 282, the budget bill, and Senate Bill 284, the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act. The floor leader described a balanced budget with a $282 million cash surplus, $2 billion in rainy day reserves, and no new fees or taxes, while highlighting funding for child care scholarships and credentials, behavioral health services in schools, Medicaid and SNAP-related outreach, DDA services, domestic violence and rape crisis services, energy assistance, local government disparity grants, and private-sector investment. Both budget measures were special ordered until Wednesday, March 25, and the House adopted the committee’s motion in each case without objection. The chamber also considered several committee reports from Economic Matters, Government, Labor, and Elections, and Health. Among the measures advanced were House Bill 1529 on a Baltimore County local commission on common ownership communities; House Bills 571, 892, 893, 994, 1120, 1166, 1351, 1362, and 883; and health-related bills including House Bills 446, 658, 698, 1015, and 1048. Most bills were amended and then given favorable reports, with the House adopting the amendments and ordering the bills printed for third reading. Several bills drew brief floor questions. House Bill 994 would create a $300 annual registration fee for travel services providers, but the sponsor said it would not add new penalties beyond existing consumer protection laws. House Bill 1166 on front license plate display clarified that a signed statement can shift responsibility to the driver when a front plate cannot be installed, while the existing $500 fine for noncompliance remained current law. House Bill 1351, dealing with disaster mitigation services and MHIC licensing, was explained as bringing those providers under home improvement licensing rules after a transition period, and was special ordered until the end of the session at a delegate’s request. House Bill 1048 on sodium and added sugar warning icons was amended to include a QR code and remove some reporting and education provisions; members also clarified that the bill still uses a 25-gram threshold and that restaurant groups did not support the bill, though it had been worked through with them.

Transcript Highlights:

• What's really nice, though, is the speed limit for the cars is 18 miles an hour, so you feel a lot safer
• It's limited to a million dollars, so it's a relatively small amount over five years, just to try and
• run the data center, we will erase the greenhouse gas emissions progress reductions that we made from
• We will erase the greenhouse gas emissions progress reductions that we made from 2005 to 2021.
• So the body opted not to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

Bills: SB251, SB150, SB154, SB73, SB111, SB172, SB76, SB181, SB235

Keywords: horse racing, program training, program owning, state licensing, racehorses, regulation, local news, newspaper printing, journalism, media tax credit, print media, digital news, news publisher, newsprint, press operator, printing industry, local journalism, tax credit, income tax, corporate income tax

Transcript Highlights:

• Can heavy-duty AVs accelerate heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles?
• Can heavy-duty AVs accelerate heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles?
• Emissions is always a big issue for us.
• Please just line up here and limit your comments as briefly as you can.
• Please just line up here and limit your comments as briefly as you can.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard testimony on the DMV’s finalized autonomous vehicle regulations, with a focus on how the rules update California’s oversight of testing, deployment, reporting, and enforcement. DMV and CHP officials said the new framework expands data collection beyond crashes to include immobilizations, hard-braking events, system failures, and notices of noncompliance, while also creating clearer requirements for first responder interaction, remote operations, and heavy-duty AV testing and deployment. Members raised concerns about safety, emergency response delays, freeway and work-zone operations, and whether the state has enough data to compare AVs with human drivers. Witnesses from consumer and labor-related groups emphasized transparency and accountability, arguing that the prior rules were outdated and that public access to the collected data is important for regulators, researchers, and injured parties. Industry representatives said California now has the nation’s most comprehensive AV permitting and reporting system, with phased permits, mileage thresholds, and broad DMV authority to restrict or suspend operations. They supported the regulations as a path to safer, more transparent deployment, while noting that the rules stay within state operational authority and do not replace federal standards for vehicle design and performance. A second panel focused on first responder interactions and remote operations. The San Francisco Fire Department described AVs blocking emergency scenes and generating “sleeper calls” when passengers fall asleep, consuming significant fire and EMS resources. Waymo said it maintains 24/7 emergency contacts, first responder plans, geofencing protocols, and remote support that can help move vehicles or allow first responders to override them. Members asked about license requirements for remote personnel, redundancy during communication outages, and how companies handle sleeping passengers before calling 911. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational.

Transcript Highlights:

• Limiting energy sources could create vulnerabilities.
• Because these are zero emission, they deem them as not an issue.
• And Texas claims to value property rights and limited regulation.
• And then the indirect carbon emissions. Do y'all study that much?
• Gas turbines are scarce and will remain limited for years.

Bills: SB458, SB819, SB1238, SB1642, SB1643, SB1644, SB1791, SB1810, SB1824, SB1825, SB758, SB1455, SB1706

Keywords: insurance appraisal, property insurance, auto insurance, homeowners insurance, residential property, disputed loss, loss valuation, appraisal clause, appraiser, umpire, Texas Department of Insurance, TDI, insurance dispute resolution, claims adjustment, total loss, windstorm insurance, FAIR Plan, surplus lines insurance, policyholder, insurer

Transcript Highlights:

• to solar power and wind power, include but not be limited to, under such terms.
• Then why even outline those things and say, but not even limited to?
• While elsewhere in the world, we're seeing country carbon emissions in China.
• While elsewhere in the world, we're seeing carbon emissions in China.
• WHILE ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD, WE'RE SEEING COUNTRY CARBON EMISSIONS IN CHINA.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the prior day’s journal, and then recognized several guest groups, including the Shenendehowa High School girls varsity cross country team and tennis champion Jolie Chichak, as well as the Downsville Central School Student Council. Senator Tedisco introduced the Shenendehowa athletes, highlighting their state and federation championships and strong academic records, and Senator Oberacker introduced the Downsville students. The chamber extended courtesies to the guests. The Senate then moved through the calendar, passing a series of bills and resolutions. Among the measures approved were a bill designating Overdose Awareness Day, a real property tax bill, a public authorities bill, several education-related bills, a private housing finance bill, a workers’ compensation bill, and a labor law bill. Some items were laid aside before later being taken up, including the cannabis bill and the environmental conservation bill. Votes were largely unanimous or near-unanimous, with a few recorded negatives on certain bills. The most extensive debate centered on Calendar 261, Senator May’s environmental conservation bill concerning renewable energy installations and transmission on state reforestation lands. Senator Walczyk and others questioned whether the bill would allow solar, wind, battery storage, tree cutting, herbicide use, and reduced environmental review, while supporters argued the bill was mainly about transmission corridors, climate goals, and preserving flexibility for DEC oversight and mitigation. After debate, the bill was restored to the non-controversial calendar and passed 42-13. The Senate also passed Calendar 353, Senator Ramos’s labor law bill addressing class action wage recovery and statutory damages. Supporters said it would clarify the law so workers can recover full wages in class actions, while opponents warned it could encourage litigation against small businesses over technical payroll errors. The bill passed 47-8. The Senate then completed the calendar and adjourned until March 4, 2026, with intervening days as legislative days.