Transcript Highlights:

• Kerry Johnson, the director of state policy and field building at the Minnesota Consortium.
• They told my contractor not to follow building code.
• They called them upgrades, but I call it following building code that was already in place.
• We constantly had to explain Minnesota building codes and talk about public adjuster coordination.
• We constantly had to explain Minnesota building codes and talk about public straight coordination.

Bills: HF4881 , HF4867 , HF4422 , HF4223

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, regulation, financial institutions, prescription drug affordability, consumer protection, restitution account, financial compensation, attorney general, distributions, property insurance, homeowners insurance, fire and allied lines, hail insurance, appraisal clause, loss adjustment, alternative dispute resolution, insurance claims, claim valuation, actual cash value

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, Keith Dunn on behalf of the State Building Trades Council. Thank you.
• With us to testify today is Keith Dunn, the State Building and Trades Council of California, and at the
• Keith Dunn here on behalf of the State Building Construction Trades Council.
• Workers, the California State Pipe Trades Council, and the Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers
• Keith Dunn, State Building and Construction Trades Council, as well as the District Council of Iron Workers

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When I was on the Shoreline City Council, we worked a bit with form-based code.
• When I was on the Shoreline City Council, we worked a bit with form-based code.
• You have the local government rules, right: the zoning, land use, building codes, fire codes, parking
• The next one on here is zoning and building codes.
• This often means a space that already meets current building and fire codes.

Summary: The committee held a work session on form-based codes, child care facility siting, and street standards/frontage improvements. On form-based codes, Commerce’s Dave Anderson explained that these codes emphasize building form, orientation, and the public realm more than traditional use and density tables, and that they are typically applied in specific districts rather than citywide or statewide. Lacey’s Vanessa Dolby described the city’s Woodland District code, developed through community charrettes, fiscal and market analysis, and subdistrict-specific standards to create a walkable downtown. She said the approach has helped produce a more desirable built environment and more flexibility in permitted uses, but also noted it can be less user-friendly for applicants and still requires some use restrictions; both presenters said a hybrid approach is often best. The committee then heard from DCYF and multiple providers about barriers to opening child care facilities. DCYF officials said Washington has more than 6,500 licensed providers and that a new pre-licensing support team is helping applicants navigate licensing, but local zoning, building, fire, parking, utility, and occupancy requirements still create delays and confusion. Testifiers described long permitting timelines, inconsistent local interpretations, costly upgrades, and utility hookup delays; one Yakima provider said county requirements, a floodplain-related elevation certificate, and a private well issue stopped her in-home child care proposal, while others described traffic impact fees, parking mandates, and zoning barriers that made projects infeasible. Enterprise Community Partners highlighted examples of successful local reforms, including fee waivers, expedited permitting, and zoning changes in several cities, and DCYF said it is working toward a 2026 action plan and a resource guide for providers. In the final section, planners and developers discussed how street standards and frontage improvement requirements can undermine infill and middle housing. Poulsbo’s planning manager said current standards were designed for greenfield subdivisions and often force costly curb, gutter, sidewalk, stormwater, and utility upgrades on small infill sites, sometimes adding tens of thousands of dollars and causing projects to be abandoned. A Seattle-based developer made similar points about small middle-housing projects being burdened by frontage work, curb ramps, buried standards, and EV-ready parking requirements that can trigger expensive undergrounding. Committee members asked about possible state-level changes, including whether child care should be treated as an essential public facility and whether parking requirements had already been reduced; one senator noted that minimum parking requirements for child care facilities were eliminated in prior legislation, with implementation phased in over the next few years.

Transcript Highlights:

• For the great state of North Dakota, we will come to order.
• , Bismarck State, and Dakota College of Science.
• Existing code on stalking.
• If that occurs, that's not a state standard. If that occurs, that's not a state standard.
• school buildings.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, pledge, and roll call, establishing a quorum. It then took up a series of appropriations and policy bills, with the most extensive debate centered on Senate Bill 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs budget. The House approved amendments that shifted governance of the department and veterans’ home from ACOVA to the governor, citing concerns about ACOVA’s salary-setting actions and broader appropriation oversight. Members opposed to the change argued ACOVA had studied compensation and acted within its role. The amended bill passed 57-34, and the final bill passed 69-22 with the emergency clause carrying. The House also passed Senate Bill 2001, the legislative branch budget, which funds the 2027 session, legislative staff, chamber upgrades, IT improvements, and salary adjustments for legislative leaders; the bill passed 62-29, but the emergency clause failed. Senate Bill 2019, the Career and Technical Education budget, passed 82-10 with emergency clause. Senate Bill 2021, the Information Technology Department budget, passed 75-17 after discussion of data center migration, service automation, mainframe transition, ERP study, and DPI’s move from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus. Other measures passed included Senate Bill 2228 for rural grocery store sustainability grants, Senate Bill 2390 creating a rural catalyst community grant program, Senate Bill 2188 adjusting the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, and Senate Bill 2265 authorizing a veterans national cemetery grant and line of credit with added reporting safeguards. Several House bills returned from the Senate were concurred in and then passed, including House Bill 1361 on mandatory minimum sentences for human trafficking offenders, House Bill 1017 for the Game and Fish Department, House Bill 1588 on firearms and dangerous weapons provisions, House Bill 1429 on harassment and stalking involving robots, House Bill 1591 on county fair resiliency grants, House Bill 1537 on service agreement protection for water projects, House Bill 1203 on edible medical marijuana products, and House Bill 1027 transferring administration of the State Fire and Tornado Fund from the Insurance Commissioner to OMB. The House also rejected a motion to reconsider Senate Bill 2307, which dealt with library materials and obscenity-related restrictions, by a vote of 48-51. In addition, the chamber appointed conference committees on several House and Senate measures where concurrence had failed, and laid over Senate Bill 2340 for two legislative days.

Transcript Highlights:

• Gentleman from 1: Yes, that's already in state code. Gentleman from 31: Follow-up.
• And whereas, on Wake Island, civilian contractors were building a vital United States Navy base and refueling
• to remove a code reference repealing Section 56, Amending section 313502 Idaho Code to remove a code
• of Lands; amending Section 58-3-12, Idaho Code, to revise provisions regarding occupation of state land
• , Idaho Code, to provide a correct code reference; and amending Section 63-2517, Idaho Code, to provide

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded A.
• This is saying Hennepin County cannot send money to the Met Council, and then the Met Council spends
• I'm not interested in costs to the state; I'm wondering about savings to the state.
• You said that every ten years we should make sure that we're building something to remember how to build
• That we should also build light rail because the Chinese are building light rail.

Transcript Highlights:

• He said Tyler is the economic hub for this part of the state and is competing with neighboring states
• He said it is impossible or impractical to build a large-footprint building with a hotel and conference
• And that's important because we, it's impossible or impractical to build a large footprint building that
• And so this, this build to, this build, to it. There's just, there's space limitations.
• As stated, I am Dana Lodge.

Committee: House Ways & Means

Summary: The committee heard a long series of bills, most of them expanding or adjusting hotel occupancy tax or qualified hotel project authority for specific local governments. Measures discussed included HB 2404 for Childress County; HB 3066 for Allen’s Kalahari resort project; HB 4682 for Plano; HB 4683 for Anna; HB 3076 creating a project finance zone in Frisco; HB 3567 for Wichita County; HB 3715 for McAllen; HB 1039 for Alpine; HB 3182 for Burleson; HB 4926 for Grimes County; HB 4222 for Victoria County; HB 3377 for Katy; HB 4659 for Addison; HB 3241 for Georgetown; HB 4098 for Taylor; HB 3178 for Kerr County; HB 3179 for Mason County; HB 2289 for New Braunfels; HB 4412 for Kermit; HB 5165 for Monahans; HB 3500 for Bastrop; and HB 3169 for Carrollton. In each case, authors and local officials described tourism, convention, hotel, airport, or mixed-use development needs and argued the bills would help attract visitors, investment, and jobs. One non-hotel-tax bill, HB 4226, would exempt Texas food banks from sales tax on vehicle purchases and rentals, with testimony emphasizing the scale of food bank operations and the savings’ impact on meal delivery and disaster response. Testimony was generally supportive from city officials, economic development representatives, and industry groups such as the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association. Several witnesses described major private projects, including Kalahari in Allen, a proposed hotel and conference center in Addison, a mixed-use project in Georgetown, and a large development tied to Samsung growth in Taylor. For HB 4226, food bank representatives said the bill would help them purchase refrigerated trucks and other delivery vehicles, while an opponent questioned the fiscal note and the scope of the exemption. HB 4926 drew opposition from Camp Allen, whose representative argued a new county hotel tax would raise costs for guests and could hurt the retreat center’s operations. HB 3178 also drew an objection from a Kerr County resident who argued the tax would grow county government and pointed to event center losses, though the author said the revenue would support tourism-related county uses. The committee took no final votes on the bills in this transcript. After each bill was laid out and testimony concluded, the chair repeatedly asked whether there was objection to leaving the bill pending; in each instance, no objection was heard, and the bills were left pending. Several committee substitutes were offered and then withdrawn or noted as conforming drafts, but no bill was reported out or otherwise acted on beyond being left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded A-15.
• The amendment is coded A-9.
• of health in our state.
• That would go a long way. toward building out that infrastructure that we need in the state, taking care
• . access across our state.

Transcript Highlights:

• My apologies, Council Member Sony, and then we also have Bellevue City Council Member Robinson.
• I'm Minkasoni, council member for the City of Redmond.
• I'm a Bellevue City Council member.
• So we work very proactively to build those relationships.
• City Council Member Lynn Robinson.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee held public hearings on four bills and then took executive action on several measures and two gubernatorial appointments. At the start, the committee waived the five-day notice rule for Substitute House Bill 2354, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2266, and Second Substitute House Bill 2590. The committee also heard public testimony on House Bill 1859, which would expand affordable housing on property owned by religious organizations by lowering the affordability threshold needed to qualify for a density bonus. Supporters, including the sponsor, faith leaders, and local officials, said the current 100% affordability requirement has made projects difficult to finance and that the bill would better unlock underused church land for housing. The committee then heard Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2266, which would further standardize where and how permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, and shelters can be sited, while limiting local barriers and allowing some negotiated conditions near schools or when local governments provide significant support. The sponsor and supporters from King County, housing providers, the Attorney General’s office, disability advocates, medical professionals, and others argued the bill would reduce discriminatory or inconsistent local siting rules and expand needed housing. Some local government representatives supported the bill but asked for additional amendments to preserve local flexibility, require on-site contacts, and clarify how operating conditions and funding agreements would work. The committee also heard House Bill 2590, which would revise rules for limited equity cooperatives so they can better function as a long-term affordable homeownership model and remain exempt from certain Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act requirements. Supporters said the bill would help preserve manufactured housing communities and other cooperative housing while maintaining affordability and oversight. House Bill 2354, a trailer bill to WACOIA, would make technical changes affecting common interest communities, including EV charging and heat pump cost responsibility, reserve studies, and audit thresholds; the Washington State Community Association’s Institute testified in support. In executive session, the committee confirmed gubernatorial appointments Aaron T. McGrath and Ann T. Malone and voted do-pass recommendations for EHB 1687, SHB 2269, and HB 2304, all subject to signatures.

Transcript Highlights:

• We support the Civil Rights Council and the Commission on the State of Hate and a number of other special
• Codes and Standards is also called upon by state and local agencies to support post-disaster efforts
• The state.
• There are 13 fair housing councils across the state that provide testing, investigation, education, and
• It would help build regional.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an extensive presentation on the administration’s housing reorganization proposal, which would centralize multifamily affordable housing finance under the new Housing Development and Finance Committee (HDFC) and align it with the Governor’s trailer bill language. Administration officials said the plan is intended to create a one-stop application and award process, reduce duplicative timelines and costs, and pair state subsidy with private activity bonds and federal tax credits more efficiently. They also described proposed changes to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program, including shifting a larger share of funding toward housing-related awards while preserving a portion for sustainable communities investments. The Legislative Analyst’s Office generally supported the streamlining concept but recommended changes to the proposed bond set-aside timing and urged flexibility for integrated applications and future reporting on demand. Senators, especially Senator Cabaldon, raised concerns that the proposal could weaken the original climate-and-transportation purpose of the sustainable communities program and that the reorganization would be undercut by the lack of new housing production funding in the budget. The item was held open without a vote. The committee then received a report from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee on federal and state housing tax credits. Staff explained that the federal H.R. 1 change lowering the bond-financing threshold from 50% to 25% greatly expanded the number of projects able to use the 4% federal tax credit, allowing California to fund many more projects and units. They also described the state low-income housing tax credit as an important gap-filling tool for projects that still need additional subsidy, and noted existing set-asides for rural, homeless, at-risk, and extremely low-income projects. Members discussed rehabilitation as well as new construction, and the item was informational only. Finally, the Civil Rights Department reported on the effects of federal civil rights policy changes and on three programs facing expiration: California vs. Hate, the Community Conflict Resolution Unit, and Investigations and Conciliation Enhancement. Director Kevin Kish said federal cuts and policy shifts have reduced support for fair housing and other civil rights functions, while CRD’s caseload has grown from about 8,700 open matters a year ago to more than 12,000, with a six-month wait for interviews despite overtime triage efforts. Senators expressed strong support for continuing the programs and concern about the broader federal rollback of civil rights enforcement. The department said it is using overtime, intake triage, and outreach partnerships to manage the workload and direct Californians to appropriate state, local, and nonprofit resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• You have it at the state level in your Constitution. You have it in code for cities and counties.
• Amending Section 33-917 Idaho Code to revise provisions regarding the model school facility council and
• , as well as state... ...health services, psychiatric hospitals, and independent council, as well as
• state independent living council.
• Number 23 is the Idaho Behavioral Health Council State Hospital Fund adjustment.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This brings forward all the code sections we will need for the various funds that we have in the state
• </c> by the American school council by the American school council association<01:03:59.280><c> code<
• Senator, did you know that the councils already abide by the Mississippi code of ethics for teachers?
• It involves a council of state agency CIOs to advise and make recommendations.
• <c> state</c><03:28:41.040><c> agency</c><03:28:41.520><c> CIOS</c> involves a council of state agency

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 4 February, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It made no sense to build a streetcar line if you weren't going to build the housing, and it made no
• We support the Civil Rights Council and the Commission on the State of Hate and a number of other special
• Codes and Standards is also called upon by state and local agencies to support post-disaster efforts
• The state.
• There are 13 fair housing councils across the state that provide testing, investigation, education, and

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.
• water belonging to the state to be used outside the state.
• House Bill by Representative Fontenot: building codes; applicability of the uniform construction code
• House Bill by Representative Fontenot: building codes; applicability of the uniform construction code
• House Bill by Representative Fontenot: building codes; applicability of the uniform construction code

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, received and accepted multiple resignation notices from members representing Districts 37, 39, 60, 69, 97, and 100, and then recognized the election and qualification of the members-elect who filled those vacancies: Doyle Boudreau, Reese Broussard, Chasity Verrett-Martinez, and Edwin Murray. Each member-elect was sworn in, and the House also appointed committees to notify the Senate and the governor that it was ready to conduct business for the 2026 regular session. The chamber then handled a large number of procedural actions related to prefiled legislation. By motion and without objection, the House suspended rules to refer prefile bills to committee and introduced a broad slate of House bills and resolutions. Topics included the state budget and appropriations, retirement system changes, carbon capture and sequestration, criminal justice and bail, public safety, education, health care, local government matters, transportation, and several memorial or commemorative resolutions. Several resolutions and bills were noted as lying over, and some prefiled bills were withdrawn from the files. The House also received a Senate message that SCR 1 had been adopted, and the resolution was taken up without objection. The chamber then recessed for a joint session with the Senate to hear the governor’s address and a presentation honoring Technical Sergeant Adam W. Brister with the Distinguished Flying Cross. In his remarks, Governor Jeff Landry highlighted his administration’s priorities, including education, tax reform, workforce development, health and nutrition, insurance reform, transportation infrastructure, fiscal discipline, and criminal justice reform, while urging support for his agenda and several related bills and constitutional amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we're not looking at some of the easier fixes that I think are building codes, uh, we just again,
• If we're not looking at some of the easier fixes that I think are building codes, uh, we just again,
• If we're not looking at some of the easier fixes that I think are building codes, uh, we just again,
• </c> easier fixes that I think are building easier fixes that I think are building codes,<00:32:54.960
• about how do we build the future that we all want to see in the state of Minnesota.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• added, we're pushed into a commercial building code.
• Now we need the building code to align with that intent.
• I think, you know, the building code and residential code, you know, the way I've always looked at it
• I think, you know, the building code and residential code, you know, the way I've always looked at it
• Their job is very specific and defined by the building code or the residential code.

Committee: House Housing and Community Development

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're looking to build upon that law.
• This bill is sponsored by the State Water Contractors.
• housing in the state, and how that's largely ...lately about how expensive it is to build affordable
• Pipe Trades Council.
• The court stated that the State Fire Marshal could reintroduce those items through the regulatory process

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on August 5, 2026, and first approved a large consent calendar of bills, then heard and voted on a long series of measures covering health care, housing, energy, labor, public safety, insurance, and immigration-related issues. Several bills were moved on roll call with no or limited opposition, including SB 999 on delaying the Health Minimum Essential Coverage report deadline, SB 931 on Diablo Canyon’s mitigation fund, SB 952 on State Water Project clean energy procurement, SB 1288 on nonprobate asset beneficiary notification, SB 1371 on solid waste labor-dispute contract clauses, SB 1014 on housing development fee estimates, SB 1283 on EV charging station permitting, SB 1209 and SB 1244 on insurance enforcement and broker compensation disclosure, SB 1359 on gas utility infrastructure oversight, SB 677 and SB 908 on housing streamlining, SB 1323 on medical facility procedures for people in immigration custody, SB 938 on peace officer training waivers for former federal immigration officers, SB 1272 on code-violation enforcement timelines for new homeowners, SB 1117 on ADU impact fees, SB 1196 on utility hookups for small energy projects, SB 1299 on sprinkler fitter certification, and AB 2597 appropriating funds for state legal settlements. The committee also approved its suspense calendar and later lifted SB 1359 from call with an added aye vote. Testimony generally followed the bills’ themes. Supporters argued that the measures would improve transparency, reduce costs, streamline housing and energy projects, protect consumers, and strengthen public safety or worker protections. Opponents or “opposed unless amended” witnesses raised concerns about implementation burdens, disclosure mandates, labor and compliance issues, local government costs, and the scope of some proposals. Notable points of contention included SB 869, where restaurant groups objected to the on-menu sugar warning approach and urged more flexible disclosure methods, and SB 1244, where insurance industry representatives argued the bill would impose unworkable disclosure obligations on brokers and agents. SB 1272 drew opposition from code enforcement and county groups who warned it could delay health-and-safety enforcement, while SB 1117 drew opposition from special districts, counties, and fire-related groups concerned about reduced fee revenue for infrastructure. The committee also heard public comment on several bills not presented that day, including opposition to wildfire mitigation/CEQA-related legislation, staffing regulation fees, and education and demographic-data bills. Overall, the hearing was dominated by fiscal and policy debates over housing affordability, energy infrastructure, consumer transparency, and the balance between regulatory streamlining and local or industry compliance costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to quote from the Building Trades letter. How about this?
• State your position, please. Good morning.
• Emma Jungworth on behalf of the California State Association of Counties. Good morning.
• Emma Jungworth on behalf of the California State Association of Counties.
• The report can't inform a decision that the board... ...of the Elections Code.

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The rest of this legislation largely provides those exceptions under state code.
• There is some code cleanup as well.
• If you state your name—oh, go ahead, state your name for the record, and we'll give you your time there
• What happens in this state is that the Department of Health and Welfare has the food code.
• I'm the chairman of the Beef Council and... And today I'm here on behalf of the Idaho Beef Council.

Committee: Senate Agricultural Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is relating to burial councils and decreases the size of the island burial council from 9 to 7.
• This is relating to burial councils and decreases the size of the island burial council from 9 to 7.
• This is relating to burial councils and decreases the size of the island burial council from 9 to 7.
• This is relating to burial councils and decreases the size of the island burial council from 9 to 7.
• This is relating to burial councils and decreases the size of the island burial council from 9 to 7.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee held a decision-making-only agenda and voted on a series of bills, mostly following the chair’s recommendations. Measures passed unamended included SB 1202 on allowing campaign funds for child care and dependent care costs, SB 30 requiring all moped drivers to wear helmets, SB 55 requiring state administrative rules to be posted in a digitally accessible and searchable format, SB 106 on pedestrian conduct more than 200 feet from a crosswalk, SB 344 requiring helmets for skateboard users under 16, SB 849 increasing penalties for harming native species, SB 1337 clarifying Stadium Authority quorum rules, and SB 268 reducing the size of island burial councils and removing certain membership requirements. SB 1511, which prohibits vessels longer than 75 feet from entering Honay Bay, was also adopted, though the transcript includes some inconsistent wording about whether it was amended. Several bills were approved with amendments. SB 1048 on solicitation of funds from the public was amended to remove a ministerial exception and to require certain charitable organizations and fundraising platforms to file written contracts with the Department before commencing solicitations. SB 109 was amended so that, in specified circumstances, the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi version of a law would be binding when the law was originally drafted in English, translated into Hawaiian, and later amended. SB 66 on county building permits was amended to add a bad date, April 23, 2057. SB 1312, deferred to the 10 o’clock agenda, clarified that “profits from prostitution” includes money or property received from prostitution proceeds even if characterized as reimbursement or debt repayment; it was also passed with amendments. The committee also adopted a recommendation to pass SB 55 and other measures with the noted excused absences of Senator Gabbard and, at times, other members. Throughout the meeting, no major opposition was recorded beyond one member voting no or with reservations on some bills, and the chair repeatedly announced that the recommendations had been adopted. The meeting concluded after the 10 o’clock agenda, with notice that the committee would meet upstairs for later agendas with WHAM.