Transcript Highlights:

• It provides $5 billion as the second tranche of funding for the Texas Energy Fund to ensure long-term
• Other highlights called out, as Senator Huffman mentioned, include the $5 billion for the Texas Energy
• Other highlights called out, as Senator Huffman mentioned, include the $5 billion for Texas Energy Fund
• So we are seeking an increase in that position to maintain equity among all of the attorney positions

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee held its first hearing of the 89th regular session, adopted nearly identical committee rules from the previous legislature by a 15-0 vote, and began review of Senate Bill 1, the state budget for fiscal years 2026-27. Chair Huffman outlined the budget framework, emphasizing conservative spending, a $332.9 billion all-funds budget, and major priorities including property tax relief, public education, border security, health and human services, transportation, energy, and water infrastructure. She also introduced committee and leadership staff and described the hearing schedule and public testimony procedures. Comptroller Glenn Hager presented the biennial revenue estimate, saying the state has $194.6 billion available for general-purpose spending, including a $23.8 billion ending balance, but warned that revenue growth is returning to more normal levels and that lawmakers should avoid using temporary spikes for ongoing commitments. Senators questioned him extensively about the Economic Stabilization Fund cap, sales tax trends, inflation, and whether the state should consider raising the cap or using severance-tax revenues differently. Hager said the Rainy Day Fund is expected to hit its cap, which would leave more severance-tax revenue in general revenue, and he stressed that infrastructure needs remain significant. The Legislative Budget Board then gave a detailed overview of SB 1 and the budget’s major components. LBB staff explained that the bill includes continued funding for the Foundation School Program, $850 million for the Texas State Technical College endowment, $1.3 billion for the Texas University Fund, $6.5 billion for border security, salary increases for correctional officers and state troopers, $3 billion for dementia research, higher community attendant wages, expanded community-based care, $5 billion for the Texas Energy Fund, and funding to clear volunteer fire department grant backlogs. They also outlined supplemental priorities such as water infrastructure, retirement legacy payments, rail grade separations, wildfire aircraft, and emergency facilities, and said the current controlling budget limit is the tax spending limit. A major portion of the hearing focused on property tax relief. LBB explained that prior-session relief grew from an expected $18 billion to $22.7 billion because of higher-than-anticipated property values and interactions among hold-harmless provisions, and that SB 1 continues and expands relief with $51 billion in total property tax relief, including $3 billion more for compression, $3 billion to raise the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, and a $500 million placeholder for business tax relief. Senators discussed the automatic nature of some of these costs, the effect of the non-homestead circuit breaker, the role of federal COVID funds, and the need to maintain school finance commitments if the state continues to compress school tax rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the best way to use that waste and create energy for a company so they don't use more energy
• We don't have enough energy.
• We don't have enough energy.
• We're seeing prices on those clean energy... wind, solar.
• , true clean energy development.

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on SSB 6269, which updates the Motor Fuel Quality Act by removing the separate definition of alternative fuel and broadening the definition of motor fuel to include gaseous products and fuels used for transportation purposes. The Washington State Department of Agriculture testified that the change would let weights and measures staff test a wider range of fuels, including hydrogen and other clean fuels, and Douglas County PUD supported the bill as necessary to help regulate the state’s first hydrogen fueling station and future hydrogen infrastructure. A question clarified that the bill concerns the purity of the final hydrogen fuel product, not certification of the production process. The committee then received a briefing on three amendments to SB 5982, which expands Clean Energy Transformation Act coverage to additional entities. Amendment 170 would remove a requirement tied to affected market customers consuming the same or greater share of non-emitting and renewable electricity for the same end uses; Amendment 171 would exempt electricity used solely for emergency backup purposes; and Amendment 173 would similarly exempt backup generation using de minimis fossil fuels and related load from CETA compliance. Members discussed whether the amendments were needed to protect cogeneration facilities and emergency backup systems, while others argued they could weaken CETA’s clean-energy goals. In executive session, SB 6013 was reported out of committee with a do pass recommendation by a 21-0 voice vote. On SB 5982, Amendment 170 failed, Amendment 171 failed, and Amendment 173 passed. The committee then adopted the amendments into a striking amendment and voted 12-8 to report Substitute Senate Bill 5982 out of committee with a do pass as amended recommendation. Members supporting the bill said it levels the playing field and preserves exemptions for backup power and existing cogeneration, while opponents argued it could undermine CETA and allow continued fossil-fuel use or create loopholes.

Transcript Highlights:

• :05.680><c> energy,</c> electric generation equipment, energy, electric generation equipment, energy,
• small energy Energy, deer are typically small energy generation<00:51:15.680><c> and</c><00:51:16.000
• energy for a period of time, and redelivering energy.
• </c> energy and then discharge that energy energy and then discharge that energy for<04:23:31.760><c>
• We have our energy energy faster.

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we're going to spend extra time, energy, and money to understand that.
• </c><00:15:15.120><c> To</c> energy, and money to understand that.
• To energy, and money to understand that.
• It takes lots of time and energy, and I'm still pretty optimistic that we will see something that will
• The commission can also designate how much of the fund to invest in equities under pool A. necessary

Committee: Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:06:19.400><c> sorry</c><00:06:19.680><c> about</c> energy sorry about energy sorry about that<00:
• Department of Energy.
• They have a way of converting energy; that energy is energy, right?
• that energy is of converting energy that energy is energy<04:12:55.359><c> right</c><04:12:55.800><c
• </c><05:03:58.958><c> except</c> wind energy to be wind energy except wind energy to be wind energy except

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:20:22.000><c> and</c> energy uh energy storage devices and energy uh energy storage devices and
• </c> energy standard? energy standard?
• </c> clean energy? clean energy?
• </c> energy policy in the state. energy policy in the state.
• </c> energy production growth. energy production growth.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Thursday, April 2, 2026, 960, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> ship it to places that use it for energy ship it to places that use it for energy like<00:10:36.680
• You know, the big industries need reliable energy. We need safe energy.
• <01:01:56.880><c> costs</c><01:01:57.480><c> by</c> energy costs by energy costs by 63.9%<01:02:00.559
• </c><01:03:23.359><c> vertically</c> reliable affordable energy vertically reliable affordable energy
• </c><01:05:02.880><c> for</c> dedication to Affordable energy for dedication to Affordable energy for

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We could consider energy reduction in connected buildings.
• So we develop, fund, own, and operate low-carbon district energy systems or thermal energy networks.
• agencies can enter into for energy services and equipment.
• And it can mean lower energy costs for those neighbors as well.
• Saving families $300 a year while reducing energy usage by 25%.

Summary: The committee first received a Commerce overview of capital budget grant programs, including behavioral health facilities, Building for the Arts, Building Communities Fund, early learning facilities, library capital improvements, and youth recreational facilities. Commerce described program eligibility, match requirements, funding cycles, and project examples such as an early learning center in Spokane, a rural library in Stevens County, and a youth clubhouse in Prosser. Members asked about behavioral health capital projects, including how many facilities have been opened and how capital planning aligns with operating funding; Commerce said it could provide more data later and noted it focuses on capital while HCA, DSHS, and DOH handle operating requests. Members also raised concerns about nonprofit financial stability, project licensure, siting, and the burden of non-state match, while Commerce emphasized shovel-ready projects, community match, and efforts to reduce application burden. The committee then heard an update on the Clean Buildings Performance Standard from Commerce. Staff reviewed Washington’s building emissions laws, compliance tiers, exemptions, incentives, and district energy system decarbonization planning under House Bills 1543, 1976, and 1390. Commerce reported nearly 5,000 inquiries in 2025, a fellowship program that has helped more than 250 buildings in 16 counties, and review of nearly 30 district energy plans. The presentation highlighted that over half of Tier 1 buildings are already meeting targets, that Tier 2 incentive applications suggest the 30-cent-per-square-foot incentive often covers compliance costs, and that district decarbonization plans face common challenges such as aging infrastructure, grid readiness, workforce, and inconsistent cost reporting. Members asked what additional legislative action might help, and Commerce said it was still learning from the new rulemaking and implementation changes. Western Washington University and Corex then presented on WWU’s campus heating conversion project and a possible off-campus thermal energy partnership with the Port of Bellingham. WWU described its aging steam system, high emissions, maintenance costs, and the $51 million in Climate Commitment Account funding it has received to transition toward an electric hot-water system using technologies such as geo-exchange, heat recovery chillers, and air-source heat pumps. Corex explained its existing district energy system at the Port of Bellingham, which uses industrial waste heat and is operating at very high efficiency, and said it is exploring a heat transmission line to WWU and possibly sewer-heat recovery. Testimony from WSU and UW supported the broader decarbonization effort but raised concerns about the scale of costs, deferred maintenance, and the need for predictable state funding. A contractor witness urged the state to think bigger about public-private partnerships and other financing tools rather than forcing campuses to compete for limited funds. The committee then held a public hearing on House Bill 2330, which would create a prioritization process for capital funding for state campus district energy system decarbonization projects. Staff said the bill would establish a Commerce committee to score and rank projects, issue a preliminary framework report by December 30 of this year, and provide biennial recommended project lists beginning in 2028, while also studying barriers to energy-as-a-service contracts and public-private partnerships. The prime sponsor said the bill is intended to create a thoughtful, predictable process for deciding which projects to fund, emphasizing energy savings, emissions reductions, operating cost reductions, shovel-readiness, and the value of public-private partnerships. Testimony was mixed but generally supportive: WSU and UW backed the bill as a way to advance compliance and predictability, though WSU warned that compliance costs could be very large and that the university would likely seek state help if fines were imposed. A contractor witness supported the concept but argued the bill should help build a larger funding “pie” through partnerships and financing tools rather than simply dividing scarce resources. The committee then opened and heard testimony on House Bill 2338, which would authorize community-scaled weatherization projects. Commerce staff said the bill would allow weatherization funds and matching funds to be used for neighborhood-scale projects affecting multiple dwelling units, while still prioritizing low-income households; the fiscal note estimated about $273,000 in FY 2027 and about $237,000 per biennium ongoing for administration. Supporters from community action agencies and Spark Northwest said the bill would improve health, safety, affordability, and contractor participation by allowing weatherization to be done at a community scale, especially in mobile home parks and low-income neighborhoods. No votes were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> of energy more expensive? of energy more expensive?
• </c> renewable energy fund. renewable energy fund.
• </c> with with energy prices. with with energy prices.
• </c> energy projects that can reduce energy energy projects that can reduce energy costs.<00:51:55.800
• Boiler Energy. Boiler the school? Boiler Energy. Boiler Energy? Energy? Energy? &gt;&gt; Yeah.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill establishes the nuclear energy development grant program within NEITA.
• get to work and get back to being a leader in energy in the nation.
• , and we don't want to wind up being energy poor.
• , and we don't want to wind up being energy poor.
• , and we don't want to wind up being energy poor.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:56 SJR 28 Discussion 01:44 SJR 28 Roll Call Vote 03:32 SB 179 Discussion 04:08 SB 179 Roll Call Vote 07:33, 958, all

Summary: The committee opened with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and approval of the minutes. After no special guests were recognized, members took up a joint resolution carried by Senator Nemes for Senator Adams concerning reformulated gasoline requirements in Jefferson County and parts of Oldham and Bullitt counties. The resolution would direct the Energy and Environmental Cabinet to revise the state air quality implementation plan to remove the reformulated gas mandate. Senator Nemes argued the requirement is outdated and has little practical effect given modern vehicles and fuel standards, and members voted to pass the resolution unanimously. The committee then heard Senate Bill 179 from Senator Danny Carroll, which would create a nuclear energy development grant program within the Nuclear Energy Development Authority. Carroll explained that the bill would set aside $10 million from the previously appropriated $40 million investment for grants supporting nuclear energy development in Kentucky, with grants capped at $2 million and administered entirely by NEITA rather than through Economic Development. He and several members emphasized the need for Kentucky to invest in nuclear energy to keep pace with states like Tennessee, which was cited as having invested heavily and attracting business activity around small modular reactors. Members expressed strong support for the bill, with Senator West and others praising the initiative and calling it important for Kentucky’s energy future. The committee voted the bill out favorably with an expression that it shall pass. Before adjournment, the chair encouraged members to review the other energy bills that had been heard recently and stressed the importance of moving quickly on energy policy measures. A motion was then requested to close the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• to be an energy community.
• US Department of Energy.
• And in New Mexico, we have um a lot of solar energy, we have the wind energy, potentially, we can even
• Uh, I'm talking about solar energy and wind energy.
• Also has abundant solar energy and wind energy.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill says the department of energy energy energy may<00:21:37.520><c> dot</c><00:21:37.760><c> dot
• </c> the Department of Energy just told you. the Department of Energy just told you.
• </c> province of the commissioner of energy. province of the commissioner of energy.
• </c> Energy. Uh here neutral on the bill. Energy. Uh here neutral on the bill.
• </c> currently allow for net metered energy. currently allow for net metered energy.

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> energy, solar, wind. energy, solar, wind.
• </c> business as a a energy facility. business as a a energy facility.
• So the Department of Energy uh Energy.
• </c> produce electric energy. produce electric energy.
• . energy. energy.

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And there is a thermal energy working group, a clean thermal energy working group established in the
• to our energy situation and our decarbonization efforts.
• and the distribution of geothermal energy.
• And yes, today this energy bill is also a housing bill.
• We make decisions, and we all want a clean energy future.

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The energy density of a fusion reaction, a cup of water, has the same energy content if you can turn
• We will move from a world of energy scarcity, where we're always worried about where energy is going
• They have stood up at the Department of Energy a new Office of Fusion Energy to help create public-private
• They have stood up at the Department of Energy, a new office of fusion energy to help create public-private
• energy demand, ultimately a clean, sustainable, baseload energy source that is able to give us not only

Committee: House House Science & Technology Committee of Reference

Summary: The Committee on Science and Technology met with a full audience and began with brief introductions, including an intern from Arizona State University. The committee heard two presentations before taking up its only bill. The University of Arizona’s Thomas Diaz de la Rubia spoke about fusion energy, describing it as a potential clean, safe, baseload power source and arguing Arizona should build the talent, supply chains, and research infrastructure to commercialize fusion. Members asked about timelines, regulation, competition with China, and the relationship to small modular reactors; he said fusion could be commercially relevant in roughly 12 to 15 years if public and private investment continues, and that the U.S. should avoid losing manufacturing and supply chains as it did in other technologies. He also discussed the university’s broader space and national security work. XRDNA CEO Charles Ableman then presented a spatial addressing and coordination system called EVA, describing it as a way to align data about where and when physical objects exist across systems, with a security layer called a sphere of influence. He said the company is testing with space and logistics partners, uses AI provenance tools, and sees its near-term use case in space operations and interoperability. The committee then considered HB 2809, which would require state agencies handling sensitive or protected data to implement post-quantum encryption meeting or exceeding CMMC 2.0 standards, using a U.S.-based vendor and U.S.-developed or maintained components. The bill would place the master encryption key with the Auditor General and set procedures involving the Auditor General and Attorney General. Sponsor Rep. Gillette explained that the bill was simplified from a prior version after concerns that agencies would have to connect offline systems to the internet; the amendment clarified that encryption can be installed without internet connectivity and without requiring other systems to be online. He argued the measure is needed to modernize weak legacy systems and protect data after prior breaches and failed IT projects. Members generally supported the concept but raised questions about implementation, costs, vendor neutrality, and the Auditor General’s role; the Secretary of State’s office was described as neutral and still evaluating implementation. The committee adopted the Pingarelli amendment and then passed HB 2809 as amended on a 9-0 vote, with several members explaining that they supported the bill but wanted continued stakeholder input and careful attention to execution.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> iteration of the state energy strategy. iteration of the state energy strategy.
• </c><00:19:55.120><c> Um,</c> is energy efficiency. Um, is energy efficiency.
• </c> energy funded and so on and so forth. energy funded and so on and so forth.
• costs and energy supply.
• costs and energy supply.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that the intent is really these energy...
• How many megawatts of energy is out there that's being...
• The bill updates CETA to reflect what we've learned about how energy is generated and used by large energy
• This rapid growth in energy demand, particularly if it is not met by clean energy, has the potential
• to hinder our climate and clean energy goals.

Bills: SB6013 , SB6291

Committee: House Environment & Energy

Keywords: ski areas, winter sports, terminology, recreation, economic development, SB6291, on-site wastewater treatment, onsite wastewater treatment, septic system, sewage treatment, wastewater inspection, environmental health, local board of health, public health, professional engineer, land surveyor, certificate of competency, inspection standards, design review, supervised practice

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> you can ask for in the energy market. you can ask for in the energy market.
• </c> for energy.
• Over the past decade, energy for energy.
• distributed energy resources. In fact, distributed energy resources.
• However, the lion's share of our energy rates are set by the energy markets.

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met on April 14 and began by welcoming a new member, Representative Samban Denier, who briefly described his background as a Clarkson University environmental engineering graduate and Air Force veteran. The committee then moved into a work session on five energy-related bills, starting with Senate Bill 65 on stormwater management for solar arrays. Representative McGee presented amendment 1594H, which would exclude projects in shoreland areas from the bill’s permit-by-notification process and require the standard alteration-of-terrain permit review instead. Members asked for clarification, and McGee explained the amendment was requested by the New Hampshire Lakes Association and others to preserve the fuller review process for shoreland projects. The committee appeared satisfied with the explanation and moved on. The committee next discussed Senate Bill 230 on electric utility restructuring and investment in distributed energy resources. Members concluded that section one was unnecessary because a better definition of advanced nuclear resources had already been added to House Bill 710, and that section two would allow investment in advanced nuclear resources in a way they had already rejected in another bill due to ratepayer risk. Several members agreed the bill was redundant and supported an ITL motion. They also discussed Senate Bill 232 on net metering terms and conditions, focusing first on whether hydroelectric generators could be listed in ISO New England while also taking net metering credits. Granite State Hydropower Association representative Heidi Kroll testified that generators are subject to checks and balances, that double-dipping is not occurring, and that rules and tariffs already require participation in one market arrangement or the other. Discussion on Senate Bill 232 then shifted to section two, which would bar retroactive changes to net metering tariffs in place as of January 1, 2025. Representative McGee proposed alternative language to protect existing customer generators, group hosts, and municipal hosts from retroactive changes, while others said the language was needed to provide stability for current participants operating on thin margins. Some members supported the clearer wording; others argued the committee should not tie the hands of the PUC and DOE, noting future circumstances could require regulatory flexibility and that conflicts could be resolved in court if necessary. The committee did not take a final vote in the portion of the meeting provided, and the discussion was still ongoing when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:02:45.640><c> wind</c> of 100% of how we generate energy wind of 100% of how we generate energy
• </c> Minnesota what we've done for XL Energy Minnesota what we've done for XL Energy which<00:04:24.560
• Each of our energy sources comes with certain risks.
• They account for a significant percentage of the energy produced for Xcel Energy, which is the state's
• produced for XL percentage of the energy produced for XL Energy<00:06:25.000><c> which</c><00:06:25.120

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> bid of all energy. bid of all energy.
• </c> have some energy. have some energy.
• </c> clean energy projects. clean energy projects.
• ><c> could</c> major energy energy policies that could major energy energy policies that could negatively
• We don't make our own of our energy. We don't make our own energy. energy. energy.

Keywords: House streaming session for Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 957, house, all