Transcript Highlights:

• The Committee on Local Government will come to order.
• Long ago, this legislature established two buckets for local funding.
• Since 2013, over 31 local government entities have adopted local provider participation funds, or LPPFs
• State and local funds are collected and then matched with federal funds.
• It is in fact a local bill that...

Bills: SB1331 , SB1375 , SB1443 , SB1578 , SB2251 , SB2519 , SB2553 , SB2655 , SB2764 , SB2907 , SB3030 , SB3033 , SB3035 , SB3036 , SB3037 , SB3043 , SB3047 , SB3050 , SB3051 , SB3056 , SB3057 , SB3063 , HB9 , HB467 , HB331 , HB 1244 , HB1399 , HB2559 , HB2730 , HB3307 , HJR1 , HJR99 , SB3048 , SB3052 , SB3053 , SJR78 , HB1327 , HB2723

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: civil service, firefighters, police officers, municipalities, local government, repeal, voter petition, health care, provider participation, continuation programs, population-based regulation, health care provider participation, Medicaid, hospital funding, voluntary compliance, mandatory payments, public health, healthcare program, county participation, nonpublic hospitals

Summary: The Committee on Local Government heard a series of local bills and public testimony focused on hospital districts, municipal management districts, local provider participation funds, manufactured housing, transit financing, development moratoriums, and property tax procedures. Early items included House Bill 467, which would help dissolve the defunct Maybank Kemp Hospital District and establish an Andrew Gibbs Memorial Nursing Endowment, and Senate Bill 3063, creating the Bio Bell Municipal Management District in Liberty County; both drew no public opposition and were left pending subject to call. The committee also heard House Bill 1327, extending the Harris County local provider participation fund through 2027, and Senate Bill 1375, extending Collin County’s LPPF authority, both presented as mechanisms to draw federal Medicaid matching funds for hospitals. A major portion of the meeting centered on Senate Bill 2764, which would require earlier notice to buyers of manufactured homes about how to convert a home from personal property to real property. Senator Cook described the bill as a consumer-information measure tied to displacement concerns at a mobile home park in her district, and a resident testified in support, saying the notice would help families make informed decisions. The committee also discussed Senate Bill 2519, a bill by Senator Bettencourt aimed at preventing local governments from shifting maintenance-and-operations tax revenue into debt-like uses and from changing the purpose of tax rate elections after voters approve them. Supporters argued it would protect taxpayers and preserve the separation between M&O and debt service, while opponents tied the bill to Austin’s Project Connect transit financing and warned it would disrupt an approved project and invite litigation. The committee heard and left pending several other bills, including House Bill 1244 on agricultural land ownership changes without reapplying for an ag exemption, House Bill 2559 on development moratoriums, and Senate Bill 2063 on unequal appraisal protests. Testimony on House Bill 2559 came from developers and builders who said moratoriums in Conroe had delayed projects and harmed buyers, while supporters of the bill said it would impose clearer limits and notice requirements. On Senate Bill 2063, the sponsor explained a committee substitute narrowing how market value evidence may be used in unequal appraisal appeals. The committee also considered multiple local district bills, including new MUDs and management districts in Montgomery, Denton, Fannin, Travis, Hays, and Williamson counties. At the end of the meeting, the committee took up pending business and voted out several measures, including House Bill 1244, House Bill 2559, House Bill 467, House Bill 1327, House Bill 1399, House Bill 2723, House Bill 2730, House Bill 3307, House Joint Resolution 99, and multiple district bills such as Senate Bills 3037, 3043, 3047, 3048, 3050, 3052, 3053, 3056, 3057, 3063, and others. Most were reported favorably, often with committee substitutes, and many were recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. Several bills, including the transit-related SB 2519 and the manufactured housing bill SB 2764, remained pending subject to call after testimony closed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. um, local hires. um, local hires.
• </c> those that are produced by local those that are produced by local companies<00:27:21.040><c> here
• </c> existing program would just be for local existing program would just be for local media<00:27:28.560
• business is, including the local presence, local workforce.
• </c> is what this local preference does. is what this local preference does.

Bills: SB2580 , SB2578 , SB2259 , SB3084 , SB2816 , SB2928 , SB2075 , SB3322 , SB2377 , SB2436 , SB2835 , SB3248

Committee: House Economic Development & Technology

Keywords: SB2580, Hawaii film tax credit, motion picture tax credit, digital media credit, film production incentive, income tax credit, general excise tax exemption, DBEDT, DOTAX, local hires, local workforce, film industry, movie production, television production, streaming platform, streaming series, loan-out companies, motion picture project employer, qualified production, qualified production costs

Summary: The committee opened by reviewing hearing procedures and then took up SB 2580, which concerns Hawaii’s film production tax credit and related incentives. Testimony was strongly supportive overall, with witnesses saying the measure would help attract productions, extend the sunset date, include streaming platforms, and strengthen the state’s competitiveness. Several supporters asked for cleanup language on grant administration, tax credit management, local-hire uplifts, and limits on third-party audit requirements for smaller productions. The state film office said the bill was generally strong but suggested clarifying language and noted that DBEDT and DOTAX already provide oversight of the current credit. No vote was taken in the transcript, but the bill drew broad support with a few comments and one opposition noted later in the hearing. The committee then heard SB 2578 SD1, a measure to create a film commission and related grant structure. Testifiers said the proposal would formalize industry input, improve accountability, and help the state compete globally, but they also raised concerns about how a new grant program would interact with the existing tax credit system. The film office said the grant program and tax credit should be separated operationally, that the advisory structure should include industry voices and possibly union representation, and that county film commissioner language may need technical adjustment. A testifier also suggested a Hawaii film museum and related tourism opportunities. The measure was described as having 42 supporters, one opposition, and five comments, with no final action shown. The committee next considered SB 2259, a dementia training measure. Supporters, including the bill’s drafter and the Alzheimer’s Association, described personal caregiving experiences and said free dementia training could help workers and families. Suggested amendments focused on clarifying the relationship between EOA and DBED and allowing retraining every two years because of workforce turnover. DBED said the bill is worthwhile but is not really an economic development initiative, and it should align with existing dementia programs and be easy for businesses to use, preferably online. The committee then moved to SB 3084 SD1, which HTDC said would expand its R&D matching program beyond SBIR to other federal research grants because of uncertainty at the federal level; the transcript ends as testimony begins, with no vote or final action recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Senate Committee on Local Government will come to order.
• Chairman, I've been an attorney for over 30 years. nine cities as city attorney, and I have served as
• Earl, you're a former city attorney.
• I've been city attorney for nine cities, including deputy city attorney and assistant deputy for the
• And issues have been noted in the annual local report on unissued securities issued by the various local

Bills: HB148 , HB334 , HB554 , HB762 , HB1520 , HB1593 , HB3526 , HB3810 , HB5092 , SB2215 , HB2607 , HB148

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: family leave, leave pool, county employee, sick leave, vacation leave, family care, pandemic, guardianship, HB 554, fireworks, Juneteenth, Juneteenth holiday, retail fireworks permit, Texas Occupations Code, Local Government Code, county commissioners court, drought conditions, Texas A&M Forest Service, fire safety, holiday sales

Transcript Highlights:

• The Senate Committee on Local Government will come to order. The clerk will call the roll.
• House Bill 334 be recommended for the local and uncontested calendars. Is there any objection?
• Senator Cook moves that House Bill 1593 be recommended for the local and contested calendars.
• All right, House Bill 5092 will be recommended for the local and uncontested calendar.
• With that, no other business for the Local Government Committee.

Bills: HB148 , HB148 , HB334 , HB554 , HB762 , HB1520 , HB1593 , HB3526 , HB3810 , HB5092 , SB2215 , HB2607

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: HB 148, Texas Education Code, Texas Education Agency, TEA, artificial intelligence, AI, machine learning, automated scoring, constructed response, open-ended answers, student assessments, state testing, standardized tests, public schools, education policy, assessment instruments, school accountability, test scoring, 2026-2027 school year, family leave

Transcript Highlights:

• The proposed substitute changes the list of requirements that local governments can apply to low-income
• This would remove the prohibition on local government adoption of these types of laws.
• This would remove the prohibition on local government adoption of these types of laws, such that local
• It authorizes a local government to adopt certain policies.
• This would authorize local governments to enforce local laws regulating the use of public space, regardless

Bills: HB2266 , HB2489

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: housing, supportive housing, transitional housing, emergency shelters, homelessness prevention, public space, local governance, life-sustaining activities, statewide standards, regulation, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• projects are not only selected by local governments but also funded using local government funds.
• It was It was a Washington State attorney that was the single attorney representing that coalition of
• House Bill 2266 supports local control while expanding local capacity.
• with local solutions.
• The city needs to be able to continue to use a local solution for its local issues, but the state does

Bills: HB2266 , HB2489

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: housing, supportive housing, transitional housing, emergency shelters, homelessness prevention, public space, local governance, life-sustaining activities, statewide standards, regulation, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The District Attorney and County Attorneys Association explained this issue to my staff and called it
• also applies to criminal district attorneys and certain, certain county prosecutors who prosecute felonies
• attorneys' compensation.
• Local supplement they give to their district attorney, so it didn't even come from his DA.
• They can't afford attorneys.

Bills: HB15 , HB171 , HB204

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Keywords: flood risk, campground, safety regulations, civil penalty, guest safety, Harris County, flood control, governance, expansion, public health, local governance, environmental management

Transcript Highlights:

• partners through the New Mexico Grown Program and direct local distribution.
• They're locally owned, locally operated, and they're tied to the communities where they serve.
• So 28% of local New Mexican businesses... Mr.
• We also looked at federal funding, but we decided to keep it local.
• We also looked at federal funding, but we decided to keep it local.

Bills: HM3 , HM11 , HM14 , HM15 , HM21 , HM25 , HB9 , SB2 , SB19

Keywords: nurses, health care workers, healthcare workers, frontline workers, hospital staff, clinicians, allied health professionals, support staff, public health, workforce shortage, nursing shortage, safe staffing, patient safety, rural health care, frontier communities, behavioral health, mental health, substance use disorder, substance abuse, health care memorial

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 12 relating to the duty of the Attorney General to prosecute criminal offenses prescribed
• I just want to remember that in 1985, this legislature gave the Attorney general authority to prosecute
• Uh, that's who was in charge when the attorney general was given authority to prosecute election crimes
• It, uh, it gave, it says the Attorney General may prosecute.
• Well, that's interesting when you take away the agency's power to prosecute and rely on local prosecutors

Bills: SB 10 , SB 8 , SB 15 , SB 12 , SB 6 , SB 13 , SB 9 , SB 7 , SB 17 , SB 4

Keywords: sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, law enforcement, department file, employee records, misconduct, confidentiality, Texas occupations code, election laws, attorney general, prosecution, criminal offenses, criminal prosecution, jurisdiction, hemp, consumable hemp, hemp-derived cannabinoids

Transcript Highlights:

• PFFM, or Chelmsford Firefighters Local President Rob Albin, also House Counsel has done quite a bit of
• police. understand how certain legislation may affect the local police departments and it's just it's
• I am President of the Chelmsford Firefighters IAFF Local 1839.
• The members of Local 1839 stepped up. The members in executive order the PFFM stepped up.
• Stephen LaPorta of the Uxbridge Police Department, which is one of our locals.

Bills: S3051 , H5380 , H5384 , H5389 , H5420 , H5428 , H5427 , H5429 , H5435

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Service

Keywords: retirement benefits, police officer, surviving spouse, pension, public service, police chief, deputy police chief, civil service exemption, local governance, Medford, H5384, Craig Riley, Haverhill, firefighter, fire department, civil service, civil service examination, maximum age requirement, age waiver, age exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I'm not the city attorney, but people could go in and just because they don't like a neighbor
• So what this bill does, it's a local bill.
• We also engaged with a local nonprofit and received a resolution of no objection from both the county
• You had support from the local community but opposition from the local state representative, is that
• This bill is a County bill that extends the local Ethics Commission tenure to a one-year term versus

Bills: HB293 , HB 1173 , HB3753 , HB4999 , HB5696 , SB2145 , HB5689 , HB5690 , HB5694 , HB5698 , HB293

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: HB 293, Texas housing tax credits, low-income housing, affordable housing, private activity bonds, PAB, qualified allocation plan, TDHCA, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, state representative objection, housing development approval, municipal notice, county commissioners court, extraterritorial jurisdiction, LIHTC, bond-financed housing, homelessness, housing services, Texas Department of Housing, municipal programs

Transcript Highlights:

• And other city attorneys, but being as small as we are, we rely on city attorneys and other professionals
• It doesn't take away local control.
• It eliminates local voters from the process.
• Work on it, but do you think this bill usurps the authority of local control so that the local municipalities
• And wouldn't that undermine local control?

Bills: HB602 , HB1322 , HB1930 , HB2225 , HB2304 , HB2494 , HB3275 , HB3810 , HB3919

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: affordable housing, land use, zoning, urban planning, community development, housing crisis, mixed-use development, sustainability, municipal utility district, board of directors, qualifications, land ownership, Texas, taxation, residency, municipal approval, subdivision plans, local governance, plats, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an assistant city attorney with the city of Dallas. I'm in opposition to HB 2494.
• Local governments can continue to assess a fee for the issuance of a permit.
• They verify whether it's meeting local code and law.
• The trend is not just local, it's systemic issues affecting most. cities across America.
• This would be great for local businesses and great for more. walkable neighborhoods.

Bills: HB602 , HB1322 , HB1930 , HB2225 , HB2304 , HB2494 , HB3275 , HB3810 , HB3919

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: affordable housing, land use, zoning, urban planning, community development, housing crisis, mixed-use development, sustainability, municipal utility district, board of directors, qualifications, land ownership, Texas, taxation, residency, municipal approval, subdivision plans, local governance, plats, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• Y'all should have had a local piece of...
• We do have a local bill dealing with this, and we're waiting.
• It is a local issue, and I... ...Baldwin County.
• It is a local issue, and I really have a problem when we have a local issue that we want to spread all
• and solved at the local level, not put out for everybody.

Bills: SB270 , SB275 , HB264 , HB281 , SB236 , SB247 , SB249 , SB253 , SB259

Committee: Senate County and Municipal Government

Keywords: county tax, education funding, capital projects, local government, sales tax, food trucks, mobile vendors, business license, health inspection, statewide regulation, zoning ordinances, vessel registration, boating fees, state funds, regulatory changes, water safety, municipal zoning, zoning board, appeals process, circuit court

Transcript Highlights:

• give away any revenue, but it does bring some clarification to when we pass an exemption, what the locals
• Number one, we have a fair amount of local sales tax exemption bills that have been put in this committee
• I don't know if it's going to work or not, but it's to deal with all the local sales tax exemptions for

Bills: SB1 , SB83 , SB159 , SB160 , SB1

Committee: Senate Finance and Taxation Education

Keywords: workers' compensation, public education, employee injury, insurance trust fund, on-the-job injury, administrative procedures, adult-size changing table, changing station, accessible restroom, public bathroom, public building, public entity, ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, accessibility, restroom renovation, new construction, grant program, state grant, local government facilities

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill will allow local food entrepreneurs to expand their businesses in new ways, and it will provide
• increased options for consumers to purchase healthy, locally produced food in our state.
• the... of 2021 by providing increased flexibility to producers in where and how they produce their local
• increased options for consumers to purchase healthy, locally produced food in our state.
• And if we can source it locally, all the better. Member, any other questions on the bill?

Bills: HB3056 , HB3391 , HB3657 , HB3617 , HB4055 , HB3720 , HB3902

Committee: House Agriculture

Keywords: raw milk, unpasteurized, farm sales, Oklahoma Milk and Milk Products Act, local producers, advertising, animal welfare, commercial pet breeders, licensing, animal cruelty, labor, employment definitions, agricultural services, Oklahoma Workforce Commission, confidentiality, data access, right to repair, agriculture, OEM, repair providers

Transcript Highlights:

• Between local officials for county commissioners, probate judge, sheriffs, tax assessor, tax collectors
• Under the existing law, the base compensation of any local official, elected official or appointed by
• bill uh I think that did that a local bill uh I think that did that that<00:29:12.640><c> reset</c><
• </c><00:29:56.640><c> legislation</c><00:29:57.200><c> to</c><00:29:57.520><c> reset</c> and pass local
• legislation to reset and pass local legislation to reset that.<00:29:58.399><c> And</c><00:29:58.559

Bills: SB249 , SB259 , HB67 , HB214 , SB249 , SB259 , HB67 , HB214

Committee: Senate County and Municipal Government

Keywords: municipal tax, license fee, local tax increase, ordinance, public hearing, 30-day notice, municipal notice requirements, city council, town council, Alabama municipalities, Code of Alabama 1975, Section 11-45-2, open meetings website, newspaper publication, local government finance, tax transparency, fee increase, municipal ordinance procedure, University of South Alabama, Board of Trustees

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a local government decision.
• This is a local government decision.
• Oftentimes, and I understand that people get a chance to elect their local councils or their local county
• Representative Orcutt: To elect their local councils or their local county officials.
• I'm glad there's so much discussion today about local options and the value of local decision-making,

Bills: HB1717 , HB2133 , HB2135 , HB2140 , HB2442 , HB2559

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: affordable housing, sales tax, housing programs, tax incentives, economic development, property tax, senior citizens, tax exemption, local government funding, permanent legislation, adaptive housing, disabled veterans, tax preferences, housing affordability, retail sales tax, governmental transfer, agriculture, land use, local government, tax authority

Transcript Highlights:

• The county attorney. Ernie writes the contract.
• Lamb, we show you as registered Trey Larry attorney with Alan Boone Humphrey.
• Number two, there's. a local neighborhood aspect of it.
• We tend to try to do that by pushing these things down to the local level.
• In my local county, these are volunteers.

Bills: HB336 , HB554 , HB849 , HB 1033 , HB1338 , HB 1246

Committee: House S/C on County & Regional Government

Keywords: law enforcement, sheriff, constable, contracts, county governance, HB 554, fireworks, Juneteenth, Juneteenth holiday, retail fireworks permit, Texas Occupations Code, Local Government Code, county commissioners court, drought conditions, Texas A&M Forest Service, fire safety, holiday sales, seasonal fireworks sales, Fourth of July, Independence Day

Transcript Highlights:

• The Attorney General's Office told me that distribution for those five counties is coming in April 2026
• You mentioned the Attorney General's Office.
• money, but the way it was given to Arizona to distribute was a shared responsibility between the Attorney
• I was going to save that comment for my vote explanation, but you mentioned the Attorney General's Office
• To the Attorney General's Office, so it was worth saying up front.

Bills: SB1317 , SB1655 , SB1656 , SB1751 , SCR1049

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: reentry programs, criminal justice, funding, grants, recidivism, attorney general, jury duty, election worker, Arizona Revised Statutes, temporary appointment, civic duty, family court, professional personnel, parenting time, legal decision-making, evidentiary hearings, child custody, ethical standards, capital punishment, death penalty