Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:04:15.480><c> and</c><01:04:15.640><c> paying</c><01:04:15.880><c> our</c> $100,000 grain Bond
• and paying our $100,000 grain Bond and paying our accountant<01:04:16.680><c> supplies</c><01:04:17.359
• MDA staff alone bearing the a limited MDA staff alone bearing the responsibility<01:10:36.400><c> to
• Essentially, this bill proposes we go back to the way things were, but this time bonding companies, with
• </c><01:11:48.639><c> companies</c> were but this time bonding companies were but this time bonding companies

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first being the bond capacity, the second being surplus funds from last year.
• So right now, the HB 2 bond capacity this year is $574 million.
• It has to go through the bond commission because there's already commitment in the bonding capacity for
• Right now, the state, we have 75% of bond capacity goes to state projects, 25...
• Right now, the state, we have 75% of bond capacity goes to state projects, 25.

Bills: HB2

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: capital outlay, budget, infrastructure, appropriation, general obligation bonds, 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I came to think of it as bonding.
• </c> um would come in and ask for bonding um would come in and ask for bonding projects<00:28:18.240>
• My favorite Mary Murphy speech was one I think she did in favor of a bonding bill.
• She said, "We cannot just build a vanilla bonding bill.
• We need to have some flavor to the bonding bill."

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• They do have some limited ability.
• </c><00:32:40.720><c> ability</c><00:32:41.720><c> um</c><00:32:41.880><c> for</c> have some limited
• Customers are paying 20% to 30% higher per month, and so we're seeking the fund as a way to limit the
• We're going to remove the caps on aggregate liability.
• We're going to remove the caps on aggregate liability.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Senate hearing focused primarily on SB 1201, a wildfire measure that would create a wildfire recovery fund and allow securitization for electric utilities. Hawaiian Electric strongly supported the bill, saying it would help protect customers, property owners, insurers, and the broader economy from future catastrophic wildfire liability while improving the utility’s credit profile and lowering financing costs. Support also came from DCCA Consumer Advocacy, the Attorney General’s office on written comments, Ulupono Initiative, Clearway Energy Group, IBEW Local 1260, Par Hawaii, KIUC, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi, Plus Power, and numerous organizations and individuals. Opponents or commenters raised concerns about the liability cap, victim compensation process, and fund structure, including the Hawaiʻi Association for Justice, the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters, and the Hawaiʻi Insurance Council; Henry Curtis of Life of the Land supported the concept of a fund but questioned the catastrophe threshold and whether the fund would be empty without a prudency finding. Much of the discussion centered on whether the proposed fund would actually help restore Hawaiian Electric to investment grade, with senators comparing the proposal to California’s wildfire fund. Hawaiian Electric said the bill was only one part of a broader process, alongside physical risk reduction and settlement finalization, and argued that without the bill the utility would not regain investment grade. Senators also questioned the proposed $1 billion fund size, the fairness of ratepayer contributions versus shareholder contributions, and whether customers should pay for consulting and administrative costs; Hawaiian Electric said its proposed amendment would remove those consulting-related charges. The company also said the fund would accrue interest and, if unused, could be returned to customers, and that there would be replenishment and supplemental contribution mechanisms if the fund were exhausted. The Attorney General’s office said it still had further amendments to discuss, and the departments had not yet resolved where the fund should reside administratively, though Hawaiian Electric said it believed DCCA was the appropriate place but was open to alternatives. KIUC requested two amendments. No vote or final committee action was taken during the hearing, and the measure remained under discussion with questions and proposed amendments still outstanding.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, this limits the payment withholds to 60 days and then that allows for some judicial oversight so
• It talks about surety bonds, and, Madam Chair, that area needs some work as well, but I don't have an
• The surety bonds is something with that you'll see work on. >> Any questions? >> I'm seeing none.
• It talks about surety bonds, and, Madam Chair, that area needs some work as well, but I don't have an
• ,</c><00:44:10.240><c> and</c> uh it talks about surety bonds, and uh it talks about surety bonds, and

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• short time this presentation has to be and where we are at the end of session, I've asked that we limit
• I've asked that we limit that, but we could have easily had a thousand people call today, right?
• But no university should have their students trauma-bonded because of gun violence.
• Seeing no one on... ...students' trauma-bonded because of gun violence.
• In other words, nothing is off limits.

Bills: SB156

Committee: Assembly Government Affairs

Keywords: gun violence, firearm safety, special counsel, data collection, community initiatives, grants, Attorney General, public safety, suicide prevention, 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Center revenue bonds 2016 series A in Center revenue bonds 2016 series A in accordance<00:48:32.319><
• </c> refunding of of an existing bond. refunding of of an existing bond.
• and then tendering bonds as well to try and get holders, investors of those bonds to tender them back
• and then tendering bonds as well to try and get holders, investors of those bonds to tender them back
• and then we resell them tax-exempt bonds.

Keywords: 00:02 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:45 Approval of Minutes 01:01 Information Items 06:25 Project Rpt from Postsecondary Institutions-KCTCS 10:50 Project Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 18:08 Lease Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 27:12 Rpt from OFM – KY Infrastructure Authority 33:56 Rpt from OFM – CED EDF Grants 47:20 Rpt from OFM – Office of Financial Mgmt 56:53 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including approval of the February meeting minutes and several information items. Those items covered university equipment purchases, school district and transportation-related debt issuances, Northern Kentucky University’s planned construction-manager/general-contractor delivery method for the medical examiner/crime lab relocation project, a lease-space advertisement, postsecondary asset preservation allocations, and lease-law compliance reports. Members then discussed the Northern Kentucky crime lab project in more detail; staff explained that the memorandum of agreement would cover the construction portion while the lease would cover operations, and members were told the project should move forward without procurement problems. The committee approved a Kentucky Community and Technical College System project to modify the fire academy maintenance building after the related dormitory project was set aside because of major cost overruns. KCTCS said the dormitory would be about $3 million over budget, so it would not be bid; instead, the maintenance building would be expanded to add showers and restroom/locker facilities, bringing that project from $2 million to about $3.2 million. The committee also approved a Transportation Cabinet project for the Hardin County I-65 southbound commercial motor vehicle station relocation, with members asking about the estimate, the lack of a direct prior example, and the fact that the loadometer equipment itself would be purchased separately and was not included in the construction estimate. Finance and Administration Cabinet lease items were then considered. The committee approved a Department of Public Advocacy lease in Christian County and a Transportation Cabinet vehicle regulation lease in Kenton County, both negotiated down from initial asking prices and both including utilities. Two lease modifications were reported without action: a Department of Revenue fit-up in Jefferson County and an expanded vehicle regulation lease in Adair County. Members also approved a package of Kentucky Infrastructure Authority items, including four loans and six Cleaner Water Program grant reallocations, covering sewer and water projects such as MSD’s Patty’s Run flood pumping station, Paducah-McCracken County’s wastewater treatment plant, Mount Washington’s lift station replacement, and Eminence’s wastewater plant expansion. Finally, the committee heard a batch of Kentucky Product Development Initiative economic development grants and approved the action items in one vote. The projects included due diligence and infrastructure work for industrial and site-development projects in multiple counties, with local match requirements and KEDFA approvals described for each. The committee also received three line-item water grants from House Bill 1 that required no action, and the meeting ended after the grant presentations and approvals.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> sites many times on the bonding tours. sites many times on the bonding tours.
• </c> very limited risk. very limited risk.
• </c><00:33:44.320><c> to</c> HRAs with the same 15% limitation to HRAs with the same 15% limitation to
• </c> city's direct uh reserve funds limited city's direct uh reserve funds limited to<00:37:16.400><c
• </c> is very limited. is very limited. Senator<00:38:06.680><c> Drazkowski.

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> It's not to eliminate risk or limit It's not to eliminate risk or limit lawful<01:43:59.840><c>
• </c><02:05:08.480><c> the</c> recognition that you want to limit the recognition that you want to limit
• And there’s just an upper limit.
• </c> 10 make reasonable efforts to limit 10 make reasonable efforts to limit protected<04:53:19.120><
• </c><04:59:29.360><c> protected</c> reasonable efforts to limit protected reasonable efforts to limit

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Current law requires certain state officials and employees to be bonded to ensure faithful performance
• bonding for county officials and law governing bonding for state officials.
• County official bonding requirements are separately established in Title 11.
• bonding for officials and law governing bonding for state<00:05:42.160><c> officials.
• County official bonding state officials.

Bills: SB294 , HB296 , HB300 , SB269

Committee: Senate Banking and Insurance

Keywords: public officers, bonding, risk management, notification, delinquency, consumer protection, rental home, marketplace guarantees, insurance, commissioner of insurance, healthcare, breast cancer screening, insurance coverage, deductible, copayment, emergency medical services, ambulance reimbursement, health care insurers, balance billing, provider networks

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're not only at a time when state resources are limited, but our federal government... ...when
• state resources are limited, but our federal government cannot be relied on.
• So it does absolutely limit who gets to serve, and I think it's a conversation we should be having.
• find a way to balance our budget and provide the services that we're best able to provide with the limited
• The general fund funds, has the bonding authority for school construction, and goes into the rainy day

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: Senate budget writers, led by Sen. June Robinson, rolled out the Senate operating budget and described it as a difficult supplemental budget shaped by flat revenue growth, rising maintenance costs, and uncertainty from federal actions, including H.R. 1 and tariffs. They said the proposal aims to preserve core services such as K-12 education, health care, food assistance, long-term care, housing stability, and child care while mitigating federal cuts, and they emphasized that it does not include broad-based tax increases like sales, property, or B&O tax hikes. A major focus of the discussion was how to pay for the Working Families Tax Credit and how to reduce the budget gap. Robinson said the Senate proposal uses about $750 million from the rainy day fund because additional cuts would be too severe, and she noted the statute allows that use in a slow-growth economy. Senators also discussed the Climate Commitment Act as a possible funding source for the tax credit, but said they would negotiate with the House on that issue. On child care, they said the Senate avoided the governor’s approach of capping Working Connections Child Care enrollment and creating a waitlist, instead relying more on attendance-based payment changes to reduce costs while trying to avoid destabilizing the provider network. The senators also responded to criticism from educators and Republicans. They acknowledged concerns from the Washington Education Association that schools and special education remain underfunded, but argued the state has made major progress and that Washington’s tax structure limits school funding growth because of the 1% property tax cap. They said a future “millionaires tax” could help stabilize revenue and support education and other services. In response to Republican claims of a “spending addiction,” Robinson said critics should identify specific cuts they would support, and noted Republicans had offered little support for prior budget-cutting measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• or accept bond and deal with the processing of that.
• We've had zero cases where someone has said, 'I can't get there to post bond.'
• Most of it is done... ...cases where someone has said, 'I can't get there to post bond.'
• , and most high cash bond is going to go away, so that's not going to be... ...bond just virtually, and
• it may not be able to deal with high cash bond.

Bills: HB372 , HB414

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: HB372, Justice of the Peace Court, Delaware courts, Title 10, court administration, judicial staffing, county courts, Kent County, New Castle County, Sussex County, Wilmington, 24-hour hearings, court locations, court hours, magistrate court, access to justice, court consolidation, Delaware General Assembly, destructive weapon, possessing a destructive weapon

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee met and heard three bills. HB 372 would reorganize Justice of the Peace Court resources by shifting the number of judges and court locations among counties, consolidating overnight operations into a single 24-hour court in Kent County, and adjusting staffing to address workload and efficiency concerns. Chief Judge Alan Davis said the change responds to increased civil filings, automated enforcement, and staffing shortages, and that a Sussex County pilot closing a 24-hour facility had worked without major issues. Some members raised concerns about impacts on Sussex and Kent County, bail processing, and local response times, while public comment included one supporter. The committee voted to release HB 372. The committee then considered SB 324, which amends Delaware’s permit-to-purchase law to allow constable agencies, including those serving institutions like Delaware Tech, to purchase handguns for newly hired constables without duplicative background checks. Sponsor Representative Cook said the bill aligns constable procurement with existing law-enforcement exemptions while preserving gun-safety requirements. Public testimony included support from Delaware Tech and comments urging broader fixes to the permit-to-purchase law, including exemptions for retired officers with federal 218 credentials and clarification on firearms returned from manufacturers, gunsmiths, or police departments. The committee voted to release SB 324. Finally, the committee heard HB 414, which clarifies that the Superior Court’s exclusive jurisdiction over certain destructive-weapon offenses applies only to adults, while juvenile cases would still begin in Family Court. Sponsor Representative Romer said the bill preserves the Family Court’s role in handling youth cases and allows referral to Superior Court when appropriate. The Department of Justice said it still believes Superior Court is the proper venue for these serious charges, while the Office of Defense Services supported keeping youth cases in Family Court first, arguing that rehabilitation and juvenile-specific dispositions are more appropriate. After public comment, the committee voted to release HB 414, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. ...allowable limits of 0.3%, even when they're acting in good faith.
• So this bill again does not change anything as far as legal limits of industrial hemp.
• The limits still remain 0.3%.
• bonds.
• It also limits the time of year they can do that.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, received committee reports, and moved through messages from the House and first- and second-reading business before taking up a long series of third-reading bills. Early action included referral of Senate Bill 1449 on elections petitions and signature gatherers, and passage of several measures on cooperative purchasing, industrial hemp, community infrastructure districts, parental school choice tax credit clarifications, open meetings recording rights, an advisory question on an official state gun, water skiing rules, and data center water use. The chamber also returned House Bill 888 to committee after concerns were raised about procurement transparency and possible conflict with another procurement bill passed the prior day. Several bills drew extended debate. Senate Bill 1424, which would have expanded dealer protections against direct manufacturer vehicle sales and grandfathered existing operations, failed on a 11-24 vote after opponents called it protectionist and argued it would limit consumer choice. Senate Bill 1436, clarifying cooperative and group discount purchasing for state procurement, passed after supporters said it would allow agencies to use competitive bids more effectively and avoid litigation. House Bill 772 and House Bill 879, both relating to industrial hemp, passed with supporters stressing they were clarifications for grain/fiber hemp and consumable hemp products, while opponents worried about THC and regulatory scope. House Bill 926, allowing counties to form community infrastructure districts in unincorporated areas, passed despite objections that it would accelerate development and increase property tax burdens. House Bill 934, making technical changes to the parental school choice tax credit, passed after a lengthy debate over whether students using the credit should still participate in public school extracurriculars; supporters said the bill clarified original intent, while opponents called it a double dip. House Bill 894, protecting the public’s right to record open meetings, passed overwhelmingly. House Bill 932, placing an advisory question on the ballot for an official state gun, also passed after a spirited historical discussion of firearms. House Bill 887, creating a limited exception for early-morning water skiing outside designated courses, passed by unanimous-consent roll call. The final bill discussed in the excerpt, House Bill 895 on data center cooling and water use, was introduced with a warning that consumptive water use by large data centers could strain Idaho’s aquifer and should be limited to closed-loop systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• When a school board decides to end a superintendent's contract, there are currently no limits on the
• Texas state law currently upholds sovereign immunity for school districts and limits liability primarily
• prescribed and the tort Have you thought about using the limits prescribed in the Tort Claim Act for
• The bill does limit the damage to $500,000 per occurrence, plus court and reasonable lawyer fees.
• He was arrested in October of 2024, and he was indicted, and he's out on bond currently.

Bills: HB4 , HB20

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2853, which would allow the UT System Board of Regents to adjust the University of Texas at El Paso student union fee above the current statutory cap, subject to student approval, to help fund a new student union building. Senator Blanco explained the bill and the committee substitute, there were no questions or witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending subject to the call of the chair. The committee then heard House Bill 610, which would limit severance payments for terminated independent school district superintendents to six months’ salary and benefits. Senator Paxton described large severance payouts and said the bill had passed the House overwhelmingly. There were no witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the bill was left pending. A lengthy hearing followed on House Bill 4623, which would waive school district immunity in certain cases involving negligent hiring, supervision, or employment of professional school employees who commit abuse or related misconduct against students. Senator Paxton and several witnesses, including survivors and parents, argued the bill was needed to address cover-ups, delayed reporting, and repeated failures to remove dangerous employees; some members raised concerns about liability caps, litigation, and how the bill would interact with the Tort Claims Act. The committee also heard from TEA staff and employee-group witnesses who discussed possible injunctions and stronger no-hire protections. Public testimony was then closed and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 4, an accountability and assessment bill that would restore A-F ratings, change the state testing system, and replace STAAR with shorter, more instructionally useful assessments. Senator Bettencourt explained the committee substitute, including annual ratings, limits on taxpayer-funded lawsuits, and a phased-in testing redesign with beginning, middle, and end-of-year assessments. Testimony was generally supportive from education and business groups, though some witnesses favored norm-referenced testing while others emphasized criterion-referenced, TEKS-aligned assessments; one witness noted social studies assessments were restored in the bill. The hearing concluded with additional invited testimony and no final vote reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• opioid use disorder if the patient is transitioning from a full opioid agonist to buprenorphine, limited
• to</c><00:04:26.479><c> a</c><00:04:26.639><c> period</c><00:04:26.960><c> of</c> to buprenorphine limited
• to a period of to buprenorphine limited to a period of no<00:04:27.440><c> longer</c><00:04:27.840><
• . the KCTCS Board of Regents elects to the KCTCS Board of Regents elects to issue<01:27:04.400><c> bonds
• in accordance with KRS 164A issue bonds in accordance with KRS 164A 605. 605. 605.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee met on October 14, approved the minutes, and then took up a large group of staff-suggested amendments to multiple regulations. Those staff amendments were approved without objection and were described as technical changes needed to comply with KRS Chapter 13A and other governing law. The committee then moved out of order to consider Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure regulation 2011 KAR 9:270, which governs buprenorphine prescribing and related standards. Board representatives said the regulation has been updated over time since 2015 and that the current amendments are intended to streamline the rule, remove outdated federal references such as the X-waiver, narrow education requirements to addiction-related topics, and create exceptions for settings like emergency rooms and certain pain treatment situations. The agency amendment would also allow buprenorphine monoproduct for up to 30 days when a patient is transitioning from a full opioid agonist, and would add physicians certified in addiction medicine as eligible specialty consultants. Board officials said the regulation was developed through a two-year process with a work group, informal outreach to medical organizations, and multiple comment periods, and they argued the rule is working because overdose deaths have declined and provider numbers have increased. Several witnesses and committee members raised concerns that the regulation remains too restrictive. Senator Rocky Adams noted that major medical organizations had said the proposed language could restrict access and worsen overdose risk, and he questioned whether the committee was being asked to choose between conflicting expert views. Opponents, including a medical student, a recovery advocate, and Dr. Colleen Ryan of the Kentucky Society of Addiction Medicine, argued the rule is outdated, creates unnecessary barriers to buprenorphine treatment, and should be repealed or substantially revised to align with federal guidance and evidence-based care. They said rigid requirements can discourage treatment and that addiction should be treated like other chronic illnesses. No final vote on the medical licensure regulation is reflected in the transcript excerpt, and the discussion ended with the chair preparing to hear from additional opponents.

Transcript Highlights:

• But given that we have the limited amount of time and lots of items and we always run all the way up
• This includes 10 limited-term positions to support the accelerator, further implement the requirements
• So the way that the transmission accelerator would work is that we're limited to just looking at the
• is likely to be limited term.
• is likely to be limited term. and then we also think that of the workload is likely to be limited term

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• means I may need a different kind of support and a fair opportunity when employers focus only on limitations
• Tyler Bond, so I came in with a script, and I'll go off it, but I'm gonna go a little bit off My name
• is Tyler Bonds, a graduate of Partners and Policy Making.
• Do we see any unintended consequences of limiting opportunities if we are closing those workshops?
• So there may be limited opportunities, and there are also individuals that will not feel like they immediately

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• department is balancing the tremendous growth of the ESA program, 100,000 students, while simultaneously limiting
• The number two thing we have to do is have some incentives for administrators to support the bond discipline
• I have a... ...have some incentives for administrators to support the bond discipline.
• Okay, um, Bobby Bravo, gosh, this is a serious... and we're gonna now limit the comments to two minutes
• The bill undermines administrators by limiting their professional judgment and ignores a reality that

Bills: SB1074 , SB1327 , SB1475 , SB1582 , SB1583 , SB1598

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: student discipline, classroom management, temporary removal, administrative action, education policy, foreign relations, university governance, research security, international agreements, Arizona Board of Regents, interscholastic activities, student eligibility, criminal offenses, school district, youth sports, academic participation, conduct, planned communities, homeowners association, HOA

Transcript Highlights:

• off those treasury bonds, I guess.
• This limits the employee section 310.
• ,</c><02:41:57.359><c> you</c> you can't afford to put a bond, you you can't afford to put a bond, you
• ><c> and</c> limited, corrective, declaratory, and limited, corrective, declaratory, and injunctive<02
• </c> limited, and the goal is accountability. limited, and the goal is accountability.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• With House Bill 1369, all operators had to pay $25,000 surety bond, no matter if they had one well or
• What we found is the surety bonds cost maybe 2 or 3% of the value of the bond.
• But, what the issue is, some of these smaller operators couldn't get a bond due to financial reasons,
• So, what we're trying to do is phase that in because we also know it's important to have higher bonds
• When it says the election, what it means is they're a bond election.

Committee: House Energy

Keywords: 914, all