Transcript Highlights:

• I would assume about the size of that flag there, pretty much a standard one.
• So what are those goals or standards?
• The European standards on unions and collective bargaining, health care and disease prevention, children's
• Businesses that fail to meet these standards by their actions and reporting will face financial penalties
• by their actions and these standards by their actions and Reporting<04:57:56.200><c> will</c><04:57:

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> that it is a lower standard, that it is a lower standard, but<00:26:34.320><c> it</c><00:26:34.559
• Uh, that's the standard that you use.
• Uh, that's the standard that you use.
• Uh, that's the standard that you use.
• Uh, that's the standard that you use.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I led with the language that the objective of the bill is to maintain the standards that we have here
• </c> states don't have our high standards states don't have our high standards there's<00:14:05.000><
• standards and that's important<00:14:22.040><c> to</c><00:14:22.199><c> us</c><00:14:22.600><c> it's
• We heard those concerns relative to Minnesota standards, and that's a whole other conversation, maybe
• </c><00:51:35.200><c> and</c> uh Minnesota standards and uh Minnesota standards and um<00:51:37.760><

Bills: HF8, HF1416

Keywords: wetlands, environmental review, permitting efficiency, Pollution Control Agency, construction permits, environmental impact statements, local government, business regulation, environmental assessments, HF1416, relocation grants, economic development, business relocation, site selection, business incentives, grant extension, appropriation extension, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, request for proposals

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:19:51.120><c> that</c> fundamental accounting standard that fundamental accounting standard that
• </c><00:38:22.480><c> to</c> allow us to comply with P standards to allow us to comply with P standards
• :37.760><c> we</c><02:27:38.000><c> have</c> historical standard that we have historical standard that
• The Police Standards and Training Council regulates the hiring, educational, and certification standards
• </c> under police standards and training. under police standards and training.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It will produce right at drinking water level standards for that.
• It will produce right at drinking water<00:11:24.320><c> level</c><00:11:24.640><c> standards</c><00:
• </c><00:11:25.440><c> It's</c> water level standards for that. It's water level standards for that.
• I think the quality and the standards that I think our citizens would expect out of these public services
• I think the quality and the standards that our citizens would expect out of these public services like

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• maintenance of fire-hardening, hardened building materials, as long as they meet health and safety standards
• when adopting rules for factory-built housing and commercial structures, certain national consensus standards
• This is a good little bill modernizes existing street standards and frontage requirements to create more
• This bill would ensure that sheriffs be held to the same standards of accountability as line officers
• and provides for a process when they fail to meet those standards for them to be replaced.

Summary: The Senate Rules Committee met to place a large package of bills on the floor calendar, along with several individual measures. The package poll was advanced with bipartisan support, though Senator Braun noted some bills would face debate on the floor. Most motions were approved without objection, and the committee repeatedly advanced housing, education, health care, transportation, labor, public safety, and administrative measures. Among the bills discussed were proposals on housing supply and permitting efficiency, including measures affecting residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones, peer review fees for housing applications, and factory-built housing standards. Other bills addressed wildfire-resistant building materials, disabled placard renewal periods, preschool access for military families, insurance fraud penalties, higher education support for student parents, affordable health coverage, rural hospital reimbursement and critical access status, and collective bargaining in agriculture. Several members voiced support for bills they described as bipartisan or practical, while some opposition was raised to measures involving sheriffs’ accountability, immigration-related protections, and agricultural labor issues. A few bills drew more substantive debate. Senate Bill 5974, concerning sheriff accountability and replacement standards, advanced despite Senator Short’s objection that sheriffs are locally elected and should not be subject to state replacement procedures. Senate Bill 6045, which would create a framework for agricultural collective bargaining, was opposed by Senators King and Mazzol, but after a division vote it advanced 10-6. The committee also advanced measures recognizing Diwali, protecting privacy in government records, limiting immigration enforcement access in certain public spaces, and establishing a public-private P-20W partnership account. The meeting concluded after all listed measures were advanced and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And finally, it requires AHCA to adopt rules for minimum standards for pediatric care...
• And finally, it requires AHCA to adopt rules for minimum standards for pediatric care in our emergency
• requirement for background screening of visitors in these homes, but allows for a more prudent parenting standard
• requirement for background screening of visitors in these homes, but allows for a more prudent parenting standard
• It tasks the Florida Department of Health with developing standardized educational materials on drowning

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services heard public comment on several health and human services funding concerns before moving through a series of bills. Testimony at the start focused on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, with a client warning that proposed changes to eligibility and drug access could disrupt care for thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS, and urging the Legislature to intervene. Another speaker asked for support for the iBudget waiver, saying provider costs have risen and requesting about a 7% increase for direct support professionals to help stabilize the developmental disabilities workforce. The committee then unanimously reported favorably several bills. SB 428 expanded Florida’s swim lesson voucher program from children ages 0-4 to ages 1-7, based on drowning-prevention recommendations. SB 68 required hospitals with emergency departments to adopt pediatric emergency care policies, training, equipment standards, and readiness assessments; an amendment aligned reporting dates with the House version. SB 1718 changed the definition of when an adult visitor in an out-of-home placement becomes a non-visitor, reducing repeated background checks, made the Step Into Success pilot permanent, adjusted foster youth stipends, and created a best-practices program within the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. The committee also approved SB 606, which adds drowning-prevention and safe-bathing education to postpartum materials provided to new parents and requires hospitals and birthing centers to document compliance; members highlighted bathtub drownings as a key concern. SB 96 expanded eligibility for the Veterans Dental Care Grant Program to veterans up to 400% of the federal poverty level, while an amendment removed the bill’s specific appropriation so funding can be handled in the budget process. SB 340 required nursing students to complete a two-hour human trafficking course before taking the NCLEX. SB 1480 created a grandfathering process for certain health care providers in federally designated areas of critical need if an area is de-designated, to avoid disrupting patient-provider relationships. All bills were reported favorably, and the committee adjourned at the end of the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I did move that to 2% here so that everything is standardized when we lend from the Bank of North
• And so I did move that to 2% here so that everything is standardized when we lend from the Bank of North
• They like the standardization, but I don't want to speak for them.
• Chairman and Senator Davidson, I appreciate the discussion regarding standardization, but why not standardize
• But why not standardize it to 1% like the hospitals have had versus having the nursing homes 2% and moving

Bills: SB2225, HB1619

Keywords: housing, affordable housing, community development, infrastructure improvement, funding grants, long-term care, infrastructure loan, nursing facilities, financial assistance, North Dakota Century Code, 908, all

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met to clear several remaining bills and discussed scheduling around upcoming conference committees. The chair noted that full committee meetings would likely be held after floor session, while Thursday and Friday mornings were being reserved for conference committees. Members also discussed how conference committees would be scheduled and where they would appear on their dashboards. The committee first took up House Bill 1577, relating to wastewater facility grants. Amendments were adopted to create a loan/line-of-credit mechanism through the Bank of North Dakota and the Department of Environmental Quality to keep two canceled federal BRIC-funded projects moving: a lagoon project in Fezenden and a wastewater treatment project in Lincoln. Members emphasized the language was intended to apply only to those projects and to preserve the possibility of federal reimbursement later. The amendment passed 16-0, and the bill as amended received a 15-1 do pass recommendation. The committee then reconsidered House Bill 1009 and adopted an additional amendment transferring the remaining balance in the bioscience innovation grant fund to the general fund, rather than issuing another round of grants. That amendment passed 16-0, and the bill as amended also received a 16-0 do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 1619, creating a long-term care facility loan fund and adjusting an existing medical facility loan program. After discussion, members amended the bill to reduce the long-term care fund cap to $10 million per project, set the interest rate at 2%, extend repayment to 30 years, and align the medical facility loan program to 2% with a 30-year term. The amendment passed 14-2, and the bill as amended received a 16-0 do pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 480 meets those standards.
• </c> SB480 meets those standards. SB480 meets those standards.
• </c><02:32:20.000><c> of</c> we're trying to set up a standard of we're trying to set up a standard of
• </c><02:34:32.240><c> of</c> it's about enforcing the standards of it's about enforcing the standards
• </c><02:41:33.439><c> It's</c> standards of medical practice. It's standards of medical practice.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And state oversight and inspection authority to ensure proper accountability with all new standards.
• ACA's accreditation standards focus on health, safety, and risk management, and are used as benchmarks
• I imagine the concepts in this bill would be supported through an ACA kind of standard.
• If gaps between panels are the concern, regulate the construction standards. Fix the doors.
• I would say this is setting a standard.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Were they a qualified bidder through your standards?
• HB 2781 builds on a standard that is already recognized as a responsible policy in Arizona.
• .standards, and their construction and installation already follow regulations.
• and other fiduciary standards. ...because they would be held to compliance standards and they would
• be held to other fiduciary standards.

Bills: HB2150, HB2262, HB2267, HB2268, HB2351, HB2425, HB2426, HB2427, HB2755, HB2781, HB2913, HB2943, HB2956, HB2975, HB2985, HB4009

Keywords: state land department, mineral lease, renewals, indexed royalties, land use planning, auditor general, five-year plans, geospatial data, Arizona Geological Survey, resource analysis, geographic information systems, wildlife protection, public nuisance, renewable energy, wind farm, solar farm, residential property, public health, local regulations, state land

Transcript Highlights:

• One is for the safe storage of reactive mine waste, and the other is for a site-specific standard for
• for sulfites these two specific standard for sulfites these two important<00:02:44.200><c> Provisions
• worked on for a long time a site been worked on for a long time a site specific<00:02:56.400><c> standard
• to be able to work with a company and find a standard that works.
• that works um and a suide standard that works um and that's<00:03:16.319><c> the</c><00:03:16.560><c

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 3030 was taken up for discussion and amended with the A1 author’s amendment before moving forward. The bill was presented as an Iron Range package with three parts: a 26-week unemployment insurance extension for workers laid off by Cleveland-Cliffs, and two mining-related provisions dealing with safe storage of reactive mine waste and a site-specific sulfite standard. The authors said the bill was intended both to help laid-off workers immediately and to support the long-term future of mining jobs in the region. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive of the unemployment extension and the broader goal of preserving Iron Range jobs and communities. Representatives of affected workers, union leaders, a county commissioner, a tribal elder, and RAMS all described the layoffs as potentially long-term and warned of broader economic harm to families, local businesses, schools, and the region if mining jobs continue to decline. Several testifiers emphasized that mining is central to the Iron Range economy and argued that the bill would give workers time and hope while also helping keep people in the region. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency testified that it generally supported the bill’s intent but raised concerns about the environmental rulemaking language in Article 2, Section 2. MPCA said the provision would amount to a new major rulemaking, would require significant time and resources, and should be reviewed by the Environment, Natural Resources, Finance and Policy Committee. During member questions, one legislator said there was strong support for the UI extension in Article 1 but expressed concern about the environmental issues in Article 2 and asked why those provisions were not being reviewed by the environment committee. The meeting ended with public testimony closed and member questions beginning; no final vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members of ASWB provide the infrastructure, but standards are driven by practitioners.
• The compact sets uniform standards for social workers seeking licensure.
• This has been the standard in parts of the world for generations.
• One of the biggest barriers is the standardized test.
• The standardized test itself released data showing that Black... Accommodations are offered.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education heard testimony on a broad set of bills focused on making public higher education more affordable and accessible, protecting student information, and changing social work licensure rules. Chair Rogers and Senator Comerford opened by emphasizing the committee’s focus on financial aid, tuition and fee waivers, scholarships, admissions, and institutional changes, and they reminded witnesses about the three-minute testimony limit. No votes were taken during the hearing. A large portion of the hearing centered on the “Super Act” (H. 1423/S. 218), which would eliminate the master’s-level social work licensing exam and create grant support for social work internships. Supporters—including students, practitioners, educators, and advocates—argued that unpaid internships and the exam create financial barriers, worsen workforce shortages, and disproportionately affect Black, brown, older, ESL, and other marginalized candidates. Opponents from the Association of Social Work Boards argued the exam is a necessary public-protection standard, helps maintain uniform licensure, and is important to the social work licensure compact; they said workforce shortages should be addressed through pay, working conditions, and caseloads instead. Committee members asked detailed questions about compact participation, exam accommodations, and how other states such as Rhode Island and Connecticut have handled similar changes. The committee also heard extensive testimony in favor of debt-free public higher education bills (H. 1436/S. 929). Witnesses, including students, faculty, advocates, and Senator Eldridge, said Massachusetts should expand on free community college by covering tuition and mandatory fees at public colleges and universities, with additional aid for living costs for lower-income students. Supporters said student debt delays homeownership, family formation, and career entry, and that the state should use Fair Share revenue to invest in public higher education. Some committee members voiced support but also raised concerns about prioritizing K-12 funding and the cost of expanding free college further. Several witnesses also supported bills to extend tuition and fee waivers to young adults raised by grandparents or other kinship guardians outside the DCF system, arguing that these students face the same trauma and financial barriers as foster youth but do not receive the same benefits. Representative Donato, Joseph O’Leary, Shauna Manning, Sandra Vecchio, Karen Gardner, Judy Walter, Elaine Arsenault, and others described the financial strain on grandparents raising grandchildren and urged parity with DCF-related waivers. In addition, Senator Jake Oliveira testified for a bill to protect public higher education student directory information from data mining and unauthorized sharing, and Deirdre Cummings testified for an open educational resources bill to reduce textbook costs. The hearing concluded with continued testimony on kinship care and college access, with committee members thanking witnesses and indicating follow-up on some bill language issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• Relieving IOU liabilities will decrease safety standards, not increase them.
• But one of our recommendations is to establish a standard that allows... ...establish a standard that
• Standards do get better. SDG&E did it.
• So it's what defines having met the highest safety standards. Yes. It's like...
• It's what defines having met the highest safety standards. Yes.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held a hearing on the California Earthquake Authority’s SB 254 report and broader options for reforming California’s utility wildfire recovery system. The chair framed the discussion around the Palisades and Eaton fires, the scale of wildfire-related costs on utility bills, and the need to weigh trade-offs among survivors, ratepayers, utilities, insurers, and taxpayers. The first panel featured wildfire survivors William Abrams and Joy Chen, who described long delays in compensation, housing insecurity, and what they viewed as a system that protects utility shareholders more than victims. They urged greater transparency, clearer accountability for utility spending and safety performance, faster and fuller compensation for survivors, and reforms such as independent audits and better alignment of utility incentives with wildfire prevention and restitution. The second panel began with Tom Welsh of the California Earthquake Authority, who explained that the SB 254 report was intended as a broad inventory of policy pathways rather than recommendations. He described the report’s process, including stakeholder submissions, workstreams, and a convergence process, and outlined the current wildfire fund structure: utilities remain liable, the fund reimburses eligible claims after a covered wildfire, and the CPUC later determines prudency and possible reimbursement back to the fund. RAND’s Lloyd Dixon summarized compensation data, saying utilities paid about $38 billion between 2017 and 2024, with major shares going to injured parties, insurers, and public entities, while litigation costs and survivors’ own losses remain substantial. He noted that legal fees and delays reduce the amount survivors ultimately receive. Utility and public-interest witnesses offered differing views on the report’s pathways. PG&E’s Tyson Smith said the report shows inaction is the worst outcome and argued for community wildfire risk reduction, equitable allocation of catastrophe costs, and state-led resilience tools. LADWP’s Fernando Valero emphasized the vulnerability of municipal utilities and cities, and supported inverse condemnation reform, a state-sponsored liability insurance framework, damages and subrogation limits, and stronger insurance access. Consumer Attorneys of California’s John Fisk argued that IOU-caused fires are not natural disasters but the result of negligence and sometimes criminal conduct, and opposed reducing utility liability while supporting stronger oversight and audits. The Public Advocates Office’s Nathaniel Skinner focused on affordability, saying ratepayers already bear large and growing wildfire costs and warning against shifting more costs onto bills without measurable risk reduction and tighter accountability. Committee members then began questioning witnesses about what counts as measurable mitigation, how to define full and fair compensation, and how any fast-pay process should work.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the standards of Public Law 92-544. the standards of Public Law 92-544.
• So, I believe it's up to your<00:54:39.120><c> standard.</c> your standard. your standard.
• It divides the two standards into two clauses.
• </c><00:56:31.400><c> This</c> the two standards into two clauses.
• This the two standards into two clauses.

Bills: HF4371, HF4317, HF2817, HF3496, HF4151, HF3826, HF4425, HF3990

Keywords: HF4371, Minnesota background checks, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, BCA, Office of the Legislative Auditor, Legislative Auditor, criminal history records, national criminal history record information, public safety, statutory amendment, section 299C.76, requesting agency, state audit, oversight, background screening, criminal records, county agencies, MNsure, Department of Revenue, Department of Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Number two is why are the different than the standards? Why is the manufacturer time different?
• standard rate, but a customer pay job on that same level would pay roughly 23 to 24 hours.
• Then we will go into standard testimony of two minutes each.
• Then we will go into standard testimony of two minutes each.
• Okay, we'll go into standard testimony. We're going to go in two minutes.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But there's a preponderance of flea and tick medicine being—are you seeing that as standard?
• This is embodied in HB 2920 already in the House and ensures consistent standards.
• We have to abide by the accreditation standards as well, which would include our dental clinic.
• So this is not about standards for development. It's not about impact fees.
• It's not about municipal And so this is not about standards for development.

Summary: The Committee on Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency approved the February 11, 2026 minutes and then heard several bills. SB 1668, dealing with funeral and disposition timelines and related requirements for unborn children and minors, drew emotional testimony from funeral industry representatives and a parent about burdensome deadlines and problems obtaining signatures from an ex-partner; it also drew opposition over language referencing abortion clinics and reproductive freedom. The committee adopted a due-pass recommendation on a 4-3 vote. SB 1286, on veterinary telemedicine prescription limits, was amended to shorten non-antimicrobial prescriptions to 30 days and allow antimicrobial prescriptions for up to 14 days without an in-person exam; veterinarians and industry representatives were neutral with caution or supportive, while opponents warned about overprescribing and inadequate diagnosis. The amended bill passed 4-3. The committee then passed SB 1235, joining the emergency services personnel licensure interstate compact, on a 7-0 vote, with the sponsor describing it as a reciprocity measure for EMTs and paramedics. SB 1446, which changes dialysis social worker documentation from monthly to quarterly to match federal and most state practice, also passed unanimously after support from DaVita. SB 1515, an Industrial Commission cleanup bill that renames positions, removes obsolete private employment office oversight language, and shifts publication of fee schedules online, was amended and passed 7-0. SB 1678, concerning documentation and oversight in health care institutions and group homes for vulnerable adults, was amended to remove a patient-form requirement and instead require DHS investigation when EMS personnel complain that a DNR was not provided; providers moved to neutral or support after the amendment, and the bill passed 6-0 with one not voting. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1747, which would require social media platforms to terminate accounts for minors under 14 and certain 14- and 15-year-olds without parental consent and impose age-verification and harmful-content restrictions. Opponents from NetChoice, TechNet, and Meta raised privacy, security, and constitutional concerns and argued for app-store-based parental controls instead, while a parents’ advocate supported the bill as a starting point for child safety. The transcript ends during that hearing without a final committee action on SB 1747.

Transcript Highlights:

• Anything in those standards is approved.
• DEQ has a set of construction standards for municipal water and wastewater facilities.
• Anything in those standards is approved.
• And their engineer to evaluate and install for things that are not in those standards.
• so that it becomes a standard approved, no need for additional conversations.

Summary: The meeting focused on the use of biosolids on farm and ranch land, with testimony from Oklahoma State University experts, a conservation official, and an engineering representative about the benefits, risks, and regulatory implications. Dr. Lusk described OSU’s long history of soil fertility research and said biosolids can provide nutrients and organic matter, but also may carry contaminants such as PFAS, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and pathogens. He emphasized that many questions remain unanswered, especially about contaminant uptake into soil, crops, livestock, and humans, and said existing EPA and Oklahoma DEQ regulations address some treatment and application standards but may not fully cover PFAS. Dr. Arnell expanded on nutrient management, explaining that biosolids can function similarly to manure as a fertilizer source, especially for nitrogen and phosphorus, but should be tested, incorporated into soil, and applied under permit conditions to reduce runoff and other losses. He said PFAS testing methods are not yet standardized and that more research is needed to determine sampling protocols, movement in soil, and long-term effects. Committee members asked whether farmers and ranchers should be notified of risks, whether PFAS is currently tested, how many counties use biosolids, and what research would be needed for a dissertation-level study. The witnesses generally agreed that landowners should be informed of known risks and uncertainties, but said the science is still developing. Dr. Arnell said a unified testing method is needed before reliable PFAS monitoring can be done, and suggested that a multi-year study would be required to understand soil movement, crop uptake, and livestock impacts. Greg Scott of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission framed the issue as a waste-management problem, noting that human waste streams contain contaminants and that soil type affects how pollutants move; he said sandy soils pose greater movement risks than clay soils and that current best practice is incorporation, careful timing, and avoiding steep or sensitive sites. He also said PFAS are widespread and not naturally occurring in the way some other compounds are, and that liability and cleanup costs are major concerns. Mary Elizabeth Mock of Garver Engineering focused on the practical and financial consequences of a possible moratorium on land application, saying most of Oklahoma’s biosolids are currently land applied and would otherwise have to go to landfills. She warned that many landfills are nearing capacity, tipping fees could rise sharply, and cities such as Tulsa and Norman could face large increases in disposal costs, which would ultimately be borne by ratepayers and taxpayers. She also said septic system maintenance costs could rise if land application options shrink, potentially leading to deferred maintenance and system failures. Mock urged a tiered, data-driven approach to PFAS regulation and said advanced treatment technologies may help in the future, but they are still emerging and expensive. No votes were taken; the session consisted of presentations and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that definition different from the national standard?
• This is very similar to the national standard.
• When you did standardized testing, those numbers kind of held the same.
• Some of them even went down in standardized testing.
• So, you're right, it's important to have a standardized assessment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The interpretation is the standard of what we see other people in the same practice go through.
• And that's the standard for training a nurse. What is the standard?
• </c><00:47:45.520><c> for</c> at what we considered a standard for at what we considered a standard for
• <00:47:58.880><c> training</c><00:47:59.200><c> a</c> that's the standard for training a that's the standard
• What is the standard? Where do we nurse. What is the standard?

Keywords: 1183, house