Transcript Highlights:

• If you'd please read that in, Teresa. Mr.
• Okay, let's read some cards here first.
• Trissa, please read that one in. Mr.
• McGuire read into the record.
• Okay, we'll read some more cards.

Summary: The committee first voluntarily deferred House Bills 460 and 561, then took up House Bill 1101 on workers’ compensation. The sponsor said the bill would define maximum medical improvement, adjust fraud provisions, shorten temporary total disability and supplemental earnings benefit periods, and revise vocational rehabilitation rules; an amendment removed proposed age-based termination language for benefits. Business groups including LABI supported the bill as a way to reduce Louisiana’s comparatively high indemnity costs and align the state with regional norms, while injured-worker advocates and attorneys strongly opposed it, arguing it would cut benefits, shift medical and disability decisions away from treating physicians and judges, broaden fraud too far, and potentially push costs onto public programs. After debate, the committee voted to report HB 1101 with amendments. House Bill 282 was voluntarily deferred. House Bill 293, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Louisiana employment discrimination protections, drew generally supportive testimony from the sponsor and supporters, with some members raising questions about religious exemptions and federal law. The committee ultimately voted against reporting HB 293 favorably. House Bill 390, providing unpaid leave protections for domestic abuse survivors at larger employers, was presented as a tool for survivors, but the committee split 6-6 on a motion to report it favorably; the tie resulted in the bill being voluntarily deferred. The committee then heard House Bill 456, which would expand workers’ compensation petition requirements and allow employers or payers broader access to file disputed claims and seek discovery. Supporters argued employers currently lack a practical way to obtain records and challenge claims without first cutting off benefits, while opponents said the bill would revive a rejected 2012 approach, increase litigation, and undermine the no-fault workers’ compensation bargain. The discussion centered on whether the bill would preserve benefits while allowing discovery or instead encourage more disputes and penalties. The transcript ends with testimony still underway on HB 456, with no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Anyways, I ask unanimous consent that we dispense with the reading of all amendments.
• I call up Read 31. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• The first time you read the amendment is during the committee, that's on you, not on me.
• We will resume the executive session and move directly to a vote on read amendment 31.
• This bill can be read to say, hey.

Bills: SB875

Keywords: banking regulation, federal agencies, reputational risk, financial services, supervision, FIRM Act, bank supervision, depository institutions, federal banking agencies, FDIC, OCC, Federal Reserve, NCUA, CFPB, credit unions, Operation Choke Point, financial discrimination, safety and soundness, supervisory guidance, examination manual

Summary: This meeting focused on the markup of the Genius Act and the FIRM Act, two significant pieces of legislation addressing stablecoin regulation and the financial industry's regulatory framework. The Chairman noted the importance of providing clarity to the digital asset community and protecting American consumers, while also promoting innovation and competition within the financial sector. Members of both parties expressed varying viewpoints, with some highlighting concerns related to national security and the potential risks associated with stablecoins.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not unless you read the CRA from law enforcement or you read the information that the state attorney
• Thank you for reading over to tab 3 Senator Gaetz and we'll have southerly next.
• This bill would make it a third-degree felony to commit extreme animal cruelty.
• But the premise of the question that you asked is why we do read eliminating those lines.
• Yeah, I don't think that that's what the sus I don't read the same way that you read.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is my third session that I'm working on with security for the Senate. Good morning.
• It will make us a third-world state, and this piece of data from around the world.
• If you read that overburdened community definition, there it is.
• Madam Chair, we've defined them in the bill; you can read them.
• and it reads on line 17.

Transcript Highlights:

• The secretary will give Senate File 4807 its third reading.
• Third reading. Further discussion. Senator Putnam.
• The secretary will give the bill its third reading.
• Seeing none, the secretary will give the bill its third reading.
• The secretary will give Senate File 4244 its third reading.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened under a call, established a quorum, received a chaplain’s prayer and the pledge, and then proceeded through routine business. Members adopted the committee reports except those relating to Senate Concurrent Resolution 6, gave second reading to Senate File 203 and several House files, and referred Senate File 5200 to Rules and Administration. The chamber also adopted a motion to return Senate File 4390 from the general orders calendar to the Finance Committee. The main floor activity centered on a series of motions to send withdrawn executive appointments back to their originating committees under Senate Rule 8.2. Senator Putnam moved to return appointments from the Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee, including the Board of Animal Health, the Veterans Affairs commissioner, and the Rural Finance Authority. Senator Swadzinski moved a similar action for Education Policy appointments, and Senator Her did so for Environment, Climate, and Legacy appointments, including the DNR commissioner, the PCA commissioner, the Clean Water Council, and related boards. Senator Wicklund later moved to return Health and Human Services appointments, including the Children, Youth and Families commissioner, Health commissioner, VNSHUR Board, and EMS director. These motions prompted extended debate. Supporters of returning the appointments argued that the Senate has a constitutional advice-and-consent duty and that committee hearings should occur before floor consideration. Opponents, mainly Republicans, argued that sending the appointments back without floor action avoided accountability and transparency, especially in light of fraud concerns in state programs and agencies. Some authors said hearings had not yet been scheduled or that the committee process should come first; others noted at least one hearing had already occurred on a health nomination. The debate repeatedly focused on whether the Senate was fulfilling its constitutional role or delaying confirmation review. Roll-call votes were requested on the appointment motions. The Putnam, Swadzinski, Her, and Wicklund motions were each adopted by narrow 34-33 margins, returning the appointments to committee rather than leaving them on the confirmation calendar for floor action.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've never read it this way.
• We've never potentially could be read.
• Again, it's existing read it this way.
• charge it as assault in the third charge it as assault in the third degree.<01:34:25.199> Um,
• So um your read of one more for you.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2246, which would expand public financial disclosure requirements. The State Ethics Commission strongly supported the bill, saying broader disclosure could help restore public trust and potentially deter corruption, and it offered a clarifying amendment to make clear the requirement applies to board and commission members rather than all employees of listed agencies. Several organizations and individuals also testified in support. A committee member asked about the amendment, and the commission explained it was intended as a clarification rather than a substantive change. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2250, which would add homeless facilities to the locations covered by the drug-free-zone offense for promoting controlled substances. The Public Defender opposed the measure, arguing that many homeless facilities are unmarked and not easily identifiable, creating notice, fairness, and due process concerns and risking arbitrary enforcement. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office and Honolulu Police Department supported the bill, saying it targets distributors rather than users, that notice can be proven through evidence, and that the law is aimed at protecting vulnerable people in shelters and similar facilities. In questioning, senators asked how homeless facilities would be identified and whether the bill would cover all shelter models; the prosecutor said the definition is cross-referenced in statute and must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and other groups testified in opposition, while several service and advocacy groups testified in support. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2325, which would allow courts to review and potentially reduce sentences for certain juvenile offenders after 15 years if the person is not a danger to the community. Judiciary staff said the court supports the bill’s intent but noted Hawaii’s indeterminate sentencing structure leaves no alternative sentence for a court to reduce to, suggesting the measure may need structural sentencing changes or could instead be directed to the Hawaii Paroling Authority. Public defender representatives and youth-justice advocates supported the bill, emphasizing rehabilitation, adolescent brain development, trauma, and the need for a meaningful opportunity for release. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Two-thirds of U.S. public school students cannot read proficiently in fourth grade.
• Now, students who cannot read are less likely to graduate from high school and more likely to be incarcerated
• in this room are dyslexic, and it has nothing to do with your intelligence, just the way that you read

Transcript Highlights:

• We'd read about it in farmer tax credit.
• Johnson, just so I'm reading this chart properly.
• <01:14:12.719> highest does have uh the third highest does have uh the third highest commercial
• It's about that and just read what the real estate professionals say.
• It's about that and just read what the real estate professionals say.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:01:41.360> it were something like if I read it were something like if I read it correctly
• Um, it's kind of hard to read here. Is it Burn? That would be Burn. Oh, Burn. Okay.
• name is um it's kind of hard to read name is um it's kind of hard to read here<00:48:34.000>
• I noticed that you had some notes you were reading from.
• You know, I questioned that myself, and I read the bill a couple times.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I was reading the support letters, the opposition letters, and I know the bill has changed, you know,
• Yeah, so the chilling effect and the fear that providers have is so severe related to the third-party
• So we already have a third of CARE participants who fall off.
• And you appear to have, I haven't read the entire document, but we did receive it.
• This bill adds a new layer of regulatory oversight and essentially a third rate reviewer.

Summary: The committee first took up SB 1377, a bill on medical exemptions for school immunizations. The author and supporters said the measure was a narrow reform to restore physician discretion and reduce what they described as chilling effects from audits and license discipline; opponents from pediatric, medical, public health, and school groups argued the current system already works, protects against fraudulent exemptions, and should not be weakened. Committee members debated the data, the number of exemptions reviewed or revoked, and the effect of the proposed amendments. The bill was amended in committee, but because there was no quorum it was not formally voted on at that time. The committee then heard SB 995, the Masuma Khan Justice Act, which would create a statewide inspection and compliance framework for large private detention facilities. The author and supporters described severe conditions in immigration detention, including denial of medication, unsafe food and water, and lack of oversight, and the bill was presented as a response to those abuses. The California Hospital Association raised concerns about duplicative regulation and overlapping standards, but said it was continuing to work on a solution. The committee discussed constitutional and jurisdictional issues, and the bill was moved on a do-pass motion to the Committee on Judiciary with a 5-0 vote placed on call. Next, SB 1089 was heard, proposing expanded access through CalPERS and CalRX to GLP-1 medications for chronic weight disease and diabetes prevention. The author and supporters from the American Diabetes Association and medical groups argued the drugs are effective tools to prevent type 2 diabetes, reduce long-term costs, and improve health equity, while the author also shared personal experience with weight loss and medication access barriers. There was no opposition testimony. The bill was moved on a do-pass motion to the Committee on Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement with a 5-0 vote placed on call. Finally, the committee heard SB 1221, dealing with Murphy conservatorships for people found not guilty by reason of insanity or otherwise under criminal-mental health conservatorship. Supporters, including prosecutors and psychiatrists, said the bill addresses a gap created by a court decision and would improve public safety and placement decisions for a small population of high-risk individuals. Opponents from county behavioral health and disability rights groups warned it would turn a civil process into a quasi-criminal one, expand district attorney involvement, and disrupt bed prioritization and least-restrictive-placement principles. The discussion centered on the scope of the bill and its amendments, but no final vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this is the third audit. I just want to reiterate that.
• This is the third audit on this topic, right? Correct.
• So it is a little bit shocking that this is now the third audit.
• Hearing the testimony today from the audits, this is the third audit.
• Now we'll move to Chairman Jack Potter, Reading Rancheria.

Summary: The joint hearing of the Select Committee on Native American Affairs and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee focused on the University of California’s compliance with NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA and the return of Native American human remains and cultural items. Senators and Assembly Members opened by emphasizing the sacredness of repatriation, the ongoing trauma caused by delayed returns, and the need for stronger systemwide accountability. The State Auditor presented the third audit of UC’s repatriation efforts, concluding that UC still lacks the urgency, oversight, and clear timelines needed to promptly return remains and belongings. The audit found thousands of remains and hundreds of thousands of cultural items still in UC custody, new undisclosed collections at several campuses, weak budgeting and underspending, and repatriation plans that often lacked concrete deadlines. The auditor recommended stronger UCOP oversight, performance metrics, proactive searches for undiscovered items, and possible legislative action to tie funding to measurable progress. UC officials responded that the system is committed to full compliance and has accelerated its work since adopting a new policy in 2022. UC Provost Catherine Newman said the system repatriated more than 2,800 ancestors and nearly 80,000 funerary belongings in the past year, and that UC now says 80.3% of Native American remains are either repatriated or available for repatriation. UC announced a new systemwide plan to complete repatriation of human remains by the end of 2028, to finish high-risk campus reviews by June 2026, to recall all loans by January 2026, and to require quarterly reporting to UCOP. UC also said it will spend an additional $8.8 million over three years, expand staffing, improve databases, support tribal consultation costs, and identify potential reburial sites on UC land. Berkeley and San Diego described increased staffing, consultations, and repatriation activity, while Santa Barbara said it had corrected earlier omissions, notified tribes about previously unreported ancestors, and was working toward completing repatriations and updated inventories. Committee members pressed UC on why progress has been so slow, why the audit’s timelines differed from UC’s public reporting, and whether the 2028 goal applies only to human remains rather than all cultural items. UC said the 2028 target is for human remains, while cultural items will take longer, and acknowledged that more work remains. Members also asked about the technical expertise needed for repatriation, the role of tribal experts, and whether repatriation should be embedded more permanently in UC governance or statute. Tribal leaders and representatives then testified that remains and belongings were taken without consent and must be returned with tribal consent and leadership. They criticized the repeated delays, stressed that tribes are the experts on their ancestors and cultural heritage, and urged UC to treat repatriation as a top priority and to return all associated items, not just human remains, so ancestors can truly rest.

Transcript Highlights:

• What is the current contingency plan for a third party to take over?
• A third party would say, “Hey, we’re here, all power’s working; we’d take care of it.”
• It has engaged third-party auditors to review contracts and conduct financial assessments.
• We already have third-party audits.
• I believe there's a Griffin bill tomorrow on Third Read that we could help change that.

Bills: HB2056, HB2202, HB2207, HB2224, HB2303, HB2344, HB2532, HB2759, HB2798

Keywords: brackish water, groundwater, desalination, water resources, feasibility study, environmental impact, dementia care, telementoring, healthcare education, rural communities, grant funding, braille, disability access, education funding, state corrections, inclusion, produce incentive, agriculture, economic support, funding

Transcript Highlights:

• So if the Metroplex were to have a drought, about the jeopardy that would cause for one-third of the
• You know, I was preparing for this and reading a factoid. And it said that, let me find it here.
• I would have had to look at the numbers more closely, but I think it's probably less than a third of
• And so it's a third arm of Richland Chambers Lake. My whole life, it's been like Tawakoni.
• It was only about a third of the size it was originally proposed. ...because of concerns about a lack

Bills: HB1523, HB2109, HB2694, HB3525, HB3898, HB4646, HB5188, HB5219, HB5320, HB5651, HB5655, HB5659, HB5662, HB5672

Keywords: aquifer conservation, Class V injection well, environmental regulation, groundwater protection, municipal water supply, temporary prohibition, water management, reservoir construction, state water plan, Texas Water Code, environmental impact, Brazoria Drainage District, commissioners, elections, vacancies, resignation, HB 3525, North Texas Groundwater Conservation District, groundwater permit, permit amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• To my left and your right, underneath virtue between the second and third column, we have a group from
• The clerk will read the reports from committee. Mr.
• And it has provisions related to third- and fourth-class counties as well.
• And the county commission then can have some impact on those third- and fourth-class counties.
• The clerk will read the messages from the Senate. Mr.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal for the prior day by a 125-0 roll call vote. The chamber spent a large portion of the session on personal privileges and memorials, honoring former Representative Ken Waller and Rawls County teenager Keaton O’Neill, with a moment of silence observed for O’Neill. Members also introduced several guests, including a deployed Marine, legislative visitors, family members, and an intern who was made a page for the day. The House then considered several committee reports and Senate amendments. On House Bills 2637 and 3155, members discussed a broad criminal justice package that included technical fixes to prior sentencing legislation, sex offender registry changes, drone restrictions tied to major events, health care-related provisions, and prosecutor salary adjustments; the House voted to refuse the Senate substitute and request a conference. House Bill 2593, a bipartisan military and veterans measure, was adopted and finally passed 137-1 and 138-1 after debate highlighting cybersecurity protections, Service Members Civil Relief Act language, TRICARE protections, expanded military leave, National Guard benefits, and other support for service members and families. The House also adopted and finally passed House Bill 2974, a licensure reciprocity and telehealth bill that expands interstate practice options for certain health professionals and is intended to improve rural health access; the votes were 109-29 on adoption and 108-30 on final passage. House Bill 2108, a Jefferson City land conveyance and infrastructure bill related to the viaduct and safety improvements, was adopted and finally passed 138-1 and 138-2 after discussion of the state’s transfer of property to the city and an added land provision involving Northwest Missouri State University and Nodaway County. The chamber then received Senate messages on HB 2596 and HB 2637/3155, appointed conference committees, announced upcoming committee meetings, and adjourned until April 28, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• The crime of failure to report suspected child abuse is a third-degree felony, which is currently subject
• I was, when we had reading the analysis, and it talks about... ...or not much, Madam Chair.
• I was, when we had reading the analysis, and it talks about exceptions to parental consent, there's no
• It's estimated that one third of LGBTQ youth have parental acceptance.
• What happens to the other two thirds of kids when their teachers or guidance counselors are so afraid

Bills: S0560, S0590, S0778, S1010

Keywords: child welfare, psychotropic medication, Department of Children and Families, community-based care, liability insurance, forensic services, defendants, mental health, judicial system, defense, legal definitions, minors, healthcare, parental rights, criminal penalties, civil action, sex-reassignment, investigations, economic damages

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs considered four bills. SB 590, by Sen. Bradley, would toll the statute of limitations for failure to report suspected child abuse by mandatory reporters until the offense is known to law enforcement; an amendment clarified retroactive application for offenses not already time-barred by the bill’s effective date. Sen. Bradley said the bill is intended to ensure accountability in institutional abuse cases and not to change the reasonable-suspicion reporting standard. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably. The committee also heard SB 778, by Sen. Simon, which would update the definition of forensic client so certain individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism whose charges were dismissed for incompetency can be housed with other Chapter 916 residents, reducing duplicative staffing and space needs at the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. Barney Bishop appeared in support, and the bill was reported favorably without amendment. SB 560, by Sen. Garcia, would streamline procedures for psychotropic medication prescriptions for children in DCF custody, reduce duplicative background checks and reporting, and simplify consent documentation. Amendments removed language allowing licensed clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists to serve as evaluators and narrowed changes to the Road to Independence Program’s postsecondary education services and supports, extending eligibility ages from 18 to 26 while keeping the five-year cap. Senators discussed the fiscal impact and funding blend for the education stipend. The committee adopted the amendments and reported the bill favorably. The committee then took up SB 1010, by Sen. Yarbrough, which adds criminal and civil enforcement for violations involving sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures for minors and related parental-rights provisions. An amendment clarified that the civil action authority applies to minors and that damages benefit the affected minor. Public testimony was heavily divided, with supporters saying the bill enforces existing protections and opponents warning it would chill care, counseling, and school-based support for transgender youth. Senators Harrell, Sharief, and Rouson raised concerns about vagueness, standing, and impacts on teachers and health professionals; Sharief voted no, while the bill was still reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• Recommendations for the SEG that come from the executive in that third column, from LFC in that fourth
• Everything below that, starting on row 30, where you see categorical appropriations, you're going to read
• And then the third Is it would change the secondary student factor by increasing it.
• And so that's the third change that it would make. So that's the first bill, House Bill 63.
• It's like, how is this your nighttime bedtime reading to memorize this stuff? But he's amazing.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Nobody can read my writing. >> Nobody can read my writing.
• Am I reading this wrong?
• Do you read it that way? funds. Do you read it that way?
• You read the fine line.
• Third.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, if you read the Enforcement.
• Thank you very much. an assault in the third degree is. an assault in the third degree is.
• You can read the the uh summary there. You can read the the uh summary there.
• Did you read this bill to point at that? >> I did read the bill.
• Summary goes on, and you can read it. Summary goes on, and you can read it.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 3123, which would treat free tuition or school-conditioned enrollment at private educational institutions as a conditional gift rather than a contractual obligation unless otherwise agreed in writing. The Office of the Governor supported the bill, and Kamehameha Schools and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools strongly backed it, saying it would protect donor intent, preserve school-ohana relationships, and help maintain tuition assistance and educational access for families. A committee member commented favorably on the unity among school organizations, and there were no objections raised before the committee moved on. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2438, which creates a civil cause of action for interference with constitutional and statutory rights through threats, intimidation, or coercion, with private and government enforcement options and protections for constitutionally protected speech. Testifiers from the Community Alliance on Prisons and a know-your-rights educator supported the measure as a civil rights protection grounded in the Hawaii Constitution. No opposition testimony was presented during the hearing, and the measure appeared to receive general support from those who testified. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 3142, which establishes offenses for dangerous and habitual dangerous intoxication and allows civil protective custody and emergency examination in lieu of arrest in certain cases. The Attorney General, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Health, and Department of Human Services supported the bill as a treatment-oriented diversion tool for people who are dangerously intoxicated and at risk to themselves or the public. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the measure, warning it could expand police discretion, burden emergency rooms, and function as a loss of liberty without sufficient treatment resources, while committee members questioned whether the bill would simply cycle people through emergency rooms and back onto the street. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided; the chair said decision-making would occur at the end of the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, that's my read of it.
• Now, that's my read of it.
• Now, that's my read of it.
• I wouldn't I wouldn't like reading it.
• their third or fourth, we help families. their third or fourth, we help families.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, we'll have members ask questions since you're here right now before we read out the rest of the
• off the list of um testimonies read off the list of um testimonies that's<00:08:53.640> been<
• If not, sir, I will just read off the names of the others who testified real quick. We have Mr.
• If not, sir, I will just read off the names of the others who testified real quick. We have Mr.
• questions if not um sir I will just read questions if not um sir I will just read off<00:30:17.960

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard and discussed three nominations to the 911 Board: Matthew Kurara (Governor’s Message 505), Re Mahuna (Governor’s Message 614), and Rebecca Liberman/Weberman (Governor’s Message 661). Kurara, a Honolulu Police Department communications captain, said he would bring PSAP and dispatch experience to the board, with a focus on Next Generation 911, better coordination among PSAPs, and recruiting and retaining telecommunicators. Mahuna, a longtime Hawaiʻi Police Department officer and current board member, emphasized his emergency-response experience during disasters on the Big Island and his support for improving communication through Next Generation 911, including the new joint call center on Hawaiʻi Island. Liberman, the board’s VoIP representative and a Charter/Spectrum government affairs director, said she was continuing her second term and would keep working on legislative and government issues, including the statutory change removing “enhanced” from the board’s name to better support Next Gen efforts. Members asked each nominee about rural coverage, redundancy, training, broadband, radio-system limitations, and how Next Generation 911 would affect service in places like Puna and other rural areas. The nominees generally said the system is designed with redundancy so service would revert to backup systems if new technology fails, and that the main challenges in rural areas are often broader communications or radio issues rather than 911 itself. Kurara and Mahuna both said each PSAP currently handles much of its own training, though there is interest in more standardization and national best practices. Liberman explained that VoIP calls generally work over the internet and may benefit from Next Gen, but that location/address issues for some internet-based calling services may still need further review. The committee also discussed public education about text-to-911, the use of technologies such as FirstNet, and whether the E911 special fund ceiling needed to be raised again. Mahuna said he did not see a current need to raise the ceiling further. Written testimony was received in support of all three nominees, including support from public officials, law enforcement, county agencies, and private individuals. No opposition testimony was noted, and the chair said decisions would be made later with the other nominees.