Transcript Highlights:

• Witness: Okay, this legislation is intended to provide additional protections.
• Under the federal law, schools provide support for homeless students through the McKinney-Vento program
• This legislation provides a very practical and straightforward solution.
• And so there are certain entities within the community that can provide that letter and that testimony
• It's really just trying to build a network in an environment that's new. Thank you.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• No, you know, and obviously the wholesalers are the ones providing that product.
• And whoever's selling the shrimp needs to provide accurate information. Yes, sir. All right.
• Men want to be significant, and they want to be providers; it's kind of that role.
• We showed them technologies, and we provided them with seed technologies and equipment.
• In two minutes, provide your position on the bill.

Bills: HB43 , HB519 , HB1275 , HB1592 , HB2842 , HB3088 , HB3479 , HB4163 , SB823 , HB609

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• So I have provided, I think I'm up to, yes, I'm up to nine updated reports to this committee on the strategy
• So the problem lies in that the state's stream layer is provided by the federal government, and it's
• You can see the stream network in there, pretty intense—about 4,700 miles of streams.

Committee: House Capital Budget

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I have provided, I think I'm up to, yes, I'm up to nine updated reports to this committee on the strategy
• So the problem lies in that the state's stream layer is provided by the federal government.
• You can see the stream network in there, pretty intense. About 4,700 miles of streams.

Summary: The Capital Budget Committee held a work session on fish passage and barrier prioritization. Tom Jameson of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife briefed members on the state salmon recovery framework, the types and prevalence of fish passage barriers, and the many existing barrier-removal programs. He explained that culverts are the most common barrier, but levees, tidegates, dams, and other structures also affect salmon and steelhead. He also described the state’s fish passage database, the assessment criteria used to determine whether a structure is a barrier, and the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board’s role in funding projects. Jameson reviewed the history of the board and its grant pathways, noting that the Legislature has funded 199 projects totaling nearly $225 million over five biennia, including significant federal support in the last biennium. He then focused on the new statewide prioritization strategy directed by the Legislature in 2020. A science panel recommended using an optimization model and then scoring and ranking barriers, but Jameson said the model depends on better stream mapping and ongoing “snapping” of stream layers to known barrier locations. He said the strategy is intended to produce watershed-based priority lists rather than a single statewide ranking. Members asked about how barriers are assessed during fish migration periods, how private land access affects inventory work, how local governments can report completed corrections, and how the prioritization criteria weight Chinook salmon and southern resident orca recovery. Jameson said urban areas with downstream barriers or heavily altered streams may be less recoverable, while rural watersheds may offer greater benefit. He also explained the federal culvert injunction, including ongoing obligations for state agencies and DOT’s 2030 target, and said the injunction never fully ends because new barriers are continually discovered and must be addressed over time. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• The driver must provide the physician letter and pay the appropriate fee.
• that for each plan year, a project is included in the Texas Rail Plan, the responsible party must provide
• Now, Chairman Nichols, you point out that we haven't seen a high-speed rail network run anywhere in the

Bills: HB647 , HB791 , HB1242 , HB1729 , HB2003 , HB2029 , HB2061 , HB2775 , HB3751 , HB4804 , HB3611

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: driver's license, vision correction, medical verification, Texas Department of Public Safety, renewal fees, HB 791, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, specialty license plate, specialty plates, license plate, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Transportation Code, general revenue fund, With Loyal Hearts, Catholic school, private school, religious school, school spirit plate, commemorative plate

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony and took action on a series of transportation-related bills. Early in the meeting, Senator Hagenbuch presented HB 647, which would let drivers who have had corrective eye surgery update their licenses by submitting physician verification without an in-person DMV visit; he argued it would reduce DMV lines, though a fiscal note estimated setup costs. The committee also heard HB 2029, a cleanup bill clarifying that travel trailers are not subject to safety inspections after prior legislation removed inspections for trailers and all vehicles, and HB 4804, which would remove Texas’s CDL appeals hearing process to align with federal law and avoid jeopardizing highway funds, while also authorizing DPS action related to the terrorist offender registry. All three bills were left pending after testimony, along with HB 2003, which would require annual public reporting by entities with projects in the Texas Rail Plan, especially in light of the Dallas-Houston high-speed rail project and landowner concerns; supporters said it would improve transparency, while opponents warned it would force disclosure of proprietary financial information from a private project. The committee also heard HB 2775, adding Ector County and Odessa to the I-27 Advisory Committee, and HB 791, authorizing a specialty plate for Central Catholic High School in San Antonio; both were left pending after brief discussion and no opposition testimony. The committee then heard several local or commemorative measures. HB 1242 would designate part of U.S. Highway 281 in Brooks County as the Ernesto Solis-Cantu Memorial Highway, and HB 2061 would name a bridge on State Highway 242 in Montgomery County for Lance Corporal Armando Hernandez. Hernandez’s mother testified emotionally in support, describing his military service and the family’s wish to have the bridge mark his return home; members responded supportively. The committee also heard HB 1729, which would impose term limits on Freeport commissioners, and HB 3751, transferring a DPS commercial vehicle enforcement office building in Woodville from TxDOT to DPS. HB 3611, the “bandit sign” bill, was presented as a targeted enforcement measure against illegal commercial signs in medians and right-of-ways, with added safeguards to avoid affecting political signs and to require written notice before fines. All of these bills were left pending after testimony. At the end of the meeting, the committee took up pending business and voted out multiple bills favorably. HB 3751, HB 261/HB 2061, HB 647, HB 791, HB 1242, HB 1729, HB 2003, HB 2029, HB 2775, HB 3611, HB 4804, and HB 2522 were each reported favorably to the full Senate, generally on unanimous or near-unanimous votes. Most were also sent to the local and uncontested calendar, though HB 2029 was ultimately not placed there after an objection. The committee then recessed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And Lori, that's exactly what you've provided to this chamber.
• I have been honored to serve a... ...provided to this chamber.
• It removes ...for substance abuse and behavioral health providers.
• Amendment Barcode 260. for substance abuse and behavioral health providers.
• The legislation provides necessary updates to the existing agricultural enclaves section.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions, including guests from the press, Florida State women’s soccer, and former Senator Janet Cruz. Members also announced there would be no conference that weekend. The chamber then moved to the special order calendar and began taking up a series of bills, often substituting House companions and proceeding quickly to third reading and final passage. Among the measures approved were bills modernizing trust settlement and trustee discharge procedures; revising military affairs laws, including leave protections, retirement eligibility, and assistance programs; creating uniform cash-rounding rules as Florida prepares for the end of the penny; refining podiatric medicine rules on cellular/tissue-based products and informed consent; expanding veterans’ court access statewide; clarifying RV park special assessments; establishing concurrent state-federal jurisdiction for juveniles on military installations; reauthorizing alcoholic beverage loss deductions; and revising bail bond and pretrial release laws, including training, electronic notices, forfeiture timing, and related procedures. Members also passed bills on eyewear insurance licensing, expanding the Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund into health science education, streamlining recovery residence regulation, enhancing felony battery penalties, and updating child welfare rules to reduce repeated background checks, make the Step Into Success program permanent, and create a best-practices program. Several bills drew brief supportive remarks, especially those affecting veterans, the National Guard, foster youth, and military families. One bail bond bill prompted questions about charitable bail bonds, with the sponsor stating the current statute would remain unchanged. Most bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously; the bail bond measure passed 36-1, while the others noted here passed with no or minimal opposition. The Senate also adopted an amendment to the military affairs bill and a delete-all amendment to the military-installation jurisdiction bill before final passage. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to honoring Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman on her farewell. Members from both parties offered extended remarks praising her leadership, preparation, collegiality, advocacy on issues such as voting rights, women’s rights, Israel, anti-Semitism, breast cancer, school safety, and family law, and her effectiveness in committee and on the floor. Berman delivered an extended farewell speech reflecting on her 16 years in the Legislature, her family, her district, and her legislative priorities, and the Senate ordered her remarks spread upon the journal before recessing and later returning to continue the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are identified. provide full disclosure to beneficiaries and obtain a discharge without going to
• And Lori, that's exactly what you've provided to this chamber.
• I have been honored to serve a... ...provided to this chamber.
• It removes. for substance abuse and behavioral health providers.
• The legislation provides necessary updates to the existing agricultural enclaves section.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and heard several introductions and announcements before moving to a long special-order calendar. Early bills passed included a trust law measure allowing a nonjudicial process for trustee settlement and discharge, a military affairs bill expanding leave protections and retirement eligibility for certain Guard and Coast Guard-related public employees, a penny-rounding bill for cash transactions, a podiatric medicine bill restricting certain cellular/tissue-based products and adding notice and consent requirements, a veterans’ courts bill expanding access to those courts statewide, an RV assessment clarification bill, a military-installation jurisdiction bill giving juveniles on bases access to state juvenile justice resources, an alcohol-tax deduction bill restoring DBPR’s authority to allow deductions for unsellable alcohol, a bail bonds bill revising training, fees, remission timing, and electronic procedures, an eyewear insurance bill updating definitions for modern products, a nursing education fund bill expanding support to health science programs, a recovery residences bill streamlining regulation and background-check rules, a felony battery bill adding resisting an officer with violence as a qualifying prior offense, a child welfare bill extending visitor definitions, making the Step Into Success program permanent, and creating a best-practices repository, and a candidate qualification bill tightening party-affiliation requirements and, via the House version, adding a name-change disclosure provision. Most of these bills were substituted with House companions where applicable and passed on near-unanimous votes, with one recorded dissent on the bail bonds bill. Several measures drew brief debate or explanation. Senator Wright’s military affairs bill was amended to restore two Florida National Guard special project officer positions to retirement eligibility, and Senator Gates’ veterans’ courts bill was described as a way to better address PTSD, brain injury, and substance-abuse-related offenses through problem-solving courts. Senator Trunow’s bail bonds bill prompted questions about charitable bail bonds, with the sponsor saying the current statute would remain in place and that further discussion could occur later. Senator Massullo’s podiatric medicine bill was framed as a bipartisan patient-protection measure, and Senator Leak’s felony battery bill was presented as closing a loophole that allowed repeat violent offenders to avoid enhancement. The chamber also took up a candidate qualification bill that would create an enforceable party-affiliation requirement and, in the House version, restrict recent petition-based name changes for candidates. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to a farewell ceremony for Senator Lori Berman, with family, staff, former colleagues, and guests in attendance. Senators from both parties offered extended remarks praising her leadership, collegiality, policy work, and advocacy on issues including voting rights, women’s rights, Israel and antisemitism, school safety, breast cancer, Everglades restoration, and other constituent services. Berman’s own remarks reflected on her 16 years in the Legislature, her family, and her belief in dignity, respect, and practical problem-solving. The Senate then adopted a motion to spread her remarks upon the journal and recessed before returning to continue the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• And also, just looking at the generosity that you guys have provided in the dual credit.
• Shepard always saw the benefit of those numbers and what those numbers did to your formula and provided
• And I just got to say, in these rural areas The non-profits play a critical role in providing services
• Its implementation has provided a good resource.
• BIL for the first time provided 2 annual increases year over year.

Transcript Highlights:

• And while California has done a better job than some places in providing that transparency, oftentimes
• And while California has done a better job than some places and providing that transparency, oftentimes
• Well, okay, so we disclose that Company X is the one that's providing that money.
• That Company X is the one that's providing that money doesn't stop them from continuing to contribute
• And Tom, I know you wanted to jump in, if you can, on this, a little bit about the network that we're

Committee: House Banking and Finance

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. inspect and provide a certificate of inspect and provide a certificate of certain<00:14:13.720
• The best remedy for them is so limited to what can be provided.
• The best remedy for them is so limited to what can be provided.
• Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony.
• </c> thank you very much if you could provide thank you very much if you could provide your<01:11:57.800

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills. HB 655 would limit collection of unpaid motor vehicle taxes, fees, and penalties to the most recent five consecutive years of delinquency. The Department of Transportation opposed the bill, saying it could significantly affect state and county revenues and that the fiscal impact was hard to estimate. The Tax Foundation noted the bill would shorten the existing collection period, while an individual testifier supported it as a narrow measure that would help owners of old or inherited vehicles. In questioning, the department said it could not quantify the cost but suggested it would prefer case-by-case flexibility rather than a fixed five-year limit. HB 697 would authorize Department of Transportation and Department of Law Enforcement personnel to inspect and certify evidence from automated speed enforcement systems and would appropriate funds for the program. The Department of Transportation supported the measure, citing the workload created by the red-light camera pilot and the need to assist police and prosecutors. The Department of the Attorney General supported the concept but recommended technical amendments so the verification language would apply consistently across the chapter and allow the appropriate reviewing entity to act. The committee also heard support from the AAHU Metropolitan Planning Organization and opposition from three individuals. HB 711 would require defendants convicted of causing the death of a parent or legal guardian of a minor child while driving under the influence to provide financial support to the surviving child. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing that criminal restitution must be tied to verified losses and that this type of long-term support is better handled in civil court, where trusts, conservatorships, and insurance claims can be addressed. The Department of Transportation supported the bill as a deterrent to impaired driving, and police, prosecutors, and an injury prevention group also submitted support. Members questioned whether the measure was better suited to civil litigation, and the public defender agreed that the civil system was the proper venue. HB 108 would allow direct shipment of beer and distilled spirits by certain licensees and require county liquor commissions to adopt rules. The Attorney General raised constitutional concerns, saying the bill’s different treatment of out-of-state manufacturers could violate the dormant Commerce Clause and recommended revisions. Brewers and distillers testified in support, saying the bill would put beer and spirits on a similar footing with wine direct shipment, help small producers reach consumers, and support the local economy without increasing underage access. They also said the bill should be amended to address grandfathering language. No final votes or committee actions were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• 54.000><c> as</c><00:01:54.240><c> a</c> And so as a system, our job is to create infrastructure and networks

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And this amendment provides those things.
• , training providers, and ...utilities, infrastructure developers, fuel providers, training providers
• Providers ought to explore these options rather than, in many ways, default ...ought to explore these
• Is there an objective analysis that you can provide to this body that, in struggling markets where the
• , does not address them, and does not provide objective information and data to this body to support

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to get the funds to provide the margin loan that the investor is seeking.
• Doesn't know that they're going to have any collateral for the funds they're providing.
• I'm here just to provide a little bit of a glimpse of what this actually looks like.
• So thank you very much for the opportunity to provide testimony in support of House Bill 648.
• I am providing testimony on my behalf and on that of Andrew Bick.

Summary: Senate Commerce met with a quorum, approved the March 10, 2026 minutes, and recognized page Hayden Carter with remarks from committee members and a presentation of a Capitol flag and certificate. The committee then took up several bills, generally under tight time constraints, with brief sponsor presentations and testimony from supporters and opponents. House Bill 773, a code cleanup bill related to credit unions and corporate credit unions, was presented by Rep. Ayler, received no public testimony, and was sent to the Senate floor with a do pass recommendation. House Bill 702, which would alter Uniform Commercial Code provisions on securities ownership and creditor priority, drew extensive debate: sponsors argued it would better protect stock owners in insolvency situations and cited examples such as Lehman Brothers and MF Global, while a Uniform Law Commissioner testified that the bill would make Idaho an outlier and could disrupt the securities system and access to margin accounts and clearing liquidity. After discussion, the committee adopted a substitute motion to hold HB 702 in committee. House Bill 648, an oral anti-cancer medication parity bill, received strong support from sponsors, cancer survivors, and advocacy groups, who said it would prevent patients from facing much higher out-of-pocket costs for oral chemotherapy than for IV treatment. Members noted personal experiences with cancer treatment, and the bill was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation. House Bill 787, which consolidates the Medical Board of Podiatry under the Board of Medicine, also passed with a do pass recommendation after brief discussion of expected efficiencies. House Bill 790, a voluntary certification bill for interior designers that would allow sign-and-seal authority for limited nonstructural work, drew the most divided testimony: supporters said it would remove barriers and reduce costs, while architects warned it could expand into the practice of architecture and raise public-safety concerns. Despite reservations from some members, the committee voted to send HB 790 to the floor with a do pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first three are all with providers to assist homeless individuals.
• This is the documentation provided by AEDC explaining the reason for needing the special procurement.
• This is Amendment 8 to an existing contract, and this is for providing student transcripts and other
• This is to provide substance abuse treatment services for DCFS clients.
• The way these work, we have more than one agency that does provide supplemental staff to the facility

Committee: All ALC-REVIEW

Summary: The ALC-Review Subcommittee reviewed seven methods of finance, including university projects at ASU Jonesboro and Mountain Home, Black River Technical College deferred maintenance, UA Batesville’s Farm Project Gateway Center, UAMS PET cyclotron equipment, a new allied health building at UAPB funded by a federal grant, and UCA’s multi-purpose arena design work. The committee also approved an alternative delivery construction project for UAPB’s Allied Health and Sciences Building, with East Harding Construction selected and AMR Architects as designer. Members then approved discretionary grants from the Department of Health and DHS, including support for a heart attack center designation, community health worker training, homeless services funding corrections, behavioral health transition support, and an enabling technology pilot. In the contracts section, the committee reviewed RFQs, construction-related contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and a large slate of out-of-state and in-state contracts covering topics such as seatbelt survey data collection, Medicaid and DHS systems, state hospital staffing and services, veterans’ services, education assessments, and state IT and procurement projects. Several contracts drew extended questioning. Senators and representatives pressed DHS and the Department of Veterans Affairs about heavy reliance on contract nursing and staffing costs, and officials said they were using pay incentives and recruitment efforts to increase state employee staffing. Members also questioned AEDC’s lithium supply chain study and the Department of Education’s security contract, with concerns about projected costs and repeated amendments. The committee held three in-state contracts—Department of Education security services and two DHS staffing contracts—until Friday, then adopted the remaining contracts and received informational reports on contract amendments, executed contracts, and emergency procurements before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Idaho families are struggling with housing costs and they need options, and this bill provides them with
• It empowers homeowners by providing property owners with additional income opportunities through the
• Providing property owners with additional income opportunities through the rental of accessory dwelling
• It provides flexibility, not mandates; options, not requirements.
• But looking ahead to that situation, I could see how this legislation would provide clarity to it.

Committee: Senate Local Government and Taxation

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, there'll be two electric utility providers.
• </c><00:04:24.080><c> uh</c> And then it also provides uh And then it also provides uh accountability
• . providers. providers.
• networks networks I<01:03:47.880><c> think</c><01:03:48.080><c> those</c><01:03:48.240><c> are</c><01
• </c> changing their software and providing changing their software and providing for<01:30:50.520><c>

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've been providing services to victims of human trafficking since 2009.
• One day I hope to provide survivors with the justice and support they need to heal.
• We're adding language: harboring, maintaining, patronizing, providing.
• Providing will make it easier specifically for people who are transporting.
• I'm happy to provide that for you in order to remove the redundancy.

Committee: House House Consumer & Public Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, I think she was provided that one-page emergency form.
• I did not ask the Eastlands to provide me with cell phone numbers of the big three.
• And those counselors would not have had the code to the Wi-Fi network.
• That is connected to the Wi-Fi network that you mentioned, Senator.
• We've been provided that information.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They provide access to lives.
• 02:06.240><c> consumers</c> provide protections for consumers provide protections for consumers to<01
• ><c> by</c><01:15:14.120><c> making</c> third, it provides privacy by making third, it provides privacy
• </c> Currently, very few districts provide Currently, very few districts provide the<01:40:08.640><c>
• </c><01:45:28.920><c> parts</c> provider networks are in different parts provider networks are in different

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So finding a way, especially if we want more community providers providing that funding, so they can
• </c> little bit we heard from the providers little bit we heard from the providers that<00:25:49.480>
• c> so</c><00:26:07.440><c> they</c> providers providing that funding so they providers providing that
• Services which of course can provide the Services which of course can provide the most<00:37:49.440><
• </c> than non-relative foster care providers than non-relative foster care providers we<00:56:04.400>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all