Transcript Highlights:

• security</c><00:30:25.360><c> and</c><00:30:25.480><c> I</c><00:30:25.600><c> don't</c> it uh and cyber
• security and I don't it uh and cyber security and I don't think<00:30:26.000><c> I</c><00:30:26.080>
• </c><00:30:37.440><c> security</c> and some aspects of their cyber security and some aspects of their
• security uh scitec helped me uh cyber security uh scitec helped me get<00:30:44.880><c> started</c><
• </c> emerging areas your AI your cyber emerging areas your AI your cyber security<01:25:43.199><c> those

Bills: HF1936 , HF849 , HF989 , HF1130 , HF1223 , HF1907 , HF1847 , HF1957

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• I know we don't spend a lot of time talking about cyber and physical security, but this is a big piece
• </c> spend a lot of time talking about cyber spend a lot of time talking about cyber and<00:37:02.880
• So I will turn it over now to and cyber.
• It underpins public safety, economic growth, and ultimately national competitiveness.
• It underpins public safety, economic growth, and ultimately national competitiveness.

Bills: HF3296 , HF3802

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Keywords: energy conservation, data centers, electric sales, energy optimization, utility regulations, energy regulation, certificate of need, renewable energy, power production, energy efficiency, Minnesota statutes

Transcript Highlights:

• Department, as well as using AI in regard to cyber defense? Thank you, Madam Chair and committee.
• need to keep the system going, especially when I look at one gentleman back there when it comes to cyber
• Public safety is number one.
• And then just quickly, do you work often with the Department of Public Safety?
• So we do work with the Department of Public Safety. Public Safety.

Committee: House Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• So what are, I guess, both of you have this concern about cyber as well as physical?
• So, my team doesn't necessarily get into the cyber and physical security aspect of it.
• So can you tell us how much power centers are concerned with is cyber and centers are concerned with
• is cyber and or<00:25:33.919><c> physical</c><00:25:34.880><c> security</c><00:25:35.360><c> concerns
• </c> doesn't necessarily get into the cyber doesn't necessarily get into the cyber and<00:26:04.640><

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the previous meeting, and then heard a presentation from LG&E and KU representatives Caroline Clark and John Bevington on economic development, energy demand, and the utility’s role in supporting Kentucky’s growth. Bevington described the company’s service territory, generation fleet, and recent economic development activity, including 76 projects supported in 2024, more than $2.8 billion in private investment, and over 3,000 new jobs. He emphasized that data centers are now the dominant driver in the pipeline, with 22 data center projects representing about 8.7 of the 9.7 gigawatts of potential demand, alongside other manufacturing and commercial projects. A major focus was how data centers choose sites and how utilities respond. Bevington explained that hyperscale data centers typically approach utilities first because they need transmission-level access, and that utilities then conduct internal analyses, estimate infrastructure needs, and require financial security before proceeding. He said the company is working through formal transmission studies and long-lead infrastructure planning, and noted that Kentucky’s sales tax exemption for data centers helped attract interest. He also outlined the economic benefits of data centers, citing an announced Louisville project of 525 megawatts and about $11 billion in investment, with an estimated $500 million in new tax revenue over 10 years, plus broader job and GDP impacts. Members asked about whether data centers could generate their own power, the reliability of the pipeline numbers given confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, and cybersecurity concerns. Bevington said the company does not assume all pipeline projects will materialize in Kentucky and instead assigns probabilities to avoid overbuilding. He also said he was not the right person to address cybersecurity in detail but offered to return to a committee focused on IT or security. In response to questions about future supply, he said LG&E and KU are adding generation through a 120-megawatt solar facility in Mercer County, a 120-megawatt solar purchase in Marion County, and a 645-megawatt natural gas combined-cycle plant in Louisville, with PSC approval recently granted for additional generation and related system upgrades.

Transcript Highlights:

• planning tool that allows small towns to catch up, develop proper regulations, and ensure public safety
• A moratorium allows the town to develop emergency response and safety planning before construction begins
• A moratorium gives towns time to catch up, develop thoughtful regulations, protect public safety, and
• But it is safety, the fire issue, the health issue, which is the water... ...the fire issue, the health
• the cumulative resources, scores without providing us the capacity to model the cumulative risk of cyber

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on late-filed bills and formal petitions, with testimony focused mainly on Senate Bill 3026 and House Bill 5294. The committee heard from legislators and local officials about S. 3026, which would give equal voting access in a six-town regional school district process. Testifiers from the Sixth Town Regional Planning Board and local select boards said the current voting setup is unfair because one town can vote during normal polling hours while others have a narrower voting window, and they argued the bill would ensure equal voter opportunity for a major regional school decision amid declining enrollment and financial pressure on the districts. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H. 5294, a Worthington home rule petition seeking a one-year solar moratorium. Worthington officials, residents, and advocates said the town is facing multiple large-scale solar and battery storage proposals and lacks the staff, legal resources, emergency response capacity, and technical expertise to evaluate them. Witnesses raised concerns about fire risk, groundwater and drinking water impacts, forest and wildlife impacts, decommissioning, and the effect on rural character and farmland, while emphasizing that the moratorium was framed as a planning tool rather than opposition to clean energy. Several speakers said the state’s solar siting and approval process is too complex and top-down for small rural towns, and that volunteer boards are being asked to manage industrial-scale projects without adequate support. One witness from a statewide group said Worthington’s situation reflects broader problems across western Massachusetts and urged the committee to address solar siting more broadly in a future session. The hearing concluded after testimony and committee questions, with no votes or final actions taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• planning tool that allows small towns to catch up, develop proper regulations, and ensure public safety
• A moratorium allows the town to develop emergency response and safety planning before construction begins
• A moratorium gives towns time to catch up, develop thoughtful regulations, protect public safety, and
• But it is safety, the fire issue, the health issue, which is the water... ...the fire issue, the health
• cumulative resources, ...scores, without providing us the capacity to model the cumulative risk of cyber

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on late-filed bills and formal petitions, with testimony focused primarily on two local measures: Senate Bill 3026 concerning voting procedures for a proposed six-town regional school district, and House Bill 5294, a Worthington home rule petition seeking a one-year moratorium on large-scale solar development. Committee members reminded speakers of testimony limits and remote participation rules, then took testimony from local officials, residents, and advocates. On S. 3026, supporters from the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board and local boards said the bill would create a fairer, equal voting process across all six towns for a major regional school district decision. They argued the measure would expand voter access, address concerns about unequal polling opportunities, and help communities respond to declining enrollment and financial pressures affecting school sustainability. Testifiers thanked the bill’s sponsors and urged the committee to advance it. On H. 5294, Worthington officials and residents strongly supported the moratorium, saying it was not anti-solar but a needed planning pause for a small rural town facing industrial-scale solar and battery proposals. Witnesses cited limited municipal staff, volunteer fire and health services, water-supply and groundwater concerns, wildfire risk, decommissioning and oversight costs, land-use and ecological impacts, and the strain on rural communities from state energy mandates. Several speakers said the town needed time to develop zoning and safety regulations before projects moved forward, and they asked the committee to report the bill favorably. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair closed testimony after the final speaker.

Transcript Highlights:

• infrastructure bill to do dock replacements in places like Alaska, rail improvements, pier infrastructure, safety
• At the same time... ...we face cyber-threats from our foreign adversaries, and Panama is a perfect example
• WSC members look forward to working with the committee on maintaining the sustainability, safety, and
• Well, certainly even one incident is unacceptable from a safety perspective that you're citing.
• I have grave concerns about China's global infrastructure investments and any cyber threats to the U.S

Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• I will say specific to the semiconductor industry, I think there's a long track record of sort of safety
• It was the safety of numbers. A colleague of mine said, "More mass creates more gravity."
• And so I hope I'm on the right track of answering your question, but absolutely safety in numbers is
• colleges school districts and workforce boards and all in between regarding aerospace aviation IT cyber
• security precision and advanced manufacturing aviation, IT, cyber security, precision and advanced manufacturing

Summary: The Careers and Workforce Subcommittee met for its first meeting of the year, took roll, and heard member introductions centered on the importance of workforce pathways beyond the traditional four-year college route. Members repeatedly emphasized manufacturing, trades, rural workforce needs, apprenticeships, and helping students and adults find multiple paths to good jobs. The chair outlined the subcommittee’s focus on policies that build a skilled workforce and announced the day’s theme would be manufacturing, with presentations from the Florida Department of Commerce, the Florida Semiconductor Institute, and Fleet Force CDL training. Secretary Alex Kelly presented Florida’s manufacturing report, saying manufacturing is a major economic driver and that Florida has become the 10th largest state in manufacturing employment. He highlighted strong job multipliers, rapid growth in manufacturing GDP and establishments, the importance of logistics and ports, and the state’s small-business-heavy manufacturing base. He also stressed the aging manufacturing workforce, the need for modern skills such as robotics, cybersecurity, and data analytics, and the role of public-private partnerships, apprenticeships, and workforce education investments in supporting reshoring and industry growth. Dr. David Arnold described Florida’s semiconductor sector and the Florida Semiconductor Institute’s mission to grow research, workforce, and ecosystem development. He said semiconductors are strategically important, Florida ranks fifth nationally in semiconductor workforce, and the main bottleneck is mid-level technician talent rather than engineers or entry-level workers. He pointed to NeoCity, Valencia College, and other regional partnerships as models, and said the state needs more proactive planning, better instructor capacity, and stronger pathways from K-12 through postsecondary. Evan Agiloff of Fleet Force discussed Florida’s CDL shortage, saying trucking is essential to the supply chain, Florida has about 18,000 open CDL positions, and Fleet Force’s college-based model can quickly move students into middle-class jobs. Members asked about apprenticeships, CTE pathways, semiconductor training, infrastructure needs, and how to expand and better fund workforce programs; no votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• planning tool that allows small towns to catch up, develop proper regulations, and ensure public safety
• A moratorium gives towns time to catch up, develop thoughtful regulations, protect public safety, and
• planning tool that allows small towns to catch up, develop proper regulations, and ensure public safety
• A moratorium gives towns time to catch up, develop thoughtful regulations, protect public safety, and
• A moratorium gives town's time to catch up, develop thoughtful regulations, protect public safety, and

Bills: H5171 , H5261 , H5294 , H5317 , S3026 , S3033

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Keywords: Holyoke, municipal governance, acting mayor, city council, local government, Oxford, town charter, municipal government, town manager, residency requirement, local approval, charter amendment, home rule, local governance, municipal administration, residence of officials, Worcester County, Worthington, solar, solar photovoltaic

Transcript Highlights:

• . $30 MILLION HAS BEEN SET ASIDE FOR DIGITAL SKILLS AND CYBER SECURITY TO PROTECT THE NETWORKS WE ARE
• THEN THE WORKFORCE BEING THE NEXT AND THEN IT CYBER SECURITY DIGITAL LITERACY FOR THAT. >> Chair: I UNDERSTAND

Transcript Highlights:

• of applications around the world today, including healthcare, manufacturing, banking, to improve safety
• ,</c><00:53:29.119><c> accuracy,</c> banking to improve safety, accuracy, banking to improve safety,
• Every year we go through extensive Every year we go through extensive cyber<01:20:21.920><c> security
• </c><01:20:22.400><c> training</c><01:20:23.520><c> through</c> cyber security training through cyber
• </c> in our elections, but the need for cyber in our elections, but the need for cyber security<01:42

Summary: The committee met to approve the October 21 minutes and then took up BR 25 for the 2026 regular session, a proposal relating to prohibited uses of tax dollars and public resources. The sponsors said the bill is intended to strengthen existing law by adding civil and criminal penalties for taxpayer-funded advocacy on ballot questions, especially in light of controversies during the 2024 election over school officials and districts using public resources to oppose a constitutional amendment. They also described related concerns about school districts hiring third-party lobbyists and public relations firms, particularly in Fayette County, and said the proposal was meant to keep tax dollars focused on public services rather than political persuasion. Committee members raised several concerns about scope and drafting. Some asked whether the bill should specifically mention schools, school boards, and school employees, and the sponsors said they would add that language. Others questioned whether the measure would also affect local government lobbying through groups like KLC and KCO, and the sponsors said they intended to focus narrowly on schools while exempting certain advocacy organizations and internal government lobbyists. Members also asked whether public employees could still speak as private individuals, and the sponsors said yes. Several members suggested splitting the lobbying and ballot-advocacy issues into separate bills, and the sponsors said they would consider that. Members also pressed for clarification on how the bill would apply in practice, including whether it would cover legal challenges to petition drives or only advocacy after a question is on the ballot. Counsel for the sponsors said the bill would not cover some petition-related litigation as drafted, though they believed it should. The sponsors and supporters argued the proposal was needed to give the existing prohibition real enforcement, while some members warned that the language could unintentionally limit legitimate public representation or be too broad if not carefully drafted. No final vote was taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then cyber, of course, as well. So there are a number of places where we do have shortages.
• For example, the cyber program. We know that we need more cyber graduates.
• Whether you're in health care, ag business, you need to have cyber literacy.
• And so the state of Louisiana and the Board of Regents has worked with all the cyber faculty to create
• one statewide cyber degree.

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee met on March 17 to review the FY27 budgets for the Department of Education and several special schools and commissions. Fiscal staff outlined the Department of Education’s roughly $6.4 billion budget, noting that most funding goes to the Minimum Foundation Program and subgrantee assistance. Major changes discussed included the removal of one-time teacher pay stipends, increases for the LA GATOR scholarship program, and projected adjustments in early childhood funding. Members also reviewed the constitutional amendment proposal tied to using about $2 billion to pay down teacher retirement obligations and provide future teacher pay raises. Dr. Cade Brumley testified that Louisiana’s education outcomes have improved and answered questions on math performance, charter school funding, the LA GATOR scholarship, and the special education Choice program. Members pressed the department on the sustainability and balance of funding between LA GATOR and Choice, the number of applicants and current recipients, and outreach efforts. Brumley said charter schools are funded through the MFP like other public schools, that LA GATOR currently serves about 5,500 students with applications recently reaching about 17,000, and that the Choice program serves about 500 students with a waiting list of about 700 applicants. He also said the department would implement whatever funding levels the legislature approves. The committee then heard the special schools and commissions budget, including the Special School District, Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, Thrive Academy, École Pointe-au-Chien, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and BESE. Testimony focused on facility needs, enrollment, and program outcomes. LSU? No—LSM leaders described urgent roof and ceiling repairs estimated at about $800,000, while Thrive Academy highlighted student achievement, community service requirements, and economic impact. LPB said it is facing a federal funding loss of about $2.5 million and is responding with higher Passport fees, underwriting, and private fundraising. BESE’s small staff and administrative role were also explained, with members asking about board operations and the use of statutory dedication funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• So not only from a physical, but also from, let's say, a cyber standpoint...
• So not only from a physical, but also from, let's say, a cyber standpoint, to what degree of, if you
• physical standpoint, if any, and I know you're telling me you already have that in place, but from a cyber

Committee: Senate Ethics and Elections

Summary: The Committee on Ethics and Elections met with a quorum present and took up Senate Bill 62 by Senator Errington, which would create an enforceable requirement that partisan candidates meet the 365-day party affiliation or no-party registration requirement before qualifying. The committee adopted an amendment changing the effective date to upon becoming law, heard no opposition, and then approved the bill. The committee also approved a slate of 15 gubernatorial nominees en bloc and recommended them to the floor. The Florida Supervisors of Elections presented their 2026 legislative priorities. Their requests included automatically updating voter records when DHSMV changes driver license numbers, treating verified petition signing by inactive voters as voter activity that restores active status, adding election equipment and ballots to the state’s critical infrastructure protections, clarifying public-records treatment of election worker names and addresses, allowing more flexibility for early voting sites when a supervisor’s office is not suitable, eliminating the need for provisional-ballot envelopes when polling hours are extended by emergency order, and allowing vote-by-mail voters to remain on the list for the next general election unless they opt out. Senators asked questions about inactive voter status, security implications, early voting site requirements, and vote-by-mail renewal, and several members expressed support or interest in the supervisors’ proposals. During public testimony, several speakers urged stronger election-integrity measures, including proof of citizenship, tighter chain-of-custody controls, more hand-counting or manual audits, quarterly list maintenance, and reduced reliance on vote-by-mail and voting machines. They also criticized current audit systems and cited outside reports and research they said showed vulnerabilities in Florida’s election process. No additional committee action was taken after public testimony, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:03:25.239><c> Rising</c><00:03:26.239><c> sex</c><00:03:26.640><c> tortion</c><00:03:27.400><c> cyber
• </c><00:03:27.720><c> bullying</c> still Rising sex tortion cyber bullying still Rising sex tortion cyber

Summary: Rep. Zach Stevenson and Sen. Mann presented Minnesota legislation aimed at requiring warning labels on social media platforms, modeled on the Surgeon General’s recommendation, and adding pop-up notifications every 30 minutes to show users how long they have been on a platform. They argued that social media use is linked to serious mental health harms among youth, including anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, and said the bill is part of a broader effort to add guardrails on big tech. They also referenced related Minnesota efforts on deepfakes, child influencers, platform-use disclosures, and a separate effort to remove cell phones from classrooms. The hearing featured emotional testimony from parents Bridget Noring and Tabitha Urbansky, who described losing sons to fentanyl poisoning after drugs were arranged through Snapchat. Both said social media platforms can function as drug markets and that warning labels and other restrictions could help prevent similar tragedies. Eric Mishy of SAVE and the Kids Campaign also testified in support, saying social media is contributing to anxiety, depression, suicide, sextortion, trafficking, bullying, and drug sales, and that companies have not done enough to stop these harms. In response to a question about the pop-up feature, Stevenson said the idea is new in Minnesota but similar to “are you still watching” prompts on streaming services, intended to add friction and interrupt addictive use. He and others said no state had yet enacted similar warning-label laws, though several have proposed them, and they emphasized that regulating technology companies is difficult because of their resources and lobbying power. No vote or formal committee action was taken in the transcript, though the bill was scheduled for a House Commerce Committee hearing the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• 39.720><c> Safety</c><00:10:40.240><c> facilities</c><00:10:41.240><c> there</c> different Public Safety
• Safety commissioner Jacobson Drew Evans Safety commissioner Jacobson Drew Evans and<00:17:16.199><c>
• </c><00:19:23.440><c> and</c> Minnesota to meet our Public Safety and Minnesota to meet our Public Safety
• </c><00:37:59.359><c> is</c> of the Department of Public Safety is of the Department of Public Safety
• </c> look at some pretty serious safety look at some pretty serious safety issues<01:04:18.079><c> um

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• Because I didn't write that down, and for the cyber crimes and sex crimes for the children.
• So these teachers and school administrations can understand this new level of, you know, cyber crimes
• I have a plan that I would like to see implemented where we have a whole centralized cyber center, with
• When you talk about dreaming big, she would like to expand her office so it can house a whole cyber team
• , with training on the bottom floor and cyber investigations on the upper floors.

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The Appropriations Committee first reviewed the Department of Justice FY 2027 budget, which was presented at $117.8 million, with most funding coming from statutory dedications and the largest program areas being criminal law/Medicaid fraud and civil law. The Attorney General described major work in Troop NOLA, Medicaid fraud, opioid and PBM litigation, and especially child exploitation and online predator investigations. She said ICAC tips are rising sharply, local law enforcement partnerships have expanded, and her office needs more analysts, more permanent positions, and more expenditure authority for the legal support fund and related programs. Members asked about case backlogs, staffing, settlement funds, and whether more resources could be directed toward outreach, mental health, and technology; the Attorney General said she wants to expand cyber capacity, training, and prevention efforts, and that some settlement recoveries are being used to support existing programs and fraud enforcement. Committee members also focused heavily on child safety, truancy, and mental health. Several representatives described local concerns about online exploitation, trafficking, self-harm, and the need for school-based training and community outreach. The Attorney General said she wants a broader prevention strategy involving parents, schools, and behavioral health resources, and she discussed using outreach models such as anti-vaping campaigns and town halls. On opioid settlement oversight, members raised concerns about the size of the funds and the need for stronger state oversight; the Attorney General agreed more structure and compliance monitoring would be useful and said drug courts and treatment programs are effective investments. The committee then moved to the judicial branch budget presentation. The judiciary requested $229.6 million in FY 2027, plus $5.6 million in one-time funding, with most of the budget coming from state general fund. The presentation highlighted increases for judge salaries, staff pay adjustments, health insurance, operating costs, and 17 unfunded positions, along with one-time requests for security and technology upgrades. Chief Justice John Weimer and other justices said the budget would help core court functions and statewide programs such as CASA, drug courts, and FINS, and they emphasized the need for better staffing and technology in the courts. A major discussion centered on truancy and the FINS program. Justice Griffin said statewide collaboration with education officials had reduced truancy and that FINS officers are trained to identify children who may be runaways or trafficking victims. The justices and members supported expanding FINS so every judicial district has coverage, and they said the program helps keep children out of deeper system involvement. Members also asked about security funding, technology improvements, and the 17 unfunded positions, which were described as mostly clerical, IT, and support roles in appellate and district courts. No votes were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• WHEN IT COMES TO CYBER SECURITY, FLORIDIANS' PERSONAL DATA AND THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE OF OUR STATE, OUR
• LET'S AGREE TO FIGHT TOGETHER FOR THEIR SAFETY AND GIVE THEM HOPE.

Bills: SJR3 , SB5 , SJR36 , SJR3 , SB616 , SB565 , SB384 , SB5 , SB21 , SB72 , SB140 , SB262 , SB370 , SB372 , SB495 , SB627 , SB703 , SB764 , SB842 , SB971 , SB790 , SB767 , SB480 , SB1066 , SR44 , SR135 , SR171 , SR180 , SR185 , SR187 , SR188 , SR191 , SR197 , SR198 , SR199 , SR200

Keywords: dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, research funding, state budget, prevention, healthcare, medical research, Dementia Prevention and Research Institute, research institute, funding, grants, state health initiatives, aquifer, water management, Edwards Aquifer, sustainability, regulatory framework, SB 565, Texas Water Code

Transcript Highlights:

• Safety inspections... Of the people behind me. Buildings don't get built.
• Safety inspections don't happen.
• to learn about cyber best practices.
• And so we have a worker safety hearing coming up too.
• So, you know, we talk about money, but my heart is really in public safety.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a public FY27 budget hearing at Barnstable Town Hall, with opening remarks emphasizing the Cape and Islands’ seasonal infrastructure, housing, transportation, workforce, and digital needs. The hearing began with testimony from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, which outlined the Healey-Driscoll administration’s budget priorities for job training, apprenticeship, youth employment, reentry programs, and unemployment insurance modernization. The secretary highlighted proposed funding for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Career Technical Initiative, YouthWorks, reentry workforce development, and services for young adults with disabilities, along with a proposal to streamline youth work permits. Members also discussed the unemployment trust fund, the COVID assessment on employers, rising unemployment, and the need to improve DUA customer service and claims processing. Committee members asked about job seeker barriers such as child care, housing, transportation, and out-migration of young workers, as well as how to keep Cape Cod graduates and seasonal workers in the region. The administration said its strategy is to pair training with broader affordability investments and to expose students to career pathways earlier, including through middle school, early childhood STEM, YouthWorks, pre-apprenticeships, and Building Pathways. Senators and representatives also raised concerns about regional funding disparities, especially for Hampshire Franklin MassHire, and the administration said it is reviewing MassHire funding and service equity through a policy committee and statewide workforce board. On unemployment assistance, officials reported major improvements in wait times and claims processing, but said they are still working through backlogs and staffing challenges while maintaining program integrity. The committee then heard testimony from the Executive Office of Economic Development. The secretary described House 2 as a fiscally restrained budget with no new taxes or fees, while preserving core programs and using the Mass Leads Act tools to support competitiveness. EOED’s proposal included funding for the Community One Stop for Growth, rural economic development, social enterprise operating grants, regional economic development organizations, the Workforce Investment Trust Fund, Community Workforce Partnerships, Pathmaker, advanced manufacturing training, life sciences, innovation vouchers, AI initiatives, small business assistance, and tourism and live theater support. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation also testified on its FY27 request, focusing on consumer protection, licensing, banking, insurance, and public safety regulation. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Board and I'll be presenting on the Summary of Recommendations. for the Texas Department of Public Safety
• Godson, Deputy Director of Law Enforcement Services for the Texas Department of- Department of Public Safety
• Safety and I'm happy to be here to talk to you today.
• to do with but getting this off the servers and moving it to the cloud where we can protect it from cyber
• And we wouldn't ask, it's hard to ask, with all the public safety threats, it's hard to ask for bricks

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles I, IV, & V

Transcript Highlights:

• To build the systems, and then we have our SCADA operators, our IT systems, cyber security, all those
• Damn safety. I'm not exactly sure where this stands in the entire state of Texas.
• All of the dams need to be evaluated for... dam safeties from a perspective of that, and we need to look
• Cyber and physical security is a challenge. industry faces as well.
• Ports come in many shapes and sizes, and each and every port provides enhanced safety, transportation

Committee: House Natural Resources