Transcript Highlights:

• of course, as I mentioned, the onshoring and domesticating supply, we have to look also at the environmental
• conscious sourcing, where do we get the materials, how do we maintain our environmental aspects of it
• And the only way we can really do that and balance the third area of environmental sustainability is
• of energy security, economic stability, the balance of energy security, economic stability, and environmental
• Intrinsically, I grew up in an environmentally sensitive place.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the availability of presentation materials, then moved into a series of technical briefings from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent federal and DOE efforts to streamline nuclear regulation for advanced reactors, including NRC Part 53 and upcoming Part 57 rulemaking, DOE authorization updates, crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements, and use of AI to speed licensing communications and document review. He emphasized that the goal is to align safety standards for advanced technologies, reduce rework for developers, and support deployment for commercial, defense, and research uses. In response to questions, he said there is no current plan to merge agencies, but there is more information-sharing and embedded NRC staff at DOE facilities; he also noted public outreach is supported through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, covering uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and recycling. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, and the need to expand domestic enrichment, deconversion, and transportation capacity to support advanced reactors and the 2050 nuclear growth goal. He also reviewed used fuel management, including on-site storage at operating and shutdown reactors, the Center for Used Fuel Research at INL, a high-burnup research cask project, and the long-term repository question, which he said is ultimately political as well as technical. He outlined reprocessing approaches—aqueous/Purex, pyrochemical, and fluoride volatility—describing INL’s work on electrochemical processing of EBR-II fuel and noting industry interest from several companies in recycling technologies. Ashley Shields presented on AI for nuclear applications, describing INL’s use of generative AI, high-performance computing, and digital-twin tools to accelerate reactor design, licensing, operations, and materials development. She highlighted the Prometheus effort to pursue highly automated reactor design and operation, the large documentation burden for reactor licensing, and ongoing work on autonomous control, remote operation, and AI-assisted materials qualification through the Vulcan challenge and related data platforms. In questions, she said AI tools are used under data-governance and security controls, with different models chosen for different tasks, and argued that software engineers and human oversight remain necessary. The session ended with a brief recess announcement and a transition to a later presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Next up is the Department of Environmental Services Rule 25206.
• Staff comments first. >> Next up is the Department of Environmental Services Rule 25206.
• I'm the assistant commissioner at the Department of Environmental Services.
• I have with of Environmental Services.
• I'm the owner of CSA Environmental Consultants.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee began with routine business, including the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the minutes, seating of an alternate member, and approval of the consent agenda. It then took up Department of Health and Human Services Rule 25188 on New Hampshire Early Childhood and Out-of-School Time Credentials. Staff explained that the rule adopts two new parts to implement RSA 170E:50, which had long required rules. The main issue was an unclear comment created by changes in the department’s amended conditional approval request: language defining out-of-school-time basics and a requirement tied to the New Hampshire Professional Registry training transcript had been removed, creating a mismatch between the form and the rule text. The department said it revised the language so the form and rule now match. A member also asked about the fee schedule, and the department said the fees are sufficient and supported in part by federal funds. The committee then approved Rule 25188 as amended, with oral edits, on a voice vote. The committee next considered Department of Environmental Services Rule 25206, dealing with subsurface wastewater rules and an administrative fine schedule. Staff said most comments had been addressed, but one remaining issue concerned the fine schedule because the prior interim rule had expired years ago. Staff also noted public concerns about septic tank replacement sizes, but pointed to waiver provisions and replacement-in-kind language that would still allow smaller existing systems to be replaced under certain conditions. DES officials explained that the rule package adds the fine schedule into the program rules and that no fines have been brought under these expired provisions for many years. They also described the waiver and grandfathering provisions as intended to protect existing systems and seasonal campgrounds from unnecessary upgrades. A public witness, Christopher Albert, testified that two sections of the rule would harm manufactured home parks and cooperatives. He argued that the new “two people per bedroom” assumption and the minimum bedroom threshold for using water-meter data would inflate design flows, make water-meter data unusable, and increase costs for low-income residents. Committee members questioned both the witness and the agency about the assumptions. DES staff responded that the two-person-per-bedroom standard is meant for individual on-site system design, not citywide planning, and that water-meter data is only useful in larger or unusual facilities. They said the rule still allows flexibility through waivers and grandfathering for existing uses, and that the drinking-water rule cited by the witness was not the correct comparison. No final vote on Rule 25206 was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• existing state requirements around test pitting covers all areas of the state and all different environmental
• existing state requirements around test pitting covers all areas of the state and all different environmental
• existing state requirements around test pitting covers all areas of the state and all different environmental
• existing state requirements around test pitting covers all areas of the state and all different environmental
• existing state requirements around test pitting covers all areas of the state and all different environmental

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee on SB 170 opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then worked through the bill section by section, focusing first on a housing-related provision that would prohibit municipalities from requiring occupants to be related by blood or marriage. The chair proposed adding “school enrollment status” as a protected class to prevent towns from limiting where students may live, especially in Durham. Members debated whether that phrase was too vague and whether “educational status,” “enrollment status,” or “school enrollment status” was the best wording. Public testimony raised concerns that adding a new protected class could have broader implications under the state’s anti-discrimination law and could also affect municipal zoning authority, while supporters argued the bill was aimed at preventing local rules that restrict student housing and group living arrangements. The subcommittee did not take a final vote on that language during the discussion. The committee then turned to land-use and subdivision provisions. The Department of Environmental Services testified that its test-pit and related land-development rules are already protective of groundwater and surface water, and that municipalities sometimes impose stricter setbacks or other requirements locally. Builders and housing advocates argued that more stringent local requirements for test pits, well siting, and related approvals add time and cost and can impede housing development, while some municipal concerns were raised about aquifer and wellhead protection overlay districts and local groundwater safeguards. Public testimony also supported making state standards uniform across municipalities, though one speaker noted that local and state review processes can differ and that the bill could simplify approvals. The subcommittee also discussed a road-length provision, with one member supporting limits on municipal caps that could impede development and another suggesting a possible water-and-sewer-capacity qualifier. Additional sections were explained as allowing utilities and infrastructure to be placed in subdivision open spaces or perimeter buffers, and requiring municipalities to act quickly on plan changes after initial review. The chair indicated support for several of the sections as drafted, and the discussion ended with the committee moving through the remaining provisions without recorded final votes in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• plans to attend college after high school, and I think her biggest emphasis will probably be on environmental
• will probably her her biggest emphasis will probably be<00:08:07.120><c> on</c><00:08:07.319><c> environmental
• </c><00:08:07.919><c> science</c><00:08:08.280><c> she</c><00:08:08.479><c> enjoys</c> be on environmental
• science she enjoys be on environmental science she enjoys the<00:08:09.000><c> farm</c><00:08:09.319
• of $15 million for fiscal year 2026 and $15 million for fiscal year 2027 to the Department of Environmental

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Next is a review and approval of an amendment to the contract between the Department of Environmental
• That is the one with the Department of Environmental Quality and RTI International.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget met on March 19, 2006, and first approved a fiscal status statement and five-year baseline budget with no changes. The committee then approved several B.A. 7 budget adjustments, including additional authority for the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism for cultural development activities, a federal Rural Health Transformation Program grant for the Department of Health with 15 added positions, and a $1 million increase from the major events incentive fund to reimburse costs tied to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The committee also reviewed a Louisiana Military Department project to convert Building 2013 at Jackson Barracks into a cyber warfare operations facility, increasing total funding authority to $29.7 million to add a SCIF component. Members approved clarifications of legislative intent for several prior appropriations, including parish drainage and local government items, and approved extensions or amendments to contracts for tourism advertising, the Office of Risk Management’s third-party claims administrator, and a DEQ contract with RTI International. The committee heard presentations on two university-related items: Louisiana Tech’s plan to shift campus buildings from its aging in-house cogeneration system to utility service from the City of Ruston and a local gas provider, which is expected to save money even after debt service, and UL Lafayette’s request to extend a consulting contract for continued support of its Banner ERP system. Members asked questions about the Louisiana Tech project’s scope and savings, but no objections were raised on the items before the committee. The meeting concluded with adjournment after a motion by Senator Fesi.

Transcript Highlights:

• A national leader in environmental services, Republic Services proudly calls Legislative District 4 home
• A national leader in Environmental Services, Republic Services, proudly calls Legislative District for

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then established attendance, approved the prior journal, and welcomed several guests, including the Doctor of the Day, a student shadowing a senator, representatives from Republic Services, and visitors from Copper Valley Energy. Senators also announced administrative deadlines, including extensions for opening Senate folders and for Senate bill introduction preparation, with the bill introduction deadline set for February 2. The main floor business was the reading and reference of a large number of Senate bills and resolutions across many subject areas, including education, government, appropriations, natural resources, health and human services, finance, judiciary and elections, and military affairs and border security. The calendar also included second-reading placement for another large group of bills covering topics such as firearms, behavioral health, family courts, insurance, water, taxation, public safety, and elections. No substantive debate or votes on the merits of the measures occurred during this portion beyond the procedural reading and referral of the bills. Standing committee reports were accepted without being read, and committee announcements were made for upcoming meetings of Government, Health and Human Services, Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency, Education, Judiciary and Elections, and Public Safety. The Senate then adjourned on motion until Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 1:15 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think when we talk about environmental protectionism, it's way easier in some parts of our state that
• we don't have the greenery, and we don't have the canopies, and we don't have the same kind of environmental

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Environmental management. Hey Tina.
• I'm Russell Kelly with the Department of Environmental Management. I have four contracts.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> is a New Englandwide environmental is a New Englandwide environmental advocacy<01:18:36.320><c>
• </c><01:31:30.400><c> sound</c> not particularly environmentally sound not particularly environmentally
• It sets up a committee to study the environmental impact of data centers. on thorough environmental analysis
• . on thorough environmental analysis.
• study the environmental impact of data centers.

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 1281, which would establish standards and voluntary certification for agency-owned “facility comfort dogs” used by police and other public safety agencies. Representative Morton, the prime sponsor, said the bill is intended to create a consistent statewide framework because different departments currently use different policies. He emphasized that the bill is meant to distinguish comfort dogs from service animals, emotional support animals, and therapy dogs, and noted that a small amendment may be needed to make that distinction clearer. He also said the bill is timely under the ADA because comfort dogs fall outside service-animal protections, but still need training standards for public safety and consistency. Committee members questioned whether the bill was too detailed and whether the legislature should be setting rules on matters like training methods, diet, and breeding. Laura Barker of Hero Pups, who helped train New Hampshire’s first police comfort dog, supported the idea of a minimum standard but said the bill should be less prescriptive and should not interfere with therapy dogs or private handlers. She explained that comfort dogs vary in temperament and deployment needs, that raw diets raise zoonotic disease concerns, and that the program should remain voluntary and not cost the state money. Detective Michelle Jones of Portsmouth Police opposed the bill as written, saying the term “facility comfort dog” is confusing, the bill is overly restrictive, and some provisions go beyond what should be mandated by statute; she suggested a more flexible, guideline-based approach and noted that departments already have their own SOPs and can enforce them internally. Justin Brassen of the Manchester Police Department also testified, describing the history of comfort dog programs in New Hampshire and the work of a prior subcommittee formed through the governor’s commission on PTSD among first responders. He said there are currently no statewide standards and that the earlier study involved police, fire, EMS, dispatch, corrections, and NAMI New Hampshire, with the goal of creating a thoughtful work product. He agreed the bill needs work and answered questions about how departments handle training and public access. By the end of the hearing, members and witnesses discussed possible amendments, and one committee member suggested the bill may be better handled through interim study because of the amount of work still needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of farmers are still kind of angry about this issue, not because they deny the environmental benefits
• </c> because they deny the environmental because they deny the environmental benefits<00:08:48.320><c
• While implementing buffers along Minnesota's public waters may bring environmental benefits, it still
• While implementing buffers along Minnesota's public waters may bring environmental benefits, it still
• My husband and I feel that the environmental benefit and future benefit to the general public outweighs

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The goal, Senator, thank you for the question, is not to override local environmental protections or
• statewide environmental protections.
• It says does not override environmental standards under that section, and ensuring such limitations are
• under that environmental standards under that section<00:32:31.919><c> and</c><00:32:32.080><c> ensuring
• With the state's environmental resources and local interests, and also serves the public interest.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Last session, funding for those suicide barriers was included in the bonding bill.
• </c><00:08:30.440><c> Bill</c> included in the bonding Bill included in the bonding Bill unfortunately
• We got provision in the bonding bill.
• There were people who lost their lives after the bonding bill failed.
• There were people who lost their lives after the bonding bill failed.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:33:00.000><c> with</c> family members who want to bond with family members who want to bond with
• It was such a pleasure to see how well bonded they were.
• It was such a pleasure to see how well bonded they were.
• It was such a pleasure to see how well bonded they were.
• </c><01:15:39.679><c> they</c> pleasure to see how well bonded they pleasure to see how well bonded they

Committee: House Labor

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The value of the PUF can be leveraged to issue bonds for capital projects at PUF-eligible institutions
• and are AUF eligible, and which institutions are eligible for PUF bonds only.
• On the right are the institutions that may benefit only from PUF bonds, meaning their allowable use is
• and are AUF eligible and which institutions are eligible for Puff Bonds only.
• On the right are the institutions that may benefit only from Puff bonds, meaning their allowable use

Summary: The Senate Committee on Higher Education met to review interim charges on the Permanent University Fund (PUF), the Available University Fund (AUF), the Higher Education Fund (HEAF), and the Texas University Fund (TUF). Legislative Budget Board staff outlined how each fund works, including PUF’s constitutional role for UT and Texas A&M, HEAF’s capital support for institutions outside those systems, and TUF’s research funding for eligible universities. They also described TUF’s growing corpus and distribution changes, and noted which institutions are nearing eligibility. Committee members asked about distribution formulas, comparisons to other states, and how funds are allocated among system institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• than bond dollars.
• The<00:10:46.680><c> 2023</c><00:10:47.560><c> bonding</c><00:10:47.920><c> bills</c><00:10:48.200><c
• > included</c><00:10:48.640><c> many</c><00:10:48.920><c> new</c> The 2023 bonding bills included many
• new The 2023 bonding bills included many new capital<00:10:49.520><c> grants</c><00:10:49.880><c> to
• </c> the general fund rather than bond the general fund rather than bond dollars.<00:10:53.760><c> This

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, we found several significant issues with the Professional Bail Bonding Board. We gave...
• The Professional Bail Bonding Board, we gave them a one-year rollover to see if they could correct those
• The Professional Bail Bonding Board did a tremendous job, and their members of the board fought really
• So would those be checks from the bail bondsman, or would it be someone that is utilizing bail bonding
• Okay, this has not to do with the bail bond administration. Okay, all right.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to establish an online permit application and online permit renewal application, update the surety bond
• renewal application, update<00:05:16.560><c> the</c><00:05:16.640><c> surety</c><00:05:16.960><c> bond
• </c><00:05:17.320><c> form,</c><00:05:17.800><c> remove</c> update the surety bond form, remove update
• the surety bond form, remove unnecessary<00:05:18.840><c> and</c><00:05:18.960><c> duplicative</c><00
• to establish an online permit application and online permit renewal application, update the surety bond

Keywords: • 0:00 - Roll Call • 0:19 - Approval of June 2026 meeting minutes • 0:36 - Fish & Wildlife (301 KAR 1:201 and 301 KAR 2:178) • 1:35 - Board of Veterinary Examiners (201 KAR 16:767) • 4:10 - State Board of Elections (31 KAR 4:240 Emergency) • 4:50 - Office of the Attorney General, Regulatory Relief (40 KAR 12:300, 12:610, 12:400, 12:420 and 12:600) • 7:03 - Department of Revenue (103 KAR 43:341 Emergency) • 8:05 - Kentucky Public Pensions Authority (105 KAR 1:001 and 1:440) • 9:19 - Finance and Administration Cabinet, Office of the Controller (200 KAR 38:080) • 10:10 - Board of Physical Therapy (201 KAR 22:010 and 22:070) • 11:06 - Kentucky Department of Education (702 KAR 3:220 and 6:110) • 12:43 - Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Public Health (902 KAR 1:400) • 13:47 - Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Medicaid Services (907 KAR 2:720 and 2:725) • 28:11 - Next meeting and adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee met with a quorum present, approved the minutes without objection, and then reviewed a series of administrative regulations from multiple agencies. Most of the regulations received staff-suggested amendments and were approved without objection, including fish and wildlife rules on fishing limits and deer hunting on local government property, veterinary board changes to responsible party and veterinary manager requirements, election procedures for safe-at-home voters, attorney general regulatory relief rules, emergency gasoline tax pricing, public pensions updates, controller fraud-prevention policies, physical therapy licensure and English proficiency standards, school nutrition and fee-waiver rules, public health conference procedures, and Medicaid waiver regulations. Several agencies briefly identified themselves and answered procedural questions, but most items drew no substantive opposition. The Board of Veterinary Examiners regulation included an agency amendment that removed a proposed limit on the number of facilities a veterinary manager could oversee. The Department of Education regulations updated fee waiver and meal program procedures, while the Department of Public Health regulation clarified notification and conference-request procedures. The Department of Revenue and Kentucky Public Pensions Authority items were largely technical or conforming changes, including a special-needs trust definition added for consistency with Senate Bill 85. The most extensive discussion involved the Department for Medicaid Services’ 1915C child waiver regulations. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy testified in opposition to the waiver’s lack of participant-directed services, arguing that consumer-driven services such as respite and community living support are required and especially important in rural areas and for higher-acuity children. Cabinet representatives responded that the waiver is intended to provide wraparound services to keep children in homes and communities, that it has CMS approval, and that the program is limited to 100 slots with about 21 participants already enrolled. Members did not move a deficiency motion, and the chair indicated the regulations would continue through the process. The meeting adjourned after setting the next meeting for Tuesday, August 11 at 1:00 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• large part became the centerpiece of what we accomplished this session: $1.2 billion in job-creating bonding
• Our Republican colleagues in the bonding deal insisted that it start in January.
• than that, but that was a provision that they insisted on and without it they would take down the bonding
• The car tabs go on the bonding bill? Mhm.
• Yeah, that's not uncommon to see something like that go into a bonding bill.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said the 2026 session ended with major accomplishments despite frustration over what did not pass. She highlighted a $1.2 billion bonding bill, housing and rental investments, property tax reductions, support for HCMC and distressed hospitals, public safety and crime victim funding, IT modernization, and fraud-prevention measures. She also said the Senate pushed a tab fee holiday, though she criticized Republicans for delaying its start until January, and described the session as focused on a “fair deal” for Minnesotans facing higher costs. Murphy said some of the most difficult work involved human services and fraud oversight. She said lawmakers created an independent inspector general office, funded the Attorney General’s Medicaid fraud unit, added training and electronic visit measures, and included payment-withholding language with due-process protections and continuity-of-care safeguards. She said the Senate tried to balance fraud enforcement with preserving access to Medicaid-funded services, and emphasized that legislators must continue oversight and follow audit recommendations. She also expressed deep disappointment that a comprehensive gun violence prevention package did not pass the House, saying it included prevention, intervention, harm reduction, school safety, and mental health provisions. She said the package was rejected by House Republicans and that she would keep fighting for it. On immigration enforcement, she said the Senate proposed protections against ICE actions but could not get them enacted. She also discussed campaign strategy, saying Democrats would defend frontline seats and emphasize health care, housing, jobs, and affordability, while continuing to support roads, bridges, and transit.

Transcript Highlights:

• account to record levels, or about $8.4 billion, is that it's been recognized by Wall Street, by the bond
• as the reason why we saw two years ago a historic rise to AA+ for Massachusetts as Massachusetts' bond
• Another factor that led to Wall Street improving our bond rating to a record high level of AA+, because
• Another factor that led to Wall Street improving our bond rating to record high level of AA plus, because
• rating. ...and careful budgeting has also led, as we heard earlier, the Commonwealth to our prime bond

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• clear answer from those opposed to this bill yesterday, so I'll ask you: Have you ever seen a school bond
• just interesting because those opposed to this bill also would probably be opposed to making school bonds
• Representative, would you believe that Oklahoma City public schools put their bond on the November election
• clear answer from those opposed to this bill yesterday so I'll ask you have you ever seen a school bond
• just interesting because those opposed to this bill also would probably be opposed to making school bonds

Bills: HB4028 , HB4075 , HB4077 , HB4074 , HB4076 , SB1221 , SB1921 , SB2118 , SB1932 , SB2134 , HCR1025 , SB1432 , HCR1024 , HCR1022 , SB1122 , HB4029 , HB4063 , HB4073 , HB4078 , SB1936 , SB44 , SB237 , SB248 , SB1360 , SB985 , SB1204 , SB1239 , SB1307 , SB2143 , SB1428 , SB1390 , SB1400 , SB1405 , SB1732 , SB1832 , SB1859 , SB1989 , SB2018 , SB1427

Keywords: tax deduction, venture capital, economic development, Oklahoma, investment, water resources, appropriations, funding, state treasury, infrastructure projects, emergency act, emergency management, disaster relief, pandemic response, state appropriations, HB4074, Health Care Workforce Training Commission, Health Care Workforce Revolving Fund, health workforce, health care workforce

Summary: The House opened with roll call, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions and introductions, including Deer Creek students, Skiatook Chamber members, Sand Springs youth leaders, and international visitors studying U.S. energy policy. The chamber also honored the Nurse of the Day, Marla Lyceum, and heard a lengthy farewell speech from Minority Leader Munson reflecting on her service, constituent work, leadership, and bipartisan relationships. Members then took up several special presentations and resolutions, including HCR 1024 recognizing Route 66 Day and its economic importance, HCR 1022 honoring National Lineman Appreciation Day, and a citation for Langston University Day at the Capitol. The House also recognized Deputy Kenton Blumenthal as Oklahoma’s 2025 Officer of the Year for heroic actions during a dangerous pursuit. Later, the House introduced the pages of the week. On legislation, the House passed SB 1122 on ad valorem tax, which supporters said would equalize tax treatment for broadband infrastructure and promote business fairness, over some concern about tax policy and revenue impacts. The chamber also passed HB 4029, HB 4063, HB 4073, HB 4078, and SB 1936, with emergency clauses adopted on the first four. HB 4063, which referred two previously approved state questions to a special August election, drew extended debate over ballot timing, turnout, and whether combining the questions was appropriate; it ultimately passed and the special election referral was approved. SB 1936, which elevates falsely impersonating a law enforcement officer to a D1 felony, passed unanimously.