Transcript Highlights:

• Of means charity, but you know attorneys need big...
• Charity, but you know attorneys need big words. And one more time, well, it's different.
• Creps, Madam Chair, members of the committee, I'm Joseph KPS, an attorney.
• If you think somebody's corrupt, you need to call the Attorney General's office.
• The board also continues to have... the board also continues to have an attorney on a $550,000 contract

Bills: HB159, HB110, HB114, HB115, HB116, HB123, HB125

Keywords: U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission, public facilities, space exploration, education programs, bond issuance, Governor involvement, pharmacy, pharmacist licensure, Alabama State Board of Pharmacy, renewal fees, continuing education, disciplinary actions, sessions, 2025-R, 1, 219

Transcript Highlights:

• Two, we do this in partnership with volunteer attorneys and MLRI.
• So there's already a backlog right there of over 300 people waiting for an attorney.
• Then... ...already a backlog right there of over 300 people waiting for an attorney.
• But there is a wait for people to get assigned attorneys, yes. Yes, sorry about that.
• So all of their caseload is detained cases, and they have six front-line attorneys.

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as an attorney, I've also read this and I understand it too.
• And as an attorney, I've also read this and I understand it too.
• of attorney, including everything: medical, financial, everything.
• She said, "Do you have power of attorney?"
• I said, Do you have power of attorney?

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Sanura Herichi from the Department of the Attorney General.
• </c> testimony in support we have is Attorney testimony in support we have is Attorney General<00:13:
• Attorney General's office. Good afternoon, Chairs, Vice Chair, members.
• Sanura Herichi from the Department of the Attorney General.
• On Zoom, we have Attorney Pinky Grace Francisco, teacher, not present on Zoom.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Committee on Education and Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs heard Senate Bill 422, which would authorize the Department of Education to award a high school diploma to qualified people whose schooling was interrupted by military service or wartime practices during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. The Department of Education testified in support, noting a prior law that created the Kono diploma program before it sunset in 2020. Several members of the public also testified in support. Both committees later recommended passage of SB 422 without amendments, and the recommendation was adopted by voice votes. The committees then heard Senate Bill 530 on Braille literacy. The bill would establish Braille literacy as state policy, require Braille-related literacy assessments for eligible blind and low-vision students, authorize DOE rulemaking, create a Braille Literacy Resource Center, and appropriate funds. DOE and the Department of Human Services supported the measure, as did the National Federation of the Blind, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and a blind testifier who described the importance of early Braille instruction. The Attorney General’s office raised concerns about statutory language requiring yearly assessments and suggested revisions so annual decisions remain with IEP teams. The committees voted to pass SB 530 with amendments, including the Attorney General’s suggested changes, and adopted the recommendation. The next measure was Senate Bill 532, which would allow school staff and agents trained by a licensed clinician to volunteer to administer medication to students in public schools under certain conditions and clarify who may prescribe such medication. DOE and Department of Health testimony supported the bill. The Attorney General recommended replacing the term “licensed clinician” with the defined term “health care professional.” The Hawaii Academy of Physician Assistants supported the bill but asked that physician assistants be included among providers who may prescribe medications for school administration. After questions about current school health aide duties and field-trip medication procedures, the committees voted to pass SB 532 with amendments, including the Attorney General’s terminology change, and adopted the recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our attorney still had to go through it quite a bit.
• I'm an assistant attorney general.
• On January 7th, the rules were submitted to the Attorney General for their legal opinion.
• And we received a letter from the Attorney General's office on January 27th.
• So it was actually around $1,200, I believe, for the Attorney General fees.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first approved the December 3 minutes, then heard a request from the Board of Clinical Laboratory Practice to amend its proposed rule on exempt test methods to add certain closed-system DNA/RNA tests, including rhinovirus. After testimony explaining that the board had considered late comments from BioMérieux and wanted the rule record to reflect that review, the committee agreed to a limited amendment and passed the motion unanimously. The Department of Agriculture then outlined broad rule updates affecting dairy, eggs, poultry, pesticides, animal health, environmental mitigation, and the Egg Product Utilization Commission. The commissioner said the changes mostly clarified existing requirements, updated references, and reduced some burdens, such as easing dairy hauler training/licensing timing and clarifying out-of-state grade A milk language. Members asked about dairy industry decline, the APUC scoring system, and the rationale for the milk-hauler and out-of-state milk provisions. The State Board of Dental Examiners presented extensive rule changes tied to recent legislation and workforce issues, including a new professional health program for dentists, expanded duties for assistants and hygienists, broader local anesthetic authority for hygienists, and fee increases to fund the program and cover administrative costs. Testimony from Dr. Edward May strongly supported the professional health program based on his own recovery experience. The committee also heard from Game and Fish on rules easing some guide/outfitter experience requirements, allowing electronic exams, and modifying boating safety equipment rules, with no public comment and no fiscal impact. Later, Health and Human Services received approval for an extension to update tattoo/body art rules and a separate motion to repeal an obsolete nurse aide training chapter. HHS also described nursing facility rule updates, lodging sanitation revisions, and related clarifications on licensing, safety, pest control, and fire requirements. The Department of Environmental Quality received an extension for septic-system installer rules, and also presented rules for above-ground storage tanks and water/wastewater operator certification, including new fees and third-party testing options. The Industrial Commission’s oil and gas division described multiple rule changes, some withdrawn after comments, including drilling unit flexibility, site stability, wildfire authority, and streamlined transport/reporting procedures. Finally, DPI began presenting several rule packages, including school construction loan limits, school bus standards, cooperative agreements, special education rules for public charter schools, and new math curriculum and intervention requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• And whereas the participating student attorneys were presented a case packet consisting of a maximum
• 21.400><c> student</c> And whereas the participating student And whereas the participating student attorneys
• were presented a case packet attorneys were presented a case packet consisting<00:17:25.240><c> of</
• Alicia Sanders served as the practicing attorney advisor.
• behalf of the members from Guilford, Brattleboro, and Putney, which happens to include two trial attorneys

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• child abuse, but he was victimized yet again by the justice system, and I would say even his own attorney
• child abuse, but he was victimized yet again by the justice system, and I would say even his own attorney
• Senator Presley, you're an attorney.
• And it's happening to a lot. ...of the attorneys who, especially, you know, those of us who are practicing
• I mean, you're an attorney, you know, I mean, you could argue that there's no law to suggest how it would

Summary: The Civil Law Committee met on May 5, 2026, and first considered House Bill 165 by Representative Abear, a constitutional amendment to dedicate $500,000 annually from lottery proceeds to a veterans service grant fund. The committee adopted a technical amendment removing “up to,” approved the 6.8A report, and reported the bill with amendments without objection. The committee then heard Senate Bill 185 by Senator Presley, which would make nondisclosure agreements in civil settlements involving child sexual abuse victims against public policy and unenforceable. Senator Presley and Elizabeth Phillips testified in support, describing the bill as part of the “Trey’s Law” movement to prevent survivors from being silenced. Additional supportive testimony came from Gillian Edwards Coburn, and committee members discussed how NDAs work in civil cases and the need to protect children’s ability to speak. The bill was reported favorably without objection. Next, the committee considered Senate Bill 77 by Senator Miller, a Law Institute measure on the effects of leases of movable property. Testimony explained that the bill is intended to protect good-faith lessees of items such as heavy equipment when a merchant leasing the property lacks authority to do so. The bill was reported favorably without objection. The committee also heard Senate Bill 140 by Senator Miller, which clarifies that multiple successions may be handled in the same proceeding when jurisdiction is proper. Members discussed the cost and efficiency benefits for families, and the bill was reported favorably without objection. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 603 by Representative Wright, a constitutional amendment authorizing state investment in digital assets and precious metals. Members questioned whether the language could include Bitcoin and how such investments would be monitored, with the sponsor saying implementation would be handled later by statute and public officials. The committee adopted the 6.8A report and then voted 5-3 to report the bill favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then my district attorney to my right, Charles Ballet here, they learned in Title 17, in the educational
• However, under the current law, and also reinforced by the Attorney General's opinion, although we are
• My office vehicles are exempt as district attorney. I have investigators.
• Charles Ballet, District Attorney of the 25th JDC, Plaquemines Parish. Thank you, Mr. Ballet.
• District Attorney from Plaquemines Parish, present in support and speaking. Dr.

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation met on April 22, 2026, with a quorum present and took up several transportation-related bills. HB 988 by Rep. Bagley, which changes the fee distribution for current and retired legislators’ special prestige license plates so the proceeds would support the Pentagon, was reported favorably without objection. HB 1001 by Rep. Marcel, designating a portion of US 190 as the Jesse Jackson Memorial Highway, was also reported favorably without objection after brief remarks honoring Jackson’s civil rights legacy and a moment of silence. The committee then considered HB 989 by Rep. Boyer, which updates fees public license tag agents may charge. After testimony from the Louisiana Public Tag Agent Association and Commissioner Keith Neal, Rep. Phelps offered an amendment to exclude Shreveport from the fee increase; the committee rejected that amendment on a 13-2 vote, and the bill itself was then reported favorably on a 13-2 vote. HB 1192, creating a Louisiana Dental Hygienist Association specialty license plate, was amended to remove language narrowing eligibility to association members and then passed favorably without objection. HB 1032 by Rep. Wiley, clarifying statutory references related to operating a motor vehicle under the influence, was amended technically and reported favorably without objection. Later, HB 748 by Rep. Brough, exempting school board-owned and leased vehicles from tolls on bridges and highways, was amended to include leased vehicles and an effective date. Testimony from Plaquemines Parish school officials and the district attorney described toll costs tied to the Belle Chasse bridge, and the bill was reported favorably without objection. HB 1108 by Rep. Omade, creating a homeschool pride specialty license plate, was reported favorably without objection after discussion of the plate design and the intended recipient organization. Finally, HB 1081 by Chairman Wright, restructuring the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission under the Office of Multimodal Commerce, was amended to clarify administrative placement and terminology and then reported favorably without objection. The committee adjourned after completing its agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• I sit on the Rules Committee, and I want to highlight some concerns that the rules attorneys presented
• regarding Senate Bill 1148, namely, Concerns that the rules attorneys presented regarding Senate Bill
• Rules attorneys were clear that was a separation of powers issue and so was unconstitutional.
• And disciplining attorneys is an incredibly important function of the state bar.
• For example, the state bar has must and has disciplined attorneys who lie in court and bring cases in

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior journal, and several points of personal privilege recognizing guests, including a newly graduated Army servicemember, the Doctor of the Day, and members of Delta Sigma Theta visiting for Delta Day at the Capitol. The chamber also adopted a proclamation designating April 10, 2026, as Founders Day in the City of Tolleson, with remarks highlighting the city’s history and the Whoopi Days Festival. The House then appointed a conference committee on HB 2874 after voting not to concur in Senate amendments. The House considered several bills in Committee of the Whole. On SB 1058, a floor amendment offered by Rep. Gutierrez to address gun trafficking, merchant codes, and related enforcement tools failed by a vote of 17-32, and the bill was then recommended do pass. SB 1094, dealing with civil liability related to gender transition procedures for minors, drew extended debate over constitutionality, medical liability, and impacts on physicians and patients, and it was also recommended do pass. SB 1136, SB 1422, and SB 1663 (with a Blackman floor amendment adopted) each received do pass recommendations. Later, the House adopted Committee of the Whole reports placing SB 1075 and SB 1202 on third reading, retaining SB 1419 on the calendar, and advancing SCM 1004 and SCM 1007. On third reading, the House passed SB 1024, SB 1148, SB 1232, SB 1293, and SB 1586, with members explaining votes on issues including vehicle registration, Supreme Court administration, outdoor advertising and zoning, GPLET tax policy, and state agency matters. The chamber then recessed briefly for announcements and personal privilege remarks, and finally adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• I sit on the Rules Committee, and I want to highlight some concerns that the rules attorneys presented
• regarding Senate Bill 1148, namely, Concerns that the rules attorneys presented regarding Senate Bill
• Rules attorneys were clear that was a separation of powers issue and so was unconstitutional.
• And disciplining attorneys is an incredibly important function of the state bar.
• For example, the state bar has and has disciplined attorneys who lie in court and bring cases in bad

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Washington State Office of the Attorney General may enforce the violations of these rules on its
• Representative Burnbaum said the provision was cleaning up the statute because physicians and attorneys
• Senator Warnick asked whether, in the past, physicians or attorneys could become foster care providers
• Senator Warnick remarked that this reflected an antiquated view of the ethical character of attorneys
• I'm a directing attorney at the Tacoma office for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee held a brief Monday meeting to hear two bills and a gubernatorial appointment. House Bill 2464, sponsored by Rep. Ortiz-Self, would require private detention facilities to report serious incidents such as abuse allegations, deaths, suicides, injuries requiring hospitalization, and service disruptions to the Department of Health and local law enforcement by the next business day, and would require annual law-enforcement reporting to DOH. Rep. Ortiz-Self said the bill is needed because private facilities have been inconsistent and delayed in sharing information, while state facilities already provide data more readily. Testimony from Columbia Legal Services, the League of Women Voters, La Resistencia, and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project strongly supported the bill, citing barriers to reporting crimes and concerns about abuse in private detention. The committee did not vote on the bill during the hearing, but the chair said it would be considered in executive session. The committee also heard Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2253, a DCYF request bill making several licensing-related changes for foster care, crisis residential centers, and child care. The bill would require immediate termination of certain child-specific foster licenses if high-potency synthetic opioids or illicit substances are found, exempt kinship caregivers from blood-borne pathogen training, allow DCYF to close inactive foster homes, remove sex designation from foster licenses, adjust CRC staffing ratios to one staff for four youth during waking hours and one for six during sleeping hours, and strengthen child care subsidy fraud enforcement through electronic attendance verification and possible license revocation. DCYF and Community Youth Services testified in support, describing the changes as technical fixes that align statute with current practice and reduce burden on providers. Committee members raised concerns that some child care provisions may belong in a different committee and noted the need to ensure the bill does not duplicate or conflict with existing licensing and fraud rules. The committee then held a confirmation hearing for Corey McNally, reappointed to the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board. McNally described the board’s role in release decisions, supervision conditions, violation management, and release plans, and discussed his background in community mental health, the Special Commitment Center, DOC sex offense treatment, and ISRB leadership. Members asked about advances in sex offense assessment and treatment, the distinction between ISRB cases and sexually violent predator civil commitment, board consistency and recidivism work, and victim participation in hearings. McNally said the board uses structured decision-making and actuarial risk assessments, remains neutral on legislation, and provides victim liaisons to offer participation options. The chair closed the hearings, noted the committee would meet the next day on a large packet of bills and one appointment, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill does provide a spot in the law so that, should a school find some trouble, the attorney general's
• As I read the bill, I know you explained it in the beginning, and I appreciate it about the Attorney
• Wouldn't this be better to have the Attorney General defend the laws that's already on the books, the
• On your bill, page 5, lines 11 through 23, it does say the Attorney General, on request from the Board
• A hundred percent, and I would expect some administrative rules to be created by the Attorney General's

Bills: HB4491, HB3240, HB4146, HB4158, HB4159, HB3718

Keywords: extracurricular activities, charter schools, student eligibility, virtual education, Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, prayer, religious freedom, public schools, consent, First Amendment, school policy, paid maternity leave, school employees, public health, childcare, work-life balance, education, family leave, tuition, grant

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill does provide a spot in the law so that, should a school find some trouble, the attorney general's
• As I read the bill, I know you explained it in the beginning, I appreciate it, about the Attorney General
• Wouldn't this be better, to have the Attorney General defend the laws that's already on the books, the
• On your bill, page 5, lines 11 through 23, it does say the Attorney General, on request from the Board
• 100%, and I would expect some administrative rules to be created by the Attorney General's office as

Summary: The A&B Subcommittee on Education heard and advanced several bills, beginning with HB 4491, which would allow virtual charter, charter, and homeschool students to participate in extracurricular activities in their resident school district. The sponsor said the bill was intended to expand student opportunity and was still being worked on, especially on eligibility and proximity requirements. Members raised concerns about accreditation, fairness, and potential disruption, but the bill was reported out 8-2. The committee then approved HB 4146, which moves the state-paid maternity benefit for teachers to begin in a teacher’s first year of employment, and HB 4149, which grants up to 10 years of service credit for certain prior experience, including out-of-state or out-of-country teaching, active-duty military service, law enforcement, and firefighting. HB 4158 raised the income cap for O-TAG grant eligibility to $80,000, and HB 4159 allowed parents to request dyslexia screening after formative assessments at any time during the year, with notice from the State Department; both passed with little opposition. A more contentious debate surrounded HB 3242, which sought to clarify voluntary religious expression in schools and provide Attorney General guidance and legal protections for districts. Supporters argued it protected First Amendment rights and gave schools guardrails, while opponents warned it could expose schools to litigation, create power imbalances, and blur the line between voluntary student expression and school-sponsored religious activity. After debate, the bill passed 6-4. Finally, HB 3718 was heard to address delays in special education evaluations by starting the 45-school-day timeline from the date of request rather than the date of consent, with the sponsor citing families missing scholarship deadlines because evaluations took too long. Members discussed federal timing rules and district practices, and the bill passed 7-3. The chair closed by noting it was the subcommittee’s final House bill meeting of the session.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Arizona Corporation Commission $1.9 million, and then they could do it just like the county attorney
• A county attorney provides you a lawyer if you cannot afford one on your own.
• But that attorney is still under the county attorneys.
• But that attorney is still under the county attorneys.

Bills: HB2113, HB2237, HB2824, HB2926, HB2939, HB2950

Keywords: utility consumer, rate intervention, public service corporation, Arizona Revised Statutes, residential rates, consumer protection, appropriation, Apache Junction, tourism, recreation, Superstition trails, funding, infrastructure, C-PACE, capital expenditure, special assessment, property improvement, local government financing, energy efficiency, water conservation

Transcript Highlights:

• And at that time, if we haven't seen it in the assignment, we're also reaching out to our Attorney General's
• And at that time, if we haven't seen it in the assignment, we're also reaching out to our Attorney General's
• The Attorney General's Office, as you know, is our legal counsel. They represent the agency.
• When there is litigation, the bill, the agency is billed for AGO services or attorney time and services
• with fiscal notes that go to the Secretary of State's office and then are transferred to, say, the Attorney

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And at that time, if we haven't seen it in the assignment, we're also reaching out to our Attorney General's
• The Attorney General's Office, as you know, is our legal counsel. They represent the agency.
• When there is litigation, the bill, the agency is billed for AGO services or attorney time and services
• with fiscal notes that go to the Secretary of State's office and then are transferred to, say, the Attorney
• with fiscal notes that go to the Secretary of State's office and then are transferred to, say, the Attorney

Summary: The committee held a special hearing on a tentative amended, restated gaming compact between the State of Washington and the Squaxin Island Tribe. Washington State Gambling Commission Director Tina Griffin said the state and tribe had reached tentative agreement after collaborative negotiations, and explained the approval process: public comment and a commission vote with ex officio legislative members, followed by governor review, tribal submission to the Secretary of the Interior, and Federal Register publication before the compact becomes effective. Squaxin Island representative Ray Peters said the tribe supports the amendments, describing them as clarifications that improve casino regulation and align the compact with other state compacts while supporting jobs and funding for housing, health care, and other services. Commission staff member Johnny Bray walked through the compact changes, including restating several appendices, removing the CX2 addendum, and adding new appendices on limitations and electronic table games. He said the limitations appendix raises certain wagering and facility ceilings, including higher table-game and tribal lottery system limits, authorization for credit for qualified patrons, and screening requirements for high-limit areas. He also described the new electronic table games appendix, which allows wager limits up to $500 and a nine-to-one ratio of electronic games to gaming stations, along with additional responsible-gaming commitments. Members asked about the location of the tribe and whether higher limits could increase problem gambling; staff said the limits are ceilings, other tribes already have similar authorizations, and the tribe must screen patrons and implement protections. The committee then held a work session with Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and staff on the office’s fiscal note process. Tim Gallivan explained the office’s three-day turnaround, workload-based FTE estimates, use of assumptions and ranges, and how fiscal notes include both salary/benefit costs and broader operating costs such as enterprise support and administration allocations. He also described how litigation costs are estimated in coordination with the Attorney General, including when costs are known, estimated from comparable cases, or marked indeterminate. Members questioned whether fiscal notes can reflect policy disagreements and how assumptions differ across agencies, and discussed examples involving the Washington Voting Rights Act and ranked choice voting. Hobbs and staff said fiscal notes are based on bill language, not intent, and that early sponsor contact can help refine estimates. No votes were taken in the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 893 updates Florida law to ensure attorney trust fund accounts are properly managed as authorized
• And it is certainly something a defendant with a very confident defense attorney Rep.
• Daley: attorney, like yourself, would raise with the prosecutor at the appropriate time.
• But if there is, they can still bring that up to the state attorney and the court.
• Liberty's last champions are criminal defense attorneys.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have personal friends who have been led down this path, and we've had to work around with attorneys
• We've had to work around with attorneys. There's things we've had to do.
• The attorneys are dealing with it. The attorneys are dealing with it.
• and if there are actual charges being put forth and whether or not the Secretary of State or the Attorney
• If the attorney dies or becomes ill, there can be a method that attorney can be replaced.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the previous day’s journal by a 117-1 vote. Members then spent a large portion of the morning introducing guests, including students, civic groups, fraternity and sorority members, county officials, and visitors from various districts. The Speaker also suspended business several times to sign enrolled bills, including Senate substitute for House Bill 261, House Bill 2641, Senate substitute for House Bill 2423, and House Bill 2934. The chamber then debated House Concurrent Resolution 48, which urges Congress to pass the SAVE Act requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. Supporters argued it would protect election integrity and prevent non-citizens from voting, while opponents said it would create burdens, function like a poll tax, and disenfranchise eligible voters, especially women, rural residents, students, military members, and people who move or change names. After a motion for the previous question passed 93-42, the House adopted HCR 48 by a vote of 92-43. The House also passed House Concurrent Resolution 23, a federalism resolution affirming state control over elections, by a unanimous 137-0 vote after committee leaders said it had broad bipartisan support. The House then perfected and printed House Bill 2855, which adjusts workers’ compensation fund tax increments from 0.5% to 0.1% to better match receipts with expenditures; an amendment allowing replacement of attorneys in long-running permanent total cases was adopted first. Members also perfected and printed House Bill 1906, a short bill allowing township counties to authorize annual, semiannual, or quarterly payment of real and personal property taxes by ordinance. The session ended with announcements and a motion to recess until 2 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• the merger, in putting the surveyor's language in a different place, it made it look like a title attorney
• And so what the Senate did was they added an exception saying that title attorneys were not affected
• look like different place, it it made it look like a<00:29:29.120><c> title</c><00:29:29.520><c> attorney
• had to become a a title attorney had to become a surveyor.<00:29:31.840><c> And</c><00:29:32.080><c>
• were not affected by title attorneys were not affected by this<00:29:39.200><c> merger</c><00:29:39.919

Keywords: MS House Floor - 25 March, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We’re not charging anybody criminally, but there is declaratory relief that can be sought by the Attorney
• Remedies also include the Attorney General can intervene and can seek a fine of up to $100,000.
• Chairman, Representative Skog, I notice in subparagraph 14, you say that the Attorney General may file
• Chairman, covered entities—the part about writ of mandamus says that the Attorney General may file a
• That would be quite an expansion of the Attorney General’s powers as well as a misuse of the writ of

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee first approved the gubernatorial reappointment of Brian Marks to the Sex Offender Management Board and agreed to print RS 33773. The committee then heard House Bill 822, which would require covered entities such as schools, child care providers, and medical or mental health providers to notify parents within 72 hours if a minor requests assistance with social transition, and would restrict aiding or abetting such efforts without parental consent. The bill sponsor argued it was intended to protect parental rights and ensure parents are informed about serious matters involving their children; committee members raised questions about the bill’s definitions, the use of mandamus, and the scope of penalties and enforcement. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including parents and policy advocates, said the bill would stop schools and providers from concealing gender-related information from parents and would reinforce family authority. Opponents, including physicians, nurses, Planned Parenthood, and other advocates, argued the bill was vague, would chill medical and school counseling, could endanger vulnerable youth, and might force disclosures in situations where safety is a concern. Several opponents emphasized that trusted adults can be critical for youth who do not feel safe at home, while supporters said parental involvement should be the default and that safety concerns can be handled through existing reporting channels. After the sponsor closed, committee members debated the measure. Supporters said parents are the primary authority in a child’s life and that the bill corrects secrecy in schools and health care; opponents said the language is overly broad and lacks clear exceptions. The committee voted to send House Bill 822 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation, with one senator recorded as opposed.