Transcript Highlights:

• But fear is the cement that holds things like this together.
• > But<00:44:47.599> fear<00:44:47.920> is<00:44:48.079> the<00:44:48.240> cement
• <00:44:48.640> that<00:44:48.960> holds<00:44:49.920> things But fear is the cement
• that holds things But fear is the cement that holds things like<00:44:50.400> this<00:44:50.640
• <00:45:07.119> that<00:45:07.280> holds<00:45:07.520> it because fear is the cement

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the January 23, 2026 journal, and then took up two resolutions. HJR 26-103, recognizing National Blood Donor Month, was adopted unanimously, 34-0, with the current roll call added as co-sponsors. SJR 26-005, designating Monday, January 26, 2026 as Colorado 4-H Day, was also adopted unanimously, 34-0, and the morning roll call was added as co-sponsors. Most of the meeting centered on SJR 26-005 and a large 4-H presence in the galleries and on the floor. Senators and guests gave extended remarks about 4-H’s role in youth development, agriculture, leadership, and hands-on learning, with several members sharing personal 4-H experiences and welcoming students from across Colorado. The resolution text highlighted 4-H’s statewide reach and its partnership with Colorado State University Extension. After the resolution, senators made announcements about upcoming Bible study, Smart Act hearings, a State Farm breakfast, and Joint Budget Committee presentations. The latter part of the meeting shifted to personal privilege remarks on immigration enforcement, protests, law enforcement, due process, and public safety, with sharply differing views expressed about ICE, CBP, and recent incidents in Minnesota. No further legislative votes or actions were taken after the resolutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, think about a cement manufacturer.
• Real sources like cement, steel, paper, and aluminum are all greenhouse gas-emitting industries.
• Cement plants and other sources are somewhere in the middle.
• There's a cement manufacturer in T.
• You can't use a battery right now or renewable energy to make cement or steel, and so you can certainly

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, cement too—you forgot to mention cement and the fly ash from the whole... Well, cement, too.
• you know, to make cement, too.
• It’s a cement shortage. It’s part of our infrastructure, Samantha, huh? Please.
• aluminum silicate, which is cement.
• The demand for cement, too, is going to be huge in the future.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, cement too, you forgot to mention cement and the fly ash from the whole... Well, cement, too.
• you know, to make cement.
• It's a cement shortage. It's part of our infrastructure, Samantha, huh? Please.
• aluminum silicate, which is cement.
• The demand for cement, too, is going to be huge in the future.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the quality of questions from the group, followed by a series of technical presentations from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent nuclear regulatory changes tied to presidential executive orders, including NRC Part 53 for advanced reactors, the forthcoming Part 57 for very small reactors, and DOE updates to reactor authorization standards. He emphasized efforts to align DOE and NRC processes, use risk-informed and performance-based licensing, support reactor deployment for AI/data centers and national security, and use AI to speed communications and crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements. In response to questions, he said there was no plan to merge agencies, but rather to improve coordination and public outreach through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and reprocessing. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), why it is needed for advanced reactors, and DOE’s HALEU Availability Program and related investments in enrichment, transportation, deconversion, and supply chain development. He also covered spent fuel management, the possibility of centralized storage or a fuel-cycle campus, the Center for Used Fuel Research, and ongoing work on high-burnup cask testing and reprocessing technologies. Tolman described aqueous, pyrochemical, and fluoride-volatility reprocessing approaches, noting the advantages and waste characteristics of each, and said several companies are working with INL on these technologies. Ashley Shields presented INL’s AI and nuclear work, focusing on the Genesis initiative and the Prometheus effort to use AI to design, license, build, and operate reactors with far less human intervention. She described INL’s broad use of generative AI tools, the need to manage large volumes of legacy technical data, and applications in reactor design, materials discovery, autonomous laboratories, and digital twins. Shields said AI is being used to reduce the enormous documentation burden in nuclear licensing and to support autonomous or remotely operated reactor demonstrations, while stressing that humans remain in supervisory roles. In discussion, she addressed data security, model access, and the continued need for software engineers. The session then recessed briefly and resumed with Mitch Kerman beginning a presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• biggest beneficiaries, the people who benefit from this the most, is the, I believe, the largest cement
• I think you mentioned cement may have been one, but in your county, I realize it's statewide, but in
• So mining and cement manufacturing, so these are products that are generally going to be sold outside
• I think you mentioned cement may have been one, but in your county, I realize it's statewide, but in
• So mining and cement manufacturing, so these are products that are generally going to be sold outside

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lots of materials that are tough to... let's say you can't reuse those, but it also requires tons of cement
• I wish I'd known that question was coming, but there's tons of cement for each wind turbine foundation
• materials that are tough to let's let's say you can't use those but also it also requires tons of cement
• don't have the numbers in front of me I wish I'd known that question was coming but there's tons of cement
• It takes between 600 and 1,000 tons of cement that goes down the hole whenever they put up one of those

Bills: SB78, SB235, SB22, SB310

Keywords: nuclear energy, renewable energy, sustainability, carbon emissions, energy regulation, microgrid, zero carbon resources, Public Regulation Commission, energy generation, electric utilities, motor vehicle manufacturers, licensing, dealers, franchise agreements, consumer protection, water supply, sewage improvements, environment, funding, Mora County

Transcript Highlights:

• multiple conversations just this week with developers who are really concerned about the cost of cement
• multiple conversations just this week with developers who are really concerned about the cost of cement
• Developers who are really concerned about the cost of cement and concrete and lumber, um, as those will

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's no nothing in cement. You're not cementing a right to anyone, an affirmative right.
• There's no nothing in cement. You're not cementing a right to anyone, an affirmative right.
• <01:21:11.480> you're<01:21:11.639> not<01:21:11.840> cementing<01:21:12.280
• > a<01:21:12.520> right in cement you're not cementing a right in cement you're not cementing
• <01:21:19.440> if unless maybe a little more cemented if unless maybe a little more cemented

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and members, Bruce Mignani on behalf of the California cement industry in support.
• somewhere, the cement industry is going to just keep polluting like they always do.
• This is about making limestone out of cement production.
• This is about making limestone out of cement production. This is about direct air cap.
• This is about making limestone out of cement production.

Summary: The committee first established a quorum, adopted the consent calendar for SB 423 and SB 581, and then heard a series of bills, most of which were presented as streamlining or safety measures tied to transportation, climate, public lands, health care, and higher education. SB 71 by Senator Wiener would extend and expand a CEQA exemption for sustainable transportation projects, adding modes such as microtransit, paratransit, shuttles, and ferries, while also accepting committee amendments that narrowed a Tier 4 diesel rail provision, restored existing right-of-way language with utility protections, and set a new sunset date. Support came from transit agencies, local governments, and advocacy groups; some members raised concerns about the diesel rail language and possible interactions with housing-related legislation, but the bill advanced on a due pass vote as amended. The committee then heard SB 614 by Senator Stern on carbon dioxide pipeline safety. The bill would direct the State Fire Marshal to adopt safety standards for intrastate CO2 pipelines, building from federal draft rules and adding state discretion and possible enhanced protections such as planning zones and more detailed exposure modeling. Supporters argued California needs to fill a federal regulatory gap to advance carbon capture and climate goals, while environmental justice and conservation groups opposed unless amended, citing risks from CO2 leaks and asking for stronger siting restrictions and more specificity. The bill passed on a due pass vote to Appropriations, with members noting the need for continued work on the safety provisions. Senator Arreguín also presented SB 304, which would temporarily lift public trust use restrictions on specific land at Jack London Square to allow the Port of Oakland more leasing flexibility under conditions and annual reporting. The measure was described as a limited, time-bound effort to address high vacancy and revitalize the waterfront, and it drew support from Oakland city and county representatives with no opposition in the room. The committee then approved SB 304 on a due pass vote. Arreguín’s SB 830 followed, creating CEQA streamlining for Sutter Health’s new Emeryville hospital campus and designating the City of Emeryville as lead agency; supporters said it would preserve East Bay hospital access before seismic deadlines, and the bill passed with broad support and no opposition. Finally, Senator Caballero presented SB 486, a higher education planning bill intended to align UC and CSU enrollment growth with regional sustainable communities plans and to remove the need to analyze a no-project alternative in certain long-range development plans. Supporters said the bill would better integrate university enrollment forecasting into regional planning, while opponents warned that eliminating the no-project analysis could weaken accountability for housing and infrastructure impacts around campuses. Committee members expressed mixed views and asked for further clarification, but the bill was moved out on a due pass as amended vote to Appropriations. The transcript then shifted to SB 629, a fire response and rebuilding bill, with the author describing amendments to apply fire safety requirements in wildfire-burned areas, update fire mapping, and require annual defensible space inspections, though the discussion was cut off before any final action was shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• 1515, as well as carbon dioxide captured from point-source industrial processes such as steel or cement
• 1515, as well as carbon dioxide captured from point-source industrial processes such as steel or cement
• 1515, as well as carbon dioxide captured from point-source industrial processes such as steel or cement
• :27:14.600> or industrial processes such as steel or industrial processes such as steel or cement
• production which is not currently cement production which is not currently included<00:27:17.159>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Washington has several sectors that are prime targets for carbon capture, for example cement, pulp and
• CCS is an essential toolkit to cut industrial emissions from steel, pulp and paper, cement, and refineries
• It's particularly important for cement, where there are process emissions that cannot be electrified
• pulp and paper, for example, has biogenic CO2 emissions that can only be cut through CCS currently, cement
• and... ...cut through CCS currently, cement, and refining in particular also has much of its emissions

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The committee’s interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), with presenters from industry, nonprofits, and state agencies describing Washington’s geologic potential, the role of basalt formations, and the difference between point-source capture, direct air capture, utilization, and permanent storage. Industry and project developers emphasized that Washington has major opportunities to reduce industrial emissions, create jobs, and support hard-to-electrify sectors, while state agencies explained current policy touchpoints in the Cap and Invest Program, emissions exemptions for permanently stored CO2, and the Clean Energy Transformation Act. Several presenters urged clearer statutory and regulatory pathways, including rules for pore space, subsurface rights, pipeline siting, and long-term liability; others cautioned that CCUS should be limited to real emissions reductions and not treated as a substitute for broader clean energy measures. Committee members asked about public comment opportunities, whether mineralized carbon would qualify for exemption under the Climate Commitment Act, the energy intensity of capture systems, aquifer protection, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Ecology said it is developing guidance through a public engagement process running through late June and that mineralized or otherwise permanently stored CO2 would likely qualify if it meets the 1,000-year permanence standard. DNR and outside experts also discussed trust lands, water rights, and the need for additional geophysical surveys and test wells. The panel did not take any votes or formal actions. The second half of the meeting turned to hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility. Ecology reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described how moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste are currently collected through county facilities and events. Ecology said the electronics program is its best model, while the mercury lamp program is currently in transition after the prior stewardship organization exited and a new organization is seeking approval. Ecology recommended that future EPR programs have clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong enforcement authority. Local government witnesses from King County and Douglas County described rising costs, access barriers in rural areas, and the need for stable funding and flexible local delivery models. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and argued that EPR could reduce costs for ratepayers and improve equity. Douglas County stressed that rural residents are willing to participate when services are available, but travel distance and operating costs make access difficult. An industry representative supported narrowly scoped stewardship programs like PaintCare but warned that broad household hazardous waste EPR systems can become difficult to administer and may require legislative revisions if responsibilities are not clearly defined. No votes were taken on the hazardous waste topic either.

Transcript Highlights:

• high temperatures, which will be important as our climate continues to change, including things like cement
• high temperatures, which will be important as our climate continues to change, including things like cement
• high temperatures, which will be important as our climate continues to change, including things like cement
• jobs from the perspective of we don't have enough people to actually do most of the things. like cement
• fertilizer green energy like cement fertilizer green energy batteries<00:47:10.760> um<00:47:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• investigation, what we found was that over the last 50 years that fencing pulled away an extra inch from that cement
• fencing pulled away an extra inch from fencing pulled away an extra inch from that<00:15:35.400> cement
• 36.560> and<00:15:36.680> just<00:15:36.920> that<00:15:37.160> inch that cement
• wall and just that inch that cement wall and just that inch alone alone alone allowed<00:15:39.000><

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Minnesota Zoo presented its infrastructure and animal health needs to the committee, beginning with an educational demonstration featuring Aspen, a North American porcupine. Staff used the animal to explain porcupine biology and correct common myths, including that porcupines cannot shoot their quills and that the quills are not poisonous. Members asked about the animal’s natural predators and care, and staff explained that porcupines are protected by their quills but can still be preyed on by animals such as bobcats, cougars, great horned owls, and fishers. Zoo leadership then shifted to the facility request, describing the zoo as a major state attraction and education center with about 1.4 to 1.5 million annual visitors, nearly 100,000 students served, and significant economic impact. They said the 50-year-old campus is in poor condition, with a third of its 125 structures in poor or crisis condition and more than $78 million in deferred maintenance, creating safety risks for visitors, staff, and animals. The zoo said it is seeking to use the governor’s recommended $4 million for critical life-support and infrastructure needs. The main funding request discussed was an additional $6 million for the zoo’s animal hospital project. Zoo officials explained that the original plan for a standalone new hospital was no longer affordable, so they are now proposing a new wing attached to the existing A Building hospital. The extra funds would renovate A Building for staff, storage, and support spaces, remove asbestos, meet code, and improve safety so the new hospital can function as intended. Members asked about incidents at the zoo, and staff described examples such as close calls with animal enclosures and injuries tied to aging facilities and outdated equipment. No vote or formal action was taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Washington has several sectors that are prime targets for carbon capture, for example cement, pulp and
• CCS is an essential toolkit to cut industrial emissions from steel, pulp and paper, cement, and refineries
• It's particularly important for cement, where there are process emissions that cannot be electrified
• pulp and paper, for example, has biogenic CO2 emissions that can only be cut through CCS currently, cement
• and... ...cut through CCS currently, cement, and as I already mentioned, and refining in particular

Summary: The committee held an interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), then on hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility (EPR). On the CCUS topic, industry and nonprofit presenters described point-source capture, direct air capture, mineralization, and geologic sequestration, emphasizing Washington’s basalt formations and state trust lands as strong candidates for storage. They argued that CCUS can help hard-to-abate industrial sectors, support jobs and investment, and provide a pathway for compliance, while also noting the need for clearer permitting, subsurface rights, pipeline authority, and storage infrastructure. Ecology and Commerce staff explained current state policy touchpoints, including Cap-and-Invest offsets and exemptions for permanently stored CO2, the public comment process underway to define “thousand-year” permanence, and how CCUS might fit within the Clean Energy Transformation Act without counting emitting generation as non-emitting. Some presenters supported more state action and primacy over federal permitting, while others warned about costs, energy use, uncertain capture performance, and the need to ensure real net greenhouse gas reductions and long-term liability protections. Members asked about public meetings, whether mineralized carbon would qualify as exempt under the Climate Commitment Act, the timeline for Ecology guidance, aquifer and water-quality concerns, energy intensity of capture systems, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Responses said Ecology’s guidance process is already underway, public meetings will be virtual, mineralized carbon would likely qualify if it meets the permanence standard, and EPA rules require storage in deep saline formations below drinking water aquifers. Industry speakers said capture energy use varies by source and concentration, and one presenter noted that some states use trust funds funded by injectors to address long-term liability. The second half of the session shifted to hazardous waste and EPR. Ecology staff reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste management in Washington. They highlighted that E-Cycle and PaintCare are producer-funded, that the battery stewardship program will begin in 2027, and that the mercury lamp program is in transition after its prior stewardship organization exited, prompting enforcement notices and a pending replacement plan. Ecology recommended best practices for future EPR programs, including clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong agency enforcement and plan approval authority. Local government speakers from King County and Douglas County described rising collection costs, equity and access barriers, rural travel distances, and the need for stable funding and flexible local implementation. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and supports EPR as a way to shift costs from ratepayers to producers, while Douglas County emphasized that rural residents will participate when services are accessible and that future systems should account for geography and local infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• which is another including bio cements which is another carbon<01:00:40.640> SE<01:00:41.160>
• <01:00:50.559> and<01:00:50.760> other of hemp bamboo bio cements and other of hemp
• bamboo bio cements and other plant-based<01:00:51.720> building<01:00:52.559> and<01:00
• For those not familiar, you mentioned it—can you tell us a little bit more about what this bio-cement
• of Bio cements blanking the appropriation<01:39:21.599> and<01:39:21.719> inserting<01

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on Senate Bill 103, relating to electric vehicle batteries, and then moved to Senate Bill 995, relating to renewable fuel. On SB 103, the Department of Health and the State Energy Office supported the measure, and Redwood Materials said it supported the bill’s intent but requested an amendment to add a battery recycler to the commission. Other testimony on SB 103 included support from several individuals and organizations, with one opponent noted. A committee member also raised a possible deadline change requested by the Alliance of Automobile Innovation for future work on the measure. The bulk of the hearing focused on SB 995, which would create tax incentives for sustainable aviation fuel and related renewable fuel production. Supporters included the Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition, Pono Pacific, Hawaiian Airlines/Alaska Airlines, the Tax Foundation, PAR Hawaii, Pacific Biodiesel, and others. Supporters said the bill would help build a local SAF industry, encourage camelina and other feedstocks, and advance decarbonization goals. Several supporters also said they had proposed amendments or technical comments and stood on their written testimony. Opposition testimony argued the bill could allow toxic waste feedstocks, such as construction and demolition waste, into fuel production, and questioned whether the incentives would truly benefit Hawaii farmers or consumers. One opponent said the bill’s benefits could flow to the producer and to imported feedstocks rather than to local agriculture, and another questioned the scale of local land and water available for camelina production. Committee members pressed witnesses on acreage, water use, expected yields, the role of PAR Hawaii’s refinery investment, and whether the state would be subsidizing a business decision that might not produce significant local fuel. No vote or final action was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• because as we know, we really share so much together, so many values that we really want to cherish and cement
• I hope everyone has... ...cherish and cement into the future. So it's been a privilege to be here.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several ceremonial resolutions. Members adopted resolutions commending Anticoagulation Forum Incorporated for recognizing May 2025 as Hypertension Awareness Month, the New England Chapter of the National Kidney Foundation for recognizing March 2025 as Kidney Disease Awareness Month, and C.R. Lyons and Sons Funeral Direction on its 100th anniversary. The chamber also adopted a resolution commending the South Boston Citizens Association for its observance of the 249th anniversary of Evacuation Day. Senator Collins spoke at length about the historical importance of Evacuation Day, Boston’s role in the American Revolution, and the South Boston Citizens Association’s long-running efforts to preserve and promote that history. Tom McGrath, president of the association, thanked the Senate and said the holiday should be restored as a state holiday. The Senate also welcomed Irish Cabinet Minister for Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, who discussed Irish-American ties, Irish companies operating in Massachusetts and the U.S., and the importance of maintaining cultural and economic links. The Senate further recognized guests including Lieutenant Jeffrey Diyadh, newly appointed legislative liaison to the State Police, the Hamilton-Wenham girls’ cross-country team, 2024 MIAA Division III state champions, and visitors from the North Attleboro Council on Aging. No substantive legislation was debated; the session consisted of recognitions, guest introductions, and ceremonial actions. The Senate adopted an order to meet again on Monday at 11:00 a.m. and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then they pump cement down the center of that steel tube.
• The material around it is the cement, and that's supposed to form an impenetrable seal between the well
• Is flowback the initial drill before the cement is added? That's the initial set.
• No, flowback is, so the order of production would be the initial drilling then the cement and steel.
• explosions I think you're referring to occur after the companies insert the steel casing and the cement

Transcript Highlights:

• When they took the windmill down, they said they couldn't take the cement base down because it was too
• So now he's got two big cement bases in the middle of his field. He has to work around them.
• they said they couldn't take the cement they said they couldn't take the cement base<00:31:48.000
• bases in the middle of his field cement bases in the middle of his field he<00:31:58.120> has
• uh things in two big circular cement uh things in there<00:32:45.039> and<00:32:45.200> is

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Do these people break the standards on cement piles? I can't tell you that. How do we know? Yeah.
• I've installed a lot of things that have precast cement product in the state. So I know this.
• I guess I might have to pay better attention where the dry pylons on cement pylons come from next time
• Best I can pull off the top of my head here: you have a gauge that weighs up cement weight, okay?
• Yes—cement, water, aggregates, okay, and maybe even some admixtures.

Bills: HB1163, HB1168, HR252, HR253, HCR103, HCR108, SB80, SB131, SB251, SB254, SB279, SB384, SB414, SB468, SB469, SB496

Keywords: fireworks, retail sales, fire safety, legislation, holiday celebrations, construction standards, precast concrete, DOTD, building regulations, minimum requirements, public projects, private projects, consumer protection, credit card fees, cash transactions, rounding practices, transparency, low-income, economic impact, residential construction

Transcript Highlights:

• Do these people break the standards on cement piles? I can’t tell you that. How do we know? Yeah.
• I've installed a lot of things that have precast cement product in the state. So I know this.
• I guess I might have to pay better attention where the dry pylons on cement pylons come from next time
• You have a gauge that weighs up cement weight, okay?
• You know, cement, water, aggregates, okay, and maybe even some admixtures.

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on May 18, 2026, with a quorum present and the chair noting it was the committee’s last meeting of the session. The committee first considered Senate Bill 254, which would prohibit certain excess debit card surcharges and authorize enforcement by the Attorney General. After adopting technical amendments and a committee amendment requiring written notice before a private right of action, the bill was reported favorably as amended. The committee then took up Senate Bill 80 on broadband administration fees and GUMBO program closeout. Members questioned the proposed increase in administrative and contractor fees, the timing of project completion, and how withheld reimbursements would work for utility damage. After adopting several amendments, including cleanup language and a provision to restore the reimbursement process, the bill was reported favorably as amended, though the Louisiana Telecommunications Association voiced concerns about the withholding language and lack of a clearer fault-determination process. The committee next considered Senate Bill 469, updating the Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law. Technical amendments were adopted, along with amendments clarifying that the bill’s 30-day notice to utility owner-operators is separate from existing GUMBO notice requirements and creating a rapid dispute-resolution process involving the Office of Broadband, the utility operator, and the local governing authority. Testimony from broadband and municipal stakeholders emphasized the need for quicker responses to excavation damage and better enforcement, while some witnesses raised concerns about the late amendment and the need for clearer recourse and standards. The bill was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 468, dealing with fuel rewards programs and fuel discount limits, was also amended to allow such discounts while capping them at $1 below the advertised price; it was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 131, concerning attorney’s fees and costs in professional licensing disciplinary proceedings, drew testimony from a cosmetology board representative and the Pelican Institute. Supporters argued the bill would curb incentives for boards to generate revenue through enforcement and give licensees a fairer opportunity to resolve cases; board testimony noted that some boards already have fee caps and that enforcement actions are relatively limited. After adopting an amendment clarifying when a licensee is the prevailing party, the bill was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 251 on critical infrastructure protection also received technical amendments and several substantive changes, including adding ports and airports to the definition of critical infrastructure, clarifying “significant access,” adding a knowledge requirement, and adjusting exemptions and enforcement timing; it was reported favorably as amended after testimony from State Armor representatives about foreign adversary threats. Finally, House Resolution 253 was introduced to create a task force to study how post-2005 building code additions and inspection requirements affect residential construction costs, with the sponsor explaining the goal was to gather industry input and return recommendations next session.