Transcript Highlights:

• And I look forward to continuing to work with U.S. session has now convened and thank you for requesting
• year by issuing a certification opinion, usually in November December, depending upon when the legislative
• So we have submitted as of last Friday, a supplemental legislative budget request to effectuate the certification
• So we provide appropriately credentialed a structure, instructors and instructional support personnel
• Scholars Academy provides appropriate struck shun its in person and virtually and all all instructors

Transcript Highlights:

• That recalibration of our policy stance was appropriate.
• actually prohibits the Fed from reviewing or amending those requests. That is correct.
• So just to level set, how many times has the CFPB funding request been denied by the Fed?
• Assistance on legislation that passed in the National Defense Authorization Act in 2022.
• You know, we always work with the committee to be responsive to your requests.

Bills: SB257

Committee: Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee

Keywords: supply chain resilience, critical supply chains, critical goods, manufacturing, domestic manufacturing, reshoring, nearshoring, supply chain security, supply chain shock, supply chain disruption, critical infrastructure, emerging technologies, semiconductors, microelectronics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, advanced manufacturing, blockchain, cybersecurity

Transcript Highlights:

• In Orange County, at my request, we In Orange County, at my request, we have banned nitrous oxide in
• I request an aye vote for SB 936 to save lives. Thank you. Thank you very much.
• Please, I request and I vote for SB 936 to save lives. Thank you. Thank you very much.
• Any additional comments, questions, or co-author requests from colleagues?
• Any additional comments or questions or co-author requests from colleagues?

Committee: House Business and Professions

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a record vote requested. The clerk will ring the bell. Show Mr.
• A record vote has been requested. Showing Ms. Jones voting aye. Showing Mr.
• State of Texas should be the forerunner in doing an NIL program appropriate.
• The passage of engrossment of House Bill 300, a record vote has been requested.
• Well, I just want to know, Representative Curry, if you think it's appropriate.

Bills: HJR5 , HB39 , HB 102 , HB 126 , HB290 , HB300 , HB1330 , HB2110 , HB2143 , HCR64 , HCR101

Keywords: education funding, Texas State Technical College System, constitutional amendment, capital projects, workforce education, military education, early registration, ROTC, corps of cadets, higher education, military academy, student athletes, name image likeness, compensation, intercollegiate athletics, representation, tuition assistance, military, Texas State Guard, education

Transcript Highlights:

• So my request to you is if you could increase that to 3%.
• You had also requested an update on Title IX, and I'm happy to provide an update.
• My second of six requests is to fund the AI literacy project.
• Lisa King with the Legislative Analyst's Office.
• We respectfully request that you consider this policy change. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard updates on several higher education budget items, beginning with a pulled follow-up item on the State Library’s administration of the Imagination Library. The chair said the committee had received new documentation from the State Library and the Department of Finance late the prior evening, and staff would review it before deciding whether additional oversight or accountability measures are needed. The committee then turned to the California Community Colleges budget request, with Chancellor Christian outlining strong post-pandemic enrollment recovery, asking for 3% enrollment growth funding, changes to the three-year average formula, removal of the 10% growth cap, and support for several one-time and ongoing initiatives including the Common Cloud Data Platform, credit for prior learning, AI literacy, Rebuild L.A., veterans services, Calbright College, and the Chancellor’s Office. Senators raised concerns about district reserves, part-time faculty conditions, veterans’ credit pathways, and fraud prevention in enrollment systems; the chancellor said the system is using DMV and other identity verification tools, AI screening, and audits, and that reported final enrollment numbers are clean. The committee then reviewed the student-centered funding formula. The Department of Finance described the governor’s proposal to fully repay $408.4 million in deferrals, provide a 2.41% COLA, and add one-time funding to cover current-year apportionment costs, while the Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended prioritizing the proposals within available Proposition 98 funding. Community college finance staff said most districts are growing, many would benefit from current-year funding rules, and that without the proposed apportionment funding districts could face a deficit factor and reduced course access. Members asked about infrastructure prioritization, deferred maintenance, safety, accessibility, and campus police; staff explained that life safety projects are prioritized first, followed by modernization and growth-related facilities, and that colleges are built to high safety standards under the Field Act. Enrollment growth was discussed separately, with Finance and LAO supporting the governor’s 1.5% growth proposal split across two fiscal years, while noting that growth is being driven in part by dual enrollment, regional demographic shifts, and unemployment. The Chancellor’s Office said 54 of 72 districts grew year over year and that funding more growth could help districts move off hold harmless status, though some districts face long-term demographic challenges. The committee also heard from Calbright College President Agita Menon, who described Calbright’s role serving adult learners statewide, its completion and wage gains, and the governor’s proposed $38 million ongoing funding. The LAO recommended transitioning Calbright to the student-centered funding formula beginning in 2027-28, arguing that the current proposal lacks a clear funding rationale and performance linkage; Calbright responded that its competency-based, non-credit model is structurally different and should be funded separately, while agreeing to continued accountability reporting. Finally, the committee received an update on the Community College Higher Education Student Housing Program. Finance said the governor proposes about $11 million ongoing General Fund for debt service on approved student housing projects, and that 11 projects are in the financing pipeline, with two completed, three under construction, four in working drawings, and two in preliminary plans. Finance also noted that some projects have withdrawn and that about $81 million in bond authority remains unallocated, which the Legislature may need to address going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are requesting, as of preservation, over $3.8 million. So that is our request.
• </c> larger surgical suite and appropriate larger surgical suite and appropriate large<00:08:11.840><
• </c> the state and having an appropriate the state and having an appropriate access<00:08:54.600><c>
• </c> the governor's capital budget request the governor's capital budget request for<00:21:55.679><c>
• water IUP requesting $319 million.

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• On slide three, I get into the large load interconnection requests.
• completed before the next legislative session.
• Transmission is planned separately from load requests.
• We do not receive any state appropriations.
• , not legislation.

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:06:36.840><c> session</c> personnel uh last legislative session personnel uh last legislative
• c><00:07:05.440><c> for</c> budget request total for budget request total for 2026<00:07:07.479><c> is
• Is this an appropriate time? Okay.
• I do have one request, if I may.
• </c><04:17:18.319><c> that</c><04:17:18.560><c> we</c> request if I may um one request that we request

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard from the Personnel Appeals Board, which explained that it became an independent state agency after Senate Bill 487 and was presenting its first standalone operating budget. The board described its quasi-judicial role in hearing appeals from classified state employees over disciplinary actions such as warnings, suspensions, and terminations, and said it handles about 25 to 35 cases a year, with some cases lasting longer because of their complexity. Members also outlined the need for a chair and vice chair who are attorneys, the board’s current staffing and space needs, and its plan to move away from reliance on Administrative Services for office support and website functions. The board requested about $353,500 for fiscal year 2026, including startup costs, routine operating expenses, and two new part-time positions: a program director and a paralegal. Members said the budget reflects the new independent status, includes funding for only four board members rather than the authorized five, and is designed to avoid full-time staffing costs and benefits. Legislators asked about the cost per case, the board’s relationship to DAS, whether appeals must go through the board before court, and how often cases are appealed further. The board said appeals must first go through it, that court appeals are infrequent but have increased recently, and that the board’s process is intended to resolve disputes more quickly and less expensively than court litigation. Committee members also asked about the board’s caseload, outcomes, and staffing. The board said that in the prior year there were 22 cases, with four decisions overturned in favor of employees, nine dismissals, and nine settlements, and that many disputes are resolved before reaching the board through a multi-step internal process. A member noted the governor and council had recently approved a new board member and were expected to approve a fifth soon. The discussion ended with questions about the board’s website and records access, which members said would need to be moved from Administrative Services as part of the agency’s transition. The committee then moved to the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities. The executive director explained that the council is 100 percent federally funded under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and develops a five-year plan to address the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She said the council works with state agencies and advocacy organizations on quality-of-life issues, accessibility, voter rights training, and plain-language or easy-to-read materials, and that 60 percent of its membership must be individuals with disabilities or family members/guardians. She also described the council’s funding structure, including reimbursement to the state for operating costs, and noted that it currently has three full-time and three part-time positions, with no new positions requested but one full-time position being eliminated and replaced after a pandemic-era staffing change did not work out as planned.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is some state dollars that have been requested by Who We Play For in appropriations.
• As legislators who cut the check, we're on J-LAC, right?
• Joint legislative audit committees are so important.
• The original legislation and its purpose I fully support.
• This legislation speaks only to opticians who delegate.

Committee: Senate Health Policy

Summary: The Health Policy Committee heard and advanced several health-related bills. SB 1546 on background screening for athletic coaches was explained as another extension of the deadline for coaches to be added to the background screening clearinghouse; it passed favorably with support from athletic and youth sports organizations. SB 958 on type 1 diabetes early detection was amended to match the House version, requiring the Department of Health to provide school districts, school boards, and charter schools with informational materials for parents; it was reported favorably as a committee substitute. CS/SB 1070 on electrocardiograms for student athletes drew extensive discussion about sudden cardiac arrest prevention, implementation timelines, costs, funding through private and public sources, and whether insurance, KidCare, or Medicaid should cover screenings; after supportive testimony from school and athletic groups, it was reported favorably as a committee substitute. The committee also heard SB 1060, which would create a joint legislative oversight committee for Medicaid managed care to review encounter data, financials, audits, and rebate calculations with assistance from an actuary and the Auditor General. The sponsor and several senators framed it as a transparency and verification measure in response to large mid-year Medicaid funding increases and concerns about network adequacy and vertical integration; it passed favorably. CS/SB 944, which shortens the insurer overpayment recovery look-back period for claims involving psychologists from 30 months to 12 months, also passed favorably with support from the Florida Psychological Association. SB 1370, moving ambulatory surgical centers into their own statute rather than under hospital licensure provisions, was supported by surgery center representatives and reported favorably. The committee approved SB 768, as amended, to narrow the foreign-country-of-concern licensure attestation for health care entities to direct controlling interests and clarify the “reasonable efforts” standard; it passed after questions about how the standard would work in practice. SB 1544 on opticianry prompted significant debate over whether the bill would limit nonlicensed staff in ophthalmology and optometry settings; after a proposed amendment was withdrawn and multiple witnesses spoke both for and against, the bill was temporarily postponed. Finally, the committee adopted a strike-all amendment to SB 1808 requiring health care practitioners and facilities to refund patient overpayments within 30 days, with enforcement through AHCA fines or professional discipline, and then reported the bill favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Moipin, members, as amended by the Committee on Appropriations, House Bill 2229 appropriates $3
• Appropriates $3 million from the state general fund in fiscal year 2027 to the Department of Health Services
• Madam Witt, members, as amended by the Committee on Appropriations, House Bill 2403 appropriates $2,500,000
• Madam Witt members as amended by the government and Appropriations Committee House Bill 2620 appropriates
• Madam Witt, members, House Bill 2889, as amended by the Committee on Appropriations, appropriates $50,000

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a caucus-style review of two packets of bills, with staff reading summaries and members briefly explaining several measures. Topics included appropriations for pregnancy resource centers, home- and community-based services for the elderly and people with disabilities, veteran specialty courts, child care grants and infrastructure, language acquisition services for deaf or hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers, ambulance service regulation, short-term rental rules, tourism improvement areas, manufactured home installer licensure, CPR/AED training in schools, veterans’ park fee exemptions, and multiple child welfare and family-court bills. Several Senate bills were also reviewed, including optometry standards, behavior analyst licensure transfer, virtual mental health hearings, and assisted-living residency rules. Members speaking for bills emphasized themes such as supporting aging in place, improving rural ambulance access and reporting, protecting children in DCS cases, preventing poverty alone from being treated as neglect, and expanding access to health screenings and services. Other sponsors described measures to help veterans, strengthen school safety, and create local funding or improvement mechanisms for tourism and child care. Some bills were described as technical or administrative changes, such as post-nuptial agreement rules, tax lien procedures, and local government contract posting requirements. No formal votes were taken in the transcript excerpt, but many bills were noted as being on the consent calendar or third-read consent calendar, while a few had been removed from consent or were not yet on a calendar. The meeting concluded after the final bill on the second packet, HB 4025, was summarized as creating a study committee on gasoline and petroleum refinery feasibility.

Transcript Highlights:

• met the bar for licensure set by their appropriate professional board.
• And I'm here today for two practical requests.
• And I'm here today for two practical requests.
• Second, we are requesting flexibility to use funds that have already been appropriated to support operational
• Second, we are requesting flexibility to use funds that have already been appropriated to support operational

Bills: HF3454 , HF3917 , HF2906 , HF3832 , HF3769

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Keywords: social work, licensure, employment titles, health occupations, professional standards, medication repository, drug donation, healthcare, Minnesota Statutes, pharmacy, public health, controlled substances, psilocybin, psilocin, psychedelic, psychedelic medicine, hallucinogen, mushrooms, magic mushrooms, therapeutic use

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Harrell: This is an important bill to make sure patients get appropriate care.
• There are 30 states right now trying to pass the same legislation that...
• It feels good to get behind something good like this legislation.
• And I'm proud to support this legislation today. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Smith.
• I'm so proud of this piece of legislation.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and attack individual legislator records.
• Then the motion to compel will request that the requests be deemed admitted.
• And request that the request be deemed admitted.
• You get your interrogatories request for.
• President will provide information if requested. Edwin R.

Committee: Senate Judiciary A

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You might ask yourself what this legislative body should do.
• I’ve proposed legislation in the regular session to limit the amount of properties…” “I’ve proposed legislation
• The governor requested to advertise this proposed amendment.
• By Appropriations and Senator Avila and others, C.S.
• By Appropriations and Senator Avila and others, C.S.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I encourage the committee to approve this legislation.
• Committee to approve this legislation.
• career. has been working on her entire legislative career.
• is extremely appropriate, given the importance and the significant. ...extremely appropriate, given
• efforts to find the very people that we're passing this legislation for.

Summary: The House Community Safety Committee met on February 24, 2026, for executive action on several bills, with no public hearings. The chair announced that action on Substitute Senate Bill 5067 would be deferred. The committee then considered bills dealing with fabricated depictions of minors and sexual exploitation (SSB 5105), worship-place protections and related civil remedies (SSB 5436), toxicology testing by certified laboratories (SSB 5880), reckless driving and speeding in construction zones (ESB 5890), human trafficking prevention and remedies (SSB 5936), law enforcement leadership and sheriff eligibility/background checks, volunteers, and specially commissioned officers (SSB 5974), and missing persons alerts and law-enforcement search tools (ESSB 6070). Several bills had amendments, including a striking amendment to SSB 5436 and a striking amendment plus multiple amendments to SSB 5974; ESB 5890 also received an amendment lowering the construction-zone threshold to 20 mph over the limit when workers are present. Members generally supported the bills but raised concerns on several measures. On SSB 5436, members discussed balancing protection of worshippers with constitutional protections for peaceful protest and concerns about law enforcement access in emergencies; the committee adopted the striking amendment and then advanced the bill. On SSB 5974, members debated background-check timing, due process, vacancy triggers, and whether election-related requirements for sheriffs were constitutional; some amendments were adopted and others rejected before the bill advanced. On ESSB 6070, members discussed the new Ebony and Purple Alerts, existing alert systems, and concerns about surveillance tools and privacy, with some members supporting the bill “with concerns.” Human trafficking testimony and comments emphasized holding accountable businesses that knowingly facilitate trafficking. Final actions taken included reporting out SSB 5105, SSB 5436 as amended, SSB 5880, ESB 5890 as amended, SSB 5936, SSB 5974 as amended, and ESSB 6070, all with due pass recommendations. The committee also adopted amendments to SSB 5436 and several amendments to SSB 5974, while rejecting others. The chair thanked members and staff, canceled the committee’s next scheduled meeting, and announced this was the committee’s last meeting of 2026 before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because I know TDCJ also has age-appropriate, quote-unquote, age-appropriate facilities.
• TDCJ also has age-appropriate, quote-unquote, age-appropriate facilities as well, where they have targeted
• So an adult facility is just not an appropriate place for them.
• I believe Maryland was the first to pass some legislation to try to combat this, but their legislation
• I believe Maryland was the first to pass some legislation to try to combat this, but their legislation

Bills: SB476 , SB664 , SB745 , SB826 , SB989 , SB1080 , SB1171 , SB1320 , SB1437 , SB1727 , SB1809 , SB2289 , SB2320

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: education, funding, school infrastructure, public schools, teacher support, intoxication manslaughter, criminal penalties, ignition interlock devices, youth offenders, vehicular homicide, Texas courts, judicial officers, associate judge, magistrate, master, referee, hearing officer, court administration, Government Code Chapter 54, Government Code Chapter 54A

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several criminal justice bills, with most of the discussion focused on oilfield theft, DWI enforcement, juvenile justice, reentry licensing, jail transparency, and court/judicial standards. SB 1320 would create a DPS oilfield theft unit headquartered in the Permian Basin; supporters from industry, law enforcement, and a district attorney described increasingly sophisticated, organized theft tied to cartels and multi-jurisdictional criminal networks, while DPS said it currently has only two officers working the issue. The committee voted SB 1320 out unanimously and placed it on the local and uncontested calendar. SB 826, which would enhance DWI committed in a school zone to a state jail felony, also passed unanimously after brief explanation and no testimony. SB 1171, adding juvenile justice OIG peace officers to Schedule C salary, was reported favorably on a committee substitute, and SB 1080, which would allow incarcerated people to obtain occupational licenses effective upon release, also passed on a committee substitute after testimony from formerly incarcerated advocates and reentry supporters. The committee also considered several bills aimed at tougher DWI penalties. SB 476 would increase intoxication manslaughter penalties when the offender violates an ignition interlock restriction; the bill was supported by the author, victims’ family members, Galveston officials, and law enforcement, but opposed by the Texas Civil Rights Project, which argued treatment and prevention would be more effective. After discussion about possible amendments, the bill was left pending. SB 745 would create a new first-degree felony option for intoxication manslaughter involving multiple deaths, and it was reported favorably after testimony from a prosecutor supporting the need for a stronger sentencing option. SB 2320 would broadly increase penalties for DWI offenses, including first-time DWI, DWI with an open container, high-BAC DWI, and repeat offenses; it was supported by a grieving family member and a sheriff, and the committee voted it out favorably. On juvenile justice, SB 1727 would expand tools to address assaults on staff at Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities by lowering the age for transfer to adult prison in some cases, allowing earlier transfer of determinate-sentence youth, and restricting release when a criminal case is pending. Juvenile probation officials supported the bill as a public safety and victim-rights measure, while the Texas Civil Rights Project opposed it, arguing it would send children to inappropriate adult facilities and conflict with juvenile justice principles; the bill was left pending. SB 1437 would expand the juvenile justice do-not-hire registry to include non-certified positions, and it passed unanimously after supporters said it would help close loopholes that allow predators to move between child-serving jobs. SB 2289, requiring counties that house inmates out of state to report that information and any deaths to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, also passed unanimously. Finally, SB 989, requiring criminal background checks for court personnel who determine bail, and SB 664, establishing statewide qualifications and oversight for magistrates and associate judges, were explained and discussed as transparency and public-safety measures, with SB 989 reported favorably and SB 664 under committee consideration at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• I respectfully request your aye vote at the appropriate time.
• Chair, for allowing me to present this important legislation.
• And it presents a real question: is that appropriate?
• And so we think that strikes the appropriate balance.
• We're supposed to request an aye vote.

Committee: Senate Insurance

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So to speak, and it, uh, specifies that the amount that the appropriation, instead of a blank appropriation
• that the appropriation instead of a<00:03:22.720><c> blank</c><00:03:22.959><c> appropriation</c><00
• <00:08:52.959><c> in</c> legislation will spark innovation in legislation will spark innovation in housing
• Thank you, chair and thank you legislation. Thank you. That's the last legislation. Thank you.
• </c> obviously as uh putting another request obviously as uh putting another request in<00:13:40.320>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:51.919><c> funding</c> university's request for state funding university's request for state
• ><c> the</c><00:05:25.759><c> financial</c> university's request for the financial university's request
• Because I appropriate funding source?
• Uh we've had legislative approval.
• Thank you. legislation. Some of those legislation.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:07:22.199><c> requires</c> increase um the legislation requires increase um the legislation requires
• </c><00:13:35.600><c> $25,000</c> planning effort it appropriates $25,000 planning effort it appropriates
• </c><00:27:30.080><c> is</c> the overall appropriation is the overall appropriation is $952,000<00:27
• </c> account and then the state appropriates account and then the state appropriates those<00:34:17.800
• Thank you for your support of our requests.

Committee: House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house