Transcript Highlights:

• WE DO A GOOD JOB IN MY COUNTY OF MAKING ELECTRICITY AVAILABLE.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Rates for gas and electric utilities, providing for expedited rate-making orders.

Transcript Highlights:

• CEOs are moving their companies here because of our Texas electric grid.

Bills: SCR7

Keywords: legislature, adjournment, permissions, Texas Constitution, session, legislative authority

Summary: The Texas Senate convened for the opening of the 89th Legislature with an invocation, roll call, and certification of the newly elected senators. Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock administered the oath of office to the senators-elect, and Governor Greg Abbott and First Lady Cecilia Abbott addressed the chamber, emphasizing priorities such as foster care, the budget, border security, school choice, and maintaining Texas’s economic growth and constitutional principles. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick also welcomed members and guests, noted the Senate’s bipartisan culture, and highlighted the chamber’s organization for the session. The Senate then held its organizational election for President Pro Tempore. Senator Tan Parker nominated Senator Brandon Creighton, and Senator Paul Bettencourt seconded the nomination, both praising Creighton’s background, legislative record, and leadership. The chamber voted by standing vote to elect Creighton, who was then escorted to the front and sworn in as President Pro Tempore by State Minister Scott Wall. Creighton delivered remarks about his family, his time as a Senate messenger, and his priorities for the session, including education, border issues, energy, and Texas sovereignty. After the leadership election, the Senate adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7, granting permission for either house to adjourn for more than three days during the specified January period. The resolution passed by a recorded vote of 31 ayes and no nays. The Senate then adopted a motion by Senator Zaffirini to recess until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 15, after a caucus at 10 a.m. in the Betty King Room.

Transcript Highlights:

• CEOs are moving their companies here because of our Texas electric grid.

Summary: The Texas Senate convened for the opening of the 89th Legislature with an invocation, roll call, and certification of the newly elected senators by the Secretary of State. Senators-elect were then administered the oath of office by Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock, formally seating the new members. Governor Greg Abbott and First Lady Cecilia Abbott addressed the chamber, congratulating members and emphasizing priorities such as border security, education, energy, foster care, and school choice, while Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick highlighted the Senate’s bipartisan culture and the work ahead. The chamber then held its organizational business, including the election of Senator Brandon Creighton as President Pro Tempore. Senator Parker nominated Creighton and Senator Bettencourt seconded the nomination, both praising his background, legislative record, and leadership. The Senate voted by standing vote to elect Creighton, who was then escorted to the dais and sworn in. In his remarks, Creighton reflected on his family, his time as a Senate messenger, and his priorities for the session, including Texas sovereignty, economic opportunity, education, and conservative policy goals. The only formal legislative action taken was adoption of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7, granting permission for the Legislature to adjourn for more than three days during the specified period. The resolution passed by a roll call vote of 31 ayes and no nays. The Senate then adopted a motion to recess until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 15, after a caucus meeting earlier that morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• The current supply of pennies will remain in circulation, but eventually the demand for the penny will
• exceed the supply.

Committee: House State Affairs

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from March 20 and then reordered the agenda to hear several Senate measures. Senate Bill 1350, on cash rounding when pennies are unavailable, was presented as a voluntary guide for cash transactions only; it would round to the nearest five cents and was supported by the Idaho Retailers Association. After a brief question about change-making and a note of support from Pam Eaton, the committee sent the bill to the floor with a due pass recommendation. Members then heard Senate Joint Memorial 112, which urges Congress to propose a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. Representative Raymond argued the federal deficit is unsustainable and said Idaho’s congressional delegation should lead on the issue; the memorial was advanced on a due pass motion. Senate Bill 1322, concerning voter affidavits for voters without photo ID, would require additional identifying information such as name, address, and either date of birth or driver’s license number before a ballot is issued. The Secretary of State’s office said about 1,200 voters used the affidavit in 2024 and supported the bill, which also received a due pass recommendation. The committee also advanced Senate Joint Memorial 109, reaffirming Idaho’s sovereignty and the Tenth Amendment in election administration, and House Concurrent Resolution 35, honoring Idaho’s 2026 Olympians, including medalists Breezy Johnson, Jalen Koth, and Hillary Knight. Representative Church read a statement from Sammy Smith’s coach praising her athletic competitiveness. Senate Concurrent Resolution 122, reaffirming Idaho’s relationship with Taiwan and its economic ties, was likewise sent to the floor with a due pass recommendation. In the final item, the committee considered temporary and pending rules for the Idaho Public Safety Communications Commission governing multi-year 911 grant authority and related scoring/application provisions. Sheriff Andy Creech said the rule would provide clearer limits and guidance for grants supporting next-generation 911 and that prior grants would remain valid. Despite his explanation, the committee voted to reject both docket 15-0601-2501 and docket 15-0601-2215, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The current supply of pennies will remain in circulation, but eventually the demand for the penny will
• exceed the supply.

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• agency policies, currently requires applicants to disclose projected water savings and the water supply
• And with that, I'm happy to stand for any questions. ...water savings and the water supply being conserved

Committee: Senate Senate Natural Resources Committee of Reference

Summary: The Natural Resources Committee heard three bills related to water policy and all were given do pass recommendations. HB 2029 would require disclosure information for applicants to the Water Conservation Grant Fund, and an amendment broadened the disclosure requirements from only certain water users to all eligible entities. WIFA testified neutral on both the bill and amendment, noting it already collects much of the information; the committee adopted the amendment and then passed the bill 8-0. HB 2096 would allow counties to receive WIFA financial assistance, including forgivable principal, for cesspool remediation, closure, or replacement when there is a risk to water or public health. WIFA and county representatives from the County Supervisors Association and Gila County supported the bill, explaining that counties need clearer authority to accept loans and grants for cesspool cleanup, especially in rural areas with thousands of aging cesspools and flood-related contamination. Members discussed impacts in Gila County and other areas, and the bill passed 8-0. HB 2116 would appropriate $1 million from the State General Fund in FY 2027 to the Colorado River Litigation Fund. The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association supported the measure as preparation for possible Colorado River litigation, while members emphasized that the funding is a placeholder and that they hope litigation will not be necessary. The committee passed the bill 8-0 and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• She is an AP and honor student while taking concurrent courses, and wants to attend OU to study supply
• junior, she is an AP and honor student while taking concurrent courses, wants to attend OU to study supply

Summary: The House convened, opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including Veteran of the Week First Sergeant Jeff Osterdock, Nurse of the Day Madison Lehman, Psychologist of the Day Dr. Jennifer Steber, and a large group of student pages and visitors. Members also made personal announcements and welcomed guests from schools and community groups. On the floor, the House considered and adopted Senate amendments to House Bill 1484, a schools measure, and passed it 96-1; the emergency clause also passed 96-1. The House then took up House Bill 1085 on contracts, which would standardize service warranty fees with a delayed phase-in schedule, adopted the Senate amendments, and passed the bill 8-1. The House also considered Senate Bill 133 on groundwater permits. After an amendment and debate, members discussed how the bill would apply to commercial water wells and how it would interact with marijuana-related licensing and notification to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. The bill passed 85-12, and the emergency clause also passed by the same vote. The chamber then adjourned until February 24, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• That can be, you know, only a one-month supply instead of three-month.
• That can be, you know, only a one-month supply instead of three-month.

Summary: The Health Care and Wellness Committee met on February 10 at 8:30 a.m. and heard two bills. On Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5594, staff explained that the bill would expand state policy on biosimilars by allowing health carriers to require patients to try a biosimilar before covering the equivalent brand drug starting in 2027, directing exchange plans to increase biosimilar utilization, and changing pharmacist substitution rules so substitution is generally allowed unless the prescriber says not to substitute. The prime sponsor, Sen. Harris, said the bill would lower costs and noted many other states already allow similar substitution. Supporters from health plans and generic/biosimilar manufacturers said biosimilars are safe, effective, and can save consumers and the system money, while a patient advocate raised concerns that the bill may not guarantee lower out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy counter and suggested preferred formulary placement as a fix. AAM supported the bill with a technical amendment to place biosimilars in the same section as generics and interchangeable products, and the hearing on the bill was closed with no vote taken. The committee also heard Engrossed Senate Bill 5142 on Medicaid network adequacy for post-acute care. Staff said the bill would require the Health Care Authority to adopt network adequacy standards for nursing homes and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, considering community access, regional availability, timeliness, and federal Medicaid rules, with standards due by January 1, 2028 and implementation by July 1, 2028. Sen. Muzzall described it as a follow-up to last year’s bill that would create a pre-approved pathway for patients who are difficult to discharge because continuing care is hard to secure. Testimony from hospital and health system representatives strongly supported the bill, saying patients often remain in hospitals longer than medically necessary because of delays in finding skilled nursing or rehab placements and because single-case agreements are time-consuming and unpredictable, especially in rural areas. Public testimony on SB 5142 was then closed, and the meeting adjourned without any recorded votes or other action.

Transcript Highlights:

• allow escrow deposits to be used for condominium construction and will help to increase the housing supply
• result in more condominium projects able to move forward and help provide much-needed new housing supply

Transcript Highlights:

• Help to increase the housing supply and promote affordable housing.
• in more condominium projects being able to move forward and help provide much-needed new housing supply

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, we supported Route 64, a two-acre farm in Sacramento that supplies in-season vegetables
• For example, we supported Route 64, a two-acre farm in Sacramento that supplies in-season vegetables

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Agriculture met with an initial quorum delay, then heard four items: AJR 6 on protecting federal funding for the Local Food for Schools and Child Care program, AB 732 on abandoned agricultural land, AB 1042 on honeybee health, and consent item AB 1506. The chair reviewed hearing procedures and public comment rules before moving through the file in order. AJR 6, authored by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, urged federal officials to preserve funding for local food programs that connect California farmers with school meals and food banks. Supporters, including a farm owner and a school nutrition director, said the program benefits children’s nutrition, helps small farms, and strengthens local economies. There was no opposition, and the committee members who were present voted to adopt the resolution; later absent members were added, bringing it to eight votes and sending it out. AB 732, by Assemblymember Macedo, would give county agricultural commissioners a faster enforcement tool against abandoned or neglected orchards and vineyards by allowing civil penalties instead of relying only on liens. Testimony from growers and a county agricultural commissioner described pest infestations, economic losses, and high abatement costs tied to neglected land, and the bill was presented as a response to SGMA-related fallowing and low commodity prices. The committee voted due pass to the Judiciary Committee, and after absent members were added it also reached eight votes. AB 1042, by Assemblymember Ransom, proposed a Managed Honeybee Health Program with grants, research, technical assistance, and an expanded advisory committee to support pollinators essential to California crops. Witnesses from the fresh fruit and beekeeping sectors emphasized that bee declines threaten crop production and the broader agricultural economy. The committee voted due pass to Appropriations, and the bill ultimately received eight votes. The consent calendar item, AB 1506, was also approved and sent to Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• supplier base with veteran-owned businesses, regardless of disability, will strengthen the state's supply
• Strengthening supply chain resilience reinforces Texas' economy and enhances adaptability during times

Bills: SB390 , SB1197 , SB1271

Committee: Senate Veteran Affairs

Keywords: veteran-owned businesses, state contracting, historically underutilized business, economic opportunity, small business, economic development, veterans, certification, Texas legislation, unmanned aircraft, spaceport, criminal offense, aviation regulations, airspace safety, military installations, concurrent jurisdiction, governor's approval, state agency, land acquisition, 1185

Summary: The Committee on Veteran Affairs heard several bills related to military installations, veterans, and contracting opportunities. Senator Birdwell presented SB 1197, which would extend existing drone restrictions over military bases and airports to spaceports, with exceptions for authorized users; no public testimony was offered at the first hearing, and the bill was left pending before later being reported favorably. Chairman Hancock presented SB 1271, which would allow Texas to accept concurrent jurisdiction over military installations so state and local authorities could handle certain juvenile offenses and provide more rehabilitative options; a committee substitute was explained, but the bill was left pending after no initial witnesses appeared. The committee also considered SB 390, which would expand the state historically underutilized business definition to include SBA-certified veteran-owned businesses regardless of disability rating. Supporters from the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce and other veterans argued the change would improve access to state contracting, strengthen the economy, and better recognize veterans’ contributions. Senator Eckhardt raised concerns that broadening the category to all veterans might not satisfy the disparity-study basis typically used for HUB classifications, and Jim Brennan echoed that concern while suggesting a separate category might be more workable. During the pending-legislation portion, the committee voted on several bills. SB 651 and SB 897 were each substituted and reported favorably to the full Senate, with both also recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 1814 was likewise reported favorably and sent to the local and uncontested calendar. SB 1197 was reported favorably and recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 1271 was left pending after a motion to report the committee substitute favorably, and SB 390 was left pending after testimony concluded. The committee then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• An insufficient supply of new podiatrists in the state will result in a concomitant reduction in Californians
• And I don't think that allowing hospitals that need to have a reliable supply of physicians is the thing
• currently written, we are concerned about how it could ...create operational challenges, disrupt supply
• domestic manufacturers of infant formula, which is already the most highly regulated food in the U.S. supply
• to make sure that that's made explicitly clear that the safe levels are really clearly stated and supplied

Committee: House Health

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Previously, the department has experienced supply chain delays and manufacturer backlogs with regard
• It's an innovative approach that uses mobile technology to provide real-time information on the drug supply
• overdose prevention, as well as providing community-level early warning about changes in the drug supply
• It's an innovative approach that uses mobile technology to provide real-time info on the drug supply,
• overdose prevention, as well as providing community level early warning about changes in the drug supply

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Other members want to be that within 36 hours, we had $20,000 worth of diapers, formula, and baby supplies
• Cure it, deliver the materials, supplies, etc., and kind of get it built out.
• This will increase the supply of locally grown food and ensure the quality of that food.
• Water Trust Board and your efforts to appropriate additional funding there to close the gap between supply
• Supply and demand of those funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• that the motorist modernization system impacts is everything from businesses that make up our state supply
• In Phase 2, so far, they've supplied between 12 and 17 developers. At one point, they had a 21 max.
• It is a deliverable-based contract, so they supply staff as needed to complete the task.
• our motorists, for our business operators, for those that operate in the essential nature of our supply
• WellSky is the vendor that supplies the I-Connect system. They're the SaaS vendor.

Summary: The subcommittee heard updates on several state technology modernization efforts, beginning with the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Enterprise Business Solution (DEMS). FDEM said DEMS is about 50% complete, with some grants and finance functions already live, and is intended to replace manual disaster and grants processing with a cloud-based system. Officials described faster reimbursement timelines after recent storms, major return-on-investment claims, and a planned final phase focused on design, testing, communications, data governance, and additional functionality. Members asked about the total cost, the role of Florida Digital Service, deliverables-based contracting, and how much of the system is live; FDEM said the project is expected to cost about $16 million to $16.8 million and finish by June 2027, with some follow-up information to be provided. The Department of Legal Affairs presented its Office of Attorney General Modernization Program, a follow-up to an earlier effort that failed after spending about $26 million. Acting Attorney General John Gard said the department has now moved to an off-the-shelf case management product, LawBase, and is in development and testing, with the Office of Statewide Prosecution already live and full implementation expected by the end of the fiscal year. The request includes funding for staff augmentation, cloud storage, the LawBase license, redundancy through a backup site in Orlando, and OnBase support. Members questioned the prior failure, the use of Florida Digital Service standards, data location and cloud migration, and the redundancy plan; Gard said lessons learned included better scoping and that the current effort is on track. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles then updated the committee on Motorist Modernization, including the Orion system and the MyDMV portal. Officials said Phase 1 and Phase 2 have modernized driver license and motor vehicle services, with Phase 2 statewide rollout scheduled to begin in April 2025 and Phase 3 proposed at $16.5 million for dealer services, data warehouse improvements, and call center modernization. Members asked about payment options, organ donor questions, staffing, cybersecurity, cloud strategy, and the digital driver license program. The agency said the portal already allows some sanctions to be cleared online, an ACH option is being developed, the digital driver license vendor has changed with a fall go-live anticipated, and the department is using security testing and a managed security service provider. Officials also said the system is currently on an on-prem private cloud, with future workloads expected to move to public cloud where appropriate. Finally, Florida Commerce presented on the Reemployment Assistance modernization system, Reconnect, and the FLWINS workforce system. Commerce said Reconnect is hosted in the Azure Government Cloud, has reduced claim filing time, improved fraud detection, and increased appeals capacity, and now needs $4.9 million in recurring funding to cover ongoing operations, cloud hosting, licenses, and staff augmentation. Members asked about adjudication issues, wait times, fraud prevention, and whether the system stores caller identifiers; Commerce said the average wait to speak to a representative is about 18 minutes and claims are generally processed in four to six weeks. The committee then began hearing about FLWINS, which is intended to create a “no wrong door” workforce portal under the REACH Act, but the transcript cuts off before that presentation concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Seventy-five percent of everything we process stays with manufacturers in our state, supporting our local supply
• that at a time when we're talking about this desperate need for minerals and metals to power our electric
• At a time when we're talking about this desperate need for minerals and metals to power our electric

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We filed for five solar installations, two ground-source heat pumps, and 110 electric vehicles, so we
• We filed for five solar installations, two ground-source heat pumps, and 110 electric vehicles, so we
• mind, but it's more than that: the airports and rail hubs carrying passengers and freight in the supply

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're direct materials relating to individual patient care, things like medication supplies that are
• We're all facing increased costs in our supplies, whether it's through tariffs or whatever it might be
• But we’re looking more at supplies. >> Representative Garger. >> Thank you, Madam Chair.
• expand whammy where we could get more docs in, because I am a believer of the basic economy thing, supply
• If we bring in more supply of health care professionals, you know, Health care professionals, you know

Committee: Joint Health Insurance Affordability Task Force

Keywords: 916, all