Transcript Highlights:

• Amanda Land, Chief Counsel, Department of Energy and Environment. Good afternoon.
• Lauren Ballard, Chief of Staff, Department of Energy and Environment.
• Amanda Land, Chief Counsel, Department of Energy and Environment.
• Number one is the Arkansas Public Service Commission wind energy development rules.
• Wind Energy Development Act.

Committee: All ALC-ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed a long agenda of agency rules, with most items approved without objection after brief presentations and no public comment. Early items included Department of Energy and Environment rules on landfill post-closure trust fund spending thresholds and liquefied petroleum gas standards, DFA’s electronic odometer disclosure rule, and several Department of Health rules covering ionizing radiation, mobile home and RV parks, lead-based paint, counseling board revisions, hearing instrument dispensers, athletic training, dental examiners, nursing, pharmacy, medical board, speech-language pathology and audiology, radiologic technology, massage therapy, community health workers, doula certification, and cosmetology/body art. Most of these changes were described as updates to match recent acts, federal standards, compact participation, fee adjustments, or cleanup/clarification, and the committee repeatedly approved them without objection. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the Arkansas State Board of Nursing’s broad set of rule changes implementing multiple 2025 acts. Those changes included creating a dialysis patient care technician registry, updating contact information requirements, expanding APRN authority to delegate certain tasks, clarifying death certificate and pronouncement authority, allowing substitution of therapeutically equivalent medications, permitting purchase of compounded products, and updating certified medication assistant rules and training standards. Members asked detailed questions about the meaning of therapeutically equivalent substitutions, delegation limits, compounded products, and how often medication lists would be updated; the board said it would review rules annually and use future rulemaking as needed. The committee also approved new nursing rules for declaratory orders and the new dialysis registry. The Department of Education’s rules drew the most discussion, especially the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program. The department said the revisions, based on Act 920 of 2025, were intended to add guardrails, clarify eligible expenses, and streamline approvals. Changes included defining core educational expenses, limiting sports-related spending, adding an intentional misuse standard, restricting certain technology purchases and requiring extra justification over $1,000, capping carryover funds at $8,500, and creating a reconsideration process for denied expenses. Members raised concerns about oversight, appeal timelines, sports equipment, provider credentialing, and whether the rules were too restrictive; department officials said the rules were meant to protect taxpayer funds while preserving flexibility, and they noted the program had received extensive public comment. The committee also approved Education rules for scholarships, residency classification, teacher programs, accelerated learning, and graduate medical education, as well as Labor and Licensing rules on wage and hour standards, boiler rules, motor vehicle commission requirements, professional wrestling regulation, appraiser qualifications, and military recruiting incentives.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will now take up tab number. 42 CS for SB 1574, on energy, Infrastructure Investment.
• As Florida's economy, energy demands, a population continues to grow.
• the gaps to advance our energy solutions.
• The bill's intention is to encourage utilities to invest in advance Florida's energy resources to be
• It's a very, very unique and specialised energy, if you will.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So let's utilize that energy and that amazing, custom, unique knowledge to help us all out statewide
• Whether it's water efficiency, energy efficiency, wildfire resiliency, just so many components could
• that we need... ...8,000 eco-villagers who build their own cob homes, who develop their own solar energy
• Another thing that Chris raised with advanced energy rebuilds, and I get what Scott said, ...because
• But I would proudly say that I was the first advanced energy rebuild to be completed under the Sonoma

Summary: The hearing focused on lessons from the 2017 Tubbs Fire and how Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, and local partners have changed wildfire prevention, recovery, and rebuilding practices since then. Assemblymembers emphasized that the region has become a model for the state, with a shift from suppression to prevention, and panelists described improvements in defensible space, home hardening, vegetation management, alerting, and community coordination. The discussion also highlighted the continuing importance of sharing Sonoma County’s experience with other wildfire-impacted communities across California and beyond. Fire officials and local leaders described specific prevention measures now in place, including Santa Rosa’s vegetation management ordinance, ignition-free/Zone Zero requirements in rebuilding, restrictions on certain mulches, removal of dead and dying trees near roads and defensible space zones, and expanded prescribed burning authority. They also stressed the importance of community organization through block captains, Firewise/COPE-style networks, and the Mark West Area Community Fund. Speakers said these networks helped residents navigate recovery, avoid fraud and bad contractors, coordinate with local agencies, and support neighbors, but they argued that such efforts need more formal structure and stable funding. Water and permitting officials discussed how the fires changed their work. Santa Rosa Water described new regional coordination, generator and backup power upgrades, emergency training, and lessons learned about wildfire-related contamination in water systems, including the need to restore pressure, flush, and test quickly after a fire. Permit Sonoma said rebuilding was balanced by streamlining permits while still requiring safer, more resilient construction, and noted that reduced fees and one-stop permitting helped speed recovery. United Policyholders described helping residents maximize insurance proceeds, organize information, and avoid scams, while warning that insurance availability and affordability remain major barriers and that insurers are increasingly rewarding risk-reduction measures. Across the panels, the main policy requests were for faster and more flexible grant processes, more stable long-term funding for prevention and community programs, stronger support for home hardening and defensible space, better training and tools for local governments and legislative staff, and continued attention to insurance and utility-related resilience. No formal votes or actions were taken in the transcript excerpt; the hearing was informational and ended with a transition toward public comment and further discussion of remaining statewide wildfire policy needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Dustin Davidson, Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy, here with Executive Counsel
• experience with induced seismicity, we recommend that the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy
• Gavin Broussard with the Department of Conservation and Energy.
• I'm in charge Gavin Broussard with the Department of Conservation and Energy.
• Blake Canfield, Executive Counsel, Department of Conservation and Energy, that's exactly right.

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:31:14.320><c> I</c><00:31:14.640><c> think</c><00:31:14.720><c> the</c> some time and energy
• I think the some time and energy into.
• Because we are moving to, uh, I think part of that our, uh, director mentioned it is renewable energy
• We are developing that renewable energy.
• The renewable energy is the import substitution.

Committee: House Economic Development & Technology

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard several resolutions focused on economic development, tourism, technology, and related policy issues. Testimony generally came from state agencies and industry groups, with DBED, HTDC, and others mostly supporting measures that would create working groups, promote advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity, encourage a Michelin Guide for Hawaii restaurants, support Taiwan’s international participation, and explore import substitution. One measure on a tourism and gaming working group drew strong opposition from the prosecutor’s office, which argued it would signal support for gambling and could worsen social harms, while other witnesses supported it as a way to gather data before any policy decisions. The committee also heard support for relocating the Pearl City Post Office to improve traffic and safety, and for a resolution to focus HTDC on advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity. Several items were amended before action. The committee agreed to amend the tourism and gaming working group resolution to narrow and clarify its purpose, and to amend the Taiwan resolution to add the president of the Republic of China as a recipient. The import-substitution resolution was also amended to add a definition, include language about avoiding new import dependencies such as LNG, and direct state and utility purchasing power toward substituting imports. A resolution on HCR 211/HR 203 was rewritten to address lowering fire insurance rates and mitigating fire risk in Puna lava zones, but decision-making on that item was deferred to a later hearing so the new language could be posted publicly. The committee voted to adopt several measures, including HCR 57/HCR 152, HCR 156/HR 151, HCR 19/HR 115, and HCR 33/HR 32, with some passed as amended and others passed as is. HCR 192 was adopted with amendments despite reservations from some members, and HCR 209/HR 2011 was adopted with amendments. The committee also recessed for decision-making during the hearing and later adjourned after completing action on the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and I think it is, you know, then I think we did hear from the Department of Energy, from Chris Elms
• So the OCA provides a very invaluable service to energy policy discussions in New Hampshire, and I very
• So the OCA provides a very invaluable service to energy policy discussions in New Hampshire, and I very
• The OCA provides a very invaluable service to energy policy discussions in New Hampshire, and I very
• It doesn't take long to think about the siting of projects in the state for energy.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It helped us avert a financial collapse of Maui County and Hawaii's energy system, sparing our state
• years of economic hardship and higher energy costs.
• System sparing our state years of Energy System sparing our state years of economic<00:44:27.800><c>
• hardship</c><00:44:28.359><c> and</c><00:44:28.520><c> higher</c><00:44:28.800><c> energy</c> economic
• hardship and higher energy economic hardship and higher energy costs<00:44:30.359><c> and</c><00:44:

Keywords: House Agenda:, 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to coordinate sites, workforce partnerships applications and infrastructure tied to the advanced energy
• Is it to allow the Department of Commerce to make an application to the Department of Energy?
• opportunities, including the nuclear life cycle imitate innovation campus submission to the US Department of Energy
• This leaf-off aerial energy we're talking about there on page nine.

Bills: HB1782 , HB2293 , HB3176 , HB3544 , HB3546 , HB3619 , HB4358

Committee: Senate Technology and Telecommunications

Keywords: artificial intelligence, education reform, innovation, funding, advisory council, broadband, Oklahoma Broadband Office, broadband access, statewide broadband plan, internet connectivity, grant programs, expansion council, termination plan, Oklahoma, Gas Hub, national laboratory, public-private partnerships, aerospace, high-performance computing, economic development

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee reports on Transportation and Energy, after consideration on the merit, committee recommends
• 25:13.390><c>on </c><02:25:13.660><c>transportation </c><02:25:13.930><c>and </c><02:25:14.200><c>energy
• </c> committee on transportation and energy committee on transportation and energy after <02:25:14.729

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this bill references the site development grants, and it adds language to include energy sources,
• grants and it adds language to include grants and it adds language to include uh<00:08:21.199><c> energy
• </c><00:08:21.599><c> sources</c><00:08:22.400><c> for</c><00:08:22.639><c> instance</c> uh energy sources
• for instance uh energy sources for instance electricity<00:08:23.919><c> and</c><00:08:24.240><c> gas

Committee: Joint Finance

Keywords: Finance - Room 216, 3 March, 2026; 10:30 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are devices known as forced reset triggers that utilize the energy of slides to reset the trigger
• 00:10:01.160><c> that</c><00:10:01.320><c> utilizes</c><00:10:01.840><c> the</c><00:10:01.960><c> energy
• </c><00:10:02.200><c> of</c> triggers that utilizes the energy of triggers that utilizes the energy of

Committee: House Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• With new energy, new ideas, and with the courage to try what had not been tried, Mary stood out as the
• This is where she poured her energy into a 15-year fight to secure collective bargaining rights for over
• If you asked her back then, she said her priorities were solar energy, disability services, ag land preservation
• , and ...energy, disability services, ag land preservation.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We advocate on behalf of workers in the clean energy transition.
• industry, and labor, have been working for years to streamline the permitting and siting of clean energy
• of the natural resource agencies ensures that these efforts will contribute to our broader clean energy
• the last four months alone our state has lost about 15,000 jobs because we cannot always guarantee energy

Bills: SCR8406 , SB5825 , SB5842 , SB5863 , SB5840 , SB5827 , SB5968

Committee: Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections

Keywords: civic health, community engagement, committee reestablishment, public participation, governance, Washington State Leadership Board, WSLB, gift acceptance, grants, endowments, private funding, public funding, fundraising, state board, youth leadership, civic engagement, leadership development, Washington World Fellows, sports mentoring, Boundless Washington

Transcript Highlights:

• To Energy and Digital Infrastructure. H653. To Environment. H654.
• development age &gt;&gt; to commerce and economic development age 651 651 651 &gt;&gt; to<00:02:47.120><c> energy
• 02:47.440><c> and</c><00:02:47.680><c> digital</c><00:02:48.160><c> infrastructure</c> &gt;&gt; to energy
• and digital infrastructure &gt;&gt; to energy and digital infrastructure &gt;&gt; H65<00:02:49.440><

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then the legislature went ahead and passed the new energy policy. Thank you.
• And then the legislature went ahead and passed the new energy policy.
• 1, 2025, right up front, guided by the following goals, ensuring a cost-effective and affordable energy
• And you spoke about data centers, which I have a real concern about, not only the amount of energy that's

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight met to receive an overview from Public Counsel Walt Trierweiler on the work of his office. He described the office’s role in representing Florida utility customers in rate and service cases, including investor-owned electric, water, and wastewater matters, storm cost recovery, fuel clauses, storm protection plans, and specialized dockets. He emphasized the office’s use of depositions, expert witnesses, customer correspondence, and service-hearing testimony to challenge unsupported utility costs and seek “fair, just, reasonable, and affordable” outcomes for customers. Trierweiler highlighted several current issues, including affordability, data centers, and the growing use of AI in reviewing large utility filings. He said the office has begun using affordability experts and data center witnesses, and that data center-related utility proposals raise concerns about energy demand, water use, and community impacts. He also expressed caution about AI and machine learning because of confidential utility information, while acknowledging that utilities, regulators, and his office are increasingly using such tools. Members asked questions about how customer input is gathered, how profit is evaluated in rate cases, the role of settlement agreements, and whether the office is considering water consumption impacts from data centers. Trierweiler said customer feedback largely comes in through hearings, correspondence, and direct calls rather than office-led canvassing, and that his office seeks to limit imprudent costs while allowing utilities a fair return. He also explained that the office may file motions for reconsideration and appeals after PSC orders, and that it sometimes submits alternative settlement proposals even when approval is unlikely, to present a different option for the commission’s consideration. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after concluding its agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I can tell you that the need and demand and the energy and the desire of entrepreneurs to pursue
• And I can tell you that the need and demand and the energy and the desire of entrepreneurs to pursue
• And I can tell you that the need and demand and the energy and the desire of entrepreneurs to pursue
• And I can tell you that the need and demand and the energy and the desire of entrepreneurs to pursue

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And, you know, good for the type 2 diabetes lobbyists that they had the time and energy to be able to
• </c><00:03:14.400><c> the</c><00:03:14.599><c> time</c><00:03:14.760><c> and</c><00:03:14.959><c> energy
• </c><00:03:15.280><c> to</c><00:03:15.400><c> be</c> that they had the time and energy to be that they
• had the time and energy to be able<00:03:15.720><c> to</c><00:03:15.879><c> do</c><00:03:16.120><c>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Summary: The committee discussed a bill directing the Department of Education to develop or identify informational materials about type 1 diabetes and make them available to school districts and on school websites. One member objected that the bill was too narrow and effectively created a policy focused on one disease, arguing that other illnesses also deserve attention and that parents can obtain such information from physicians and health centers. Others responded that type 1 diabetes was chosen because it can be hard to detect, can progress quickly, and early warning signs in children may be missed by school staff and parents. Supporters emphasized testimony from young people and families about the importance of early detection, noting that type 1 diabetes is different from type 2 and can lead to serious complications if not recognized quickly. Several members said the bill would help teachers, nurses, and parents identify symptoms and seek prompt medical care, and that adding every disease would overcrowd the materials. One senator said the bill was a prevention measure and that similar treatment could be considered for other illnesses in the future if they met the same criteria. The committee then voted on the bill and advanced it on a 4-1 vote. Afterward, there was brief procedural discussion about whether to place another item on consent and whether to move out of executive session, but no additional substantive action was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• comes to how Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is funded, Department of Conservation and Energy
• Equity gaps and barriers to expansion: lower reimbursement means fewer resources, making it harder for

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met on April 27 and first took up House Bill 175 and its companion House Bill 165, both dealing with lottery proceeds for veterans. HB 175 was amended to create a Veterans Service Grant Board within the Department of Veterans Affairs and direct $500,000 annually from Louisiana Lottery net proceeds into a Veterans Service Grant Fund, with unused money returned to the lottery proceeds fund that supports the MFP. Supporters, including the bill sponsor, The Boot Louisiana, LDVA Secretary Charlton McGinley, and Bastion Veterans Organization, argued the grants would help veteran services, workforce placement, mental health, housing, entrepreneurship, and retention of veterans in Louisiana. Members raised concerns about drawing from lottery proceeds that traditionally support education, but the committee adopted amendments and reported HB 175 favorably as amended. HB 165, the constitutional amendment companion, was also amended for technical and ballot-language changes and then reported favorably as amended for voter consideration. The committee then considered House Bill 457, which would authorize the Louisiana Department of Health and the State Fire Marshal to set minimum housing standards for homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes. The sponsor said the bill responded to a state auditor recommendation and to unsafe conditions in some facilities; he also explained an amendment changing the Fire Marshal’s duties from mandatory to permissive to reduce fiscal impact and allow agencies flexibility. Some members questioned whether local standards already existed and how enforcement and funding would work, while others supported the need for statewide minimum standards for human housing. The committee adopted the amendment and reported HB 457 favorably as amended. House Bill 488, by Representative Brough, sought to create a Belle Chasse Bridge Merit-Based Special Fund using recurring severance tax revenues from Plaquemines Parish to help buy out the Belle Chasse toll bridge and end what the sponsor described as excessive tolls and fees. He and several local witnesses, including business owners, a YMCA representative, and a parish council member, testified that the tolling arrangement had harmed access, businesses, and quality of life. The committee adopted a technical amendment clarifying the revenue source and then reported HB 488 favorably as amended. House Bill 566, which would prohibit state funds from supporting net-zero greenhouse gas initiatives tied to the 2022 Louisiana Climate Action Plan, drew significant debate over whether it would interfere with agency funding and economic development efforts; the sponsor argued the plan lacked legislative approval and should be repudiated, while members urged caution and suggested hearing from affected agencies. The sponsor agreed to consider deferring the bill, and the committee did not advance it at that time. House Bill 603, a constitutional amendment authorizing investment of state funds in digital assets and precious metals, was discussed as a way to hedge inflation and preserve value; members asked about limits and safeguards, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then began hearing House Bill 763, a transparency measure creating a public database for settlement agreements involving state agencies.

Transcript Highlights:

• comes to how Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is funded, Department of Conservation and Energy
• Equity gaps and barriers to expansion.

Bills: HB165 , HB175 , HB198 , HB272 , HB457 , HB488 , HB566 , HB603 , HB763 , HB902 , HB909 , HB971 , HB981 , HB1066 , HB1125 , HB1154 , HB1231

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: HB165, lottery proceeds, Lottery Proceeds Fund, Veterans Service Grant Fund, constitutional amendment, veterans, military veterans, veterans' benefits, veterans services, family support, state lottery, education funding, Minimum Foundation Program, problem gambling, compulsive gaming, state treasurer, ballot proposition, constitutional referendum, lottery revenue, Louisiana resident veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• A private equity firm does not hire a small army of lobbyists and make several hundred thousand dollars
• And so the energy that we bring is authentic.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up a long agenda of bills, many of them amended. Early action included PCS for CS for HB 639, which would expand an existing Fraternal Order of Police specialty license plate to all Floridians, tighten specialty plate rules for future applicants, require financial projections and reporting, and create several new specialty plates. After questions about Florida nexus requirements and a successful amendment adding a Florida Film Legacy plate, the bill was reported favorably 26-0. PCS for CS for HB 1169, limiting local governments’ use of excess building-code enforcement funds for construction of the code-enforcement building, also passed unanimously after testimony from the Florida Home Builders Association. The committee then approved HB 139, expanding whistleblower protections for state, local, and contract employees who file ethics complaints, with support from the Florida Commission on Ethics. PCS for HB 273, which would make special districts eligible for certain state and federal grants and direct pay options, passed 24-1 after testimony from both supporters and opponents. Members also approved CS for HB 1087, a public-records exemption for certain stablecoin issuer information, and CS for HB 1085, updating the local government cybersecurity grant program by moving it to Cyber Florida at USF, adding a sunset, and limiting consecutive awards. Several environmental and local-government transparency measures drew extended debate. CS for CS for HB 1417, a broad environmental bill, was amended to remove several provisions, retain others on the Environmental Regulation Commission, springs, solar facilities, Indian River Lagoon septic deadlines, and coastal resiliency partnerships, and then passed 24-0 amid mixed testimony from DEP, water management districts, and environmental advocates. CS for HB 1457, creating a framework for regional stormwater management systems and water quality enhancement areas, passed 24-0 after discussion of port impacts. CS for HB 1329, requiring local budgets to be posted earlier, retained longer, and made searchable, and adding a 10% budget-cutting exercise, passed 17-6 after strong opposition from local-government groups who argued it would be costly and duplicative. The committee also approved CS for HB 4091 creating a special district for stormwater and flood control in Sarasota and Manatee counties, and then took up CS for HB 995, a major overhaul of Public Employees Relations Commission and union-related procedures, including registration, dues disclosure, election rules, leave-time limits, and expedited bargaining over legislatively appropriated salary increases; that bill was still under questioning when the transcript ended.