Video & Transcript : 'public accountability' :

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WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session Feb 16th, 2026 at 05:20 pm

Washington Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • The state tax will continue to support the education and legacy trust fund account, and I urge support
  • them from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to the Office of the Superintendent of Public
  • literacy program shifts makes sense so that they all live in the Office of the Superintendent of Public
  • : An act relating to updating the arbitration fee collected for the new motor vehicle arbitration account
  • Last line: strike "motor vehicle arbitration account" and insert "the state general fund."
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session Feb 16th, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Washington Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • So my bill proposes creating an account and empowering state officials to raise money from the public
  • This was at the recommendation of the public accountants of Washington.
  • This was at the recommendation of the public accountants of Washington.
  • Public schools educate the workforce.
  • The certified public accountants, the tax bar, many state agencies, and many people in industry, including
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session Feb 16th, 2026 at 10:00 am

Washington Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • including education, labor, military leadership, local businesses, the arts and sciences, faith, and public
  • service, helping to shape the social, economic, and cultural fabric. ...faith, and public service, helping
  • whereas the history and sacrifices of Black communities embody principles that continue to guide public
  • service, excellence and purpose, grace and ...that continue to guide public service, excellence and
  • And whereas we are honored to witness that next generation of leaders take their first steps into public
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • If you wish to give public testimony, please prepare to do so.
  • The time limit for public testimony is two minutes per person.
  • Senator Nichols moves that public testimony be limited to two minutes per person.
  • Then we'll open it up for public testimony on both Senate Bill 23 as well as the H. J.R.
Bills: SB23, SJR85, SB 23
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

PBS Public Hearing - Fri Mar 20, 2026 @ 10:30 AM HST

Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm convening our Committee on Public Safety.
  • Thank you to the public who are here, and thank you to the public who are present via Zoom.
  • We have testimony with comments from Public First Law Center via Zoom.
  • </c> Public First Law Center via Zoom. Public First Law Center via Zoom.
  • Yamamoto, and members of the Public Safety Committee.
Bills: SB2109, SB2151
Summary: The committee on Public Safety met on March 20, 2026, and the chair opened by noting severe rain and flooding conditions in Hawaii and said the committee would proceed with the hearing but defer decision-making until the next meeting on March 25. The first measure discussed was SB 2109, an omnibus bill on emergency preparedness communications. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support, including from state agencies and advocacy groups such as the Disability and Communications Access Board, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Legal Clinic, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and others. Supporters emphasized the need for funding and planning for multilingual emergency materials and language access, citing current evacuation notices that were not available in languages such as Ilokano or Tongan. The chair stated that action on SB 2109 would be deferred until March 25. The committee then heard SB 2151, relating to emergency management and changes to the governor’s emergency authority. Testimony was mixed but heavily focused on concerns about executive power. Earthjustice supported the bill with amendments, saying it should narrow extraordinary emergency powers, add definitions for emergency and disaster, preserve transparency under the Uniform Information Practices Act, and lower the legislative threshold to terminate an emergency proclamation from two-thirds to a simple majority. Other supporters, including the League of Women Voters of Hawaii and some individuals, also backed reform. Opponents, including Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and numerous individuals, argued the bill still gave the governor too much power, used overly broad disaster definitions, and did not sufficiently protect constitutional rights; several urged major amendments or repeal of portions of Chapter 127A. Some opponents specifically objected to the two-thirds termination standard and to provisions they said could enable compulsory immunizations or other mandates. Members questioned Earthjustice about whether the bill would suspend constitutional rights. Earthjustice responded that the bill would not authorize constitutional violations, but would allow suspension of laws enacted by the legislature, and pointed to existing statutory procedures for individuals to challenge emergency proclamations. The witness described a Mauna Kea case in which a three-judge panel granted relief to an individual under the current statute, and explained that the process could potentially affect a broader proclamation if allowed to run to completion. The hearing continued with additional testimony and questions, but no final vote or committee action on SB 2151 was taken during this portion of the meeting.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • safety by ensuring greater accountability.
  • Now for public testimony, we see no one registered for public testimony.
  • Hearing none, public testimony is closed.
  • No one registered for public testimony. The chair sees no one registered for public testimony.
  • Hearing none, public testimony is closed.
Bills: HB2407, HB3425
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Education Policy Committee Apr 9th, 2025

Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • If you remember, we had a public hearing on it a few weeks back.
  • And with that, I know y'all remember the public hearing we had.
  • And it might be going public, you...
  • And it might be going public, you know, private coming to public.
  • Public education. And this will actually help.
US
Transcript Highlights:
  • purges of senior law enforcement at DOJ and the FBI diminishes our ability to hold traffickers accountable
  • It needs to be held accountable.
  • You want to end this, hold the websites accountable that allow this to happen. That day is coming.
Bills: SB331
Summary: In this committee meeting, the focus was primarily on S-331, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking and Fentanyl Act, aimed at addressing the fentanyl crisis. The bill's key components include making permanent the class scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, confirming existing sentencing penalties, and easing registration requirements for scientific research on Schedule I substances. Numerous parents shared heartbreaking testimonies about their losses due to fentanyl, which fueled an urgent call to pass the legislation without alterations. The committee members engaged in passionate discussions highlighting the urgency of the situation as overdoses continue to claim American lives.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Criminal Justice (Part II) Feb 12th, 2025

Criminal Justice

Transcript Highlights:
  • Public testimony is closed.
  • So the chair now opens public testimony on SJR 5, and the chair calls the following witnesses.
  • Public testimony will be limited to 2 minutes on each bill and subject to the discretion of the chair
  • This ruling affirmed that both court appearance and public safety should be considered when determining
  • Um, TCRP, uh, of utmost importance to us is public safety.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Capital Investment Committee 3/24/26

Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c><00:04:11.120><c> to</c> committee to know and for the public to committee to know and for the public
  • And they are very important to public.
  • </c> public works director. public works director.
  • ,</c><00:21:18.360><c> providing</c> Um as a public purpose, providing Um as a public purpose, providing
  • I'm the director of public works Streu.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Public Service Jan 27th, 2026

Joint Committee on Public Service

Transcript Highlights:
  • I would like to welcome you to the 18th hearing of the Joint Committee on Public Service in the 194th
  • This meeting is live-streamed and will be posted publicly on the Joint Committee on Public Service page
  • mailed to the House Chair, written testimony by Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the Joint Committee on Public
  • Good afternoon, Chair Ryan, Vice Chair, and fellow members of the Joint Committee on Public Service.
  • As a captain in the Lawrence Fire Department and someone who has spent his career in public service,
AL

Alabama 2026 Regular Session

Alabama House Children and Senior Advocacy Committee Feb 4th, 2026

Children and Senior Advocacy

Transcript Highlights:
  • The parent can be the trustee, but they can outsource that to a third party, whether that be an accountant
  • , a family friend, an accountant, a family friend, an attorney,<00:31:55.440><c> whoever,</c><00:31:55.840
  • ><00:51:06.000><c> bank</c> paid there would have to be a bank paid there would have to be a bank account
  • :08.000><c> would</c><00:51:08.160><c> have</c><00:51:08.319><c> to</c><00:51:08.400><c> open</c> account
  • which a child would have to open account which a child would have to open with<00:51:08.880><c> a</c
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Fiscal Policy Mar 2nd, 2026

Fiscal Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • The bill promotes accountability, transparency, and fair representation for public sector employees.
  • County Public Schools.
  • She said public dollars should come with public accountability and urged members not to fund more red
  • I’m a product of public education and have several kids in public schools.
  • We all want accountability.
Summary: The committee first took up CS for SB 42 on specific medical diagnosis and child protective investigations. A late-file strike-all amendment was adopted that made only stylistic changes to align with the House version. Supporters said the bill would help DCF and child protective teams better identify rare medical conditions and give parents a chance to defend against mistaken abuse findings. The bill was then reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1570, which restores a prior program to help locate missing persons with special needs through voluntary tracking devices and coordination with sheriff’s offices and CARD centers, with nonrecurring funding included. Members then advanced several education, disability, and public services measures. CS for CSSB 182 created a teacher training and mentoring program for high-performing current and retired teachers to mentor teachers in D- and F-rated schools, and CS for CSSB 794 required background screening for employees in residential and day training programs for people with developmental disabilities while directing APD to study support coordination quality, workforce issues, and service gaps. Testimony on SB 794 strongly supported better training, lower caseloads, and more consistent support coordination. The committee also favorably reported CS for CS SB 1168 on background screenings, CS for CS SB 214 to allow rural special districts to pay verified invoices directly, CS for SB 1376 to create grants for genetic counseling education, and SB 1574 (Maddie’s Law) to add newborn screening for biliary atresia; the latter drew emotional support and testimony that early screening could save lives and reduce transplant costs. The committee heard and passed a number of other policy bills, including CS for CS for SB 1510, the DEP agency package, after environmental groups warned that one provision could delay basin management protections and allow more septic systems in impaired watersheds; the bill still passed favorably. Members also approved CS for CS for SB 598 on funeral and cemetery regulation, SB 688 to license naturopathic doctors, SB 1318 on scholarship account reversion rules, CS for CS for SB 682 on domestic violence injunctions and penalties, SB 130 on workforce training for current and former inmates, and SB 1548, the latest Live Local affordable housing update. Several bills were briefly postponed or taken up later in the meeting. In the latter portion of the meeting, the committee approved CS for C.S. for SB 536 on criminal gang membership criteria, CS for C.S. SB 762 on assigning conflict capital cases across regional counsel offices, SB 1332 on career offender registration requirements, CS for CS for SB 1742 creating a new offense for indecent exposure of sexual organs to a child, and CS for SB 1750 increasing penalties for serious sex offenses and child sexual abuse material crimes. The committee also debated CS for SB 1226 on Public Employee Relations Commission procedures and union certification rules, including a late-file amendment setting a 60% threshold and 25% quorum for recertification; the discussion focused heavily on constitutional concerns, union rights, and differences between first responders and other public employees. The transcript ends while that bill’s debate is still underway, with the committee having already taken numerous favorable votes throughout the meeting.
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Human Services Apr 29th, 2025

Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • If not, we will now move on to public testimony. Thank you. Thank you.
  • especially when it came to their safety, but the communities involved in these murders were more accountable
  • Information, communication and accountability matter, and it's for these reasons that passing House Bill
  • I'm the VP of public policy for the Texas Assisted Living Association, known as TALA.
  • real regular safety audits and reports those audits to the Texas School Safety Center just like our public
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Human Services Apr 29th, 2025

Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • If not, we will now move on to public testimony. Thank you, members. The chair calls Sarah.
  • But the communities involved in these murders were more accountable to their bottom line than to the
  • Information, communication, and accountability matter, and it’s for these reasons that passing House
  • I'm the VP of Public Policy.
  • regular safety audits, and reports those audits to the Texas School Safety Center, just like our public
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Human Services Apr 29th, 2025

Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • us to improve our accountability.
  • Organizations that aren't as accountable.
  • Cost accounting is different for...
  • And to uphold the trust and accountability within our public assistance framework, a new subsection,
  • I urge the committee to support this bill and help us build a more transparent and accountable public
US
Transcript Highlights:
  • It's an account of the chaos and confusion.
  • We need to restore, you're right, accountability. We need to make.
  • I'm a proud co-sponsor of Chairman Moran's Restore the Accountability Act.
  • We need to hold managers accountable. It's not an us versus them question.
  • It's a matter of us as a team and everybody at every level have to be held accountable. Mr.
Summary: During the meeting, various members engaged in extensive discussions surrounding 15 proposed bills related to veterans' affairs. Notably, concerns regarding recent VA workforce changes sparked debates, particularly about potential cuts and their implications for veterans' care and benefits. Chairman Moran emphasized the need for thoughtful reforms and coordination with stakeholders, urging responsible measures to prevent negatively impacting service delivery. The meeting highlighted a significant bipartisan effort to enhance veterans' access to essential health services, particularly in light of recent challenges faced by the VA workforce. Senator Blumenthal's assertions about the urgent plight of veterans due to cuts in personnel drew strong reactions, showcasing the deep concern among committee members regarding the current state of veteran services.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

House and Governmental Affairs Apr 8th, 2026

House and Governmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • And the public doesn't always, you know, they don't understand why that information isn't public, particularly
  • when it involves a public notice.
  • a public notice.
  • , that being who is sponsoring this public notice.
  • Or we were talking about it, a public notice was done.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Administrative Rules 2nd Revised Apr 9th, 2026

Administrative Rules

Transcript Highlights:
  • proposed by the Board of Tests for Alcohol and Drug Influence, the Attorney General, the Department of Public
Summary: The committee first considered Senate Joint Resolution 49, as amended, which revokes an Oklahoma Wildlife Department rule requiring oil and gas companies to post a surety bond. Senator Murdoch explained that the change was intended to eliminate what he described as duplicate regulation, since the Corporation Commission already requires security bonds, and said the Wildlife Department had agreed to the revision. Senator Merritt’s amendment narrowing the resolution to the surety bond provision was adopted by voice vote, and the resolution then passed 6-0. The committee then heard House Bill 3281, described by Senator Bergstrom as the same measure previously passed as Senate Bill 1433, the Guidance Transparency Act. It was advanced without questions or debate and passed 6-0. House Bill 4319 followed, requiring agencies to have explicit statutory authority for each rule and to inventory existing rules within three years so noncompliant rules would be automatically repealed by January 1, 2030; it passed 7-0 after a due-pass motion. Finally, House Joint Resolution 1086 was approved, which ratifies rules from the Board of Tests for Alcohol and Drug Influence, the Attorney General, the Department of Public Safety, the State Fire Marshal Commission, and the State Board of Licensed Social Workers. Senator Bergstrom said committee concerns had already been addressed in prior hearings, and the resolution passed 7-0. The chair then announced a meeting for the following Wednesday at 11:30, urged members to continue reviewing rules and raising concerns promptly, and adjourned the meeting.