Transcript Highlights:

• These producers wouldn't risk it.
• I want to ask you, you produce gummies. Is that correct? Your company produces?
• I want to ask you, you produce gummies. Is that correct? Your company produces?
• It's small. They have to police the bathrooms. Around. There's no smell, no odor. It's small.
• We produce our own gummies.

Summary: The House Committee on Public Health heard House Bill 5, a proposal to ban THC products outside the Texas Compassionate Use Program while allowing non-intoxicating CBD and CBG products under tighter regulation. Chair Van Deaver gave a lengthy background on the 2018 federal Farm Bill and Texas’s 2019 hemp law, arguing that the lack of guardrails allowed a large, unregulated THC market to develop. HB 5 would impose licensing fees, product registration, testing and inspection requirements, and restrictions intended to keep products away from children. Invited witnesses from law enforcement strongly supported the bill. Steve Dye of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and Brian Hawthorne of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas argued that THC consumables are widely mislabeled, often far more potent than advertised, and linked to youth access, impaired driving, and organized crime. Both said regulation would be ineffective and would amount to legalization, while a ban would be easier for officers to enforce. They also emphasized support for the Texas Compassionate Use Program and said medical THC should remain available. Dr. Peter Stout of the Texas Association of Crime Lab Directors and Alice Amelot of Texas DPS testified as resource witnesses about forensic testing. They said current lab resources are already stretched thin, that quantitative testing for THC and related cannabinoids is expensive and time-consuming, and that a ban would simplify enforcement because labs could focus on presence/absence testing rather than concentration. Amelot said DPS labs are neutral on the bill but explained that mislabeled products and inaccurate certificates of analysis are common. Committee members asked about traffic safety, impairment, youth use, and the costs of enforcement and lab testing; witnesses repeatedly said the bill would reduce complexity for law enforcement but that any approach would still require more resources for labs.

Transcript Highlights:

• But that still is a a relatively small small small sum.<00:10:04.160> Would<00:10:04.720> investing
• Yeah, the staff is small.
• Yeah, the staff is small.
• 54.239> state<01:10:54.320> of hydro power producers in the state of hydro power producers
• is being applied to every other producer is being applied to every other producer who<01:22:38.920

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 302, which would allow the state treasurer to invest public funds in precious metals and digital assets. The sponsor was not present, so Representative Urs introduced the bill briefly and said he did not know much about it. No one from the Treasury Department testified, and members repeatedly noted the treasurer’s absence. Susan Elme testified against the bill, arguing that these investments are highly volatile and contrary to the treasury’s duty to remain stable and liquid. She said the bill should be killed. In questioning, she estimated the 5% cap in the bill would amount to roughly $10 million, depending on available funds, and said such investing would be more appropriate for an individual day trader than for the state treasury. Members also discussed prior legislative experience with Bitcoin-related proposals and raised concerns about whether the treasury had the staff expertise to manage commodity or digital asset investing. The committee did not take a final vote; instead, it agreed to hold a work session and seek additional information from the treasurer, with a plan to revisit the bill on April 1.

Transcript Highlights:

• smaller producers like Saban Stillwater. smaller producers like Saban Stillwater.
• This is a short-sighted bureaucratic mandate that punishes energy producers, manufacturers, and small
• This is a short-sighted bureaucratic mandate that punishes energy producers, manufacturers, and small
• This is a short-sighted bureaucratic mandate that punishes energy producers, manufacturers, and small
• This is a short-sighted bureaucratic mandate that punishes energy producers, manufacturers, and small

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, March 27, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• water you're producing versus what you're. Billing. Billed. And the only factor.
• Up to 225 million barrels per day of produced water, especially in the Permian Basin.
• Future work on the produced water consortium, of course, continuing to support.
• Army Corps of Engineers Reservoirs that we sponsor and provide water to small cities with.
• Many small systems require technical assistance to complete these inventories.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• um reiterate uh this is a small um reiterate uh this is a small investment<01:16:37.920> that
• Farmers helping them produce more food Farmers helping them produce more food be<01:20:33.080> more
• <01:34:14.360> into producing uh fresh produce well into producing uh fresh produce well into
• <01:50:41.360> to encourage more Farms to producers to encourage more Farms to producers to
• businesses in New Hampshire that produce businesses in New Hampshire that produce equipment<01:56

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee held a hearing on several bills and announced at the outset that no votes would be taken because the measures would go to divisions later. The first major bill, HB 197, would require the state to pay 7.5% of political subdivision employer pension contributions for teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Representative Mike Edgar, the prime sponsor, argued the state had repeatedly reduced and then eliminated its promised share of retirement costs, shifting the burden to municipalities and property taxpayers. He said the bill would partially restore that commitment and provide relief to local governments, businesses, and taxpayers. Several witnesses testified in support of HB 197, including Representative John Cluder, Bradford selectman Marlene Fryer, the New Hampshire Municipal Association’s Margaret Burns, and Epping representative Mark Fone. Supporters said the bill would help with property tax pressure, school budgets, and municipal hiring, and they emphasized that much of the retirement cost reflects unfunded liability decisions made at the state level rather than by local governments. Committee members questioned whether the bill would change local incentives to control costs and how it would affect hiring and compensation. Burns said the state contribution would function as property tax relief because it offsets existing municipal expenses, and she noted the state is already on a long-term schedule to pay down the retirement system’s unfunded liability. After closing the hearing on HB 197, the committee opened a hearing on HB 97, introduced by Representative Tom Buco. He said the bill would continue funding for delayed and deferred wastewater projects and help municipalities finance expensive wastewater infrastructure, which he tied to housing development and local debt planning. No action or votes were taken on either bill during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We would also want to work with our BIPAC advisory committee and our small producer advisory committee
• Not directly support producers in the farm-to-school program.
• So about $1,000 per new producer that we assist to get them into this pipeline.
• And that's the $3 million, about $1,000 a producer to get them into the pipeline?
• We represent 8,000 small and underserved farmers across the state of California.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee heard the administration’s spending plan for Proposition 4’s climate smart agriculture and biodiversity chapters, along with related trailer bill language. CDFA outlined proposed funding for existing programs such as SWEEP, Healthy Soils, Urban Agriculture, and invasive species work, plus new or phased-in programs including year-round and mobile farmers’ markets, tribal food sovereignty, and regional farm equipment sharing. The Department of Conservation described funding for the California Farmland Conservancy Program and Working Lands and Riparian Corridors Program, while the Department of Finance and LAO discussed pending allocations and generally found the overall approach reasonable, though LAO suggested the Legislature may want more statutory guidance and reporting, especially for new programs. Members focused on implementation details, equity, and accountability. Questions covered how programs would serve vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, whether new solicitations would be reopened for previously oversubscribed grants, how outcomes are tracked, and how to structure guidance for new programs such as farm equipment sharing. The chair emphasized that the Legislature wants clearer direction on program design and noted that AB 2313 should guide implementation of the regional farm equipment sharing allocation. The committee also discussed the administration’s request to directly appropriate bond funds to departments and to exempt bond program guidelines from the Administrative Procedures Act; LAO supported the APA exemption with possible legislative guardrails for public notice and comment. The committee then heard on the farm-to-school proposal, with CDFA requesting $24.9 million General Fund for incubator grants, technical assistance, and network support. CDFA said the program has reached nearly half of California schoolchildren and has shown strong demand and positive evaluation results. LAO supported the core program but recommended rejecting the $3 million technical assistance component as too broad and suggested the Legislature consider using Proposition 98 for some of the funding. Members debated that point, with some expressing concern about using General Fund dollars for a new discretionary request during a tight budget year. The biodiversity and nature-based solutions chapter included funding for the Wildlife Conservation Board, state conservancies, and tribal nature-based solutions. WCB described major recent investments and proposed projects tied to 30 by 30, habitat restoration, tribal partnerships, and public access. Members raised concerns about long-term stewardship, the size of the WCB allocation, and whether the Legislature should receive more detail on how funds will be distributed. The committee also heard requests for Bolsa Chica wetlands maintenance and Rincon Island decommissioning funding from the State Lands Commission, with members questioning long-term liability, remediation costs, and the role of private oil operators. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended with public comment from stakeholders largely supporting the APA exemption, farm-to-school funding, biodiversity investments, and related conservation programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• SMALL INSTITUTIONS YOU HEARD JUST NEED MORE RESOURCES TO PRODUCE SOMETIMES THE SAME THING AS A LARGER
• AND THE ONE THING I WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT IS DIFFERENT IS THE SMALL COLLEGE FACTOR.
• THEY ARE SMALL AND THEN THERE IS REALLY SMALL AND THEN THERE IS REALLY REALLY REALLY SMALL.
• THE SMALL SIZE IS TAKEN CARE OF IN THE INDEX TO MAKE SURE WE'VE ALWAYS HAD SMALLER COLLEGES.
• ON THE COST THEY HAD TO PRODUCE.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They created a rapid response mini grant program to help support small processors, help small meat lockers
• I hope this proposal earns your support. help support small processors, help help support small processors
• 07:53.199> personal small meat lockers purchase personal small meat lockers purchase personal
• specialty crop and livestock producers specialty crop and livestock producers be<00:08:09.520>
• , committed to producing nutritious, committed to producing nutritious, sustainably<01:26:30.719>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Central Valley produces over 70% of the grapes that are used in California's wines.
• In my district, growers and small wineries are facing serious challenges.
• But if this were to be enacted, producers will lose the ability to use small amounts of other varieties
• But if this were to be enacted, producer will lose the ability to use small amounts of other varieties
• Some small and mid-sized contractors, retention can be a significant barrier.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So yes, an annual report is produced based on this.
• Well-producing or low-producing, they were all under scrutiny.
• Well-producing or low-producing, they were all under scrutiny.
• biennium, to produce total funding... for UND in the current biennium to produce total funding based
• Can we get the same comparison for the small nine?

Summary: The Higher Ed Funding Committee met to review how North Dakota might identify and address low-producing academic programs and to discuss draft funding formulas for the university system. Lisa Johnson of the NDUS explained that the State Board of Higher Education is already developing a system-wide policy, using models from other states such as Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, and Connecticut. She described how low-producing programs are typically flagged by multi-year enrollment or completion thresholds, then reviewed for workforce demand, mission fit, cost, accreditation, and regional need before any action is taken. Committee members asked about what counts as a program, how costs are analyzed, whether certificates are included, how exemptions work for mission-critical or high-demand fields, and whether the board or legislature should set the rules. Johnson said the board is the appropriate body to lead the process, but legislators could use funding leverage if they wanted to encourage action; the chair asked the board to bring a detailed proposal to the June meeting. The committee then heard a Legislative Council presentation on a draft formula for UND and NDSU. The proposal uses fall census FTE enrollment, with a placeholder undergraduate rate of $7,000 per FTE and a graduate/professional rate of $10,500, plus incentives for completions in in-demand fields and research productivity. Alex from Legislative Council walked through the projected funding effects, noting that the model would increase funding for NDSU and reduce it for UND in the current biennium, with different results in the next biennium as enrollment changes are recognized. Members questioned the use of the placeholder rates, the definition of in-demand programs, the treatment of research funding, and the exclusion of state-appropriated dollars from the external grants calculation. The chair emphasized that the numbers were illustrative and that appropriators would set the actual dollar amounts later. A second draft formula for the other nine institutions was also reviewed. That model uses fall census FTE without a weighted economic factor, applies a higher undergraduate rate, and adds completion incentives for in-demand credentials and all other completions. Members noted that the formula would benefit some institutions, such as Bismarck State College, while reducing funding for others, such as Mayville State, and discussed whether the nine institutions should be treated more uniformly or split into smaller groups because of their different missions and sizes. Committee members and staff repeatedly stressed that the formulas are still being refined and that some institutions would likely need hold-harmless adjustments or other transition measures. The meeting ended with the chair directing the committee to continue the discussion later and to expect further work on both the low-producing program policy and the funding formulas.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so the idea was to shift that money back onto those producers to come up with that.
• <00:10:42.480> uh<00:10:42.560> to money back onto those producers uh to money back
• the electricity that is still produced the electricity that is still produced by<00:12:05.120>
• green while meeting that base producing green while meeting that base load<00:12:36.399> demand.
• person in my district who was a small person in my district who was a small grain<00:13:40.000><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• New England's small states are small. Contractors work in Massachusetts.
• New England's small states are small. Contractors work in Massachusetts.
• New England's small states are small. Contractors work in Massachusetts.
• And that includes landowners large and small, small woodlots, small tree farms to large institutional
• :17.359> they're<04:24:17.600> producing producing more uh Rex, they're producing producing

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The intention, I believe, all along, was to protect Florida produce.
• I do want to say that produce grown in our state is some of the safest in the world.
• And I want to just raise awareness on that: farmers care very deeply about what we produce.
• The DEP is all over this, especially for small businesses.
• Small businesses like ours routinely pump out these tanks and properly treat the waste.

Bills: S0050, S0054, S0176, S0178, S0198, S0290, S0420, S0502, S0538, S0706, S0834, S0936, S0962, S1004, S1080, S7022

Keywords: veterans, treatment court, nonviolent felony, probation, mental health, cognitive function, psychotropic drugs, violent offenders, autopsy procedures, medical records, school safety, campus safety, higher education, university safety, college safety, student safety, threat assessment, violence prevention, credible threat, campus security

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills, beginning with CS for CS for SB 54, which requires district medical examiners to perform toxicology screenings for psychotropic drugs and intoxicating substances in autopsies of violent offenders and report findings to state agencies. It was reported favorably after brief discussion about how the data would be used. CS for SB 176 also passed, requiring public postsecondary institutions to make campus safety reporting and response procedures clearer and more accessible for students, faculty, and staff who receive threats. Both bills were approved without opposition in the meeting. The committee then took up the large Florida Farm Bill, CS for CS for CS for SB 290, which drew extensive testimony and multiple amendments. The bill includes changes to fair associations, a preemption on local restrictions affecting gas- and diesel-powered farm equipment, surplus of certain state-owned lands for agricultural use, a food animal veterinary loan repayment program, permanent authorization for Farmers Feeding Florida, expanded Florida Forest Service training, a ban on signal jamming devices, tougher CDL English-proficiency penalties, protections for food safety inspectors, biosolids provisions, and contractor payment enforcement. Amendments expanded veterinary loan eligibility to equine veterinarians, merged citrus research entities, made technical corrections, and revised contractor payment language; a late-filed amendment removed the bill’s disparagement clause after significant First Amendment concerns and public testimony. A separate amendment delayed biosolids compliance deadlines. The bill was reported favorably as amended. Also approved were CS for CS for SB 834, which repeals a restriction on health care sharing ministries partnering with licensed insurance agents, while adding a disclaimer requirement; SB 936, allowing temporary door locking devices at any height above the floor and directing the Building Commission to add standards to the code; and CS for SB 50, expanding veterans’ courts statewide. Later, CS for CS for SB 1004 advanced with a strike-all regulating dog and cat sales, requiring disclosure of medical records and financing terms, a three-day waiting period for financed purchases, and consumer protections against deceptive pet sales; an amendment removed an appropriation section. The committee also approved CS for CS for SB 178, which directs the FHSAA to adopt rules allowing coaches to provide limited good-faith support to student-athletes, and CS for CS for SB 198, regulating virtual currency kiosks with registration, warnings, transaction limits, receipts, and refund protections. Each of these bills was reported favorably by recorded vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Massachusetts farmers earn 96 cents for every $1 they spend on producing food.
• We can bring the good products we are producing to the market.
• We can bring the good products we are producing to the market.
• We can bring the good products we are producing to the market.
• We can bring the good products we are producing to the market.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture opened its first hearing by outlining procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony options, and the plan to hear 27 bills in docket order. The committee then took testimony on H.11/S.53, a resolve promoting equity in agriculture, with advocates from the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Southeastern Mass Agricultural Partnership, and urban farming organizations describing racial and economic disparities in farming, lack of data on BIPOC farmers, barriers to land and capital, and the need for a commission to collect information and recommend policy changes. Committee members asked questions about the importance of data collection and future policy development, and the bill was repeatedly urged to be reported favorably out of committee. Testimony also supported H.118, which would create a special commission to examine the strengths and sustainability of the Commonwealth’s emergency food network. The Amherst Survival Center described serving 1.6 million meals last year and explained that food pantries are now functioning as essential parts of the state’s food system while relying heavily on donations, volunteers, and unstable funding. Members discussed the need for a more holistic look at food security infrastructure. The committee then heard H.119/S.60 on climate change impacts on farms and fisheries, with regional planners and farm advocates describing flood damage, rising costs, canceled federal climate-smart funding, and the need for direct state support for adaptation, resilience, and infrastructure improvements. The committee also heard testimony on H.125/H.142/S.65, a healthy soils bill, from landscape professionals who said construction sites often leave poor or stripped soil and that the bill would require better post-construction soil standards to support healthier landscapes and reduce long-term maintenance and environmental problems. Finally, the committee took extensive testimony on H.127, which would prohibit aquaculture of octopus for human consumption. Supporters, including legislators, scientists, veterinarians, students, and animal welfare advocates, argued octopus are highly intelligent and sentient, cannot be farmed humanely, and that octopus aquaculture would create environmental harms such as waste runoff, pressure on wild fish stocks, and ecosystem disruption. No votes were taken during the hearing; the bills were heard and testimony was received.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we could stop all leaks today, it would produce 463,000 acre-feet.
• We manage produced water and handle roughly about a hundred billion gallons of produced water that is
• What's produced in the Permian Basin?
• of the Produced Water Consortium, of which we are proud participating dues-paying members.
• water, which means 400 plus million gallons of produced water.

Bills: HB3077, HJR2, HJR7, HJR7

Keywords: alcohol, taxation, reporting requirements, sales, distribution, death tax, inheritance tax, estate tax, property transfer, constitutional amendment, water fund, Texas water supply, state revenue, infrastructure, HJR 7, Texas Legislature, quorum, majority quorum, two-thirds quorum, legislative procedure

Transcript Highlights:

• And these are practices that producers my producer can do to help with water quality on the production
• We need to go to agricultural producers and say what's possible.
• Can the producers do them?
• It's relatively small area to our moment was abysmal there.
• We had it 402 new producers on top of the 95 we had.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They are acting on behalf of the producers.
• They are acting on behalf of the producers.
• The producers have to form one plan, and that is a process that's laid out in statute.
• definitions and setting up a producer definitions and setting up a producer responsibility<01:14
• <01:23:22.760> is ensure that every single um producer is ensure that every single um producer

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• their crops, especially new or small their crops, especially new or small producers<00:38:14.320
• provide a market for Colorado produce provide a market for Colorado produce varietals<00:38:23.119
• <00:43:31.839> and that our farmers um produce and that our farmers um produce and vegetables
• <01:03:13.040> and of available resources in small and of available resources in small and
• two small children, um things happen. two small children, um things happen.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So my producers today are getting $70.
• All other producers produce, you know, 19 million barrels a month, and that's equal to the number two
• producer.
• So small impact there.
• Auto loan interest, really small.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Budget Section Leadership Division met with a quorum and approved the March 18 minutes. The committee first heard an update from the Petroleum Council on oil and gas activity in North Dakota. Ron Ness said production is expected to remain relatively flat at just under 1.2 million barrels per day, with efficiency gains and longer laterals helping offset lower rig counts. He discussed oil and gas prices, gas taxation, flaring concerns, northward movement of drilling activity, and the importance of new infrastructure and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) pilots. Members asked about gas taxation, natural gas liquids, pipeline impacts, and the outlook for Continental and other operators. Ness said the industry is likely to remain steady rather than see a major ramp-up or decline. Matt Pearl of the State Tax Department then explained the federal “big beautiful bill” and its effect on North Dakota income tax collections. He said the law extends or makes permanent several federal provisions and creates temporary deductions for seniors, tips, overtime, and auto loan interest, with the biggest state impact coming from the standard deduction increase and business tax changes. He revised earlier estimates downward, saying the net cash impact on state collections is likely in the $30 million to $35 million range after accounting for business prepayments and one-time FY25 oilfield transaction effects. Committee members asked which provisions apply to standard versus itemized returns. OMB staff gave a detailed update on major capital projects and facility funding. Topics included Capitol grounds improvements such as 18th-floor renovations, wayfinding, seating, lighting, tree management, and restroom and lobby upgrades; security work at the governor’s residence, which has been delayed by the discovery of human remains; and space reconfiguration efforts in Bismarck-Mandan to reduce leases and create shared offices and conference rooms. They also reported on the State Facility Maintenance Fund, including roof, window, boiler, and kitchen projects at state facilities, and on the state hospital project in Jamestown, which remains on budget and on schedule for substantial completion in winter 2027 and opening in spring 2028. OMB also updated the committee on the Minot North Central State Office Building, the use of federal State Fiscal Recovery Funds, and the status of legislative intent and trust fund reports, including school aid turnback, the school construction loan program, the Foundation Aid Stabilization Fund, the Legacy Fund, and the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund. The committee ended by discussing future agenda items, including government efficiency, cash management, Bank of North Dakota lines of credit, and the rural health transformation program, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• wells, are going to produce less and less over time.
• to produce less and less over time.
• Calra and others: the energy it produces is clean, the waste is not.
• First, I took small jobs.
• And so it's safe for a well that produces about 15 barrels a day.

Summary: The committee heard a long series of bills, beginning with AB 2026 on groundwater recharge. The author and supporters said the bill would streamline permitting for recharge projects, codify long-standing CEQA exemptions for flood diversions to recharge, and add tribal consultation and other guardrails. Water agencies and local districts supported the measure as a way to capture high-flow water and reduce groundwater subsidence, while environmental groups and some irrigation districts opposed it, warning that the bill’s exemptions and broader diversion authority could harm rivers, Delta resources, and public trust values. The bill was discussed but not voted on because the committee lacked a quorum at that point. The committee then took up AB 1577 on data center energy accountability, which would require monthly reporting of energy-use data and permit-related estimates of energy and water demand. The author and the Little Hoover Commission argued the bill would improve transparency, help protect ratepayers, and give regulators better information for grid planning. Data center industry representatives opposed it as duplicative, burdensome, and uniquely targeted, while local governments, environmental groups, and some utilities supported it or supported it if amended. The bill was later reported out with a due pass recommendation once a quorum was established. Members also heard AB 2245 on a producer responsibility program for lubricant products and containers, AB 2170 on CEQA language-access and environmental review protections for overburdened communities, AB 2059 on rural transportation and VMT mitigation, AB 1808 on Western Joshua tree permitting and fee relief, AB 2182 on industrial energy efficiency program changes, and AB 2231 on streamlining two hospital projects. Testimony was mixed on most of these bills: supporters emphasized affordability, local control, environmental justice, or project urgency, while opponents raised concerns about CEQA scope, regulatory duplication, costs, and environmental impacts. Several measures received due pass recommendations and roll-call votes, including AB 2170, AB 2059, AB 1808, AB 2182, and AB 2231, with some members voting no or not voting and some bills left open for absent members.