Transcript Highlights:

• The Committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the message from Her Excellency the Governor making
• Public Safety and Homeland Security who voted this bill out of committee favorably after hearing some powerful
• We do, however, have the great power to curtail human nature when the need arises.
• We have the great power to curtail human nature when the need arises.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House began with routine ceremonial business, including the Pledge of Allegiance, adoption of several congratulatory resolutions, and suspension of Joint Rule 12 to send two petitions to committee. It then took up a supplemental fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill (H. 5393 / H. 5493), which Ways and Means reported at about $227.3 million for items including snow and ice costs, no-cost calls, substance use services, homeless programs, and technical changes related to lottery revenue and other outside sections. The bill was advanced through second and third reading and later passed to be engrossed after a roll call vote. The chamber also passed to engrossment a land transfer bill for the Town of Marion (H. 5388) and a Bolton alcohol licensing bill (S. 2628, as amended). The House also enacted two local bills: one further regulating special meetings of the Holyoke City Council and one amending the charter of the town of Reading. A major floor debate centered on S. 2726, an act regarding free expression, which was framed by supporters as a response to book challenges and censorship in public and school libraries. Supporters, including Representatives Garballey and Moran, argued the bill would protect librarians, require reporting of book challenges, preserve age-appropriate access to materials, and keep challenged books on shelves during review; opponents raised concerns about parental rights and local control. Several amendments were offered and rejected, including one that would have removed a criminal-law protection for librarians and educators, and another that would have shifted school review authority more directly to elected school committees. Two amendments were adopted: one clarifying that challenged material is considered in its entirety, and another narrowing who may initiate certain complaints to parents or guardians of a student in the school. The bill ultimately passed to be engrossed by a large roll call vote. The House also debated and passed H. 5491 / S. 1646, implementing recommendations of the Walsh Kennedy Commission on hot work safety after the 2014 Beacon Street fire. Supporters said the bill would require certification for hot work, strengthen penalties for repeated or reckless violations, and improve public notification and enforcement to prevent future tragedies; the bill passed to be engrossed unanimously or near-unanimously after roll call. In addition, the chamber advanced a local land transfer for the Yankee Doodle Bike Path in Billerica and a bill concerning ownership and maintenance of culverts and dams in Town Line Brook and Lindenbrook. The session included several recesses, quorum checks, and recognition of guests, including Danvers High School graduates, a former state representative, and WGBH representatives for Public Media Awareness Day.

Transcript Highlights:

• changes that were made to the interstate physician licensure compact recently signed into law by the governor
• who's been doing a lot of work on this, feels like it will work, but we will have to check with the powers
• who's been doing a lot of work on this, feels like it will work, but we will have to check with the powers
• the powers that be. Do you have anything to add?

Bills: HB10 , HB12 , HB34 , SB130 , SM21

Committee: Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs

Keywords: physician assistants, interstate compact, medical services, licensure, cross-state practice, military families, regulatory authority, physical therapy, licensure compact, interstate practice, healthcare, military spouses, criminal background check, HB34, school nurse, school nurses, nurse licensure, charter school, charter schools, school district

Transcript Highlights:

• Governor signs. You all know we have to go to a vote that following November.
• just how much goes into changing that sentiment and changing how we view New Mexico is very, very powerful
• just how passionate you are and how much you bring to representing your communities is is really powerful
• Their voices are very powerful and important.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1202 amends the Local Government Code to provide for third-party review of home backup power
• And they can run it, control the cost that way, and they have that power 100% to take care of their community
• It is to clarify how that transaction can happen and put some regulation, to repeal it and put the power
• House Bill 783 was passed and signed by Governor Abbott in 2023, which was a bill that we did not spearhead

Bills: HB447 , HB897 , HB993 , HB2673 , HB3671 , HB3680 , HB3897 , HB4506 , HB4753 , HB4812 , HB4894 , HB5148 , HB5437 , HB5650 , HB5652 , HB5654 , HB5656 , HB5661 , HB5665

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: traffic impact studies, municipal utility district, bonds, road projects, eminent domain, HB 897, Texas land sale, state property, Austin real estate, Travis County, General Land Office, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission, state records facility, archives building, library funding, capital improvements, lease of state land, public land disposition

Summary: The committee heard testimony and took action on several land use, housing, municipal utility district, and cemetery-related bills. House Bill 447, dealing with transportation impact analysis requirements tied to MUD bond issuance, drew opposition from a witness who argued it would duplicate work, strain agency resources, and delay development; after the sponsor’s closing remarks, the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 1202, on third-party review of home backup power installations, was substituted and reported favorably to the full House by a unanimous roll call. House Bill 2494, on disannexation for failure to provide municipal services, and House Bill 1835, removing barriers to HUD-code manufactured homes, were also substituted and reported favorably; HB 1835 passed on a 5-1 vote. Senate Bill 15, limiting lot size and density requirements in certain large municipalities, was substituted and reported favorably unanimously. The committee also heard House Bill 897, which would authorize the sale or long-term lease of two state-owned Austin properties used by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and HHSC. The sponsor said the properties are in poor condition and that proceeds would benefit the state; after questions, the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending. Several template MUD bills were then laid out, including HB 5652, HB 5654, HB 5661, and HB 5656, each creating or authorizing municipal utility districts in Montgomery or Fort Bend counties for water, wastewater, drainage, road, and recreational improvements. These bills drew limited testimony in support and were left pending without objection. A major portion of the meeting focused on House Bill 2673, which would repeal last session’s change allowing new cemeteries within certain distances of municipalities and restore the prior rule limiting cemetery placement near growing urban areas. The sponsor and supporters argued the 2023 change created unintended consequences, removed valuable taxable land from future use, and complicated city planning; opponents, including a funeral service industry representative, argued the current law gives communities local control and helps address cemetery land shortages. After extensive testimony, the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4753, a bill allowing a property owner to use a municipal record showing a certificate of occupancy was issued when the original document is lost; it was left pending. Finally, HB 3680, a Cameron County-specific bill modifying subdivision/model rule procedures to reduce replatting burdens while preserving colonia protections, and HB 4812, clarifying that condominiums follow Chapter 82 of the Property Code rather than full subdivision platting, both received supportive testimony and were left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• personal property exemption, which will go before the voters, should it be passed and signed by the governor
• tourism promotion agencies throughout the state, and I applaud this bill and the initiative to give the power
• And I applaud this bill and the initiative to give the power back to voters over the taxes that they
• consider a bill that proposes a tax holiday on firearms and ammunition, I urge us to ask a simple but powerful

Committee: Senate Finance and Tax

Summary: The Finance and Tax Committee met and first heard SB 674, which would allow county property appraisers, like tax collectors already can, to budget for and pay hiring or retention bonuses if approved in their Department of Revenue budget. Support came from property appraiser representatives, who said the bill would help them compete for specialized staff without requiring new funding. The bill was reported favorably. The committee then considered SJR 318, a proposed constitutional amendment on tangible personal property used on agricultural land, along with an amendment clarifying the exemption’s scope and allowing the Legislature to set conditions by general law. Farm Bureau and the Florida Chamber supported the measure, and the committee adopted the amendment and reported the joint resolution favorably. Members also took up CS for SB 1664, which would require voter reapproval of local discretionary taxes when they expire; an amendment changed the bill to require expiration dates and tied reapproval to tax expiration rather than a fixed eight-year cycle. Local government and tourism groups raised concerns about impacts on tourist development taxes, transportation surtaxes, beaches funding, and long-term financing, while supporters argued voters should periodically affirm local taxes. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably. Next, the committee considered SJR 1510 and its implementing bill SB 1512, both dealing with a homestead-style property tax benefit for certain long-term leased residential properties. After multiple amendments narrowed the proposal substantially, limiting it to one qualifying property and then to single-family homes, mobile homes, and condominium units, counties and cities still opposed the measures as a tax shift to other taxpayers. The sponsor said the changes reduced the scope and fiscal impact, and both measures were reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard SPB 7034, the Senate tax package, which includes permanent sales tax exemptions, multiple tax holidays, motor vehicle fee reductions, a property tax study, rural investment tax credits, a freeze on local communications services tax rates, and other tax changes, with an estimated $2.1 billion revenue reduction. Testimony was mixed: property appraisers supported the property tax study, while many public commenters opposed the firearm and ammunition tax holiday and urged inclusion of gun safes and locks instead. County, city, tourism, and lodging representatives raised concerns about tourist development tax limits and other local revenue impacts, while supporters emphasized tax relief and the study’s value. After debate, the committee adopted a motion to submit SPB 7034 as a committee bill and reported it favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• I need access to the powers like search warrants. and grand jury subpoenas.
• Nobody but the legislature can give us those powers, so you can't just go and investigate the operations
• I used to run the big IG office for Governor Perry for years here.
• If you have this power, does it include that, where you would submit it to the entire city council and

Bills: HB158 , HB714 , HB 1198 , HB1630 , HB1998 , HB3509 , HB3788 , HB3875 , HB3948 , HB3977 , HB4097 , HB4313 , HB4314 , HB4317 , HB158

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: housing, veterans, surplus government property, affordable housing, funding sources, housing assistance, homeless prevention, landlord incentives, rural housing, domestic violence, community development, tenant readiness, program participants, financial assistance, homelessness, rental support, Texas Tenant Readiness Program, tenant assistance, housing stability, Texas Department of Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• $11.5 billion worth of projects, and we still have $1.85. billion left as a part of the corpus, the power
• We need as much people power as we can get. get, but with disparities in salary it can't be done. and
• International Boundary Commission has a Mexico and a United States commissioner who have tremendous powers
• members are locally elected by their peers and two board members are appointed. appointed by the governor

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Unfortunately, we have a president who claims powers to himself, outside of the law. the constitutional
• experienced significant cost increases that have a significant impact on our economy, including the buying power
• I'm biased because I was a former governor and I believe that we ought to allow states and Mr.
• They're buying miles of power lines, they're buying miles of ductile iron pipe, fittings, you heard the

Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Keywords: Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, IIJA, bipartisan infrastructure, funding flexibility, NEPA, environmental reviews, bureaucratic delays, federal funding, infrastructure investment

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, discussing the ongoing implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Chairman Capito highlighted the bipartisan nature of the legislation and the necessity of refining existing provisions to ensure effective delivery of transportation projects. Notable emphasis was placed on the need for flexibility in funding to address inflation impacts and delays caused by bureaucratic hurdles, especially relating to environmental reviews under NEPA. Witnesses from state transportation agencies provided valuable insights into real-world challenges faced in project execution, ultimately underscoring the importance of continuous federal support for infrastructure development. The discussion also touched on the broader implications of federal funding freezes by the previous administration, which have reportedly hindered several ongoing and planned projects. This issue raised significant concern among committee members, who urged the need for reliable funding and the removal of unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles that could cause delays in project implementation. The meeting concluded with a commitment from the members to work collaboratively to overcome these challenges and ensure a smooth path forward for critical infrastructure investments.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Attorney General, the Speaker, and the Senate President, plus three members appointed by the Governor
• auditor to audit the legislature raised serious constitutional questions involving the separation of powers
• You know, you come into this, you debate it, the governor files the budget in January, and there's always

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Messages from the Governor, there are none. Messages from the Senate, there are none.
• Today, I would like to ask you to please join me in welcoming Western Governors University representatives
• It's hard for me to understand how a body could be so dismissive of something so powerful and so evident

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lieutenant Governor Wasinger is on our commission staff, and then we have two state representatives.
• Representative Seitz serve on the commission with us as well, as well as some appointees from the governor
• Overall economic impact of greater than $21 billion, powered by more than $18 billion of direct tourism-related

Committee: House Special Committee on Tourism

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The House will now advance to the fourth order of business: consideration of messages from the governor
• The House is now at the fourth order of business: consideration of messages from the governor and the
• This bill takes a giant high-power shovel to dig the hole. We don't even know how deep.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• definitions for those types of officers are the same as they appear in the Mutual Aid Peace Officers Powers
• Now, fortunately, the governor just reached out about 10 days ago and said that the pardons board is
• So now these clients of mine have to actually go for a pardon from the governor to get a DUI in order

Bills: HB1228 , HB1982 , HB2156 , HB2165 , HB2173 , HB2203 , HB2220 , HB2362 , HB2403 , HB2464

Committee: House Community Safety

Keywords: DUI, driving under the influence, impaired driving, toxicology, forensic toxicology, breath test, blood test, THC, marijuana, cannabis, alcohol concentration, state toxicologist, implied consent, evidence admissibility, venous blood draw, forensic phlebotomist, certified laboratory, accredited laboratory, law enforcement, DWI

Transcript Highlights:

• GREAT WORK THEY HAVE BEEN DOING ALONG THE WAY WITH THE RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR
• A LOT OF SITE LOGISTICS ARE ONGOING NOW WITH POWER UTILITY LIVE STATION UPGRADES AND SO FORTH.
• THE PAY RAISES WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS BY THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE

Transcript Highlights:

• This legislation also helps facilitate one of Governor Abbott's major goals to grow the Texas economy
• This legislation also helps facilitate one of Governor Abbott's major goals to grow the Texas economy
• sure I've got it right that we're trying to create an industrial development district, but it has powers

Bills: HB1532 , HB2731 , HB3483 , HB4308 , HB4580 , HB4582 , HB5509 , HB5663

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: Lake Houston, dredging, maintenance district, flood control, environment, public works, HB 2731, roadside vendors, solicitors, county regulation, border counties, Mexico border, Transportation Code, unincorporated areas, right-of-way, public highway, parking lot, livestock sales, live animals, vendor regulation

Summary: The committee heard and discussed several local-government-related bills, mostly with committee substitutes. House Bill 2731 would let certain border counties regulate roadside vendors selling live animals in unincorporated areas and along public rights-of-way; the substitute narrowed the bill to live animal sales only and excluded livestock and other roadside commerce. House Bill 3483 would streamline TCEQ review of special utility district revenue bonds by removing tax-bond requirements that do not apply to SUDs. House Bill 4308 would create a county industrial development district framework, limited in the substitute to certain counties including Fort Bend County, to help finance industrial sites and related infrastructure. House Bill 5663 would create a Wood County Hospital District memory-care-focused district with no taxing power, intended to help pursue grants and other funding for a new facility. House Bill 4582 addressed attainable housing in Dallas and Tarrant counties, allowing local reimbursement tools for developers under a uniform, optional framework. House Bill 5509 would let municipalities suspend or revoke a hotel’s certificate of occupancy if law enforcement and a criminal court both find probable cause of human trafficking, with the substitute adding due-process protections. House Bill 1532 created a Lake Houston dredging and maintenance district funded by revenue from dredged material sales and revenue bonds, with no taxing authority or eminent domain. House Bill 23, heard as pending business, would revise the process for local governments to rescind development documents and adjust third-party reviewer liability and eligibility rules. House Bill 4580, concerning property tax exemptions for charitable organizations such as the Houston Rodeo, was amended to remove language about exempting revenue from property use and instead focus on land used for agricultural, youth, and educational support. Public testimony was generally supportive on the bills heard, with witnesses including county officials, utility and water association representatives, hotel industry representatives, and housing developers. Several speakers emphasized the need for faster financing or permitting tools, flood mitigation, housing affordability, anti-trafficking enforcement, or local economic development. Some members raised concerns about scope, precedent, consultation with affected senators, and due process, particularly on House Bill 4582 and House Bill 5509, but the committee largely accepted the committee substitutes as improvements. No public testimony was offered on several bills, and most measures were left pending before later being voted out. The committee took recorded votes on multiple pending bills and reported them favorably, often with committee substitutes adopted in lieu of the filed versions. House Bills 1532, 2731, 3483, 5509, 5663, and 4580 were reported out, with 1532 and 5663 passing unanimously and 3483, 2731, and 5509 also receiving favorable votes despite one present-not-voting on 3483. House Bill 23 and House Bill 4582 were left pending subject to call of the chair. The committee then recessed until adjournment or later.

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor of Texas can ban fireworks, and so can the county judge.
• in Texas, then the judge himself can ban fireworks for 3 days until the judge, I mean, until the governor
• ones who feel the calls about the mess and the noise and everything else, and they've really got no power

Committee: House S/C on County & Regional Government

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires preservation<00:49:02.559><c> of</c><00:49:02.880><c> purchasing</c><00:49:03.520><c> power
• of purchasing power and it um<00:49:06.160><c> requires</c><00:49:06.720><c> a</c><00:49:07.119><c>
• So that's really important to know: those distributions must preserve purchasing power over time, and
• </c><01:49:34.000><c> of</c><01:49:34.159><c> the</c> preserving the purchase power of the preserving
• the purchase power of the funds<01:49:34.719><c> over</c><01:49:34.960><c> time.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we worked on it because I do believe in the power of the community and the power of community policing
• </c> I do believe in the power I do believe in the power of<00:45:03.520><c> the</c><00:45:03.760><c>
• ><c> of</c> of the community and the power of of the community and the power of community<00:45:06.640
• This is a separation of powers call.
• This is a separation of powers call.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Louis region created a powerful legacy of service.
• I remember a governor that was killed in an airplane crash that told me, he says, we're not going to
• They got a women Democratic governor. They got a women Democratic governor.
• As the governor said, it begins to shift away from taxing people from what they earn toward consumer
• Folks, as much as the bill sponsors and the governor and everyone in the majority party who is going

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Louis region created a powerful legacy of service.
• I remember a governor that was killed in an airplane crash that told me, he says, we're not going to
• They got a woman Democratic governor.
• As the governor said, it begins to shift away from taxing people from what they earn toward consumer
• Folks, as much as the bill sponsors and the governor and everyone in the majority party who is going

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior day’s journal by a 118-1 vote, and a series of special guest introductions, including family members, student groups, a basketball team, University of Missouri undergraduate researchers, and other visitors. The chamber also received Senate messages and committee reports, including recommendations that several House bills and joint resolutions “do pass.” The main floor debate centered on Senate Substitute No. 3 for Senate Bill 888, a broad juvenile justice and sentencing measure that combined juvenile reform with sentencing transparency and other criminal justice provisions. Supporters said it would improve public safety, clarify sentencing, address serious offenses, and add collaboration between prosecutors and juvenile systems. Opponents argued it was an oversized omnibus bill rushed through the process, warned it would increase prison time, expand adult-court involvement in juvenile matters, and could harm children and rehabilitation efforts. Members also debated the fiscal note, with supporters saying the large prison-cost estimate was speculative and opponents calling it evidence of a major new prison expense. After extended debate, the House invoked the previous question and SB 888 was finally passed 97-53. The House then took up House Committee Substitute for House Joint Resolutions 173 and 174, a proposal to change Missouri’s tax structure by reducing and potentially eliminating the state income tax and broadening the sales tax base to transactions involving goods and services. Supporters framed it as a modernization effort that would promote growth, increase take-home pay, and send the question to voters. Opponents said it would be the largest sales tax hike in state history, shift the burden onto working families and seniors, and create a large budget hole. After debate, the previous question was adopted 101-49, and the joint resolutions were third read and passed 98-54. The House then moved on to third-reading business, including House Bill 269 on autonomous vehicles, which was introduced as a transportation and economic development measure and then questioned on liability and taxation issues.