Transcript Highlights:

• I spent many days as a page in those chambers observing how government is supposed to function, learning
• ... supposed to function, learning compromise from many senators, including the late Senator Bill.
• is why we feel like we own the deer, and this is... feel like we own the deer, and this is why we need
• Need I remind any of you—some of this you've heard already—of the risk of chronic wasting disease?
• . deer breeders do and how they function and how they work.

Bills: HB509

Keywords: HB509, game breeder, game breeder license, cervid, deer breeder, whitetail deer, elk, fallow deer, deer farm, captive deer, cervidae, wildlife disease, disease testing, antemortem testing, state veterinarian, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, property rights, private property, animal transfer, breeding stock

Transcript Highlights:

• We might need it. Oh, wait. I'm sorry. What's the procedural hiccup here?
• I think we might need a second to my motion. Oh, okay. All right.
• Copies than possibly that they needed.
• But it's not the Statute Law Committee that performs the functions.
• That is purely a function of the House whips. Whip, okay. One more.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there functions that are being removed from agencies with this change?
• Some of the reports I don't know if I'm answering correctly or not, but some functions would be reduced
• the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, was due in December of 2024, so that There would not be a function
• So, who's checked to see if these are things that are still needed? Thank you.
• But we do understand that there may be instances in which that needs to happen.

Bills: HB3057, HB3279, HB4428, HB3420

Keywords: government reporting, information technology, child welfare, environmental policy, state agency compliance, employment restrictions, state officers, prohibited acts, government contracts, public service, public finance, pension, pension fund, retirement system, board of trustees, proxy voting, proxy proposal, shareholder vote, shareholder activism, fiduciary duty

Transcript Highlights:

• we we we Recovery House beds are needed we we we need<00:13:19.639> to<00:13:20.440> help<
• really going to need.
• , very high-functioning.”
• > rep functioning very high functioning rep functioning very high functioning rep Dolan<00:21:20.919
• Let me say that this is needed.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is supposed to function and it must end. is supposed to function and it must end.
• captured and anemic in its functioning. captured and anemic in its functioning.
• We need more people at the polls, and we don't need any further restriction in the state of Alabama.
• We need more people at the polls, and we don't need any further restriction in the state of Alabama.
• We need more people at the polls, and we don't need any further restriction in the state of Alabama.

Bills: HB541

Keywords: PFAS, drinking water, public health, environmental management, liability, 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I anticipate to the agency functions.
• Gambling Enforcement uh will likely need Gambling Enforcement uh will likely need to<00:21:24.080
• <00:31:59.679> in We commit to the ongoing work needed in We commit to the ongoing work needed
• reliable mandated functions require reliable mandated functions require reliable investment<00:36
• So, um we short of what uh is needed.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So even without this litigation, the Bureau is in need of a fee increase and has been in need of a fee
• Should we need to be able to...
• So this helps accommodate that growing need.
• They take longer than needs to.
• And I do think that's a really needed section.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5 on State Administration held a May Revise hearing focused on state administration proposals, with the chair noting no actions would be taken and all items would remain open. The committee heard presentations on a range of budget proposals, including technical adjustments for the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement and the California Workforce Development Board, security and election-related funding for the Secretary of State, modernization and loan-backfill requests for the Department of Consumer Affairs, and multiple Employment Development Department updates covering EDD Next, UI and DI/PFL benefit estimates, workforce funding, and an EMT training reappropriation. Several items drew discussion from the LAO and committee members. The LAO generally supported technical or modernization items such as PERB’s implementation requests, GoServe’s College Corps adjustment, the Secretary of State’s security and HAVA grant items, and the Board of Pharmacy modernization proposal, but raised concerns about the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education’s proposed $10 million General Fund backfill and interest-free loan language. For EDD, the LAO flagged the size of the DI/PFL benefit adjustment and the unusual structure of the document management system proposal within EDD Next, while EDD said the changes reflected higher participation and benefit levels after SB 951 and ongoing modernization needs. The Department of Industrial Relations drew the most extensive questioning. It proposed funding for legal unit reclassifications, EAMS and Cal/OSHA data modernization, a new Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, a COYA reappropriation, and trailer bill changes requiring electronic payment of employer assessments and adjusting the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board timeline. Members pressed DIR on high vacancy rates, long wage theft and workers’ compensation backlogs, low collection rates for fines, and the need for clearer workload and outcome measures. DIR said the requests were intended to improve efficiency, support audits and corrective action plans, and better address emerging workplace risks, while the LAO said the workload drivers behind delays remain unclear. The hearing also included support for CalHR’s employee assistance program consolidation and CDT’s proposal to expand “Poppy,” a statewide generative AI assistant for state employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• when it comes to workforce needs in Kentucky, and we're really proud of that.
• when it comes to workforce needs in Kentucky, and we're really proud of that.
• when it comes to special function when it comes to Workforce<00:03:31.439> needs<00:03:31.720
• , are they current, do we need to dispose of them, do we need to look at some maybe creative, innovative
• <00:08:38.919> to need are they current do we need to need are they current do we need to

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met for its first meeting and heard an update from KCTCS President Dr. Ryan Corral. He opened with a brief report on flood impacts across the state, noting damage at Big Sandy and Hazard, support for displaced faculty and staff, emergency student aid, and the use of campuses as shelters and Red Cross sites. He then outlined KCTCS’s role as the state’s largest postsecondary system, serving about 107,000 students across 16 colleges and 70 campuses, with strong enrollment growth, major dual credit and GED operations, and a large workforce-training mission. Corral emphasized student support needs such as food, housing, and mental health services, and said KCTCS wants to expand work with incarcerated populations and recovery communities. Corral also described system changes focused on compliance, stability, leadership development, property disposal, and curriculum review. He said KCTCS has addressed prior audit findings, is conducting additional audits, has sold or is selling several buildings, and has removed 400 underutilized credentials to better align programs with employer needs. He highlighted transfer agreements with the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University, and said KCTCS is working to align training with employers and local governments. He also discussed the system’s response to House Bill 6 and the $90 million appropriated for an efficient operations and innovation plan, including three proposed capital projects: a Somerset Community College facility for diesel, automotive, welding, HVAC, CAD, and 3D printing; replacement of an outdated Louisville building; and a South Central/Glasgow allied health facility to expand nursing and related programs. In response to questions, Corral said the Blue Oval SK training building in Glendale is open and operational, though workforce demand there has been slower than initially expected, and that KCTCS is working with the company and state officials to cover operating costs. Members praised KCTCS’s workforce role and flexibility in meeting employer needs statewide. Representative Moll also commented on the system’s progress and importance to Kentucky’s workforce development. No votes were taken, and the meeting ended with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a huge need for him.
• There is a huge need for him.
• There is a huge need for him.
• <01:03:29.720> include communities our core functions include communities our core functions
• <01:16:14.280> technical<01:16:14.880> assistance functions technical assistance functions

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate File 59, authored by Senator Green, which would require counties to locate and restore original public land survey monuments and related boundary markers. Green argued that newer GIS/GPS-based surveys have sometimes shifted long-established property lines, creating disputes for landowners, counties, and state agencies. He described examples involving his own property and constituents, including a case where a neighbor allegedly lost access to a well and septic system after a new survey and another where a landowner was told he was farming school trust land based on a newer plat reference. Testimony in support came from Allan Roger Olen, who said a newer survey changed his family’s property lines and created a dispute over land, a building permit, and ownership of well and septic systems. Senator Green also said county plat books are not legally binding and that the bill is intended to force counties to find original monuments before more disputes arise. Committee members raised concerns from the Association of Minnesota Counties about the bill’s timeline, funding, and requirement that counties employ a land surveyor. Green responded that counties had already been told to hire surveyors in some disputes, acknowledged the funding concerns, and said he would look for funding sources while emphasizing protection of property rights. A committee member who teaches surveying explained that adverse possession is a real legal doctrine in Minnesota and noted that restoring all monuments would cost far more than the $10 million already appropriated, estimating the total need at about $300 million. Phil Reigns of the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors testified that the Public Land Survey System underlies Minnesota’s land tenure system, that the original monuments were set mostly between 1850 and 1908, and that surveyors aim to restore them as accurately as possible using historical records and modern tools. He said the work is expensive because many counties lack staff surveyors and must hire consultants. Members discussed whether the bill would create boundary conflicts or authorize counties to alter lines, and Green said his intent was to restore original monuments and avoid litigation. Co-Chair Lang moved that Senate File 59, as amended, be recommended to pass and re-referred to the Committee on Judiciary. The motion prevailed on a voice vote. Afterward, the committee began receiving an overview from the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:01.479> extra those operations that need extra those operations that need extra attention
• Why can we speak a little bit more to why that change is needed?
• And when I say that, we would need training. We need proper training. We're not nurses.
• And when I say that, we would need training. We need proper training. We're not nurses.
• And, like, you know, you need a waiver, so... ...and children with really high needs in my home all the

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Kentucky needs an the goal was simple.
• Do we have the power we need to grow? Do we have the power we need to grow?
• We need an agency that tells us the We need an agency that tells us the truth<00:06:46.400> about<
• Please, sirs and madams, our people need this.
• You know, you that need to be renovated.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 02:25 SB 100 Discussion 02:59 SB 100 Roll Call Vote 31:10 SJR 134 Discussion 32:41 SJR 134 Roll Call Vote 33:43 SB 222 Discussion 34:43 SB 222 Roll Call Vote 39:55, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, uh we both agreed on the need Finally, uh we both agreed on the need for<00:13:03.279><
• <00:38:33.760> to and uh particulars that are needed to and uh particulars that are needed
• They've brought it down to functional zero.
• Uh we still need to to functional zero.
• So step one, I guess, you need a 990.

Bills: HF2446, HF2563, HF2444

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant

Transcript Highlights:

• You just need to speak the ceiling.
• gaps that need to be filled?
• We do need to wrap up.
• We do need to wrap up.
• We do need to wrap up.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• when they need it.
• when they need it.
• care they need.
• “Yes, and oftentimes there needs to be a peer-to-peer, so the attending physician needs to talk to somebody
• when they need them and when their doctors think they need them.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on a large group of behavioral health and insurance-related bills. Topics included expanding access to mental health services by allowing physician assistants to authorize Section 12 emergency holds and be recognized as licensed mental health professionals (H. 1131/S. 773); improving coverage for community behavioral health centers so commercial insurance matches MassHealth’s bundled outpatient and crisis services (H. 1276/S. 703); eliminating cost sharing for certain behavioral health services (S. 718); extending detox and clinical stabilization coverage from 14 to 30 days and adding transitional support services (H. 1319/S. 772); requiring coverage for dual-diagnosis treatment in psychiatric facilities (H. 1277/S. 771); and preserving access to treatment for serious mental illness through coverage of coordinated specialty care and assertive community treatment (H. 1135/S. 709). The committee also heard bills on preventive behavioral health services for children (H. 1228/S. 802) and post-pregnancy mental health care, including postpartum depression and pregnancy loss-related care (H. 1314/S. 823).

Transcript Highlights:

• across<00:05:59.919> the transportation needs, uh, across the transportation needs, uh
• Animals need to go to market.
• Animals need to go to market.
• And so county and they need help.
• need to know. know. know.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met to adopt the minutes of the second meeting by voice vote, then heard an update focused on disaster preparedness, resiliency, response, and coordination among state agencies and partners. The chair emphasized avoiding duplication of resources and highlighted the importance of agriculture-related response issues, including animal evacuation, feed distribution, and the role of extension services during disasters. The Department for Public Health was invited to explain its role in emergency planning and response. Public Health described its Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch as the lead coordinating agency for Emergency Support Function 8, covering health and medical services under Kentucky’s emergency operations framework. Testimony outlined its broad responsibilities, including support for hospitals, morgues, local health departments, behavioral health, crisis counseling, suspicious package testing, disease outbreaks, and coordination with emergency management, EMS, transportation, and nonprofit and private partners. Officials also described the agency’s risk-assessment process, training and exercise programs, and deployed assets such as PPE caches, deployable communications, a federal medical station, a mobile treatment center, and alternate care support used in events like the eastern Kentucky floods and COVID-19. The agency also discussed funding through federal cooperative agreements for public health emergency preparedness and hospital preparedness, noting that these programs have evolved since 9/11 and have been shaped by major disasters and emerging threats. Officials said Kentucky’s funding has declined over time and that current awards are partially funded for the first time in the program’s history. They expressed support for efficiency if federal programs are consolidated, but cautioned that combining programs could risk further funding losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need this infrastructure.
• We really need this bill. Thank you. Good morning, Madam Chair.
• I understand the needs of local communities.
• So ideally a functioning market doesn't require a subsidy, right?
• The Legislature needs to do better with that to protect our kids.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So Bay Lake, for a Of their functions from one another.
• I think we would need to do a little more looking for that.
• to have some, largely, they need to have some sort of nexus.
• We will do everything in our power to meet your needs as they're expressed to us.
• We have a team of folks that we're trying to dedicate to whatever you need.

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes met for a listening session focused on a presentation by Amy Baker of the Joint Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research on local government revenues and expenditures. Baker reviewed statewide financial data for counties, municipalities, and independent special districts, using 2018-19 as a baseline year because it was stable and pre-COVID. She explained that counties rely heavily on taxes, with ad valorem taxes making up about 73% of county tax revenue and about 24% of total county revenues statewide, while municipalities rely more on charges for services and have a lower statewide ad valorem share of about 14.7%. She also noted wide variation across local governments, with some counties and cities highly dependent on property taxes and others using them minimally or not at all. Special districts were shown to be very different from counties and cities, with hospital-related revenues and expenditures dominating many of them, while water management districts were more reliant on ad valorem taxes and focused expenditures on the physical environment. Baker also summarized expenditure patterns: counties spent the largest share on public safety, while municipalities spent the largest share on general government services, followed by physical environment and public safety. She emphasized that local government structures vary widely and that the committee should study what characteristics are associated with greater property tax reliance. She said the next research steps would be to extend the analysis through later years, including the COVID and inflation period, and to examine institutional and legal factors that shape local fiscal structures. Members asked about unfunded mandates, fuel taxes, reserves, school taxes, millage rates, and how property taxes relate to specific services such as police and fire. Baker said the current analysis did not yet account for mandates or school taxes and that further work could examine links between revenues and expenditures, commercial versus residential tax burdens, and other factors. After the presentation, members reported back on local meetings with counties and municipalities. Several described large differences in millage rates, revenue mixes, and the impact of any property tax changes on fiscally constrained counties versus larger, wealthier ones. Concerns were raised about how local governments would replace lost revenue, especially for public safety and emergency response, and members discussed the need to consider both revenue replacement and ways to rein in spending. The co-chairs said the committee would continue gathering information, send members follow-up homework and requests for panel suggestions, and invite additional input from constituents, stakeholders, and local governments. The meeting ended with no votes or formal actions beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can triage our way to get to where we need to be, but is it fair to say we need to deal with that?
• I need it. Thank you, sir. I agree.
• We need to attract good people. We need to retain good people.
• We need to attract good people. We need to retain good people.
• I know we put some of what you needed in the base bill, but we'll make sure you get what you need.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee held its first hearing of the 89th regular session, adopted nearly identical committee rules from the previous legislature by a 15-0 vote, and began review of Senate Bill 1, the state budget for fiscal years 2026-27. Chair Huffman outlined the budget framework, emphasizing conservative spending, a $332.9 billion all-funds budget, and major priorities including property tax relief, public education, border security, health and human services, transportation, energy, and water infrastructure. She also introduced committee and leadership staff and described the hearing schedule and public testimony procedures. Comptroller Glenn Hager presented the biennial revenue estimate, saying the state has $194.6 billion available for general-purpose spending, including a $23.8 billion ending balance, but warned that revenue growth is returning to more normal levels and that lawmakers should avoid using temporary spikes for ongoing commitments. Senators questioned him extensively about the Economic Stabilization Fund cap, sales tax trends, inflation, and whether the state should consider raising the cap or using severance-tax revenues differently. Hager said the Rainy Day Fund is expected to hit its cap, which would leave more severance-tax revenue in general revenue, and he stressed that infrastructure needs remain significant. The Legislative Budget Board then gave a detailed overview of SB 1 and the budget’s major components. LBB staff explained that the bill includes continued funding for the Foundation School Program, $850 million for the Texas State Technical College endowment, $1.3 billion for the Texas University Fund, $6.5 billion for border security, salary increases for correctional officers and state troopers, $3 billion for dementia research, higher community attendant wages, expanded community-based care, $5 billion for the Texas Energy Fund, and funding to clear volunteer fire department grant backlogs. They also outlined supplemental priorities such as water infrastructure, retirement legacy payments, rail grade separations, wildfire aircraft, and emergency facilities, and said the current controlling budget limit is the tax spending limit. A major portion of the hearing focused on property tax relief. LBB explained that prior-session relief grew from an expected $18 billion to $22.7 billion because of higher-than-anticipated property values and interactions among hold-harmless provisions, and that SB 1 continues and expands relief with $51 billion in total property tax relief, including $3 billion more for compression, $3 billion to raise the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, and a $500 million placeholder for business tax relief. Senators discussed the automatic nature of some of these costs, the effect of the non-homestead circuit breaker, the role of federal COVID funds, and the need to maintain school finance commitments if the state continues to compress school tax rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• need to get a good job or these students need a truly successful life.
• I don't care how you grade this score, but it needs to be accurate. This test needs to be accurate.
• It needs to be accurate.
• This is a function of grading.
• That is not true, not as a function of state policy.

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• That's what we probably need to work on.
• And what we need to know is that we need to be able to see the data from every single year to understand
• So I'm just wondering, what are we missing at our institutions that we need to create a new function
• I just think we're missing the boat in that we need to be looking holistically at what is needed for
• We need more doctors, we need more nurses, we need everything. We do. We need everything.

Bills: HB514, HB1652, HB2117, HB2298, HB3269, HB46, HB46

Keywords: maternal health, maternal care, pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum, doula, birth worker, midwife, obstetric care, women's health, rural health, health workforce, workforce development, trauma-informed care, public outreach campaign, health equity, minority health, underserved communities, Texas Department of State Health Services, HHSC