Transcript Highlights:

• members, House Bill 2156, as amended, appropriates $250,000 from the state general fund in FY27 to the Livestock
• members, House Bill 2156, as amended, appropriates $250,000 from the state general fund in FY27 to the Livestock

Summary: The committee worked through a long Minority Caucus calendar covering a wide range of bills, with many items on consent and several pulled for discussion. Early items included resolutions on Judea and Samaria, bullion depository bills, a produce incentive appropriation, a biennial budget proposal, and a veterans services appropriation. Members also heard transportation-related bills on driver permits, citations, boat insurance, English proficiency for commercial drivers and motor carriers, photo enforcement, and a measure restricting incarceration for unpaid fines and fees. Several members raised concerns about constitutional issues, public safety, or whether bills were duplicative or targeted at specific groups. A large portion of the meeting focused on education and school governance bills. These included proposals on school district bond advisors, restrictions on school property leases and purchases, public meeting requirements, term limits and training for school board members, patriotic youth group access to students, computer science proficiency, and a bill requiring fingerprint clearance cards for traffic school instructors. Members repeatedly criticized what they described as inconsistent treatment of public schools versus ESA/private school programs, and several education bills were pulled from consent for further discussion. Other bills addressed child safety and family law, including DCS credit freezes, recorded child interviews, parents’ rights notices, mandatory reporting of threats by minors, sex offender residency and GPS monitoring, and a bill on guardianship rights during DCS investigations. The committee also considered a number of social services, health, and labor/consumer bills. These included SNAP work requirement and verification measures, a SNAP error-rate audit, dementia care telemonitoring funding, a Braille transcription appropriation, court fee limits, a physician assistant compact, pediatric licensure compact, and a kratom regulation bill. Members debated an earned wage access licensing bill at length, with opponents calling it predatory and akin to payday lending, while supporters argued it provided a regulated consumer option. Other measures covered cash acceptance by businesses, 529-to-Roth IRA rollovers, AI rules for state agencies, and a bill on public nuisance actions by the Attorney General. Several of these drew warnings about constitutional problems, preemption, or burdens on vulnerable populations. Energy, water, and tax policy also featured prominently. The committee heard bills on fuel formulations, gas tax relief, data centers and small modular nuclear reactors, utility reporting, and a Commerce Authority mandate to reduce fuel prices. Members criticized some proposals as favoring industry, preempting local control, or lacking a clear funding plan. The meeting ended after additional items on veterans, sample ballot mailing dates, and other miscellaneous measures, with multiple bills noted as pulled from consent or subject to later votes; no final roll-call results were detailed in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• saw a lot of damage... ...to our agricultural industry in terms of damages to croplands, dairies, livestock
• statewide emergency, mobilized the National Guard, and waived service hours for drivers hauling livestock

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2579, which would create a Public Media Broadcaster Program and a Digital Equity Program funded by a 20-cent-per-line monthly tax on wireless, prepaid wireless, VoIP, and landline service. Staff explained that 80% of the revenue would support public media grants, 20% would support digital equity grants, and a small share could be used for administration. The prime sponsor, Rep. Chris Stearns, and many public media, community media, and digital equity supporters testified that public radio and television provide emergency alerts, local news, education, training, and community connection, especially in rural and underserved areas, and that federal funding cuts have made state support more urgent. Several witnesses described how public media helped with emergency communications, youth training, Indigenous programming, and access to local information. Opposition came from CTIA and Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes. CTIA argued the tax would add to already high wireless taxes in Washington and would be regressive because low-income residents rely heavily on wireless service. Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes objected to the bill as another tax increase and said it would worsen affordability. One supporter said an amendment would be offered to address a misunderstanding in the fiscal note. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then received a cybersecurity and critical infrastructure briefing from state emergency management and cybersecurity officials. They described Washington’s layered cybersecurity model, the role of state agencies, the Fusion Center, WOTEC, the National Guard, and the Emergency Management Division, and the growing threat from ransomware, supply-chain attacks, and AI-enabled attacks. Members asked about volunteer cyber response capacity, the most vulnerable sectors, and whether the legislature should fund more real-time threat monitoring and intelligence sharing. Officials said the state is working to establish a volunteer cyber incident response team and that the main gap is real-time monitoring across participating local and private networks. The committee also heard updates on the December 2025 flooding response and wildfire resilience. Emergency management officials reported widespread flooding, landslides, power outages, evacuations, rescues, and infrastructure damage, but said mitigation investments helped prevent worse outcomes. They identified gaps in statewide alerting, search and rescue coordination, and local emergency management capacity, and said a statewide alert system like Oregon’s would require ongoing funding. In the wildfire update, DNR and partner agencies described increasing wildfire risk, the use of aircraft, AI-enabled detection cameras, and common operating pictures, and ongoing work on hazard and risk mapping, community wildfire preparedness, and home hardening. Members asked about predictive technology, sediment removal, and other mitigation tools, and officials said they are working with universities and federal partners to improve prevention and response.

Transcript Highlights:

• If it's anywhere between, let's say, May and August, and you're looking for livestock, chances are you're
• you're looking for a If it's anywhere between, let's say, May and August, and you're looking for livestock

Bills: HB2016 , HB2104 , HB2105 , HB2288 , HB2289

Committees: House Ways & Means , House House Ways & Means Committee of Reference

Keywords: tax penalties, filing, tax returns, administration, Arizona Revised Statutes, agricultural property, classification, county assessor, property inspection, appeal process, property tax, agricultural classification, Department of Revenue, property valuation, inspection notice, inspection report, on-site inspection, full cash value, rural land, farm land

Transcript Highlights:

• goals to restore the population to self-sustaining size and geographic distribution, manage wolf-livestock
• So logging is a big factor, and so is domestic livestock.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5838, which would add a federally recognized tribal representative to the State Board of Natural Resources. The Department of Natural Resources commissioner and tribal leaders said the change would bring Indigenous knowledge and a voting voice to decisions on trust lands, while preserving existing tribal consultation. Some county and economic interests said they were not opposed to tribal participation but stressed the board’s fiduciary duty to trust beneficiaries and asked for more review of the board’s purpose; one witness questioned whether the beneficiaries had been consulted. The prime sponsor, Senator Claudia Kaufman, said the bill is about inclusion and equity and indicated openness to an amendment adding both eastside and westside tribal representation. The hearing closed with 142 written comments reported: 33 pro, 107 con, and 2 other. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5960, which would require Fish and Wildlife to designate at-risk ungulate populations and take predator mitigation actions when populations fall below specified benchmarks. Senator Shelley Short said the bill responds to declining deer and elk numbers and a lack of management, especially in northeast Washington. Supporters argued the bill would codify existing agency plans and restore balance in wildlife management, while opponents—including conservation groups, the Sierra Club, and several scientists and advocates—said the state’s predator-prey study found wolves were not the main driver of ungulate declines, pointing instead to habitat, forage, weather, disease, and vehicle collisions. Ranching and farm groups supported the overall goal but objected to the bill’s in-state wolf translocation provisions. The Department of Fish and Wildlife said it recognized the bill’s intent but opposed it because some directives were impractical, costly, or would require legislative approval. The hearing closed with 1,197 written comments reported: 843 pro, 352 con, and 2 other. The committee then held a work session on Lake Washington salmon predation. Larry Phillips and Muckleshoot Fisheries Director Jason Schaffler described a coalition effort to reduce predation on juvenile salmon in the Lake Washington system, saying invasive and predatory fish such as walleye, rock bass, American shad, northern pike, yellow perch, and smallmouth bass are harming sockeye and Chinook recovery. They said sockeye returns have fallen from hundreds of thousands to about 18,000 in recent years, ending tribal and sport fisheries, and argued that targeted predator removal, supported by prior state and county funding, could help restore runs. Senators asked about the methods and funding, and the presenters said fishing and netting are being used to suppress larger predatory fish and that more sustained investment is needed. Finally, the committee began public hearing on Senate Bill 1697, which would make federally recognized tribes eligible recipients for county conservation futures funds. Testifiers from the Washington Farmland Trust and the Tulalip Tribe said the bill would expand voluntary conservation partnerships, help tribes steward farmland and habitat, and make it easier to leverage county funds with other grants. They described past projects where tribal participation improved conservation outcomes but said tribes could not directly access conservation futures dollars under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• we're now seeing that the green seaweed has more protein, might be a good fodder for fish and other livestock
• Davis and others that a seaweed supplement can reduce the enteric methane emissions of ruminant livestock

Summary: The Select Committee on Climate Innovation and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on emerging technologies for climate resilience and infrastructure. The first panel discussed the Calistoga Resiliency Center, a utility-driven microgrid that keeps the city powered during public safety power shutoffs using hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and liquid hydrogen storage. PG&E described microgrids as a resilience tool but emphasized that cost remains the main barrier to wider deployment. Energy Vault explained the project’s design, its ability to provide at least 48 hours of backup power on a small parcel of land, and its use of green hydrogen and battery storage to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. A Calistoga councilmember and NCPA representative also discussed the Lodi Energy Center hydrogen project, saying it could help decarbonize power generation and transportation, but that federal and state funding changes, tax credit timing, and other policy shifts have made the project difficult to advance. The Green Hydrogen Coalition supported the Calistoga model as a blueprint and urged policy changes to create demand and reduce barriers for renewable hydrogen, including addressing behind-the-meter rules and recognizing hydrogen in state energy planning. The second panel focused on water resilience and desalination, with the California Desal Association and Oneka Technologies discussing wave-powered desalination for the City of Fort Bragg. Cal Desal said California’s changing hydrology, reduced snowpack, and drought conditions make local water supply options increasingly important, but noted that conventional desalination is expensive and slow to permit. Oneka described its offshore, wave-powered system as a zero-electricity desalination technology that produces drinking water without greenhouse gas emissions and with limited land use, and said the Fort Bragg pilot is intended to demonstrate the technology under California conditions. The company and Cal Desal both stressed that permitting is a major obstacle, with the project requiring multiple agencies and a timeline far longer than in other jurisdictions. They also said the technology’s autonomous operation could improve water resilience because it does not depend on the electrical grid. The final panel featured the Climate Foundation’s marine permaculture proposal, which aims to restore kelp forests and support carbon removal and coastal food systems. The presenter said warming oceans and nutrient loss have devastated kelp forests along the California coast and argued that offshore platforms that raise and lower seaweed to access nutrients and sunlight could help regenerate ecosystems while producing food, feed, fertilizer, and carbon benefits. He said the technology has shown strong growth rates and storm resilience in other regions, but that California permitting remains a major hurdle, involving 17 state and federal agencies. He proposed a streamlined, code-based permitting approach for smaller projects and said the group is seeking matching funds to complete a first California pilot. Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly highlighted the tension between innovation and the high cost, complexity, and length of California’s permitting and funding processes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our lives, livestock, livelihoods, and the Texan way of life are in your hands.
• We live there to give access for our livestock to water or because we cannot afford to live anywhere

Transcript Highlights:

• That's how you describe livestock. That's not how you describe humans.

Committee: House Emerging Issues and Professional Registration

Summary: The committee met in executive session with 14 members present and took up a series of House bills, several with House Committee Substitutes (HCSs). Early discussion centered on HB 1893 and HB 2075, both described by opponents as “potty police” bills affecting restroom access in public settings; members debated privacy, enforcement, and the scope of exemptions, and both HCSs were adopted before the bills were reported do pass. HB 2536, another restroom-related measure, drew extensive testimony from supporters and opponents, including concerns about impacts on transgender people, private causes of action, and the role of outside advocacy groups; its HCS was adopted and the bill was reported do pass on a 9-5 vote. The committee then considered HB 1914, where members said the bill was intended to keep technicians in Missouri but raised concerns about whether it would actually do so and whether the committee was being asked to referee a contract dispute between dealers and manufacturers; the HCS was adopted and the bill passed 9-3 with one present. HB 3423 passed without discussion, and HB 3204 was amended at the request of the Department of Mental Health to remove an unnecessary sentence about prevention resource centers before being reported do pass unanimously. The final bills dealt with camps and other regulatory issues. HB 3142’s HCS shifted licensing authority from DESE to DSS, removed day camps, carved out universities and colleges, dropped website-reporting requirements, and added CPR and background-check requirements; members discussed possible delayed implementation and the extent of rulemaking authority, and the bill passed 11-2. HB 2855 and HB 2922 both passed with little or no discussion, HB 2643 passed unanimously, and HB 2828 was amended to remove nitrous oxide language before passing unanimously. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, you know, what interested me or intrigued me in this bill was the reference to livestock.
• Livestock, if you're looking at the cost of a cow, bred is 4 to 5,000.
• But anyway, I think what we're looking for here was that the outside livestock use, if I remember the
• That was my take on the bill, but it had mostly to do with the livestock on that were utilizing, or the
• But anyway, I think what we're looking for here was that the outside livestock use, if I remember the

Transcript Highlights:

• conduct ultimately must be important to the utilization of food, fiber, feed, and fuel from crop and livestock
• The Central Grasslands Research Extension Center at Streeter is entirely a grasslands and livestock production
• responsive to the emerging needs and threats that are occurring in North Dakota, whether that be plant or livestock

Committee: Joint Agriculture and Water Management Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• conduct ultimately must be important to the utilization of food, fiber, feed, and fuel from crop and livestock
• The central grasslands station at Streeter is entirely a grasslands and livestock production base, so
• responsive to the emerging needs and threats that are occurring in North Dakota, whether that be plant or livestock

Committee: Joint Agriculture and Water Management Committee

Summary: The committee met in Fargo and approved the minutes from the March 31 meeting before hearing a series of informational presentations focused on North Dakota agriculture, water, and research. NDSU President David Cook opened with remarks about NDSU’s land-grant mission, emphasizing statewide service through research, teaching, and extension, and highlighting examples such as the Lilac Agriculture startup and the university’s role in applying research to real-world problems. He said he intends to spend time listening across the state to better understand local needs. The committee then received a detailed presentation on a state irrigation and drainage study from Tom Bodine on behalf of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The study projected significant potential for expanded irrigation acreage, especially in counties such as McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McIntosh, Dunn, and Bottineau, and estimated major economic gains from irrigation, including higher farm returns and support for value-added agriculture. Members discussed water permits, surface water versus aquifers, infrastructure, drought resilience, and the role of legal drains in improving productivity and generating economic activity. The presenters also noted that the full report is available online. Dr. Greg Lardy followed with NDSU’s required interim report, outlining the university’s agricultural research and extension system, including the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, seven research-extension centers, and the economic importance of agriculture to the state. He highlighted recent research impacts such as new crop varieties, potato breeding successes, virtual fencing, AI-assisted weed control, weather-network tools, and 4-H programming. He also described NDSU’s budget priorities: restoring the governor’s proposed 10% cuts, additional operating support, and deferred maintenance funding. Committee members asked about the new agricultural field lab, storage sheds, and NDSU’s partnership with Grand Farm. The committee also heard from the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute and a professor presenting water-related research, including data center cooling, water reuse, smart irrigation, and a feasibility study on co-locating data centers with greenhouse and aquaculture production. Members asked about water use, ownership, and whether the concepts were operational or still speculative. Finally, North Dakota AgTech presented its NSF-funded innovation engine work, describing startup commercialization, on-farm trials, workforce development, and partnerships with NDSU, UND, tribal colleges, and other land-grant institutions. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the prior meeting minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• $48 million budget request for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, more specifically for the Wolf Livestock
• the Cattlepointed Cattlemen’s Association, in support of CDFW’s efforts to help ranchers address livestock
• the Cattlepointed Cattlemen's Association in support of CDFW's efforts to help ranchers address livestock

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Kuzowski, and ironically what he found is kids that grow up on a farm, particularly with livestock
• Representative Kuzowski, and ironically what he found is kids that grow up on a farm, particularly with livestock
• Representative Kuzowski, and ironically what he found is kids that grow up on a farm, particularly with livestock

Transcript Highlights:

• Subcommittee B heard many agencies, including many boards: the Board of Medical Examiners, Board of Nurses, Livestock
• And that includes an additional recurring $1 million for the Livestock Board for FTE.
• And that includes an additional recurring $1 million for the Livestock Board for FTE.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• One, none of us want it in our land and in our food and in our livestock.
• One, none of us want it in our land and in our food and in our livestock.
• One, none of us want it in our land and in our food and in our livestock.
• Livestock.

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• don't know, stockyards, which we have over 20 of them across the state, they're an opportunity for livestock
• they're an them across the state, they're an opportunity<01:07:03.839><c> for</c><01:07:04.079><c> livestock
• </c><01:07:05.119><c> owners</c><01:07:06.000><c> to</c><01:07:06.640><c> uh</c> opportunity for livestock
• owners to uh opportunity for livestock owners to uh to<01:07:07.039><c> sell</c><01:07:07.359><c> and

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• Recommendations include $7 million in general revenue. and maintains writer 30 agricultural and livestock
• Texas citizens and livestock will be safer if T.A.
• the concepts of that, throughout its history the agency has been tasked with overseeing the health livestock
• Yes, being in Texas corn The vast majority goes to cattle feeding or livestock feeding operations.

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII

Transcript Highlights:

• A survey found that 55% of dairy workers, 70% of livestock workers in Colorado already exceeded 48 hours
• A survey found that 55% of dairy workers, 70% of livestock workers in Colorado already exceeded 48 hours
• A survey found that 55% of dairy workers, 70% of livestock workers in Colorado already exceed the 48-
• This figure ranks well behind other major expenditures such as feed at 27.3% and livestock or poultry
• or poultry purchases at and livestock or poultry purchases at 24.6%. 24.6%. 24.6%.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, case in point, when I ran the livestock research center in Clayton, New Mexico for New Mexico State

Bills: HB1590 , HB3075 , HB3548 , HB3661 , HB3986 , HB4273 , HB4346

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, quote, on line 16, it says 'feed, prey upon or destroy your livestock

Committee: House State Affairs