Transcript Highlights:

• requiring that a chief procurement officer certification program be maintained by the state purchasing agent
• bids are awarded, requiring that professional services contracts be reviewed by the state purchasing agent
• Services Department designee, increasing the amount for certain purchases by a central purchasing agent
• as lobbyists for a period of two years after service as a legislator, requiring lobbyists, when registering
• 96, introduced by Senators Bergman and Trujillo, an act relating to child care, providing that registered

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Would you agree there are not enough ICE agents out there to implement the...
• Why not make it a felony to register to vote as an illegal immigrant?
• Senator Gruters: It already is a third-degree felony to register to vote.
• A U.S. citizen lawfully registered to vote in the United States?
• I believe it was DOJ agents. Monitoring election activities for compliance with federal law.

Bills: SJR36, SR8, SR14, SR15, SR17, HCR54

Keywords: accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, advocacy, legislation, business issues, memorial, law enforcement, sacrifice, tribute, community support, service, community, Holocaust, remembrance, antisemitism, human rights, education, Holocaust Remembrance Day, memorialization, sexual assault

Transcript Highlights:

• If there's anyone who would like to provide public testimony or register a position on the bill from
• today's posting, please register at the electronic kiosk outside the hearing room.
• Jeff Liebersat is registered for the bill. Anyone else who wishes to testify, please come forward.
• Without going to open up public testimony on 2121, no one is registered to testify.
• One, when a document is filed for recording by an attorney, title agent, title company, or escrow company

Bills: SB438, SB512, SB647, SB648, SB1495, SB2121, SB2145, SB2154, SB2167, SB2184, SB2211, SB2268, SB2349, SB2443, SB2629, SB2702, SB2902

Keywords: SB 438, Texas, State Office of Administrative Hearings, SOAH, administrative law judge, ALJ, public information act, open records, confidentiality, privacy, home address, home telephone number, emergency contact information, social security number, family members, Government Code 552.117, Government Code 552.1175, Tax Code 25.025, public records, government transparency

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce met with a quorum and first voted out several pending bills. Senate Bill 1612 was reported favorably to the full Senate with objections sent to the local and contested calendar. The committee then adopted committee substitutes and favorably reported Senate Bills 2717, 1468, 1642, and 1789, with 1642 and 1789 sent to the floor. SB 2717 would create the Texas Energy Efficiency Council and add agencies to it; SB 1468 and SB 1642 were discussed as changes affecting utility and insurance-related structures; and SB 1789 would establish pole standards, with the author saying it would clarify PUC authority and create more practical statewide standards. The committee also heard an ERCOT update from Pablo Vegas, who said Texas load growth remains strong but ERCOT is adjusting its large-load forecast downward using historical delays and realization rates for data centers and other large loads. He said the adjusted forecast is still very high, but more realistic for planning, and members discussed reliability, generation timelines, demand response, and the role of Senate Bill 6 in helping model large data centers as flexible load. The committee then took testimony on a series of bills and left most pending after public comment. SB 2629 would allow condominium and property owners associations to hold meetings and vote electronically; testimony supported it as a way to improve access, though some members expressed concern about overuse of virtual meetings. SB 2702 would let nationally certified professionals test backflow prevention assemblies instead of requiring a separate TCEQ license, and was supported as a workforce and public health measure. SB 2167 would let TDLR pause new massage-establishment license applications when an applicant is subject to a human trafficking emergency order or pending SOAH case. SB 2349 would exempt short-term residential leases and certain leasebacks from floodplain disclosure requirements while allowing the notice to be included in the lease packet. SB 2121 would tighten the data broker registry law from the prior session, and SB 2443 would allow TDLR to use electronic delivery for notices and contested-case documents. Additional bills focused on consumer protection, housing, and regulatory administration. SB 2902 would help victims of coerced debt and identity theft stop collection efforts by requiring proof such as a court order or FTC report; advocates said it would protect survivors while still preventing fraud. SB 512 would bar money transmission license holders from fining users for terms-of-service violations in a way that forfeits account funds, and supporters framed it as a protection against private financial penalties. SB 2145 would allow public improvement districts and tax increment finance districts to meet virtually with at least one member physically present, while SB 2268 would give the PUC flexibility to extend Texas Energy Fund loan deadlines in certain cases. SB 1495 would create an advisory board for electric vehicle supply equipment standards, SB 2154 would extend statewide regulation to delivery network companies, SB 2184 would lower the age for pyrotechnic operator and fireworks display licenses from 21 to 18, SB 438 would expand confidentiality protections for SOAH administrative law judges, SB 2211 would treat digital products and desalinated water as industrial products to support combined energy-water projects, and SB 647 would strengthen title-theft protections by improving notice and clerk authority to reject fraudulent filings. Most of these bills were left pending after testimony, and several drew support from industry, consumer, or advocacy witnesses along with some member concerns about electronic meetings, licensing, and data accuracy.

Transcript Highlights:

• testifying table, I will move House File 4502 before the committee to be re-referred to the general register
• general register. general register.
• in favor of, excuse me, I will renew my motion that House File 4502 be re-referred to the general register
• <00:07:11.960> and re-referred to the general register and re-referred to the general register
• The motion prevails, and the bill is on its way to the general register.

Bills: HF4502, HF3388, HF4106, HF400, HF4138, HF4118, HF4203

Keywords: trusted contact, financial exploitation, elder abuse, elder financial abuse, fraud prevention, financial institution, banking, credit union, broker-dealer, account security, dormant account, consumer protection, scam, suspicious activity, protective services, law enforcement reporting, Minnesota Statutes chapter 45A, HF3388, Minnesota premium security plan, reinsurance

Transcript Highlights:

• The existing term “agent” has proven confusing to some.
• While they're coming up, I'll read the cards that were turned in of people wishing to register but not
• Second, it provides, again, for a person in lieu of an agent to be able to have authorized access just
• Registering only, but for the bill: Jack Todd, Lubbock Professional Firefighters.
• Registering for the bill, not wishing to testify: Matthew Benvene, Texas Independent Automobile Dealers

Bills: SB1493, SB1598, SB1895, SB1919, SB2039, SB2226, SB2243, SB2425

Keywords: SB 1493, Texas Transportation Code, motor vehicle lighting, vehicle lighting standards, high-mounted stoplamp, center high mount stop lamp, CHMSL, brake light, stop lamp, federal motor vehicle safety standards, 49 C.F.R. 571.108, FMVSS 108, vehicle inspection, automotive compliance, Transportation Committee, Texas vehicle equipment, motor vehicle collision report, crash report, accident report, traffic accident

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee heard and advanced a wide range of transportation-related bills. Early in the meeting, SB 1598 by Senator Hagenbuch was heard on allowing collision report information to be used and shared more clearly for law enforcement investigations, including through records-management partners and nonconfidential VIN data; the bill drew support from the Sheriff’s Association and Carfax for Police and was left pending before later being reported favorably. SB 1493 by Senator Parker, which would codify DPS’s position on flashing/pulsing stop lamps as compliant with federal standards, also received supportive testimony and was reported favorably. SB 1895 by Senator Perry would designate Loop 88 in Lubbock as a First Responders Memorial Loop and was reported favorably, and SB 1919 and SB 2243 by Senator West, dealing with TxDOT liability claim settlements and TxDMV authority to require VIN inspections for certain trailers, were likewise heard without opposition and later reported favorably. SB 2039, concerning right-of-way and traffic rules for sidewalk users such as bicycles, e-bikes, skateboards, and scooters, was heard and left pending before being reported favorably later in the meeting. SB 2226 by Senator Nichols, reducing the local match requirement for aviation grants in economically disadvantaged counties from 10% to 5%, was discussed with TxDOT testimony explaining how federal and state airport funding interact; it was reported favorably. SB 2499 by Senator Flores, involving memorial markers and an account for donations, and SB 1394 by Senator Hall, concerning concrete truck axle rules, were also reported favorably. The committee recessed after handling the pending items and leaving some additional matters for a later hearing. A major portion of the meeting focused on SB 2425 by Senator Nichols, a comprehensive bill on commercial autonomous vehicles. The author said the bill was developed through extensive stakeholder meetings with industry, agencies, insurers, and lawyers, and it would require AV companies to provide information to TxDMV, submit first-responder interaction plans to DPS, and allow DPS and DMV to suspend or revoke operations in certain circumstances. The committee substitute also updated definitions, addressed Level 3 systems, clarified commercial use and fleet penalties, and created an expedited process for reinstating operating authority after disputes. Supporters included the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Tesla, GM Cruise, Bot Auto, and the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, who said the bill balances innovation and safety and helps Texas remain a leader in AV deployment. One witness opposed the bill, arguing that it would improperly shield manufacturers from liability, but committee members and the industry witnesses said liability would continue to be governed by state law and that the bill was intended to clarify, not eliminate, responsibility. After debate, the committee adopted the substitute and reported SB 2425 favorably on a 6-0 vote. Throughout the hearing, members asked questions about practical effects and funding. On SB 2226, TxDOT’s aviation director explained that some airports already receive federal and state support and that the bill would mainly help state-only airports in disadvantaged counties that struggle to meet local match requirements. On SB 2425, members asked about reliability metrics, commercialization, and liability; industry witnesses said the technology is still being refined but that Texas’s framework has attracted investment and could improve road safety over time. Several bills were recommended to the local and uncontested calendar after favorable votes, and the committee also agreed to keep motions in writing open briefly for members who were absent, so long as doing so would not change any bill outcomes.

Transcript Highlights:

• state and local law enforcement, we have no ability to take any action unless we can get a federal agent
• 01.280> federal any action unless we can get a federal any action unless we can get a federal agent
• 05:02.880> in<00:05:03.000> order<00:05:03.200> to<00:05:03.320> seize agent
• to that scene in order to seize agent to that scene in order to seize that<00:05:04.040> that
• litigation ongoing, so I’m concerned about the constitutionality of it, especially given 782,000 legally registered

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection met with a quorum and considered one bill, House Bill 299. The bill, introduced by Rep. Jason Nemes with support from several law enforcement officials, would mirror federal law on machine gun conversion devices and make knowing possession of such devices a state offense so local law enforcement can enforce it without waiting for federal agents. Supporters said the measure would not criminalize conduct that is currently legal, would give police a practical tool to remove dangerous devices from the streets, and was backed by law enforcement groups and other organizations; the NRA was noted as neutral. Chief Paul Humphrey and other police chiefs testified in support, describing the devices as a growing public safety problem and saying local officers currently lack authority to act unless federal authorities take the case. They argued the bill would help keep officers and communities safe and prevent weapons from being returned to the street. Rep. Roberts opposed the bill, questioning its constitutionality under Second Amendment precedent and arguing that criminals would likely shift to other devices. Rep. Wesley also voted no, citing Second Amendment concerns and his commitment to constituents, while several members explained yes votes as support for law enforcement and public safety. The committee adopted a committee substitute and then voted on the bill. House Bill 299, as amended by the committee substitute, passed the committee with favorable expression and was reported to the House floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then more recently, we’ve seen advances in agentic AI over the last year especially.
• So there's a lot of talk about agentic AI.
• So that's the next thing we're starting to see: software agents.
• Because as AI develops and as these agentic agents develop and are able to do a lot of sort of white-collar
• So we have a holistic risk register that we're We have a holistic risk register that we're continuously

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She's a registered nurse with five years in acute care and post-surgical inpatient at Integris Baptist
• First, Agent Francia Thompson, Agent Amy Ferrari, Agent Josh Pazkowski, spelled with an 'i' not 'ay',
• Agent Dale Fine, Agent Jim Skelton, and some of our lab people, the criminalists are Leslie Perry and

Bills: HCR1026, SB1130, SB1134, SB1131, SB1132, SB1133, SB1142, HR1049

Keywords: light pollution, bird mortality, migration, energy conservation, wildlife protection, University Hospitals Authority, funding, behavioral health, appropriation, adolescent health, emergency legislation, Oklahoma State University, Medical Authority, human performance, pharmaceutical expansion, emergency funding, juvenile justice, youth services, pandemic relief, healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• There's only 1 witness who's registered against one of the bills.
• You've got 3 witnesses who've registered for the bill.
• There are 4 witnesses registered on this bill.
• Uh, I'm a former federal drug agent.
• I have you here on behalf of yourself, registered, uh, Judge Holmes.

Bills: SB 53

Keywords: voter registration, election procedures, provisional ballot, change of address, residence requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• I tell them that I'm registering as Trey Caldwell. They reach out to Texas.
• This is on page two, lines 18 through 20, that say voter register.
• That you can register. I can register As Andy and not Andrew. But, you would have to.
• to vote in another state if they legally registered in Oklahoma.
• And I'm registered as Andrew. That matches.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's only one witness who has registered against one of the bills.
• You've got three witnesses who have registered for the bill.
• There are four witnesses registered on the bill.
• There's one witness who registered on the bill.
• I've got you registered on behalf of yourself on the bill, is that correct? Yes, sir.

Bills: SJR27, SB53, SB311, SB1164, SB2807, SB1574, SB 53

Keywords: judicial conduct, state commission, judicial misconduct, commission membership, constitutional amendment, mental health, court proceedings, notice requirements, legal filings, electronic documents, Texas Supreme Court, writ power, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, procedendo, extraordinary writs, Government Code Section 22.002, separation of powers, judicial authority

Transcript Highlights:

• The second level is 20 to 25, and the last one is a lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender
• The initial charge of peeping tom, the initial one's a misdemeanor, and you don't have to register.
• And yes, if you're guilty of a felony, you have to register.
• It's pretty defined and it's talking about an explosive agent to kill, injure, or intimidate.
• In the last round of grant cycles, we discovered that while a certain organization is registered with

Bills: SCR17, SB2104, SB2155, SB1428, SB1250, SB1651, SB1794, SB444, SB1061, SB1327, SB1425, SB1455, SB1458, SB1460, SB1480, SB1530, SB1543, SB1555, SB1593, SB1209, SB1730, SB1733, SB1769, SB1805, SB2069, SB2095, SB1503

Keywords: trusts, Oklahoma Uniform Trust Code, trust administration, trustee, beneficiary, qualified beneficiary, nonjudicial settlement agreement, trust accounting, fiduciary duty, forfeiture clause, no-contest clause, in terrorem clause, certification of trust, trust property, district court jurisdiction, venue, surcharge trustee, trust protector, trust advisor, principal distribution

Transcript Highlights:

• or pre-registered to vote to volunteer to assist poll workers for the purpose of receiving community
• She's an eighth grader, and she's just months away from being eligible to pre-register and step into
• Senate Bill 564 offers a practical solution by allowing our students who are registered or pre-registered
• Here, even if they're pre-registered. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony.
• And we have three specific goals, registering voters, educating voters. specific goals, registering voters

Summary: The Committee on Rules met and first approved several open-government sunset repeal bills and related measures. SB 7024 and SB 7026, both sponsored by Senator Mayfield, were explained as consolidating and extending public records/public meetings exemptions for cybersecurity information and trade secrets held by agencies; both were reported favorably. SB 7020, sponsored by Senator Trumbull, reenacted an aquaculture records exemption for records held by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and was also reported favorably. Later, the committee approved SB 14 and SB 24, claims bills for relief involving Miami-Dade County, and SB 16, a claims bill for Heriberto Sanchez Mayan against the City of St. Petersburg; all were reported favorably without opposition. The committee also approved CS for SB 806, a consumer right-to-repair bill creating portable wireless device and agricultural equipment repair acts, despite opposition from several industry groups, and reported it favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• You still have to register even though you were invited.
• Please make sure you have registered, even though you were invited.
• I don't think we have you registered, Danny. I don't think we have you registered, Danny.
• Vincent, you can go ahead while he's getting registered. Okay.
• There are 20 field service agents.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not a random agent. It's not a lending party. This is the school.
• It's not a random agent. It's not a lending party. This is the school.
• But the agents themselves, every one of them I've dealt with, we've dealt with their agents, that they
• The Miller-A-Cox Sports Agent Act of 1996.
• It regulates the conduct of agents in the professional space.

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on name, image, and likeness (NIL) and financial literacy for student athletes, with members framing California as a national leader on NIL but emphasizing the need for stronger protections and more consistent education. The chair and witnesses discussed how NIL opportunities now include both third-party endorsement deals and school revenue-sharing arrangements, and how the current landscape varies widely by institution, leaving athletes with a patchwork of rules and support. Several witnesses argued that student athletes, especially younger ones and those from low-income or first-generation backgrounds, are vulnerable to predatory contracts, tax problems, and pressure from family, agents, or lenders. The first panel featured Tyree Dillingham and Brandon Copeland, who called for standardized financial literacy, better guardrails against predatory NIL advances, and a player-led association or similar collective voice for athletes. They described examples of athletes not understanding paychecks, taxes, or contract terms, and warned that some schools and collectives blur the line between education and marketing. Copeland also argued that college athletics now functions like a professional business and that athletes need representation and a standard contract structure to protect them. The second panel focused on lived experience, including testimony from attorney Anthony Coronae and student athlete Mikey Williams. Coronae described reviewing a contract that he said functioned like a predatory loan disguised as marketing support, with the company taking exclusive rights to Williams’ NIL and requiring repayment far beyond the advance. Williams testified that he signed without a lawyer, later lost endorsements, scholarship, and housing stability, and only later learned the contract’s consequences. He said a required financial literacy course at Sacramento State helped him begin to understand budgeting, taxes, and contracts, and he urged the legislature to require legal review or stronger safeguards for athletes. The third panel, from San Diego State University, highlighted a more structured institutional model. Athletic director Brendan Hill described a mandatory four-year life-skills program that includes financial literacy, resume workshops, internships, and branding education, while student athlete Sloan Benchoff said the program helped her manage money and prepare for post-college life. Witnesses agreed that support is uneven across schools, that some agents and lenders are exploiting athletes, and that California should consider standardized financial education and agent regulation while also being careful not to create rules that unintentionally restrict athlete rights. No formal vote or bill action was taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• ChatGPT whether a forensics background could help him become an FBI special agent.
• AI base, A1 base, Access Grid and Agent Card. Thank you so much. Thank you.
• Are there any witnesses in the audience that wish to register support for SB 1104?
• Any witnesses in opposition wanting to register opposition to SB 1248?
• Any other witnesses registering opposition to 1248? But I was outside.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 946, Escrow Agent Rating Services and Agents. The motion is due pass.
• SB 1302, Board of Registered Nursing. The motion is due pass.
• SB 1302, Board of Registered Nursing. The motion is due pass.
• per author to remove the urgency clause and correct conflicting language between state and federal agents

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Administrators inside of a DUNA is just simply a vocabulary lesson for calling an agent another name,
• <00:31:03.679> uh agent another name so we had clarity. uh agent another name so we had clarity
• called uh an administrator or an agent. called uh an administrator or an agent.
• <00:32:59.200> agent<00:32:59.600> reporting about the registered agent reporting about
• the registered agent reporting requiring<00:33:00.640> beneficial<00:33:01.120> information

Bills: HB0075, HB0128

Keywords: virtual currency, kiosk, financial institutions, regulation, Wyoming Money Transmitters Act, penalties, severance tax, oil production, tax exemption, energy sector, economic impact, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're seeing the work that these special agents are doing.
• This graph calls out the turnover rates of probationary agents and regular agents.
• An agent one starts you at the bottom at $50,000.
• Before I continue, I'm registered on two different agencies.
• Before I continue, I'm registered on two different agencies.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard the Legislative Budget Board’s overview of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 2026-27 budget, followed by extensive testimony from DPS leadership. The LBB presentation covered funding and staffing changes across driver license services, facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, and border security. The recommendations included added support for customer service staffing and trooper hiring, but did not include several DPS exceptional items such as major driver license staffing and technology requests, new regional headquarters in El Paso and San Antonio, and other capital projects. Members also discussed proposed rider changes, including a new rider to lapse unused trooper funding and require reporting after recruit schools. Much of the committee’s questioning focused on driver license operations, where senators criticized long call wait times, low call-answer rates, appointment delays, and what they viewed as an overreliance on adding staff rather than improving processes. DPS and LBB witnesses said the agency is pursuing some technology upgrades, including automation, online pre-population of applications, and appointment-system improvements, but acknowledged that the driver license division remains a major problem area. Senators also raised concerns about whether the 2019 efficiency study led to meaningful changes and whether the agency should consider broader process redesign or even a different administrative structure. Colonel Freeman and other DPS officials then defended the agency’s broader law enforcement and border-security work, emphasizing the need for the Williamson County training academy, the 500 additional troopers funded in prior sessions, and continued support for Operation Lone Star. They described DPS’s role in border interdiction, threat-to-life investigations, oilfield theft cases, Capitol and Alamo security, and highway safety, and said the agency is stretched thin by deployments and overtime. Members asked about border reimbursement possibilities, regional staffing differences, pursuit safety, fleet and aircraft replacement needs, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame museum. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It happened to be the first registered one in the state of Minnesota, and the focus is on special ed.
• It happened to be the first registered one in the state of Minnesota, and the focus is on special ed.
• It happened to be the first registered one in the state of Minnesota, and the focus is on special ed.
• It happened to be the first registered one in the state of Minnesota, and the focus is on special ed.
• It happened to be the first registered one in the state of Minnesota, and the focus is on special ed.

Keywords: 1183, house