Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, I know this is a first impression, but states like Mississippi, Georgia, Arizona, Utah, Ohio, and
• Uh, I know this is a first impression, but states like Mississippi, Georgia, Arizona, Utah, Ohio, and
• Again, I'm talking about states like Mississippi, Georgia, Arizona, Utah, Ohio; 14 states have brought

Summary: The Senate Committee on Transportation heard several bills, mostly local memorial highway designations and transportation-related regulatory measures. Senator Hinojosa presented SB 1351 to designate part of US 281 in Hidalgo County as the Jose Rodriguez Lua Memorial Highway in honor of a Border Patrol processing coordinator killed by a drunk driver; a family member testified emotionally in support, and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard and left pending SB 2245 on bonded titles for vehicles when a lienholder has gone out of business, SB 1568 on animal-friendly specialty license plates with a second “spay, neuter, adopt” plate, SB 2589 on handling closed county roads in Webb County, SB 1104 on allowing large retailers to use one fingerprinted employee of record across multiple Texas locations, SB 1423 naming the Bill Stout Parkway in Longview, and SB 1931 naming part of US 83 the Rodolfo Valdez Memorial Highway. Most of these bills drew supportive testimony or were presented as local measures with no opposition. The committee also took up broader policy bills. SB 215 would create a digital identification program for Texas driver’s licenses and certain other licenses, but the sponsor said he was mainly laying the bill out for discussion and study; testimony was limited and the bill was left pending. SB 2707 would clarify that government entities such as TxDOT and the military remain exempt from fees on oversized/overweight permit authority, though a county commissioner raised questions about road-use impacts and fee revenue. SB 2807 drew the most discussion: it would prevent a motor carrier’s use of safety technology, training, and related practices from being used as evidence that an independent contractor is actually an employee. Supporters said the bill would encourage adoption of safety tools like cameras and braking systems without increasing misclassification risk, while opponents from the trial lawyers’ side warned the wording could conflict with existing labor-code definitions and create litigation. The sponsor and committee members discussed possible clarifying floor amendments. After public testimony, the committee voted on the pending bills. All measures were reported favorably on 6-0 votes, with committee substitutes adopted where applicable. SB 1351, SB 1423, SB 1568, SB 1931, SB 2245, SB 2589, SB 2707, SB 2807, and SB 2841 were all sent to the full Senate, and several were recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. The committee recessed subject to the call of the chair after completing the votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• your staff available to work with my staff, other members of the congressional delegation, and our Arizona
• Senator, I'd be happy, if confirmed in my current role, to work with Arizona on those issues.
• to cooperative federalism and can commit that we, if confirmed in my current role, will work with Arizona

Transcript Highlights:

• Companies can accumulate the vast majority of their testing miles in Arizona or Texas and then deploy
• Companies can accumulate the vast majority of their testing miles in Arizona or Texas and then deploy
• here in our mountain pass. of their testing miles in Arizona or Texas and then deploy here in our mountain
• It's disingenuous to say you're just going to go from point A to point B from Arizona to a warehouse
• We personally test in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, West Virginia

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard an informational hearing on California’s newly finalized autonomous vehicle regulations, with DMV and CHP officials describing the updated framework and committee members pressing them on safety, enforcement, and first-responder impacts. DMV said the rules, effective April 28, 2026, expand reporting, create a phased permitting system from testing to deployment, add requirements for safety cases, remote operations, and first-responder coordination, and open a path for heavy-duty AV testing and deployment while still prohibiting oversized loads and hazardous materials. CHP said it worked with DMV on enforcement tools, first-responder interaction plans, and training local agencies on the new notice of noncompliance process. Members asked about crash data, immobilizations, freeway and construction-zone safety, weigh-station enforcement, and whether foreign licenses can qualify for remote assistants or drivers; DMV and CHP said the rules are intended to keep AVs accountable and that heavy-duty AVs will be held to the same roadway standards as human-driven commercial vehicles. A second panel focused on data collection and enforcement. Consumer attorneys argued the prior rules were too limited because DMV stopped collecting meaningful data once AVs moved from testing to deployment, making it difficult for the public and litigants to understand incidents; they supported the new regulations but urged that the collected information be made public. The industry association said California now has the nation’s most robust AV oversight, with monthly or quarterly reporting of collisions, system failures, immobilizations, harsh braking, vehicle miles traveled, and notices of noncompliance, plus broad DMV authority to restrict or suspend operations. In response to questions, the industry said it generally supports the new framework, believes the regulations are clear, and does not favor full federal preemption of state AV rules, though it wants federal standards for design, construction, and performance. A third panel addressed first-responder interaction and remote operations. The San Francisco Fire Department described repeated AV interference with emergency scenes and said AVs have generated hundreds of “sleeper calls,” where passengers fall asleep and trigger 911 responses; the department said these incidents consume significant staff time and it wants better protocols to reduce unnecessary dispatches. Waymo said it has trained thousands of public-safety personnel, maintains a 24/7 emergency line, uses geofencing/avoid-the-area messages, and can allow first responders to manually override or move vehicles when needed. Committee members asked about sleeper-call prevention, remote assistant licensing and drug testing, communication redundancies during outages, and how manual overrides work for vehicles without traditional controls; Waymo said it is collaborating with responders and that its vehicles are designed to reach a safe stop if connectivity is lost. The final panel began with testimony on heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. A transportation researcher said freight is essential to California’s economy and that heavy-duty AVs pose distinct safety risks because of their weight, stopping distance, and the potentially severe consequences of crashes or immobilizations on highways. He said the new regulations are important because they create a regulated pathway for heavy-duty AV deployment, require a safety case, set mileage thresholds, and add reporting categories that can serve as leading safety indicators. The hearing was still in progress when the transcript ended, with additional testimony expected from labor and industry witnesses on heavy-duty AV deployment.

Transcript Highlights:

• They've traveled from Texas and Arizona to be here today because his freedom means everything.
• Chair, that's really important is the situation that we have in Arizona with our Congresswoman, a great
• the United States House of Representatives will not seat an elected Congresswoman from the state of Arizona
• It's incredulous that the state of Arizona elects a Congresswoman who cannot be sworn in by the Speaker
• reading of the press is that the Speaker will not swear in a Congresswoman from our sister state of Arizona

Transcript Highlights:

• 20 behavioral health codes in the state that were used and we compared them to both Medicare and Arizona
• Then we see other states like Arizona, very rural and very similar to New Mexico, that do have lower
• can compare how our Medicaid people in New Mexico are similar to those in places like Colorado and Arizona
• But have we necessarily looked at Arizona specifically or another state to say, you know, what are you
• have access to specialists because of where we live, or that they'll need to travel to Colorado or Arizona

Transcript Highlights:

• And I look at Arizona and I say, okay, here are two states that don't have anything that New Mexico doesn't
• We ought to look at what Texas and Arizona are doing. In other words, scrap all of this.
• And if I'm right, I think Arizona charges maybe on certain supplies but not on services, whereas we have
• Madam Chair and Representative Teresa, I can't say with certainty what Arizona... ...Texas do on hospital
• I can tell you, first-hand, that in New Mexico, Silver City, Grant County, many people travel to Arizona

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the next project... is Phase 4 of the US-64 project between Arizona and Shiprock.
• That US-64 project, which you have heard a lot about, is from Arizona to Shiprock. It is five...
• We came in from Arizona. We came in from Colorado.
• You know, at the Lordsburg Playa, we've implemented a lot of what Arizona does We have a warning system
• especially I know we had the prairie dogs eating the septic system in the entrance to New Mexico from Arizona

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we position ourselves to ensure that it's not going to Arizona, Colorado, Texas, or Michigan?
• We need to make sure that these investments are not going to Arizona, Colorado, Texas, or Michigan, but
• ensuring that our kids have a place to work and stay here in New Mexico so they don't need to go to Arizona
• compared to the semiconductor manufacturing industry, if we want to try to compete with Texas and Arizona
• Why would they come here when they can go to Arizona, Texas, and have utilities in the ground in four

Transcript Highlights:

• I was invited down to visit the Waymo facility down in Phoenix, Arizona.
• I was invited down to visit the Waymo facility in Phoenix, Arizona, and part of the deal was to ride
• I think in the entire time that Waymo was in service in Phoenix, Arizona, they had had three accidents
• And just quickly, you know, to your point on the one the other day, wherever that was, Arizona or whatever
• Arizona and Georgia. California, Texas, and Georgia. Arizona and Georgia. Yeah, yeah, thank you.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So yes, and also atmospheric water generators, not only in Florida but also in Arizona as well.
• <00:13:35.880> as<00:13:36.040> well um Florida but also in Arizona as well um Florida
• but also in Arizona as well there's<00:13:36.399> two<00:13:36.600> bills<00:13:37.079
• would limit foreign ownership based on size and lease time, which currently include states such as Arizona
• 16:53.360> as which currently include states such as which currently include states such as Arizona

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The hearing began on SP 547, which would create incentives for graywater recycling systems and atmospheric water generators through an income tax credit, a Department of Health rebate program, and building code standards. The Department of Health and Department of Taxation offered written comments; Taxation said it had seven proposed amendments to improve administration. Testimony was largely supportive, with advocates and local users describing water-supply benefits, emergency use during the Maui fires, and potential help for drought conditions and Red Hill concerns. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii suggested only the rebate program should move forward for clearer cost transparency, and the Department of Health said it needed more time to study the bill. Members questioned the fiscal impact and whether combining a tax credit and rebate was typical, but staff did not have cost estimates. Decision-making on SP 547 was deferred to February 12, 2025. The committee then took up SP 242 on foreign ownership of agricultural lands. The chair recommended passage with amendments, including deleting a reference to the Attorney General in one section and changing the effective date to July 1, 2050. Supporters argued the bill was a first step to limit foreign ownership of farmland, citing other states with similar restrictions, while several members said they supported the intent but had reservations about possible unintended harm to farmers and agriculture investment. After discussion, the measure passed with amendments on a 5-0 vote, with some members voting with reservations. The committee also discussed SP 1633, which would create a green building tax credit for structures using at least 30% Hawaii-grown hemp material. The chair said the bill was close but needed more work, and decision-making was deferred to February 12, 2025. Later, the committee heard several environmental measures: SB 683, which would ban intentionally added PFAS in certain products starting in 2028; SB 1109, which would replace the “finding of no significant impact” with a “finding of completion of environmental disclosure process”; SB 391, which would expand recycling requirements to certain lithium-ion batteries; and SB 12, which would classify neonic pesticides as restricted-use pesticides and limit certain seed treatments. Testimony on these bills included support from environmental and advocacy groups, comments from state agencies, and requests for amendments or further study, but no final votes were taken on those measures in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• In March, Maricopa County, Arizona election officials were served a subpoena from the FBI for records
• to the midterm elections, or that ballots have already been seized for investigative purposes in Arizona

Summary: The Assembly Elections Committee met on May 6, 2026, with a quorum present and heard one bill, SB 73. The author described the measure as a response to perceived threats to California elections, including restrictions on armed or non-uniformed personnel at polling places, protections for ballots and voting equipment, and limits on law enforcement access to election materials without a court order. The chair reviewed a set of agreed amendments, including removing a section conflicting with AB 1664, deleting proposed criminal penalties, clarifying the role of the Attorney General and Secretary of State, and refining language on signature challenges, law enforcement support, and certified voting technology. Supporters, including AAPI Force, CHIRLA, the League of Women Voters of California, and Common Cause, argued the bill would protect voters from intimidation and preserve election integrity. Opponents from CALA argued the bill was unnecessary, would hinder legitimate investigations, and reflected distrust of law enforcement and federal oversight. Committee discussion focused heavily on whether the bill was responding to real-world threats and on the ballot seizure in Riverside County. Members questioned how the measure would affect signature challenges, chain of custody, and investigations into possible fraud. The author and supporters said ballots should remain in election officials’ custody and that federal or local agents should not be able to interfere with election materials or intimidate voters. The chair and other members also discussed the urgency clause and the need to move the bill quickly despite the proximity of the June election. The committee voted to do pass and re-refer SB 73 to the Committee on Public Safety. The roll call initially showed the bill passing 5-1, then after the absent member arrived, the final vote was 6-2, and the bill was reported out of committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• In March, Maricopa County, Arizona election officials were served a subpoena from the FBI for records
• to the midterm elections, or that ballots have already been seized for investigative purposes in Arizona

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Elections Committee met on May 6, 2026, with a quorum present and took up one measure, SB 73 by Senator Svantez. The author described the bill as an urgency measure intended to strengthen protections around California elections, including restrictions on law enforcement or military presence at voting locations, protections for ballots and voting equipment, and limits on access to election materials. The chair also outlined a set of agreed-upon amendments, including removing a section to avoid conflict with AB 1664, deleting proposed criminal penalties in one section, clarifying language on vote-by-mail signature challenges, and refining provisions related to law enforcement support and certified voting technology. Supporters, including AAPI Force and CHIRLA, argued the bill was needed to protect voters from intimidation and to safeguard election administration from interference, citing concerns about immigration enforcement at polling places and the Riverside County sheriff’s seizure of ballots. Additional supporters from the League of Women Voters and Common Cause registered their support. Opposition testimony from CALA argued the bill would impede legitimate investigations and federal oversight of elections, and questioned the need for the measure. Committee discussion focused heavily on whether the bill addressed a real threat, the chain of custody for ballots, and the scope of the signature-challenge provisions. After closing remarks from the author and the chair, the committee voted to pass SB 73 and re-refer it to the Committee on Public Safety. The initial roll call was 5-1 with one member absent, and after the absent member’s vote was added, the final vote was 6-2-1. The bill advanced from committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're already having a lot of our members move to states like Arizona and chasing other mining jobs,
• c><00:13:44.959> to<00:13:45.200> states<00:13:45.519> like<00:13:45.760> Arizona
• <00:13:46.320> and members move to states like Arizona and members move to states like Arizona

Bills: HF3393

Keywords: unemployment insurance, iron ore mining, additional benefits, labor force, economic support, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• While Arizona and parts of California may be leading the nation with the hottest outright temperatures
• In Arizona, our next-door neighbors who have made significant investments in tracking heat-related deaths
• southern New Mexico is on course to experience the same summer conditions as the hottest areas of Arizona
• used to be so common but is becoming increasingly common when you see, you know, 900 plus deaths in Arizona

Transcript Highlights:

• colleges, independent institutions of all kinds—are at a severe competitive disadvantage because Arizona
• Because Arizona State University, North Carolina State, and every other institution, proprietary and
• Of continuing and professional education at UC Davis and formerly vice dean at Arizona State University
• At Arizona State, we could offer online programs to California residents without navigating separate

Summary: The committee heard several higher education bills. It first approved the consent calendar, which included SB 67 and SB 619. The main discussion centered on SB 437, which would direct the CSU system to develop a fair, evidence-based process for verifying whether someone is a descendant of a person enslaved in the United States, as part of the state’s reparations work. Supporters said the bill fills a gap left by the Reparations Task Force and would create a transparent, credible lineage-verification process; opponents argued genealogy methods already exist, the bill would waste money and delay action, and some raised constitutional concerns. The committee took a vote on SB 437, but the roll was left open after the initial tally showed three ayes and three noes. The committee then heard SB 790, which would allow California to join the interstate reciprocity agreement for online postsecondary education. The author and supporters said the bill would improve consumer protections for California students taking out-of-state online courses and help California institutions compete more effectively by reducing the burden of seeking separate state approvals. Opponents, including University of Phoenix and other groups, argued the bill conflicted with the existing reciprocity framework, could exclude some institutions, and might not actually secure California’s entry into the agreement. The committee voted 3-1 to pass SB 790 as amended to the Business and Professions Committee, with the roll left open. The committee also heard SB 391, which would authorize the Community College Chancellor’s Office to charge fees for research partners seeking access to data. Supporters said the office is absorbing significant unfunded workload from data requests and that fees would help recover costs; opponents, including the California Teachers Association community college association, warned the fees could create barriers for faculty and smaller researchers. Members discussed possible exemptions and implementation details. The committee voted 5-1 to pass SB 391 as amended to the Appropriations Committee, with the roll left open. Finally, the committee heard SB 685, a pilot program to provide cost-of-attendance assistance at four CSU campuses for students who experienced homelessness in high school. Supporters said it would help students cover housing, food, and transportation costs and reduce dropout risk; members asked about eligibility and implementation, and the author explained the bill would use McKinney-Vento homelessness designations and target students at risk of “summer melt” and college homelessness.

Transcript Highlights:

• President, is there maybe a town close to the border of Arizona and New Mexico on I-40 that's being considered
• Well, there might be a place on I-40 close to the Arizona border.
• I know that Colorado has done quite a few, and I don't know about our neighboring state with Arizona,
• You know, this is also not just New Mexico and Arizona, but this also includes trade ports being planned

Transcript Highlights:

• I think Arizona, Nevada, um, did at one time. Nevada still does, I believe.
• I think Arizona, Nevada, um, did at one time. Nevada still does, I believe.
• I think Arizona, Nevada, um, did at one time. Nevada still does, I believe.
• As we gather them, we move or Arizona.
• southern Nevada or Arizona. southern Nevada or Arizona.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , the compact helps EMS, especially in places like Camado, New Mexico, which is 10 miles from the Arizona
• My other concern is that, My other concern is that I see that Arizona has not adopted the compact.
• entities that have opposed compacts over the years, and perhaps they were a little more vociferous in Arizona

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• privatized the placement part of foster care, uh, that, uh, contract was given to an organization of Arizona
• Providence was a for-profit company based in Arizona, and they lacked an understanding of adoption standards
• Those phone calls for the children in Midland were made to Austin on behalf of DFPS and to Arizona on

Bills: HB 451, HB 645, HB 1041, HB 1151, HB 1155, HB 1536, HCR 12

Keywords: commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening, validated screening tool, evidence-informed tool, conservatorship, juvenile justice, at-risk youth, trafficking prevention, Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Unit

Transcript Highlights:

• went into a supported employment program and found out he'd been a mechanic for many, many years in Arizona
• , and we got him his tools from Arizona, and he got this amazing job.
• him into housing, was he wanted me to sit down and call his twin daughters with him, who lived in Arizona
• went into a supported employment program and found out he'd been a mechanic for many, many years in Arizona
• I found out he'd been a mechanic for many, many years in Arizona, and we got him his tools from Arizona

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Human Services Committee met in interim session and first approved the previous meeting minutes before receiving a series of presentations on homelessness and housing stability. Jennifer Henderson of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency updated members on the new Interagency Council on Homelessness, describing its executive-order mandate to review resources, gather input from stakeholders, identify gaps, and develop recommendations. She said the council’s first work is building a statewide program matrix of existing homeless services and funding sources, with attention to youth, tribal communities, and other vulnerable populations. Members raised concerns about youth homelessness, homeless veterans, and how the council will stay focused on a practical framework rather than getting lost in details. The committee also discussed possible connections to the rural health transformation grant and agreed to continue the topic later in the spring. Beth Olson of Presentation Partners in Housing described the organization’s housing-first model in Cass County and Clay County, including homeless prevention/diversion, housing navigation, and Cooper House, a 42-unit permanent supportive housing building in Fargo. She said the organization focuses on people with long-term and chronic homelessness, many with mental health, addiction, health, domestic violence, and Indigenous identity-related barriers, and reported strong outcomes: 85 of 86 people housed in 2025, 91% still housed after one year, and major reductions in emergency room use, ambulance rides, jail stays, detox days, and shelter use. She also explained that state funding has grown from a small share of the budget to about $1.1 million in state-connected funding for fiscal 2026, largely through contracts tied to supportive services. Members asked about vouchers, rent contributions at Cooper House, length of stay, and whether similar projects could be expanded elsewhere. Andrea Olson of the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota outlined statewide homeless and housing-related services delivered through six community action agencies in all 53 counties. She explained the Community Services Block Grant structure, said housing was identified as the top need in the most recent statewide needs assessment, and described programs including Supportive Services for Veteran Families, North Dakota Homeless Grant services, and Home ARP supportive services. She emphasized that the end of North Dakota Rent Help has increased pressure on the system, that the current $2 million annual homeless grant is far smaller than prior rent-help assistance, and that community action is using case management and financial assistance to move households toward self-sufficiency. Members asked about funding formulas, rural service delivery, and coordination with Presentation Partners to avoid duplication. YouthWorks then began a presentation on youth homelessness, describing services for ages 12 to 24, the special needs of youth and former foster youth, and the organization’s use of federal and state funds to support transitional housing, emergency shelter, maternity housing, and diversion services.