Transcript Highlights:

• Similarly, the act does not mandate labeling.
• The act does not require labeling.
• I mean, those rules under EIB are part of that PFAS Protection Act.
• This is really setting up studies, Part of that PFAS Protection Act.
• The PFAS Protection Act, as already in law, this is simply a memorial to try to look at the new federal

Bills: SB241

Keywords: child care, child care assistance, child care subsidy, early childhood education, early childhood care, daycare, preschool, pre-K, Head Start, Early Head Start, Children's Code, early childhood education and care department, ECECD, child care facilities, licensed child care, registered child care, copayments, waitlist, subsidy, federal poverty level

Summary: The Senate began by outlining the day’s agenda, then received several House messages, including the House’s request for concurrence on Senate Bill 151 and notice that the House had concurred in Senate amendments to House Bills 2, 3, and 70. The Senate also received enrolled bills SB 64 and SB 101, and later adopted committee reports on House Bill 120 and SB 64. The chamber then took up concurrence on SB 151, a tax package that the House amended to remove the gross receipts tax provision for medical supplies, add a 1% salary increase for state employees, higher education, and public schools, extend a high-wage job tax credit, and add sunsets. Senator Hamblen supported concurrence as a friendly amendment, while Senator Cervantes argued the House changes transformed the bill into an unconstitutional appropriations measure and urged a conference committee. The Senate nevertheless concurred, 22-14. On third reading, the Senate passed House Bill 61, which increases the penalty for aggravated battery on a peace officer from a third-degree to a second-degree felony to align with other sentencing provisions. Supporters, including Senator Cervantes, cited consistency in the criminal code and noted the Sentencing Commission’s endorsement; the bill passed 37-0. The Senate also passed House Joint Memorial 3, directing the Environment Department to convene stakeholders and report on implementation of the PFAS Protection Act, despite a brief exchange over whether the memorial could be read as expanding authority under the existing PFAS law; it passed 22-13. The chamber then passed several memorials: Senate Memorial 20, amended to include youth and family voices and legislative appointees in a statewide youth violence summit, passed 35-0; Senate Memorial 21, calling for a study of a statewide overdose prevention program, passed 35-0; Senate Memorial 22, which asks the Legislative Finance Committee to convene a working group on domestic violence funding and CYFD-related funding flows, passed; and Senate Memorial 27, urging expansion of the Radiation Exposure Act to compensate New Mexicans affected by atomic testing and uranium mining, passed 34-0. At the end of the session, the Senate received a governor’s message authorizing consideration of SB 74 on cockfighting penalties, followed by a playful Senate response message. The body also agreed to move House Joint Memorial 2 from Rules to the President’s table and then recessed until 8:30 a.m. the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, our water data act, all of this different stuff that we have out there that would be so easy

Bills: SB193 , SB132 , SB35 , SB145

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: SB193, acequia, community ditch, irrigation works construction fund, water infrastructure, ditch infrastructure, irrigation, New Mexico water law, agricultural water, farmers, Rio Grande, acequia association, forest land protection revolving fund, state fund transfer, irrigation projects, SB132, DOIT, Department of Information Technology, software replacement, equipment replacement

Transcript Highlights:

• It's about an ecosystem that collaborates and creates partnerships, acting as a force multiplier.
• I think also in Maryland, there is a strong federal play there on the intelligence front and the defense
• The power of a quantum computer in the past... It's called Moore's Law.
• And that applies not only to the state, but also all of the federal organizations that are looking at
• I want to ask, how much power does this use? And I know you get this question all the time.

Bills: SB145 , SB143 , HB2 , SB145 , SB143

Committees: Senate Senate Finance , Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: auditing, financial reporting, state auditor, public agencies, capital outlay, compliance, federal audits, agriculture, New Mexico Department of Agriculture, fee update, regulatory fees, egg inspection, egg grading, egg dealer, pesticide control, pesticide registration, pesticide applicator, pest management consultant, plant protection, nursery license

Transcript Highlights:

• This aligns with the federal H.R. 1 law.
• I am here today in strong support of HB 1607, the Recycling Refund Act.
• We strongly support HB 1607, the Recycling Refunds Act.
• As you know, the Recycling Reform Act passed last year.
• The Recycling Reform Act will bring access to 100% of our customers.

Bills: HB1607 , HB2159 , HB2441 , HB2521 , HB2531 , HB2543

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: recycling, waste reduction, environmental policy, sustainability, municipal regulations, preK, education funding, childcare, youth development, state budget, HB 2441, line of duty death, survivor benefits, medical insurance premium reimbursement, surviving spouse, domestic partner, dependent children, public employee death benefits, retirement system, Washington State

Transcript Highlights:

• We also can't establish any federal or state laws that establish a belief in a specific religion.
• That's acting the practice of law, just like acting as an insurance agent, selling a product that the
• And we know that under the Affordable Care Act, only 20% can be spent on administrative fees.
• And we can't limit that language to solely the act of physically selling a product.
• Without this bill, everybody's left acting on their own. This bill allows them to have a plan.

Bills: S0052 , S0502 , S0624 , S0758 , S0834 , S0840

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: places of worship, house of worship, church, mosque, synagogue, religious security, armed security, volunteer security, private security, security guard licensing, licensure exemption, Florida Statutes chapter 493, Class G license, Class C license, security services, faith-based institutions, public safety, military jurisdiction, delinquency, concurrent jurisdiction

Transcript Highlights:

• If the carrier fails to act during the window...
• I filed the case here in Austin and the federal court, because you get a little more time in the federal
• I will do everything in my power to help prevent, identify, and help those constituents.
• Everything in my power to help prevent, identify, and help those constituents.
• stop paying unnecessary taxes to the federal government.

Bills: HB875 , HB1667 , HB2369 , HB3844 , HB4415 , HB4479 , HB4483 , HB4676 , HB5118 , HB5400 , HB5545

Committee: House S/C on Workforce

Keywords: workers' compensation, municipal construction, bidding requirements, small municipalities, contracting policies, first responders, PTSD, mental health, emergency services, medical expenses, injury claims, insurance carriers, opportunity youth, workforce development, employment, education, federal funds, employment discrimination, immunity waiver, public employees

Summary: The subcommittee heard testimony on a broad agenda of workforce, labor, and workers’ compensation bills. HB 4676 would require political subdivision workers’ compensation networks to follow the same notice, access, and complaint rules as certified TDI networks; supporters said public employees and first responders deserve equal access to care, while municipal risk pool representatives opposed added regulation and said existing 504 networks already perform well. HB 4479 would create a rural workforce development grant program at TWC to support college-and-career readiness and local workforce alignment, and HB 3844 would define “opportunity youth” in state law to improve data, coordination, and access to services for disconnected young Texans; both drew strong support from rural, education, and chamber witnesses. HB 5545 would clarify federal tax treatment for wage-replacement benefits in non-subscriber injury benefit plans, with proponents calling it a win for employers and injured workers. HB 5118 would direct TWC and DIR to study AI and automated employment decision tools in hiring, including bias and oversight concerns. HB 1667 would move existing PTSD workers’ compensation language into a broader Labor Code chapter so more first responders, including state and campus officers, could qualify for benefits; supporters called it a technical fix to extend coverage more evenly across agencies. The committee also heard several first-responder and workers’ compensation bills. HB 2369 would speed up claims handling for injured first responders by allowing a single medical evaluation, giving carriers 60 days to accept or deny a claim, and letting workers seek treatment while disputes proceed; law enforcement supporters said it would help injured officers return to work faster, while opponents warned it would revive extent-of-injury waiver problems and increase litigation. HB 4483 would reclassify certain workers’ compensation maintenance taxes as surcharges to reduce retaliatory taxes imposed by other states on Texas-domiciled carriers, and HB 875, as revised by committee substitute, would create a small-project exception to municipal workers’ compensation and bonding requirements for certain low-value construction contracts in small cities; both were presented as cost-saving measures for Texas employers and local governments. HB 4415 would extend anti-retaliation protections for workers’ compensation claimants from first responders to all public employees and expressly waive sovereign immunity for those claims, with supporters describing it as closing a loophole that leaves public workers without the same remedy available in the private sector. The committee also took testimony on HB 5400, which would expand remedies for sexual harassment victims by removing the requirement to first file an administrative charge, extending the filing deadline from 300 days to two years, clarifying retaliation, and eliminating current damages caps. Supporters, including employment lawyers and a parent of a victim, said the current deadlines and caps prevent many survivors from obtaining counsel or full relief, especially younger workers and those in small workplaces or franchises. Across the agenda, witnesses repeatedly emphasized access to care, fair treatment for injured workers, rural workforce development, and stronger protections for vulnerable employees. After each bill was laid out and testimony heard, the chair generally closed the public hearing and left the bill pending; no final votes were taken, and the subcommittee adjourned after completing the agenda.

Bills: SSB1111 , SSB1110 , SSB1119

Committee: Joint Workforce

Keywords: unemployment insurance, unemployment benefits, disqualification, temporary employment, short-term employment, fixed-term contract, fixed end date, seasonal work, workforce development, Iowa Code 96.5, benefit eligibility, employment contract, job separation, laid off, temporary worker, employer liability, National Guard, state active duty, federal active duty, military leave

Transcript Highlights:

• Through that experience, I saw firsthand how powerful a short-term break for a parent can be.
• The state that was supposed to act as my parent took my child away from me.
• This acts as a preventative measure, right?
• This acts as a preventative afloat. This acts as a preventative measure,<01:15:06.200><c> right?
• And how we want to be able to advocate, use the power of the people who have put us into these places

Bills: HF3877 , HF3714 , HF3750 , HF3024

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: public authorities, dissolution cases, court system, child protection, legal notice, foster care, child welfare, enrollment priority, education programs, child care assistance, foster youth, extended foster care, bill of rights, out-of-home placement, Minnesota Statutes chapter 260C, social services agency, caseworker, permanency team, sibling visitation, relative contact

Transcript Highlights:

• agency or there's a federal nexus.
• agency or there's a federal nexus.
• They promised cheaper power.
• The power to impose tariffs is a congressional power and needs to be restored to Congress.
• Act.

Bills: HCR74 , HJR72 , HR1042 , HR1048

Keywords: joint session, Congress, communication, President, HCR74, national emergency, government authority, Executive Order, legislative action, rule, special rule, House resolution, floor procedure, procedural resolution, firearms, gun laws, less-than-lethal weapons, weapons technology, National Marine Sanctuaries Act, undersea fiber optic cables

Transcript Highlights:

• So the definitions in state law... ...a federal statute that defines this?
• But the equipment requirements that apply to vehicles, there are federal equipment requirements that
• Parents throughout our community urged our city to act on this sooner rather than later.
• They are high-powered, unregulated e-motor bikes that fall outside of any clear classification.
• Many teenagers today ride high-power electric vehicles.

Bills: HB2307 , HB2374 , HB2379 , HB1823 , HB2111

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: commute trip reduction, definitions, transportation, environmental impact, urban planning, electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, regulation, vehicle classification, tolling, emergency suspension, public access, state highways, transportation improvement board, TIB, transportation improvement account, motor vehicle fund, arterial streets, local match, private match

Bills: HB 1209 , HB4746

Committee: House S/C on Academic & Career-Oriented Education

Keywords: school funding, instructional days, education, public schools, school performance, four-day school week, performance rating, school governance, school calendar, education funding, emergency closures, school district, school operations, Texas education, public school accountability, academic distinction designation, postsecondary readiness, career and technical education, CTE, P-TECH

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the Raise Act for the committee members.
• We start doing our Raise Act or our student weighted funding act steadily increasing each year out of
• The RAISE Act and those weights and formulas will take over.
• .of that where it says RAISE Act, program line 131 up there.
• So that's part of the RAISE Act. Yes, that's not going away.

Bills: SB305 , SB109 , SB122 , SB111 , SB114 , SB113 , SB150 , SB112 , SB289 , SB303

Committee: Senate Finance and Taxation Education

Keywords: education funding, RAISE Act, student outcomes, public schools, local education agencies, accountability, weighted allocations, special education, English language learners, gifted students, Tuskegee University, Alabama Education Trust Fund, appropriation, agricultural research, Southern Preparatory Academy, fiscal responsibility, financial reporting, Education Savings Accounts, RAISE Fund, CHOOSE Act Fund

Keywords: legislative session extension, General Appropriations Act, budget process, session deadlines

Summary: The Florida House of Representatives convened for a brief session focused on procedural matters. Representative McClure moved to waive rules and introduce House Bill 5017 and House Joint Resolution 5019. The primary business was Representative Garrison's House Concurrent Resolution 1635, which extends the 2025 regular legislative session until 11:59 PM on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. The resolution specifies that only the General Appropriations Act (GAA), its implementing bill, and an enumerated list of conforming bills, joint resolutions, and general bills may be considered during the extension. All other legislative measures will be indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration as of 12:00 AM on Saturday, May 3, 2025. The resolution was adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Madam Acting Chair. Thank you, Representative. Thank you, Madam Acting Chair.
• Again, acting chairwoman and members of the commission.
• Thank you, Madam Acting Chair. Thank you, Ashley.
• Thank you, Madam Acting Chair.
• Thank you, Madam Acting Chair. Chair's legal. Acting Chair Amedee? No. Representative Broussard?

Bills: HB28 , HB50 , HB196 , HB268 , HB271 , HB285 , HB316 , HB649 , HB807

Committee: House Education

Keywords: teacher certification, certification appeals, BESE, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Teacher Certification Appeals Council, educator licensure, teaching license, teacher licensure, appeals process, certification denial, administrative appeal, special meeting, board president, retroactive application, education board, Louisiana teachers, Department of Education, statutory entities, re-creation, termination date

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of that is just federal funding numbers as well. And so we look for more opportunities.
• Some of that is just federal funding numbers as well. And so we look for more obtuse.
• We know that the state and federal funding has not increased.
• And there's an even bigger part of federal money out there that we had in our hands.
• We need to bridge to federal crop insurance programs.

Bills: HF3692

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Keywords: Farmer-Lender Mediation Act, mediation, agriculture finance, debt relief, civil law

Bills: HB1851

Committee: House Conference Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight

Keywords: automatic renewal, consumer protection, cancellation policy, Oklahoma Fair Renewal Act, contract transparency

Bills: HB1851

Committee: House Conference Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight

Keywords: automatic renewal, consumer protection, cancellation policy, Oklahoma Fair Renewal Act, contract transparency

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, my bipartisan bicameral Sunshine Protection Act.
• the Sunshine Protection Act.
• I want to thank the committee for the consideration of the Sunshine Protection Act.
• If we called it the go to work an hour earlier act rather than the Sunshine Protection Act no one would
• You have the Federal Highway Administration, which builds and maintains highways.

Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Keywords: daylight saving time, Sunshine Protection Act, health impacts, clock change, legislative discussion

Summary: The committee meeting was dedicated to discussing significant legislative topics, focusing particularly on the implications of daylight saving time (DST). Senator Scott advocated for the Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes and keep daylight saving time year-round. He emphasized the negative health impacts associated with DST, including increased risks of heart attacks and accidents immediately following the time changes. Various witnesses provided personal testimonies and expert opinions, highlighting the confusion and health disruptions caused by the current time change practices.

Transcript Highlights:

• I can't think of a better testimonial for the America Act.
• The America Act is a first vital step to make sure the most powerful players follow some basic rules
• In August 2024, a federal judge ruled that, in fact, it is.
• Act.
• I mean, so the Clayton Act allows private suits.

Committee: Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights

Keywords: antitrust, competition policy, digital advertising, monopoly, America Act, big tech, consumer rights

Summary: The meeting, titled 'Big Fixes, Big Tech', marked the first hearing of the Senate antitrust competition policy and consumer rights subcommittee in the 119th Congress. Chairman Lee opened the session focusing on the urgent need for effective solutions regarding anti-competitive behavior among major tech firms like Google and Facebook, highlighting several ongoing court cases regarding monopolistic practices in the digital advertising and search markets. Key discussions included the limitations imposed on small businesses and innovation due to the dominance of these tech giants, with many testimonies advocating for stronger legislative measures, including the America Act. The act aims to disrupt the monopolistic capabilities of these firms and restore competitive integrity in the marketplace, which has suffered under their oppressive market control.

Transcript Highlights:

• Federal courts and federal law have upheld Title IX protections based on sex, male and female, not gender
• c> law</c><00:02:13.440><c> have</c> 9 federal courts and federal law have 9 federal courts and federal
• law the way that the federal administration is interpreting federal law.
• The first one was Jeff Powers. Jeff Powers was asked if he was with the committee.
• Powers. Thank you, Mr. Powers. We appreciate your testimony.

Bills: HF1233

Committee: House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Keywords: women's athletics, gender, sports competition, Human Rights Act, biological sex, participation limits