Transcript Highlights:

• We have federally chartered banks and state-chartered banks.
• Chair, through you, would be: do banks make money?
• Chairman, Senator Rogers, we make money banking whoever we're allowed to bank under the law. Mr.
• with banks?
• Patriot Act as banking institutions? Mr.

Summary: The committee first took up SB 1803, which would regulate non-accredited veterans benefits claims assistance by prohibiting unrecognized agents or attorneys from preparing or prosecuting claims, limiting compensation practices, requiring written disclosures and cancellation rights, and making violations subject to Attorney General enforcement. Supporters, including the sponsor and several veterans, said the bill would create needed guardrails against predatory actors while preserving veterans’ choice to use free or paid help. Opponents and some neutral testimony, including a VA-accredited attorney and representatives of the VFW and American Legion, argued the bill still lacked sufficient protections, raised federal preemption concerns, and should require VA accreditation instead. After debate over fees, back pay, and the availability of free services, the committee adopted an amendment and gave SB 1803 a do pass recommendation by a 5-2 vote. The committee then heard SB 1232, a strike-everything amendment dealing with outdoor advertising signs in military airport and ancillary military facility overlay zoning districts. The bill would allow signs on property with a military compatibility permit in areas otherwise treated as residential under a zoning designation, which the sponsor and property representatives said was needed to resolve an ADOT permitting loophole for a specific parcel near Luke Air Force Base and the Northern Parkway. Members questioned whether the change was narrowly tailored, whether other properties could be affected, and whether ADOT and federal highway beautification rules would be satisfied. After the amendment was adopted, the committee approved SB 1232 on a 4-3 vote, with several members saying they would reserve the right to change their votes on the floor. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1511, which would prohibit operation of a commercial motor vehicle in Arizona unless the operator can prove lawful presence in the United States and would allow impoundment if proof is not provided. The sponsor introduced the bill with a lengthy explanation of commercial driver licensing history and concerns about non-domiciled and limited-term CDLs, contrasting them with Canadian and Mexican commercial licensing arrangements. The transcript cuts off before testimony, questions, or any action on SB 1511.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the rate that the Federal Reserve Bank charges other banks or provides other banks in payment, and
• The bank needs another four on top of that to make money, right?
• Interest rates still have to be at six for the bank to make money on the four points.
• So the bank needs 4. So If money's at 2, they need to lend at six. Correct.
• Yeah, and so that reduces the margin for the bank.

Committees: Senate Senate Finance , Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• those terms in all official state communications, documents, and references, and reject the term West Bank
• those terms in all official state communications, documents, and references, and rejects the term West Bank
• They are historically accurate names of this land used for thousands of years in historical records,
• See, the term West Bank is not ancient, it's not neutral, and it's... ...not historically accurate.
• In Jeremiah 31:23, he refers to the land of Judah, Eretz Yehuda.

Bills: HB2014 , HB2156 , HB2180 , HB2554 , HCR2047 , HR2002

Committees: House Appropriations , House House Appropriations Committee of Reference

Keywords: air emissions, fuel blends, environmental quality, feasibility study, Arizona Department of Agriculture, livestock, compensation, funding, ranching, agriculture, appropriation, University of Arizona, education, state budget, biennial budget, state funding, appropriations, budget procedures, fiscal years, Judea

Transcript Highlights:

• I've got five land grants: Carnival, Chula Lee, Torreonti, Hickey. And Manzano.
• I worked on land grants eons ago in my younger years from the federal side, so it's good to be back on
• We are now starting to lend to land grants and some other smaller communities that don't have access
• , Pioneer Bank, Southwest Capital Bank, Western Commerce, and Western Heritage. and several other lenders
• I've been working with the land; that's another really great one.

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• What I saw was a lot of land space. And what I saw was a community on the move.
• Isn't the General Land Commissioner a statewide office? You'd be correct.
• These funds were generally in a general land office and also appeal to be outdated.
• Let's allow the General Land Office to finish their job without a move of adoption.
• For their own personal leaderships, own personal piggy banks. Were you aware of that?

Bills: SB6 , SB30 , SB13 , SB2878 , SB2501 , SB66 , SB268 , SB331 , SB618 , SB414 , SB1394 , SB2425 , SB898 , SB993 , SB442 , SB735 , SB784 , SB2538 , SB1919 , SB1013 , SB2215 , SB2322 , SB626 , SB570 , SB747 , SB2183 , SB673 , SB1015 , SB1447 , SB1370 , SB1784 , SB1897 , SB2873 , SB2891 , SB2933 , SB2540 , SB2681 , SB2695 , SB1965 , SB2203 , SB872 , SB875 , SB1030 , SB1277 , SB1730 , SB1681 , SB1152 , SB2969 , SB2747 , SB2705 , SB2541 , SB1708 , SB2080 , SB2721 , SB1986 , SB2392 , SB2539 , SB2857 , SB2799 , SB2785 , SB2782 , SB1531 , SB1927 , SB1263 , SB1098 , SB835 , SB3070 , SB22 , SJR27 , SB25 , SB7 , SB552 , SB1612 , SJR87 , SJR1 , SB6 , SB30 , SB13 , SB2878 , SB57 , SB127 , SB293 , SB441 , SB3059 , SB512 , SB241 , SB1718 , SB140 , SB2055 , SB2075 , SB2018 , SB1534 , SB1567 , SB785 , SB1233 , SB1580 , SB1663 , SB413 , SB447 , SB519 , SB467 , SB1579 , SB1191 , SB1021 , SB1838 , SB2807 , SB2835 , SB546 , SB2121 , SB2167 , SB2035 , SB2024 , SB1032 , SB1049 , SB1266 , SB1400 , SB1302 , SB401 , SB1596 , SB1281 , SB1242 , SB1343 , SB310 , SB1346 , SB2753 , SB2703 , SB2221 , SB1719 , SB2177 , SB800 , SB790 , SB748 , SB571 , SB1957 , SB1923 , SB1896 , SB1760 , SB1335 , SB2368 , SB2477 , SB2587 , SB2972 , SB2986 , SB2965 , SB1563 , SB1467 , SB1164 , SB1137 , SB614 , SB705 , SB961 , SB918 , SB955 , SB869 , SB850 , SB863 , SB1610 , SB1055 , SB2206 , SB457 , SB2337 , SB1362 , SB926 , SB1494 , SB251 , SB456 , SB500 , SB1307 , SB2615 , SB2995 , SB2321 , SB973 , SB974 , SB865 , SB506 , SB781 , SB1522 , SB1558 , SB510 , SB667 , SB763 , SB2073 , SB1858 , SB1660 , SB505 , SB2900 , SB1433 , SB1540 , SB1964 , SB1300 , SB1644 , SB2217 , SB2373 , SB2431 , SB1758 , SB2480 , SB3039 , SB3047 , SB3073 , SB2920 , SB2781 , SB826 , SB766 , SB2460 , SB527 , SB1946 , SB2885 , SB1243 , SB2610 , SB2595 , SB857 , SB2501 , SB66 , SB268 , SB331 , SB618 , SB414 , SB1394 , SB2425 , SB898 , SB993 , SB442 , SB735 , SB784 , SB2538 , SB1919 , SB1013 , SB2215 , SB2322 , SB626 , SB570 , SB747 , SB2183 , SB673 , SB1015 , SB1447 , SB1370 , SB1784 , SB1897 , SB2873 , SB2891 , SB2933 , SB2540 , SB2681 , SB2695 , SB1965 , SB2203 , SB872 , SB875 , SB1030 , SB1277 , SB1730 , SB1681 , SB1152 , SB2969 , SB2747 , SB2705 , SB2541 , SB1708 , SB2080 , SB2721 , SB1986 , SB2392 , SB2539 , SB2857 , SB2799 , SB2785 , SB2782 , SB1531 , SB1927 , SB1263 , SB1098 , SCR9 , HB5560 , HB762 , HB 107 , HB 114 , HB138 , HB4386 , HB2495 , HB581 , HB3348 , HB5323 , HB1584 , HB4341 , HB6 , HB171 , HB143 , HB449 , HB3486 , HB4263 , HB5246 , HB2 , HB2011 , SB17 , SB21

Keywords: electric power, interconnection, utilities, ERCOT, large load customers, water supply, sewer service, demand management, school libraries, library advisory councils, parental rights, library materials, educational content, challenging materials, judicial branch, court security, expunction, pretrial intervention, youth diversion, record retention

Transcript Highlights:

• Department of Agriculture to review land purchases by foreign entities and ban China from buying land
• </c> Department of Agriculture to review land Department of Agriculture to review land purchases<00:10
• land land thank Mr.
• The core banking principles of Fort Bank are respecting the customer, offering competitive rates, and
• The core banking principles of Fort Bank are respecting the customer, offering competitive rates, and

Transcript Highlights:

• biblical, and legal legitimacy of the regions of Judea and Samaria and formally reject the term West Bank
• biblical, and legal legitimacy of the regions of Judea and Samaria and formally reject the term West Bank
• And then part of the problem with AWAs is that they have access to borrowers' bank accounts.
• Members, some of the testimony we heard was that gun organizations can't bank with institutions, and
• But banks are private businesses. They get a say over who they want to partner with or not. So.

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:

• Or even land?
• Or even land?
• Or even land?
• So, you know, that's why a run on the bank is a problem. The bank doesn't have all the money.
• So, you know, that's why a run on the bank is a problem. The bank doesn't have all the money.

Summary: The House Commerce Committee opened a public hearing on House Bill 310, sponsored by Representative Keith Ammon, which would create a study commission to develop a legal framework for stable tokens and tokenized real-world assets. Ammon described stable tokens as blockchain-based digital tokens backed by U.S. dollars or treasuries, and tokenized real-world assets as representations of ownership in items such as gold, real estate, or artwork. He said the bill is intended to help New Hampshire get ahead of emerging financial markets while waiting to see how federal legislation develops. Committee members asked about the purpose of the bill, the difference between this proposal and Bitcoin, whether state regulation could be preempted by federal law, and whether the commission could be balanced and avoid becoming a vehicle for fraud or money laundering. Ammon said the proposal is blockchain-agnostic, could apply to multiple networks, and is meant to regulate asset-backed tokens rather than create a state-issued coin. He emphasized that the state would not be guaranteeing the underlying assets, but would set rules requiring audits, proof of reserves, and honest representation of backing, with the Secretary of State’s securities office involved in oversight. Several members raised concerns about the risks of stablecoins, including money laundering, tax evasion, and possible harm to the dollar or confusion about whether the state was endorsing a new currency. Ammon responded that the bill would not undermine the dollar and argued that tokenization could actually expand demand for U.S. currency by making it easier to use globally. He also said the state would not be in the business of weighing assets or directly valuing them, only ensuring a valid audit trail and one-to-one backing. The discussion ended with general agreement that the subject is complex and that a commission could help develop future legislation, but no vote or final action was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• the land.
• And a bank is not going to give them funding if they don't own the land. this business to just lease
• And a bank is not going to give them funding if they don't own the land. ...going to give them funding
• The chair, the banks would normally issue a mortgage secured against land you own.
• middle of it was state land, and state land... ...of it was state land, and state land was going to

Committee: House House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2150, which continues the State Land Department until July 1, 2030. Members questioned the commissioner extensively about agency procedures, backlog, appraisals, auction practices, privilege claims in the Fontamonte audit, and the Coyotes land transaction. The committee also discussed the Griffin amendment, which required quarterly updates, a public hearing on the department’s strategic plan, changes to conceptual land use plans and five-year disposition plans, and legislative findings. After debate over oversight and accountability, the amendment was adopted and HB 2150 was returned with a do pass recommendation by a 6-4 vote. The committee then considered House Bill 2975, which would suspend the State Land Department’s solar scoring map and require new mining and housing resource maps, with the amendment changing the mapping deadline and requiring the maps to be posted online. Supporters said the bill would improve fairness and maximize trust revenue for schools by avoiding favoritism toward solar; opponents argued the solar map is only a guidance tool and that removing it could reduce transparency and revenue. The department said it was neutral but asked for additional staff or consultant support if the bill passed. The committee adopted the amendment and passed HB 2975 as amended on a 6-4 vote. House Bill 2781 followed, addressing solar plant decommissioning, restoration, financial assurance, insurance, and a remediation fund. The amendment narrowed the bill to decommissioning standards and limited its reach to projects receiving permits after the effective date. Testimony focused on the need to ensure solar sites are restored and that taxpayers are not left with cleanup costs; several speakers cited abandoned or aging energy infrastructure as a cautionary example. The committee adopted the amendment and passed HB 2781 as amended by a 6-4 vote. Finally, the committee began House Bill 2267, which would classify certain utility-scale wind or solar projects within four miles of residential property as a public nuisance, with exceptions and grandfathering for existing projects. The sponsor argued the bill responds to concerns about large renewable projects near homes and property value impacts, while the amendment narrowed the scope to utility-scale wind and solar and excluded rooftop solar and existing projects. The transcript cuts off before any final action on HB 2267.

Transcript Highlights:

• So flush they even own a bank. Why is this important?
• regulations modernizing outdated banking regulations and allowing banks to more effectively deploy capital
• The package also includes key banking measures that will... includes key banking measures that will help
• That's why the banking reforms in this bill are also critical.
• They were over $200,000 in debt in 1962 and had $35 in the bank.

Transcript Highlights:

• The land grant then gets the money in the bank and they have five days to spend that money.
• Some land grants have some land they can maybe lease.
• And I'm wondering, some of my questions are going to be related to the Land Bank Council and the Attorney
• So many land grants.
• We now get land of interest.

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• and instead refer to the land liberated by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War as Judea to the south
• It will require all Florida state agencies to stop using the term West Bank and replace it with Judea
• It will also prohibit state agencies from spending funds to produce material using the term West Bank
• Florida is home to thousands of Palestinian Americans with ties to the West Bank.
• It recognizes to Jewish people the land that they have liberated, and it is accuracy and history that

Bills: S7020 , S0308 , S0692 , S0474 , S0572 , S1106 , S1650 , S0350 , S1442 , S7032

Committee: Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Summary: The committee heard and voted on several measures. SB 308 on the Florida Museum of Black History was explained as implementing a prior task force recommendation by designating St. Johns County as the museum site, creating a board, and coordinating with a supporting nonprofit; it passed favorably. SB 692 on cybersecurity standards and liability was amended to bar local governments from imposing cybersecurity requirements on vendors beyond generally accepted best practices, and after testimony both for and against, it was reported favorably as a committee substitute. SB 572 updated ethics law to include legally recognized foster parents and foster children in the definition of relative; after a technical amendment and support from the Ethics Commission, it passed unanimously. SB 1442 revised the long-range program plan to require more specific performance metrics and agency-specific measures; it also passed favorably. The committee also approved SB 1106, as amended by a strike-all, to require state agencies and certain educational materials to use “Judea and Samaria” instead of “West Bank,” despite opposition arguing it would impose political language and conflict with federal and international terminology. SB 7020 reenacted a public records exemption for certain aquaculture and shellfish production records and passed with support from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. SB 474 expanded military leave and related benefits for public employees and officials, including members of the Coast Guard and Florida State Guard, and added three amendments before being reported favorably. SB 350, dealing with public records protections for crime victims and certain law enforcement victims, was heavily amended to add time-limited confidentiality for an officer’s name in some cases and then passed favorably after discussion about balancing transparency and safety. Finally, the committee approved SPB 7032 as a committee bill to shift more fleet management responsibilities from DMS to individual agencies, while still requiring data reporting to DMS for legislative oversight. SB 1650 by Senator Gates was temporarily postponed. At the end of the meeting, members recorded votes on selected bills, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So any source of emissions on tribal land, including allotment lands, is not regulated due to our sovereignty
• Community banks support responsible environmental stewardship.
• Banks and their customers they serve statewide.
• We are New Mexico's only Green Bank.
• We overworked the land. We didn't have whatever it takes to do that.

Summary: The committee first took up the proposed 2026 tax package, Senate Bill 151, and adopted a committee substitute after discussion of the package’s funding capacity and included measures. The substitute bundled five bills: a physician tax credit, a quantum facility infrastructure tax credit, a construction materials gross receipts deduction for affordable multifamily housing, a local journalist employment tax credit, and a health equipment gross receipts deduction. Members discussed amendments that raised the physician credit from $4,000 to $10,000, narrowed the housing deduction to project-based certification, and reduced the journalist credit threshold from four stories to three. Concerns were raised about the fiscal impact on municipalities, especially Albuquerque, and about the funding mechanism, but the committee voted 6-4 to give the substitute a do pass recommendation. Senator Sanchez explained his vote, saying he wished more could have been included in the package. The committee then heard Senate Bill 18, the Clear Horizons Act, which would codify statewide greenhouse gas reduction targets and direct the Environment Department and Environmental Improvement Board to develop plans and rules for emissions reductions. The sponsors said the bill builds on the governor’s 2019 executive order, includes a 10,000-metric-ton threshold for covered emitters, allows certified offsets, and is intended to protect public health, reduce climate-related costs, and provide regulatory certainty. Supporters argued the bill would help communities facing wildfire, drought, health harms, and rising insurance and utility costs, and that it would encourage clean-energy investment and long-term economic stability. Opposition testimony came from mining, oil and gas, rural electric cooperatives, construction, agriculture, auto dealers, chambers of commerce, banks, water recycling companies, and realtors. They argued the bill functions like a carbon tax or broad regulatory mandate, would raise energy and compliance costs, could reduce investment and jobs, and would disproportionately affect rural, tribal, agricultural, and low-income communities. Several witnesses warned of higher electricity and fuel bills, revenue losses for local governments, and uncertainty from delegating major policy decisions to rulemaking. Supporters included public health advocates, educators, local officials, clean-energy businesses, tribal and environmental advocates, and residents affected by wildfire and drought, who said the bill is necessary to address climate harms and protect public health and the economy. No final committee vote on SB 18 was reached in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Banks. 26 as amended. Representative Banks.
• &gt;&gt; Represent<01:08:54.560><c> Banks.</c> &gt;&gt; Represent Banks. &gt;&gt; Represent Banks.
• What's the do this with the land.
• </c> with that land in said future? with that land in said future?
• </c> funding aside if you don't have land. funding aside if you don't have land.

Bills: HB0026 , HB0042 , HB0067 , HB0069

Committee: House Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• There's about 18,600 acres of ag land.
• , Wildlife and Fisheries lands, private lands, and federal lands.
• There's a shortage of public land access in southwest Louisiana.
• That data and that success showing its land. Prairie.
• I know we talked about land rights just a little bit.

Summary: The board met on January 21, 2026, approved the agenda and minutes, and received a CPRA implementation update from Executive Director Michael Hare. Hare reported about 103 active projects, with work focused on completing existing projects and moving more into construction. He highlighted several projects, including Port Fourchon shoreline protection, Northwest Little Lake marsh creation, Sugar Ridge Pump Station, a large RESTORE-funded marsh creation project, Schooner Bayou saltwater barrier rehabilitation, Cain Bayou marsh creation redesign, West Shore river reintroduction work, Morganza to the Gulf reaches, NERDA Raccoon Island restoration, and Chenier-O-Tig ridge restoration. He also reviewed recreation and partnership projects such as Bayou Pigeon and Destrehan boat launches, Grand Bayou Marsh Creation, Highway 1 terracing, and four Louisiana projects funded through the National Coastal Resilience Fund. Hare noted the annual plan public meetings were complete and the comment period remained open through February 17, 2026. Board members asked about the Rockefeller shoreline project, and Hare said the Corps and state agencies were working through geotechnical and environmental issues and that leadership remained committed to moving it forward. The board then heard a joint presentation from CPRA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the White Lake Conservation Area and Management Plan. Officials described White Lake as a 72,000-acre property in Vermilion Parish with major habitat, recreation, and revenue functions, but said aging infrastructure, levee erosion, limited water control structures, and maintenance costs made a master plan necessary. The plan, finalized in October 2025, recommends coastal restoration projects, lodge and facility revitalization using private dollars, revenue-generation improvements, and long-term partnerships. Proposed work includes GIWW shoreline protection, Unit 2/Caddo levee stabilization, and north shoreline protection, with about $30 million already secured for engineering and construction and total needs estimated at roughly $120 million to $130 million. Officials also discussed broader habitat management, conservation incentives for private landowners, possible land acquisition in southwest Louisiana, and coordination with federal partners and other state agencies. Members praised the White Lake effort as a model of interagency collaboration and emphasized its importance for waterfowl habitat, public access, and tourism. Questions focused on funding sources, oil and gas revenue, and whether other agencies such as economic development and tourism should be involved. Several members also urged the state to apply similar management approaches to other refuges, including Sabine, Cameron Prairie, and Lacassine, where they said federal management has lagged. The discussion underscored a broader shift toward landscape-scale habitat management and public recreation investment. The final major presentation covered CPRA’s marsh creation design guidelines and related construction logistics. Staff explained that marsh creation makes up a large share of the coastal master plan and that the agency is updating its 2017 design guidelines after nearly a decade of use. The updates will address survey standards, geotechnical methods, dredge production estimates, construction monitoring, and oil and gas infrastructure conflicts. A second presentation reviewed safety, access, and logistics for marine construction, including equipment access routes, pipeline identification and coordination, cultural resources, private landowners, oyster resources, and permitting. Board members asked about reducing geotechnical costs, improving land-rights coordination, considering uncontained marsh creation where appropriate, and managing pipeline impacts; staff said they would consider those suggestions as part of the guideline updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't have an answer to the question of how many commercial banks have a class one vault.
• But when I worked on this bill two years ago, I did negotiate with the banks...
• I don't have an answer to how many commercial banks have a class one vault.
• But when I worked on this bill two years ago, I did negotiate with the banks...
• I did negotiate with the banks and had that language added to the bill.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Monies that are generated from the sale of land are put in a separate fund called the land bank.
• The land bank, and this is an important part, the land bank does not factor into the equation for how
• The land bank does not factor into the equation for how those beneficiary distributions are calculated
• lands for decades.
• We work with a number of agencies and land managers, and one of those is the Department of Lands.

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> a great alignment around looking at land a great alignment around looking at land use<00:14:59.240
• </c><00:30:27.480><c> um</c> all developers really purchase land um all developers really purchase land
• </c><00:42:50.640><c> underneath</c> residents rent is the land underneath residents rent is the land
• </c> homes when they're placed on least land homes when they're placed on least land are<00:46:35.319
• </c> owned it outright but rented the land owned it outright but rented the land that<01:13:39.440><c

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• Because then I would go to a bank and say, hey, here's my quitclaim deed.
• . ...fee simple title to the land, to the property.
• or banks loaning money on quitclaim deeds.
• What's illegal is if you take that deed to go to the bank, That's not illegal.
• , and for agricultural and horticultural land, productive capability of the land as determined under

Summary: The House met after a quorum was established and began with several introductions of special guests, including job shadows, 4-H participants, and interns. The chamber then moved to House Bills for Perfection, taking up HB 1707, which would stop sales tax from being imposed on credit card processing fees charged to vendors. Members asked for clarification about the bill’s scope and the title amendment, and the bill sponsor explained that the measure simply prevents tax from being charged on those fees. HB 1707 was then ordered perfected and printed. The House next considered HB 2819, a bill responding to the end of penny minting by authorizing rounding of cash sales to the nearest five cents. Supporters said the bill would give businesses a clear legal framework and reduce compliance risk. The chamber adopted the committee substitute and ordered the bill perfected and printed. Members then took up HB 2103, a property-fraud and notary-fraud bill aimed at strengthening penalties, requiring warning signs in recorder of deeds offices, and speeding court review for alleged victims. Supporters said it was needed to deter fraudulent deed filings and protect homeowners, while opponents argued it focused too much on notaries and recorders rather than the people committing the fraud. The committee substitute was adopted and the bill was ordered perfected and printed. The House also debated HB 1800, which would lower the inflationary cap on certain property-tax revenue growth from 5% to 3%. The discussion centered on whether the change would protect taxpayers or reduce funding for schools, fire districts, libraries, and other local services. An amendment was adopted that broadened the title and added property-assessment language, and the bill was then ordered perfected and printed. Finally, the House considered HB 2600, dealing with ambulance district consolidation and governance. The bill was described as a response to struggling rural EMS systems, with provisions for consolidation plans, public hearings, and voter involvement. An amendment modified the process for subdistricts, at-large districts, timing, and merger procedures, and the committee substitute as amended was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. The House then moved to announcements and adjourned until the next scheduled meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Land use.
• I am with the Central California Food Bank.
• Central California Food Bank.
• land.
• I bought the three acres of land, 2.67 acres of land, because my long-term goal is, or my short-term

Summary: The joint informational hearing at Fresno State focused on cost pressures in California’s food system and how those pressures affect households, farmers, and small businesses. Opening remarks emphasized Fresno State’s role in the Central Valley economy and the region’s importance to the state and nation’s food supply. Members said the hearing was part of a broader “pocketbook tour” to gather local input on affordability, food costs, labor, water, regulation, and market conditions, and they noted the added strain from the federal shutdown’s impact on CalFresh benefits and food insecurity. The first panel featured an agricultural economist, a PPIC researcher, and a Small Business Development Center leader. The economist described agriculture’s outsized role in the Central Valley’s GDP, employment, exports, and food manufacturing, while identifying water scarcity, SGMA-related land fallowing, labor shortages and rising labor costs, market uncertainty, invasive pests, and rising production costs as major barriers. The PPIC witness said food prices remain much higher than before the pandemic, household budgets are under pressure, and California’s nutrition safety net—especially CalFresh, WIC, and school meals—reduces poverty significantly, though federal changes and the shutdown could weaken that support. The SBDC representative highlighted technical assistance, capital access, and training for farm-adjacent businesses, but warned that reduced funding and ownership-transition challenges are making it harder for small businesses and farms to adapt. The second panel brought testimony from a small produce grower, a food entrepreneur, and the Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO. The grower said input costs such as fertilizer, fuel, irrigation supplies, land leases, labor, and compliance have risen sharply while wholesale prices have not, leaving small farmers with thin or negative margins and delayed disaster assistance. The food entrepreneur described scaling barriers for small food processors, including the lack of local small-batch processing facilities, higher distribution costs, and the need for better education on labeling and regulatory compliance. The Farm Bureau leader argued that farmers are price takers, not price setters, and said consumer food prices are driven largely by transportation, processing, packaging, and retail costs rather than farm-gate prices; he also stressed the importance of exports, water infrastructure, land preservation, ag burn rules, and continued investment in technology and labor solutions. Members asked about ways to help small farmers, land access, farm-to-school participation, ag burn restrictions, and water reliability. Witnesses suggested grants or programs to help small farmers buy land, more local processing capacity, continued investment in water conveyance and recharge, and stronger support for technical assistance and innovation. No formal votes were taken; the hearing concluded with members thanking the panelists and inviting continued input as they prepare future legislation.