Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, gentlelady, those can be very needed investments in rural communities. Mr.
• And mind you, I represent a district quite like yours, tribal rural.
• So it did its job, and a lot of that went to rural money.
• So it did its job, and a lot of that went to rural money.
• would be pulled to go back to rural communities, even if it wasn't mine.

Bills: HB111 , HB61 , HB43 , HB156 , HB70 , SB3 , HB103 , HB109 , HB128 , HB247 , HJM2 , HJM3 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26 , HM2 , HM16 , HM32 , HM11 , HM14 , HM21 , HM34 , HM50

Keywords: water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order, water rights, overdiversion, illegal diversion, groundwater storage and recovery, well license, permit violation, water enforcement, New Mexico water code, irrigation district, conservancy district, water diversion, unauthorized water sales, measuring device, district court appeal, water resources, water compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• We are home to rural...
• So it did its job, and a lot of that went to rural money.
• So it did its job, and a lot of that went to rural money.
• know, rural-specific project funding mechanisms.
• , rural. of this bill, HB2 has dollars for different, you know, rural-esque specific project funding

Bills: HB111 , HB61 , HB43 , HB156 , HB70 , SB3 , HB103 , HB109 , HB128 , HB247 , HJM2 , HJM3 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26 , HM2 , HM16 , HM32 , HM11 , HM14 , HM21 , HM34 , HM50

Keywords: water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order, water rights, overdiversion, illegal diversion, groundwater storage and recovery, well license, permit violation, water enforcement, New Mexico water code, irrigation district, conservancy district, water diversion, unauthorized water sales, measuring device, district court appeal, water resources, water compliance

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and pledges, and spent much of the session on memorials and recognitions. Members honored former Senator Clint Hardin with a certificate and extended condolences, with several representatives sharing personal remembrances of his work on autism coverage, second chances for formerly incarcerated people, rural issues, and bipartisan dealmaking. The chamber also recognized Council of Governments Day, 4-H Day, NMSU Day, scouting groups, and several student and community guests, including youth from 4-H, NMSU CAMP, folklórico, and the La Cueva boys soccer team. The House received messages from the governor and Senate, including authorization for House Bill 320, the Industrial Carbon Reduction Act, and Senate passage of several bills. Committee reports were adopted on a long list of measures, including House Bills 145, 158, 180, 49, 164, 256, 287, 60, 120, 166, 306, 124, 314, 185, 253, 195, 259, 295, 296, 338, and others, along with several joint resolutions and memorials. The chamber also ordered certain bills germane and referred them to committees, and enrolled and engrossed multiple memorials. On third reading, House Bill 43, a PERA cleanup bill, passed 65-0. The House Judiciary Committee substitute for House Bill 70, updating the Public Regulation Commission and hearing officer structure, passed 66-0 after brief debate. House Bill 247, which modernizes capital outlay procedures and limits reauthorizations, was then taken up; the sponsor explained it would send unspent general fund capital outlay money to a Capital Development and Reserve Fund and tribal project balances to the tribal infrastructure fund. An amendment was offered to redirect the reserve fund money to the state road fund, and debate began, with members discussing road conditions and the purpose of the reserve fund.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's why our rural hospitals are suffering so much.
• This, I'm fighting for rural communities.
• I have tons of rural hospitals. I'm a fighter for rural hospitals.
• I would stretch your eyes out by rural hospitals.
• There are a lot of gaps, specifically in rural hospital areas.

Bills: HB62 , HB124 , HB182 , HB193 , HB198 , HB203 , HB223 , HB237 , HB469 , HB486 , HB574 , HB779 , HB796 , HB919 , SCR2 , SB4 , SB36 , SB38 , SB109 , SB152 , SB168 , SB195 , SB216 , SB221 , SB236 , SB404

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: Louisiana Women's Policy, gender equality, policy research, commission membership, women's representation, Domestic Violence, judicial experience, legislation, criminal law, family law, HB182, sexual assault, rape kit, forensic examination, forensic medical exam, sexual assault survivor, sexual assault nurse examiner, SANE, emergency department, hospital staffing

Transcript Highlights:

• Subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability under New Mexico law. Mr.
• And I should say that, so in rural New Mexico—I'll give you one of my counties is Catron County.
• And I know what our rural clerks go through.
• Address rural New Mexico concerns.
• But for the vast majority of our rural counties, this is not practical.

Bills: SB264 , SB261

Committee: Senate House Rules & Order Of Business

Keywords: election integrity, voter coercion, public safety, emergency procedures, polling place security, health regulations, community welfare, peace promotion, legislative reforms

Summary: The committee heard two election-related bills. SB 264, sponsored by Sen. Duhigg and others and presented by the Secretary of State, would add definitions and new offenses to New Mexico election law to prohibit interference with elections, including the presence of troops or armed persons at polling places or ballot drop boxes, attempts to impose election rules contrary to state law, and intentional obstruction of access to polling places. It also would create civil enforcement options, strengthen existing election offenses by adding “under color of law” language, and include emergency voting procedures for voters displaced by natural disasters. Supporters, including Common Cause, the Center for Civic Policy, and the League of Women Voters, said the bill protects voters from intimidation and outside interference. Several county clerks and rural legislators raised concerns about late changes, lack of consultation, rural logistics, and possible litigation. The committee adopted the Rules Committee substitute and advanced SB 264 on a 5-3 roll call vote. SB 261, presented as a companion election measure, would remove the existing exception that allowed law enforcement to carry firearms at polling places, but the sponsor offered an amendment to allow armed law enforcement to respond when called by the presiding judge, county clerk, or Secretary of State. Supporters said firearms do not belong in or around polling places because they can intimidate voters and poll workers, while opponents argued the bill was unnecessary because existing law already covers law enforcement response and that the amendment created confusion. After a recess caused by members leaving the room, the committee returned, adopted the Rules Committee substitute including the amendment, and advanced SB 261 by unanimous voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• The impact of these events decimated many parts of rural Texas in particular.
• And so what we're left with is these small impoverished rural counties that don't.
• So in rural counties, counties aren't setting up the shelters.
• The first is a defense to prosecution.
• So that's the first uh way to legally break the law is through uh a defense to prosecution.

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• But we've always prosecuted cases.
• That for the prosecution, shouldn't the prosecution, in their case in chief, say we think the defense
• This will not make cases too easy to prosecute.
• But we don't have medical examiners in rural areas, unfortunately.
• counties so that our rural folk can be protected as well.

Bills: HB 1194 , HB 1221 , HB1738 , HB1913 , HB2177 , HB2178 , HB2180 , HB2229 , HB2282 , HB2448 , HB2492 , HB2777 , HB2984 , HB3357 , HB3553 , HB3602

Committee: House Criminal Jurisprudence

Keywords: emergency protection order, protective order, magistrate, criminal procedure, victim safety, family violence, domestic violence, stalking, assault, magistrate's order, temporary protection, court order duration, defendant restrictions, Article 17.292, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, emergency restraining order, victim protection, firearm restriction, pretrial intervention, reimbursement fee

Transcript Highlights:

• He was prosecuted for that, but he wasn't prosecuted at the time because when we tried to go to the federal
• authorities, because it was a federal crime here, we were denied prosecution.
• But we couldn't prosecute under the Obama administration because they wouldn't let us.
• And we prosecuted after he left office under a new... ...food desert.
• It parlays urban, suburban, and rural Missouri, as they all need access to broadband.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is not a rural or urban issue.
• It comes not from taxpayers, but from fines, penalties, and deferred prosecution agreements collected
• It comes not from taxpayers, but from fines, penalties, and deferred prosecution agreements collected
• And most of our service area is rural, but we are also the first shelter outside the St.
• Office of Prosecution Services.

Committee: House Children and Families

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 412 by Middleton relates to the defense of the prosecution of certain offenses involving material
• SB 472 by Sparks relates to the defense of the prosecution of certain offenses involving the right of
• SB 513 by Sparks relates to the rural community-based program for the Committee on Human Services.
• SB 513 by Sparks relates to the rural community-based program for the Committee on Human Services.
• SB 472 by Sparks relates to the defense of the prosecution of certain offenses involving...

Bills: HJR99 , HB1399 , HB1400 , HB 1094 , HB365 , HB 1109 , HB647 , HCR35 , SB14 , HB 12 , HB1522 , HB422 , HB675 , HB204 , HB748 , HB912 , HJR99 , HB1399 , HB1400 , HB 1094 , HB365 , HB 1109 , HB647 , HCR35 , HCR123 , HCR124 , HR57 , HR87 , HR111 , HR228 , HR230 , HR322 , HR624 , HR625 , HR626 , HR627 , HR628 , HR630 , HR631 , HR634 , HR635 , HR636 , HR637 , HR638 , HR639 , HR640 , HR645 , HR646 , HR648 , HR649 , HR651 , HR652 , HR653 , HR654 , HR664 , HR665 , HR668 , HR675 , HR676 , HR678 , HR679 , HR680 , HR683 , HR686 , HR688 , HR689 , HR694 , HR695 , HR697 , HR698 , HR699 , HR472 , HR622 , HR632 , HR633 , HR643 , HR655 , HR657 , HR660 , HR661 , HR662 , HR663 , HR667 , HR670 , HR674 , HR681 , HR682 , HR696

Keywords: animal feed, tax exemption, ad valorem taxation, retail, constitutional amendment, retail sale, tangible personal property, Texas tax code, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption, regulation, deceased transportation, HB 365

Transcript Highlights:

• They are prosecuting murders at these illegal casinos.
• They are prosecuting murders at these illegal casinos.
• As you all know, prosecutions take time.
• The prosecutions take years.
• So those prosecutions take a very long time. And as Mr.

Summary: The Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee met to hear a panel on the prosecution and enforcement of illegal gaming in Florida. The chair opened with a video showing seized machines at a Florida Gaming Control Commission warehouse and described the scale of illegal operations. Panelists included the commission’s executive director, local sheriffs and police officials, and state attorneys from several counties, who described widespread illegal slot-machine locations, often in strip malls or convenience-store-type settings, and said the machines are typically used in organized criminal activity rather than legitimate amusement gaming. Witnesses repeatedly said the current penalty structure is ineffective because possession and operation of illegal slot machines are generally second-degree misdemeanors, which they described as too minor to deter operators who can quickly reopen after paying fines or completing diversion. They said enforcement is resource-intensive, requiring undercover work, search warrants, machine seizure, storage, forensic review, and long prosecutions, often while the same operators reopen elsewhere. Several panelists cited associated crimes such as robberies, firearms offenses, prostitution, drug activity, human trafficking, and at least some homicides tied to illegal gaming locations. Members also asked about the difference between legal amusement devices and illegal slot machines, online gambling, illegal horse racing, local licensing and ordinances, and whether manufacturers or distributors could be pursued. The commission and prosecutors said legal slot machines are limited to specific regulated locations and that lawful amusement machines lack a material element of chance. They said many illegal machines are imported or reworked versions of gaming devices and that upstream accountability is difficult under current law. Panelists also discussed cooperation with licensed casinos, tribal gaming entities, and local governments, noting that some local ordinances have tried to permit or limit these businesses. The main policy takeaway from the panel was a call to increase penalties, likely to felony-level offenses, and to consider stronger forfeiture and enforcement tools. No vote or formal action was taken at the meeting, and the chair adjourned after thanking the panelists.

Transcript Highlights:

• They primarily live, not surprising, in Idaho, in suburban and rural communities.
• , and through prosecution, there may be a recovery, or they're working on... prosecution, there may be
• They're terminated and they're referred for prosecution.
• It is a federal requirement for states to have... ...prosecutes these cases.
• If it's criminal in nature, then it's referred out for prosecution.

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• state of Minnesota, from my old alma mater, downtown Minneapolis, Hennepin County Medical Center, to rural
• state of Minnesota, from my old alma mater, downtown Minneapolis, Hennepin County Medical Center, to rural
• </c> attorney general has power to prosecute attorney general has power to prosecute and<00:02:24.560
• /c><00:03:47.920><c> is</c><00:03:48.080><c> for</c> >> You've talked about how uh this is for our rural
• hospitals that are hospitals, our rural hospitals that are struggling<00:04:38.080><c> uh</c><00:04:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The rural balance is preservation and sustainable use.
• Forestry and logging wages run about 20% above the rural average.
• Rural communities and key watersheds also need protection. Fire...
• Timber and mining ripple through the rural economy.
• Timber and mining ripple through the rural economy.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• nurses,</c> and prosecuted doctors, nurses, and prosecuted doctors, nurses, dentists,<00:15:05.920><c
• </c> investig investigating and prosecuting investig investigating and prosecuting them.<00:16:17.199
• Speaking from life of a prosecution.
• </c> mental health conditions, rural mental health conditions, rural hospitals,<00:40:12.800><c> and<
• exact amount um that they're prosecuting exact amount um that they're prosecuting each<01:07:46.160><

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So many of those that live in rural communities depend heavily on traditional fuel-powered vehicles.
• So a lot of those bigger vehicles that they use for rural communities and for agriculture and things
• </c><00:36:25.359><c> communities</c> of those that live in rural communities of those that live in rural
• </c> vehicles that they use for like rural vehicles that they use for like rural communities<00:38:04.440
• </c> Prosecuting we're not just Prosecuting Prosecuting we're not just Prosecuting somebody<00:59:25.760

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation heard several bills on March 11, including measures on harbor vessel requirements, transportation funding, clean fuels, water carriers, parking enforcement, and electric mobility. For SB 1402 SD1 on vessels in state commercial harbors, testimony was split: the General Contractors Association of Hawaii and the Longline Association supported it, while Hol Holo Charters and one individual opposed it, saying the bill should be more specific about tourboat operators. For SB 1473 on central services assessments, SB 321 on privately owned roads, and SB 419 on insurance coverage for child passenger restraint systems, the committee heard brief testimony with no noted objections or actions beyond moving through the agenda. For SB 1009 SD2 on parking, the bill would create fines for misuse of disability and EV parking spaces and direct the revenue to the Safe Routes to School special fund. Support came from Ulupono Initiative, Climate Protectors Hawaii, the Disability Communication Access Board, and others, while the Retail Merchants of Hawaii supported the bill’s intent but questioned using the fines for Safe Routes to School, and Hawaiian Electric suggested directing EV-related fines to the EV charging system subaccount instead. Hawaii Appleseed supported the measure but raised concerns about the size of the fines and possible impacts on low-income residents. The committee asked questions about enforcement when EV chargers are inoperable; DAGS indicated the stalls could be used and would not be enforced in that situation. For SB 1120 on a clean fuel standard, the Department of Transportation supported the measure but asked for the implementation date to be delayed by one year and requested an independent Hawaii-specific economic impact study due before the next session. Support also came from several transportation, airline, and industry groups, while Tim Rhymer and Frank Schultz opposed it. The committee then heard SB 21 on water carriers, which would authorize a PUC inflationary cost index adjustment mechanism and exemptions; DOT, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Young Brothers, and the Hawaii Harbors Users Group supported it, while Frank Schultz opposed. Finally, the committee heard SB 117 on electric mobility, which would expand and rename the rebate program, set age limits and operating rules for e-bikes and electric motorcycles, require insurance for electric motorcycle operators, and make conforming changes. Testimony was largely supportive, including from DOT, the Hawaii Bicycling League, the Queen’s pediatric trauma center, and Ulupono Initiative, though one testifier warned that the bill’s wattage definition could unintentionally capture some pedal-assist e-bikes. No votes were taken on the individual bills in the portions shown, and the transcript ended with the committee continuing its hearing agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• So have you seen that in the rural settings?
• 80% of the state's rural.
• I served as a deputy prosecuting attorney, a legislative attorney.
• or whether they want to take the case and want to prosecute.
• forward with prosecuting a high-level murder charge? Yes, sir.

Bills: HB36 , HB75 , HB76 , HB166 , HB799 , HB 1135 , HJR15 , HJR16 , HB36 , HB75 , HB76 , HB166 , HJR15 , HJR16

Committee: House Criminal Jurisprudence

Keywords: family violence, global positioning monitoring system, victim resources, electronic monitoring, protective orders, magistrate, criminal procedure, probable cause, written findings, law enforcement, bail bonds, bail fund, charitable bail fund, nonprofit bail organization, public funds, local government spending, political subdivision, county, city, taxpayer lawsuit

Transcript Highlights:

• ...to the small rural areas to prepare for their audits.
• And just off the top of your head, are they mostly rural and small? They're mostly rural and small.
• Chair, Representative Dow, they're mostly rural in nature.
• Coming from a rural community, rural communities matter.
• Legislation, investigation, and prosecution.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• The issues that impact them both in rural and also urban areas across the state of Texas.
• We hope that these penalties are a deterrent to the activity so folks don't have to be prosecuted, but
• But that certainly has an effect on the numbers when many of these cases would only be prosecuted by
• What if it's the same scenario, but in a rural hospital?
• , and Rural Affairs.

Summary: The Senate first adopted a motion to move the intent calendar deadline to 4 p.m. and then took up several bills by suspending the regular order of business. Senate Bill 2031, concerning removal of high fences around breeder deer release sites, passed after an amendment shortened the testing period from five years to three, tied visible identification requirements to the date Parks and Wildlife began requiring them, and made the bill effective immediately. Senate Bill 1490, a cleanup to adult charter high school funding, and Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2227, creating a process for delayed birth certificates and renamed the Charles E. Barton Act, both passed unanimously after floor amendments. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1964, regulating artificial intelligence systems used by state agencies, also passed unanimously after the author described guardrails for high-risk AI and disclosure requirements. The Senate then considered Senate Bill 2877, which increases penalties for election fraud and related attempts; after debate over whether existing law already covers some conduct and whether the bill was necessary given the small number of convictions, it passed to engrossment and later final passage on a 21-10 vote. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2658, on brackish groundwater production and study, passed after four amendments, including one giving water districts authority to stop production if monitoring shows harm to freshwater supplies or subsidence and another returning a portion of transported water revenue to districts. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 648, strengthening recording requirements for real property instruments to help prevent deed theft, also passed on a 26-4 vote. Other measures approved included Committee Substitute Senate Bill 401, making it easier for homeschool students to participate in UIL activities through local district opt-in/nearest-district participation rules; Committee Substitute Senate Bill 407, requiring health care facilities to honor conscience or religious vaccine exemptions for employees, despite extensive questioning about patient safety and immunocompromised patients; Committee Substitute Senate Bill 2117, creating a Texas Committee on Foreign Investment to review risky foreign acquisitions; Senate Bill 1718, adding the NRA annual meeting to the major events reimbursement program after a failed amendment seeking equal space for gun-control advocacy; Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1626, clarifying limits on censorship and interference with digital expression by social media platforms; and Senate Bill 2206, updating the state R&D franchise tax credit and related sales tax treatment, which passed 31-0. The chamber also debated Senate Bill 1395 on school health advisory councils. An initial amendment to restore voting seats for teachers and school employees failed, but a later amendment by Senator West added students back in an advisory, non-voting capacity. The Senate then handled routine motions, committee scheduling, first-reading referrals, and adjourned until April 29, with the session ending in memory of two constituents.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2022, the Attorney General prosecuted the state's largest retail seller of dogs and cats, In 2022,
• the Attorney General prosecuted the state's largest retail seller of dogs and cats and secured over
• Florida's rural economic development initiative already is designed to help rural communities.
• Florida's rural economic development initiative already is designed to help rural communities access
• the rural economic development initiative to include special districts located in rural counties.

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism considered a series of bills affecting tax policy, workforce development, business regulation, consumer protection, rural development, and artificial intelligence. SB 1076 would raise Florida’s research and development tax credit cap from $9 million to $50 million beginning with the 2027 allocation, and it was reported favorably. CS/SB 1266 would create a cybersecurity experiential internship and clearance-readiness program with the Department of Commerce and Cyber Florida; an amendment removed an appropriation from the bill, and the committee reported it favorably. SB 554, a broad update to Florida’s not-for-profit corporation law, was also reported favorably after supportive testimony from Florida Bar representatives. SB 1004, aimed at protecting buyers of dogs and cats from deceptive sales and predatory financing practices, received strong support from animal welfare advocates and was reported favorably. SB 1074, which provides rounding rules for cash transactions if pennies are unavailable, was likewise reported favorably. SB 214, expanding the rural community definition to include special districts in rural counties for economic development purposes, was reported favorably. SPB 7030, a public records exemption tied to Department of Legal Affairs investigations, was adopted as a committee bill and favorably reported. The committee also heard extensive discussion on SB 998, the Department of Commerce package. The bill would modernize the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program, clarify rural community eligibility for certain unincorporated areas, exempt military entities from a reverter clause on land conveyances, and revise E-Verify enforcement procedures. Members questioned the E-Verify provisions, including penalties, protections for workers incorrectly flagged, and the treatment of gig workers. Senator Smith opposed the bill, arguing it creates unequal treatment between employers and immigrant workers, while Senator Wright supported the military-related provisions. Despite the debate, SB 998 was reported favorably, with Senators Bracy Davis, Smith, and Errington voting no. The committee also took up SB 482, an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights” that would create consumer protections for companion chatbots, require parental consent and access for minors, mandate periodic disclosures that users are interacting with AI, restrict certain uses of personal data and likenesses, and give the Attorney General enforcement authority. The bill drew both support and criticism: supporters emphasized child safety, transparency, and consumer protection, while opponents raised concerns about privacy, broad definitions, lack of audit mechanisms, and the absence of a private right of action for adults. Senators Smith and Davis urged clearer definitions and stronger accountability, but both said the bill was a starting point. The committee reported SB 482 favorably. The meeting ended with recorded affirmative votes requested by Senators Yarbrough, Wright, and Davis on selected tabs, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It, it happens some, um, it's, it doesn't get prosecuted very often as as far as just the false report
• Um, Sure that they're um making a false report and being um prosecuted on this, especially a young person
• Able to have a felony prosecution, Madam Chair.
• Something knowingly, so that could be, you know, prosecuted, whether it turned out to be harmful or not
• And, um, a mistake and um do this that, you know, they would be prosecuted. Ma'am.

Committee: House House Consumer & Public Affairs