Transcript Highlights:

• Should I text her? I'm excuse me, the honorable— Dave, are you texting her? Excuse me.
• >> Going to get it going while we're young here.
• Was driving stock cars. Okay. She was a lot more protected than any car out there.
• I'm going to text her. give us some more information? I just give us some more information?
• ><c> right</c><03:31:04.720><c> now</c> text Representative Lichfield right now text Representative Lichfield

Committee: House Children and Family Law

Transcript Highlights:

• It doesn't say this book over that book or this text over that text, nothing of that kind.
• It doesn't say this book over that book or this text over that text, nothing of that kind.
• It doesn't say this book over that book or this text over that text, nothing of that kind.
• It doesn't say this book over that book or this text over that text, nothing of that kind.
• It doesn't say this book over that book or this text over that text, nothing of that kind.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 129, which would redefine “evidence-based” in public education to require objective, science-based evidence for pedagogical methods. The prime sponsor said the bill is a verbatim reintroduction from the prior session and argued that current federal definitions are too vague, allowing subjective surveys and other weak evidence to justify teaching methods. He said the bill is limited to pedagogy, not subject matter, and is intended to improve student outcomes, reduce fad-driven practices, and potentially save money by limiting unnecessary retraining and new materials. Members asked repeatedly about the bill’s scope, including whether it would affect classroom teachers, curriculum content, and existing instructional approaches such as phonics versus whole language or queuing. The sponsor said the bill applies to state and local education bodies and educator training policies, not individual teachers in their classrooms, and that teachers would retain flexibility. He also said standardized testing could be part of a scientific study but is not itself a study, and that textbook providers could be asked to furnish the studies supporting instructional guidance included in their materials. Several members raised concerns about the fiscal note and possible cost shifts to local districts and taxpayers. The sponsor disputed the idea that the bill would necessarily create major new costs or require additional staff, saying any costs would likely be limited and that the department is already applying federal evidence-based rules. He also said if some current methods are not science-based, updating them would be justified even if there were some initial expense. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• weeks from, uh, you know, beautiful flowers that all of you have sent all the way to your thoughts, text
• Let me also mention, while I can here, is that for the special advisory members that are allowed to go
• While you're uh cleaning up your messes, Mr.
• And while I understand this to be kind of an occasional need, um, and, and surely would be helpful for
• I'm, I'm not getting any texts from anyone.

Committee: House Legislative Council

Transcript Highlights:

• It must be called the petition title, placed immediately before the full text of the measure.
• It must be called the petition title, placed immediately before the full text of the measure, adds a
• The statement must be called the petition title, placed immediately before the full text of the measure
• We have not done that for quite a while. Pay and benefits.
• Well, but we don't even know while writing this if that is happening or not. Exactly.

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Summary: The State and Local Government Committee met to reconsider and amend House Bill 1165, which dealt with petition circulation requirements and ballot receipt rules. The committee walked through technical changes requested by the Secretary of State’s office, including moving petition-title language, adding a 15-business-day submission deadline for petition packets, and revising language related to mailed absentee ballots and the presidential executive order requiring ballots to be received by election day rather than merely postmarked. The State Election Director explained that the change was intended to provide clarity and consistency for voters and election officials, while Senator Braunberger objected that it was an unnecessary reaction to an executive order that could be challenged. The committee adopted the amendment 5-1 and then passed the bill as amended on a 5-1 vote, with Senator Braunberger voting no. The committee then took up House Bill 1307, which concerned election authority, home rule powers, and related city and county petition/signature provisions. After questions from members and clarification from the Deputy Secretary of State and a League of Cities representative, the committee agreed the amendment was intended to preserve city petition power and align the bill with changes made in another election bill, while also addressing park district language. The amendment was adopted 6-0, and the bill was passed as amended 6-0. Senator Castaneda was designated as the carrier. Finally, the committee discussed House Bill 1580, a study bill on state employee compensation. Members used language from an earlier draft tied to health plan changes and broadened it to study total rewards compensation, including pay grades, classifications, comparisons among state employees across departments and with similar private-sector jobs, equity funding and bonuses, prevailing wages on state projects, and the impact of changes to health plan benefits and premium structures. The committee agreed to make the language more generic and adopted the amendment 6-0, then passed the bill as amended 6-0. House Bill 1601 was not acted on and was held until after floor session so members could continue discussions and await additional input.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just while the representative is still here, I'm not sure if you can still hear me, but there are some
• Now, while this technology is built for the worst day we hope never comes, it is just as valuable on
• Hours later, I got a text message saying, 'Shots fired at Stoneman Douglas High School, kids running
• And I texted Alyssa and told her to run and hide; that help was on the way.
• We have moved somewhat from the days of telling victims to go from one hospital to another and drive

Committee: House Crime and Public Safety

Summary: The Committee on Crime and Public Safety met with a quorum and first took up several bills in executive session. House Bill 2323, relating to a domestic violence registry, was discussed as a private law-enforcement database for domestic abuse offenders; members noted it was similar to other registry bills already advanced, though some said it differed in details. House Bill 2530, described as the scrap metal bill, was also voted do pass without discussion. House Bill 1882 was withdrawn from consideration after members noted it had been rolled with another bill and had been sent back from fiscal review and Rules. The committee then adopted a House committee substitute and two amendments for House Bill 3332, which concerns public safety personnel recruitment and retention and employment benefits for first responders; the substitute removed additional degree programs from scholarship eligibility and the amendments fixed scholarship prioritization language and removed a sunset from the line-of-duty death benefit. HB 3332 was voted do pass. In public hearing, Representative Justice presented House Bill 3174, Missouri’s version of Alyssa’s Law, requiring each school employee to have access to a wearable panic alert system tied to local emergency responders and school personnel. He said the bill is subject to appropriations and would use a qualified vendor list; members questioned cost, funding, liability, and whether schools could already implement such systems. Support testimony came from Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa’s mother, who described the Parkland shooting and argued that faster alerts save lives, including in medical emergencies, and from a teacher who said the system would help in both active shooter and non-shooter emergencies. No opposition testimony was offered. Representative Williams then presented House Bill 3434, which would create a Missouri statewide sexual assault response task force to examine reporting, investigation, medical response, advocacy, and prosecution and report recommendations by December 31, 2028. She said the task force would build on progress made reducing the sexual assault kit backlog but address ongoing inconsistencies across jurisdictions. Members asked about overlap with a prior expired task force, appointment structure, and whether the group should include more medical or law-enforcement representatives. Support testimony from the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence described the history of the kit backlog, the Telesane program, uneven services across the state, and the need for continued coordination and accountability; the Missouri Emergency Nurses Association also supported the bill, citing the need to address both rural and urban response challenges.

Transcript Highlights:

• our contractor and the driving public is an orange cone.
• I’ve got teenagers driving.
• That's not what I understood a while ago.
• Just real quick, I had a text message. Somebody's watching.
• Just real quick, I had a text message. Somebody's watching.

Committees: House Transportation , House Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight

Summary: The Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2926, which would extend sovereign immunity and a $500,000 liability cap to private contractors and subcontractors working on Missouri Department of Transportation projects under certain conditions. The sponsor and supporters said the bill is intended to protect contractors from being named in lawsuits before they begin work, or when they have followed MoDOT plans and specifications and are being sued as “deep pockets” despite no negligence. Several members repeatedly questioned the bill’s language and whether immunity would apply before work starts, during construction, and after project completion, with witnesses offering differing readings and acknowledging the draft may need clarification. Supporters, including representatives from asphalt, construction, insurance, and engineering groups, argued that contractors are routinely sued in work-zone crashes even when they did nothing wrong, driving up insurance premiums and legal costs that ultimately affect taxpayers and project delivery. They cited examples of lawsuits filed before contractors had even set foot on a site, and said the bill would align Missouri with other states that extend similar protections. Opponents, including trial attorneys, a public advocate, and individuals who described serious injuries or family deaths in MoDOT-related incidents, argued the bill would reduce accountability, limit recovery for injured people, and improperly extend government immunity to private businesses. They said existing tort rules already allow dismissal of claims against parties with no duty or negligence, and warned the bill could make it harder for injured people to find attorneys or recover full damages. The committee did not take a vote during the portion provided. The chair limited testimony as the hearing ran long, and the bill remained under public testimony with additional witnesses still to come.

Transcript Highlights:

• And imagine driving to students' homes during the pandemic to help grandparents and great-grandparents
• While Vermont's language dates back to 1777, the rest of these proposals have happened since 1996.
• I was driving down Route 13 in Laurel just a few weeks ago, and I looked up and there was a car sitting
• There was the whole backstory to the person driving away, but he was caught, and that's all fine.
• And I think it's important that we make sure that while we're protecting our first responders, while

Bills: SB231

Committee: House Administration

Summary: The House Administration Committee met and first considered Senate Bill 231, which would extend the existing 6% salary supplement for school-based mental health professionals with advanced credentials to school social workers who hold licensed clinical social worker credentials and have passed the national exam. The bill sponsor and multiple witnesses described school social workers as essential to student mental health, crisis response, attendance, and family support, and argued the measure corrects an oversight and inequity in the current salary supplement structure. Public testimony was uniformly supportive, and the committee voted to release the bill. The committee then heard Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 212, a constitutional amendment to protect the rights to hunt, fish, and trap. Supporters, including sportsmen’s groups and individual residents, said the amendment would preserve longstanding traditions, support wildlife management, and guard against future threats to hunting and trapping. An opposing witness argued there was no current threat in Delaware and said the Constitution should not be used to protect trapping or elevate hunting and trapping over other wildlife management approaches. Despite the opposition, the committee voted to release the substitute bill. Finally, the committee took up Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 284, the First State Emergency Response Act, which would create a 25-foot buffer around first responders at emergency scenes after warning, with misdemeanor penalties for knowingly entering or remaining in the zone to interfere with duties. Supporters said the bill would protect police, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics from interference, while opponents from the ACLU and the Office of Defense Services raised concerns about vague terms, potential First Amendment impacts, enforcement clarity, and jurisdictional issues. Committee members also questioned how the buffer would be marked and enforced. The sponsor and staff said they would continue working on the language, and the committee voted to release the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know it's been there a while.
• So anyway, while these...
• Public institutions like TEES can drive innovation while ensuring AI systems are ethical, secure, and
• We believe this allows us to meet the demands of our students and the market while driving continued
• While all schools were cut, we were cut in half.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, so you're suggesting removing the bolded text, don't do the change that's in bolded text in line
• text</c><00:41:16.480><c> in</c><00:41:16.640><c> line</c> bolded text in line bolded text in line five
• It was passed out to everyone a little while ago. Does everyone have a copy?
• </c><05:11:34.400><c> it</c><05:11:34.558><c> does</c> read the text it does read the text it does not
• </c><05:15:13.400><c> is</c> change that's already that text is change that's already that text is already

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• And for a while, he was the deputy chief of staff for the governor.
• Appreciate him driving up and the support that he's always given to our nominees.
• Corroborated would be an actual screenshot of those text messages that come from that.
• screenshots of the text message.
• And they're not learning while this is going on.

Bills: HB1937 , HB2153 , HB3674 , HB2978 , HB3885 , HB3671 , HB3261 , HB3021 , HB3029 , HB4274 , HB3701 , HB3076

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: HB1937, Oklahoma schools, student communications, electronic communication, digital communication, parent notification, legal guardian, school personnel, teachers, coaches, administrators, charter schools, public schools, administrative leave, corroborated report, investigation, employee file, discipline, termination, school board

Transcript Highlights:

• This program removes financial barriers by providing paid, hands-on training while ensuring high-quality
• </c><00:36:40.760><c> um</c> this data and help to drive um this data and help to drive um decisionmaking
• </c><00:58:58.240><c> Hawaii</c> made by uh system it says while Hawaii made by uh system it says while
• They're texting me that they didn't receive it.
• They're texting me that they didn't receive it.

Summary: The hearing covered Senate Bill 426, which would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive from the City and County of Honolulu, the Department of Human Services, the Executive Office on Early Learning, the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education, the Attorney General’s office, the Early Childhood Action Strategy, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, the University of Hawaiʻi’s early childhood educator project, and a Zoom testifier who described the importance of investing in high-quality early childhood education. Committee discussion focused on the program’s estimated cost, with figures of about $14.5 million in 2025-26 and $15 million in 2026-27, and on whether the program would require ongoing base-budget funding. The committee recommended technical, non-substantive amendments, including a statewide-concern amendment and a deferred effective date, and both committees adopted the recommendation by vote. The committees then heard Senate Bill 1622, which would appropriate funds to establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute within the University of Hawaiʻi to support statewide artificial intelligence initiatives. University representatives described the proposal as the product of campus-wide input and outlined five pillars: governance and policy, outreach and engagement, research and development, workforce development, and AI tools for key sectors such as health care, creative industries, manufacturing, data science, astronomy, and climate change. Members questioned staffing distribution, tuition, enrollment timing, housing, campus placement, and whether positions would be permanent or temporary; the university said it planned about 10 positions across campuses, would start with internal resources, and would house the effort under the Vice President for Research and Innovation initially. The committees recommended an SD1 with the appropriation amounts blanked out, a July 31, 2050 effective date, and committee-report language on housing and West Oʻahu, and the higher education and labor/technology committees adopted the amended recommendation. Finally, the Higher Education Committee took up Senate Bill 1488, a housekeeping measure to consolidate existing University of Hawaiʻi conference center statutes into a single revolving fund structure, and Senate Bill 636, which would fund retention and internship coordinator positions and broader enrollment management efforts at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. SB 1488 drew university support and no opposition. SB 636 prompted substantial questioning about Hilo’s declining enrollment, current retention rate of 72.8 percent, and the scope of the request, which includes not only two named positions but also about $432,000 for enrollment management initiatives such as data analysis, IT support, and other student services. Hilo said it is targeting 3 to 5 percent annual enrollment growth and that the positions would support recruitment, retention, internships, and data-driven enrollment strategy. The committee pressed for a clearer broader plan, but the discussion in the transcript ended before a final vote on SB 636 was shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now just think about that for a while, folks, and imagine it was your family member, your loved one,
• In July of 2021, my 13-year-old son and I were driving home from an event.
• Dustin Burroughs couldn't be in the hearing, but I texted him.
• This morning, once we knew, I texted him while I was in the hearing and said, I can bring them over at

Bills: SJR2 , SB4 , SJR36 , SJR2 , SB4 , SR42 , SR74 , SR76 , HCR5 , SB710 , SB710

Transcript Highlights:

• They're meant to drive innovation.
• It's getting harder to drive at night because of those glaring lights that are blinding.
• Where's the bill text? I forget off the top of my head. There was a price differential.
• So while our gas homeowners get their assessments from Mass Save...
• That's what it does, and it'll take them a little while to do it.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy

Summary: The committee hearing focused on a broad set of energy efficiency, building decarbonization, school modernization, and lighting bills. Testimony generally came from municipal leaders, labor unions, environmental groups, and advocates who supported measures such as H. 3529/S. 2294 on building energy and decarbonization, H. 3577/S. 2286 on a zero-carbon renovation fund, H. 3476/S. 2275 on healthy and sustainable schools, H. 3565 on Mass Save zero-carbon assessments, H. 3477 on clean lighting and appliance efficiency standards, and the Dark Sky bills on outdoor lighting. Supporters argued these bills would cut emissions, lower utility bills, improve indoor air quality and school conditions, and direct resources to environmental justice, gateway, and low-income communities. Witnesses emphasized that Massachusetts’ older building stock and school facilities need major upgrades, and that state funding and financing tools are needed to close gaps left by declining federal support. Mayors, labor leaders, and environmental advocates said the proposals would create local jobs, expand apprenticeships, and help municipalities and schools undertake retrofits, ventilation improvements, heat pump installations, and other decarbonization work. Several speakers also defended Mass Save as highly cost-effective while urging new funding sources beyond ratepayer bills for larger-scale building upgrades. One representative asked about the difference between current Mass Save audits and proposed zero-carbon assessments, and the sponsor explained the new assessments would include heat pumps, solar, storage, wiring upgrades, and rate-structure guidance. There was also testimony on the Dark Sky bill, with astronomers and museum representatives arguing that better-shielded, downward-facing lighting would reduce energy waste, protect wildlife and human health, and preserve night skies without compromising safety. Committee members raised concerns about pedestrian safety and whether education might be enough instead of legislation; supporters responded that the bill follows established lighting standards and targets only unnecessary glare and skyward light. On the school bill, an open-shop contractor group opposed the measure, arguing its PLA and apprenticeship requirements would restrict bidding and reduce competition, while labor organizations strongly supported the workforce standards and prevailing wage provisions. No votes were taken during the hearing. The committee heard extensive testimony and several members asked clarifying questions, but the transcript does not show any final action or disposition on the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• And while the amount varies, some fines remain unpaid for five years.
• striking through of deleted text.
• While we're at it, maybe we will take care of our neighbors too.
• I drive, I used to drive. Now I do the Delta.
• To me, the most fun I had was driving up those rural roads.

Transcript Highlights:

• two toll plazas, and $1,944 if you drive through three plazas every day.
• But the people that drive on this new toll road, that's desirable.
• I don't drive on a lot of managed toll lanes, but every now and then, I'll be driving on a road that
• We're driving on LBJ, and it suggested to take the managed toll lane.
• Very simply put, while I'm preaching to the choir on this...

Bills: HJR58 , HJR63 , HB263 , HB542 , HB905 , HB 1288 , HB1402 , HB2003 , HB2262 , HB2323 , HB2429 , HB2876 , HB3019 , HB263

Committee: House S/C on Transportation Funding

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, elderly, retirement, benefits, transit-oriented projects, constitutional amendment, state highway fund, funding allocation, voter approval, highway fund, funding, public transportation, transit projects, transportation, local transit, fund allocation, voting rights, election integrity, ballot access

Transcript Highlights:

• while driving, and I wonder what the status is of that being a pilot and when we can move into further
• <01:19:12.800><c> while</c><01:19:13.120><c> driving</c><01:19:13.840><c> and</c><01:19:14.080><c> I<
• /c><01:19:14.320><c> wonder</c><01:19:15.040><c> what</c> texting while driving and I wonder what texting
• while driving and I wonder what the<01:19:15.520><c> status</c><01:19:15.920><c> is</c><01:19:16.239
• while driving, and I wonder what the status is of that being a pilot and when we can move into further

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not just social media, exchanging texts and emails.
• Teachers are competing with Netflix, FaceTime, texting, and March Madness.
• It's not just social media, exchanging texts and emails, we're going to be...
• It's not just social media, exchanging texts and emails.
• Teachers are competing with Netflix, FaceTime, texting, and March Madness.

Summary: The North Dakota House convened with prayer, roll call, and recognition of guests and student visitors, then moved through a long calendar of resolutions and bills. Early in the session, members honored Mandan High School’s e-sports team for state championships and recognized House Minority Leader Zachary Ista’s birthday. The House then passed HCR 3037 unanimously, urging mandatory reporting requirements for public officials, after committee support and remarks emphasizing accountability in public office. The chamber then considered numerous Senate amendments and final-passage votes on bills covering ambulance service grants (HB 1597), Public Service Commission records and open meetings (HB 1110 and HB 1063), squatter/trespass law (HB 1305), nonconforming structures in local governments (HB 1500), academic tenure policy (HB 1437), retirement eligibility for correctional officers and state radio dispatchers (HB 1274 and HB 1419), a Medicaid dental study (HB 1567), above-ground fuel storage tank regulation (HB 1058), gaming site authorization procedures (HB 1615), an oil extraction tax incentive outside the Bakken and Three Forks formations (HB 1483), and simple assault protections for hospital workers (HB 1341). Most of these measures passed, though HB 1231, which would have created a study on early discontinuation of sex offender registration, failed on final passage. A major point of debate was Senate Bill 2354, which would restrict student use of personal electronic devices during the school day in public and nonpublic schools, with exceptions for medical and special education needs and annual reporting on impacts. Supporters argued it would improve focus, behavior, and mental health, while opponents raised concerns about private-school regulation, logistics, liability, and duplication with a similar bill. The House passed SB 2354, and also passed SB 2112, which temporarily authorizes the Life Skills and Transition Center to serve certain non-eligible youth in crisis, despite objections that the facility should remain focused on developmental disabilities and concerns about repeating past institutional problems. The House also debated and rejected HB 1300 on legislative term limits after extensive discussion about whether the Senate’s date change altered the effect of the voter-approved measure. The session ended with announcements, committee notices, and adjournment until April 8, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• Late last year, several kids here in Sacramento were poisoned and sick while at school.
• And during the audit, we found other... ...when it comes to images or text indicating flavor.
• to images or text indicating flavor.
• product available for sale in a retail store while accompanying DCC staff during an inspection.
• Parks, you can stay there as well while they testify.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee heard an audit on the Department of Cannabis Control’s oversight of cannabis packaging and labeling, focused on whether products attractive to children are being kept out of the legal market. The auditor said the department’s rules are often vague or subjective, leading to inconsistent enforcement, and that the state relies heavily on licensees to self-police because there is no upfront review before products reach the market. The audit cited examples involving cartoon-like images, bright colors, flavor references, candy-like imagery, strain names, and beverage packaging, and recommended clearer statutory standards, possible pre-approval of packaging, better enforcement tools, and stronger tracking of repeat violators. Assemblymembers and senators largely agreed that child safety is the priority, but differed on the best policy response. Some members argued for clearer legislative limits and even plain packaging, saying products like root beer, cherry pie, and cereal-like designs are plainly appealing to children. Department officials said they had already begun reforms, including a centralized label-review team, a rubric, improved databases, and more attention to repeat violations, while also emphasizing that the illicit and intoxicating hemp markets are major sources of youth exposure and that resource constraints limit inspections. They said they are open to working with the Legislature on more specific standards and additional funding. Public witnesses split between public health and industry perspectives. A pediatrician and public health advocate urged stronger restrictions, including plain packaging, limits on flavors and potency, and a pre-market review system, arguing that vague rules have failed children. Industry representatives said they support youth protections but want bright-line, objective standards so compliant businesses can know what is allowed; they argued that most youth-targeted packaging is in the illicit market and that the legal market needs clearer rules rather than broader bans. No formal vote or committee action was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I can't look at you, Charlie, while I talk. I'm going to have to look away.
• We had posters, pictures, texts with both of us: vote for your senators.
• He picked them up about five times that night while I was giving my speech.
• He picked them up about five times that night while I was giving my speech.
• There was a whole session here that I couldn't drive.

Summary: The Senate first handled several House amendments to Senate bills and passed them, including SB 194 updating the definition of disabled veteran taxpayer, SB 499 requiring toxicology tests in auto accidents, SB 672 on Real Estate Commission licensing discipline, SB 724 on home confinement officers and the EMS retirement system, SB 897 on alcohol and drug counselor licensure, and SB 982 creating the Neighborhood Access Road Program. In each case, the chamber agreed to the House changes and then passed the bill, with some measures also given effective dates, including SB 724 effective July 1, 2026 and SB 648 effective from passage. The Senate also concurred in amendments to SB 197, doubling penalties for sex crimes against minors, and SB 648, which removed restrictions on foreign entities in the Strategic and Critical Resources Act. The chamber then took up a series of additional bills and conference actions. It appointed a conference committee on HB 4588 after refusing to recede from its amendment. The Senate passed HB 4009, the Portable Benefit Account Act, after adopting a Banking and Insurance committee strike-and-insert amendment that moved the program to the Division of Labor, expanded portable benefit definitions, and made technical changes. Later, the Senate also passed SB 182 on annexation by minor boundary adjustment after amending the House changes to allow one annexation per year instead of one every two years, and it passed HB 5101 increasing strangulation penalties, HB 4364 on juvenile offender bail and counsel language, HB 4412 on age verification for certain websites, HB 5564 on deputy sheriff vacation carryover, HB 4138 on sex offender registration fees, HB 4951 after receding from its earlier amendment on continuing education, SB 4 after receding from its amendment, SB 389 after refusing to concur in a House amendment that would have stripped the bill, SB 927 on beekeeping and municipal regulation, and HB 5214 on drug testing for parents before reunification. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to Senate Resolution 67 honoring Senator Michael Andrew Woelfel and Senate Resolution 68 honoring Senator Charles Houston Clements. Numerous senators gave extended remarks praising Woelfel’s legal skill, candor, mentorship, and service, and Clements’s long service, institutional knowledge, steadiness, and friendship. Both resolutions were adopted by roll call votes, with SR 67 passing 34-0 and SR 68 passing 33-1. After the resolutions, the Senate recessed briefly to present the outgoing senators with resolutions and flags flown over the Capitol.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> citizens got together a petition drive citizens got together a petition drive to<00:27:11.520><c
• voting process while improving security and<00:52:46.160><c> accuracy.
• </c> human readable and human verifiable text human readable and human verifiable text along<00:53:11.119
• </c><01:24:27.760><c> Um</c> locking election medium V drive. Um locking election medium V drive.
• </c> handle of the case the V drive handle of the case the V drive compartment<01:25:09.840><c> and</

Summary: The committee met, approved the October 21 minutes, and then took up BR 25 for the 2026 regular session, a proposal to prohibit the use of tax dollars and public resources to advocate for or against ballot questions, including constitutional amendments. Senator Rawlings and the other presenters argued the current law already bars such advocacy but lacks meaningful enforcement, citing the 2024 school choice amendment campaign and other examples where public officials and school systems allegedly used taxpayer-funded resources to influence voters. They said the bill would add civil and criminal penalties, while preserving First Amendment rights for public employees acting in their personal capacities. Much of the discussion focused on whether the bill should be limited to school districts or broadened to cover other public entities, and on how to define terms such as “advocating in impartial terms.” Members raised concerns about possible effects on county and city lobbying through groups like KLC and KCO, on legitimate factual explanations by public officials, and on whether the bill could unintentionally restrict needed representation for local governments. The sponsors said the measure was intended to be narrow, would be vetted further, and would not bar individuals from speaking on their own behalf. Several members suggested revisions. Representative Lockett asked that schools and school employees be specifically named, and suggested separating the lobbying restrictions from the ballot-measure provisions into different bills. Representative Layman questioned the meaning of the bill’s language and whether it would cover factual testimony by officials. Representative Heen asked about a Jefferson County example involving legal fees used to challenge petition signatures; counsel said that situation would likely be allowable under the bill as drafted, though some members thought it should be covered. No final vote was taken on BR 25 during this discussion.