Transcript Highlights:

• That's our last testifier for this bill, so we'll go ahead and close the public hearing on Senate Bill
• Many have closed and will continue to close because their purpose in that city or town has come to faithful
• With that, we will close the public hearing on Senate Bill 5885 and reopen the public hearing on Senate
• “It is payable at the time of the loan closing and applies to closings on or after July 27, 2025.
• Second, the bill removes the option for the fee to be paid out of the borrower's cash at closing.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard public testimony on several bills. SB 5885 would expand affordable housing on property owned by religious organizations by lowering the density-bonus affordability threshold from 100% to 50% and adding a sales and use tax exemption for qualifying projects. The sponsor and supporters from Redmond, Tacoma, Spokane, faith organizations, and housing nonprofits said the current standard is too restrictive and that churches and other faith groups have underused land that could help meet the state’s housing shortage. A county planning representative raised concern about an unfunded mandate to update local development regulations, and one testifier said the bill should be paired with funding for county planning work. The committee also heard SB 5884, which would expand a sales and use tax deferral program for redevelopment of underutilized property. The bill would broaden eligible land beyond surface parking lots to include vacant, partially used, or underutilized parcels, and would allow cities to approve projects with at least 50% affordable units, or 20% in designated residential targeted areas. Supporters from Spokane, Vancouver, Kent, Bellingham, and the Washington State Association of Counties said the current program is too narrow and should be available in more places, including counties and more cities. Construction industry groups supported redevelopment but objected to a provision tying eligibility to apprenticeship utilization, saying it could disadvantage nonunion contractors and create compliance burdens. For SB 5937, the committee heard testimony on smart access systems in rental housing. The bill would require landlords, upon request, to offer a non-biometric, non-app-based alternative key and to provide privacy policies and limits on data collection for smart access systems. Tenant advocates supported the bill as a privacy and access protection, citing concerns about app-based locks, data tracking, lockouts, and retaliation. Landlord and multifamily housing groups said they were open to the concept but argued the bill was too broad and could impose burdens on small housing providers or simple keypad systems, and they asked for narrower definitions and clearer implementation language. Finally, the committee took testimony on SB 5938, which would make technical changes to the foreclosure prevention fee created last year, including exempting certain reverse mortgages and chattel loans, preventing duplicate charges on some state-backed transactions, and directing Commerce to study a possible state homeowner assistance fund. Homeownership counselors, legal aid, HOA advocates, and equity organizations supported the bill, saying it would clarify fee collection, protect low- and moderate-income buyers from unnecessary costs, and help sustain foreclosure prevention services. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the transcript, and the meeting ended after public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you're familiar with the California SEC CAL file in place for close to 20 years where you have
• The university is also closely monitoring the federal investigation of Harvard University.
• We are also keeping a close eye on the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.
• I mean, I you know, my my district is close to UCLA and I and we have people that work at UCLA and I
• And these are potentially life-saving therapeutics that we're on the verge of being able to close and

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• permit religious organizations if the use does not interfere with the school's or the university's primary
• So with no public testimony here for Senate Bill 2986, we'll close public testimony, and Senate Bill
• And I'd like to close by reminding the panel that this week is also Passover.
• With no further testimony, Senate Bill 2233 public testimony will close.
• Okay, with no further public testimony on Senate Bill 2683, public testimony is closed.

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee heard several bills before recessing to the floor, with most measures left pending subject to the call of the chair. SB 2986 would allow public schools and universities to permit after-hours facility use by religious groups on the same terms as other nonprofits, and SB 1032 would open the Governor’s University Research Initiative to private and independent universities; both had committee substitutes adopted and were left pending after brief testimony. Supporters of SB 1032 from Rice and Baylor said the change would help Texas recruit top researchers and strengthen the state’s research economy. The committee also heard SB 2058, which would require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to publish annual data on nursing clinical training sites to improve placement coordination, and SB 2683, which would bar public colleges from giving benefits or recognition to student organizations that receive support from foreign entities of concern; both were left pending after testimony. A large portion of the meeting focused on SB 2233, which would require public institutions of higher education to adopt policies prohibiting students or employees on nonimmigrant visas from publicly supporting terrorist activity or organizations, with enforcement through investigations, reporting to Homeland Security, and possible Attorney General action and fines. The author said the bill was intended to reinforce existing federal definitions and campus safety, while senators questioned the bill’s scope, the definition of terrorist activity, and the clause tied to U.S. policy or practice. Public witnesses, including civil rights advocates, law students, and others, argued the bill was vague, overbroad, unconstitutional, and likely to chill protected speech and increase surveillance of international students and Black and brown communities; several Jewish witnesses also said the bill misused Jewish safety concerns and could be used for viewpoint discrimination. SB 2233 was left pending after public testimony. The committee then took up SB 735, which builds on prior Holocaust education legislation by funding optional age-appropriate and bilingual curriculum, museum field trips, teacher preparation partnerships, annual reporting, and regional collaboration with Holocaust museums and education service centers. The author and invited witnesses said the bill responds to survey findings showing uneven Holocaust instruction and a need for better teacher training and accountability. A fifth-grade teacher and the director of the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio testified in support, emphasizing the need for accurate, age-appropriate instruction and professional development. The committee recessed before finishing the agenda, and SB 735 was set to resume after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• We work closely with law enforcement.
• the most recent tragedy, well, I shouldn't say the most recent, the tragedy novelty, the door was closed
• Public testimony will close on Senate Bill 1262, and Senate Bill 1262 will be left pending.
• Okay, with no other public testimony on Senate Bill 1262, public testimony will close.
• Tier 1 instruction in every classroom, while giving educators the tools and training they need to close

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 met with a quorum and announced a full agenda, including combined public testimony for two bills related to student personal communication devices. The committee first took up Senate Bill 1262 by Senator Nichols, a school safety cleanup bill following House Bill 3. The bill would allow TEA to commission peace officers for school safety purposes, require annual renewal of good-cause exceptions to armed guard requirements, create a new report based on intruder detection audits and vulnerability assessments, and require behavioral threat assessment teams to include someone with specific knowledge of a special education student’s disability. Committee members asked about the difference between TCOLE licensing and TEA commissioning, the scope of the officers’ authority, and how the good-cause exception would work. The committee substitute was adopted, and public testimony included support from school safety and drone-response advocates, Disability Rights Texas in favor of the special education provisions, and a student witness raising concerns about the mental health impact of repeated lockdowns and the need for immediate, reliable school safety responses. The bill was left pending after testimony, then the committee briefly recessed and later reopened testimony to hear the student witness. The committee then laid out Senate Bill 2252 by Senator Creighton, a major early literacy and numeracy bill for kindergarten through third grade. Creighton said the bill builds on prior literacy efforts by funding teacher stipends for literacy and math academies, providing free and clearly administered screeners and assessments, expanding screening options, clarifying how results are used, supporting high-quality pre-K, and increasing the early education allotment. He emphasized low reading performance and the need for early intervention. Members discussed how the bill differs from earlier academy models and whether the assessments are diagnostic or high-stakes; Creighton and witnesses said the tools are intended to identify students needing support, not to serve as punitive testing. The committee adopted the substitute. Witnesses for SB 2252 largely supported the bill. A Uplift Education representative described strong gains from small-group literacy tutoring and said students receiving targeted support can make more than a year of growth in a year. An education specialist explained that the bill aligns general education screening with existing dyslexia and special education practices and helps districts identify students who need intervention before a disability evaluation is required. A Commit Partnership witness cited statewide reading data, the importance of high-quality pre-K, and the need for transparent, consistent progress monitoring and parent engagement. Members asked about the meaning of the growth data, how dyslexia screening works, and how the bill would help identify struggling students earlier. Before finishing all questions, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• We like to say that we're stronger together and our boards overtime grow close and are able to rely on
• And we, you know, being in close knit communities, our superintendent, Senator, building principles have
• So I work very closely with our executive director at our executive directors are amazing.
• They they are not only our colleague but our friends, and they were very closely with us and our other
• I cannot get my union to close up. Right. They will even meet with me offered every last.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Working very closely, if you wouldn't mind waving still. Thank you all very much.
• Seeing no debate, Senator Muñoz to close.
• Seeing no further debate, Senator Campos to close on the confirmation. Thank you very much, Mr.
• Seeing no further debate, Senator Hadamu to close on the confirmation. To your seats, please.
• to her and is very close to me.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:30:38.640><c> to</c> individuals and families very close to individuals and families very close
• </c> saying their medical insurance closed. saying their medical insurance closed.
• And I'll close with acceptable as well.
• Seeing none, public testimony is closed. Seeing none, public testimony is closed.
• </c> Seeing none, public testimony is closed. Seeing none, public testimony is closed.

Bills: HF4421 , HF1937 , HF4675 , HF4715 , HF4684

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: county cost share, economically distressed county, human services finance, substance use disorder treatment, SUD services, civil commitment, state aid, county levy, poverty threshold, tax-exempt acreage, property tax exemption, Minnesota human services, county fiscal relief, local government finance, chemical dependency, behavioral health, PACE, elderly, Medicaid, health services

Transcript Highlights:

• We are proactively working closely with U.S.
• In terms of coordination, we work very closely.
• We work very closely.
• So we've been working very closely.
• “I’m just going to say this on closing.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Chair is preparing to close. Declare the vote. Eighty-four aye, four nay.
• Members, this Senate Bill 563 does two primary things here.
• The Chair is preparing to close.
• Those wishing to vote or change their vote, the chair is preparing to close.
• Those wishing to vote or change their vote, the chair is preparing to close.

Bills: SB1543 , HB1933 , HJR1088 , HJR1090 , HJR1091 , HJR1092 , HJR1093 , HJR1095 , SB1859 , HB2988 , HB3016 , SB237 , SB2065 , HB3418 , HCR1027 , SB1641 , SB1589 , SB44 , SB563 , SB1403 , HB1979 , HB3075 , SB2045 , SB1653 , SB1655 , SB2030 , HB2951 , SB2028 , SB2071 , SB206 , SB1849 , HB3755 , SB1509 , SB1314 , SB1561 , SB1217 , SB1618 , HJR1096 , HJR1099 , HJR1100

Keywords: driving under the influence, felony offense, ignition interlock device, community service, criminal assessment, nitrous oxide, Maddix Bias Act, intoxication, underage sale, misdemeanor, drug paraphernalia, enforcement, education rules, administrative rules, joint resolution, Oklahoma State Department of Education, higher education, State Regents for Higher Education, Teachers' Retirement System, charter schools

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including Veteran of the Week Colonel Stanley L. Evans, Oklahoma City Young Professionals, state contest winners for America’s 250th anniversary, and a long series of page introductions. The chamber then moved into floor action on a large number of measures, many of them Senate bills and House joint resolutions dealing with administrative rules and agency oversight, public safety, education, health, agriculture, business, and tax policy. Among the major bills discussed were SB 1543 on aggregating multiple DUI charges within one year into a single felony case, HB 1933 on nitrous oxide violations, SB 1859 creating an OSBI Cybercrimes and Fraud Unit, SB 237 on ad valorem tax NAICS code changes, SB 2065 designating pollinator-related state symbols, SB 44 extending nonprofit sales tax exemptions to contractors, SB 2030 updating automated expungement procedures, SB 2045 expanding the Grow Your Own education program, and several water and agriculture measures including SB 1509, SB 1314, and SB 2071. Members also considered multiple joint resolutions approving permanent administrative rules for education, energy and agriculture, business and commerce, health agencies, and building code rules, with Kendricks explaining that some major rules were separated out for transparency and, in one case, a cost mitigation agreement had been reached. Testimony and debate were generally brief and focused on clarifying amendments. Several authors explained that amendments were added to address constitutionality, remove outdated or incorrect language, or reflect negotiated changes with agencies and stakeholders. Notable discussion included concerns about forum shopping in SB 1543, questions about the scope of the Grow Your Own program in SB 2045, and clarification that SB 1618’s pretrial report language had been changed to a public safety report agreed to by sheriffs and district attorneys. The House adopted numerous amendments without objection and passed the bills by wide margins, including some unanimous or near-unanimous votes, while a few measures drew more opposition, such as SB 1403, SB 1509, SB 2071, and SB 1618. The House also adopted HCR 1027 setting sine die adjournment for Thursday, May 14, and adjourned until the next day, May 5, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:00:13.359><c> Y</c> so we can close a case. Y so we can close a case.
• </c> identify and hold accountable primary identify and hold accountable primary aggressors.<01:56:50.480
• the</c><02:22:01.280><c> supporting</c> And just in closing, the supporting And just in closing, the
• So, we need to analyze this closely.
• I think um analyze this closely.

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairs is preparing to close forwardi Lear the vote.
• Chairs, preparing to close. The vote is 93 to 0, nay.
• Chairs, preparing to close.
• Chairs preparing to close. Go vote. 92 aye, 3 nay.
• Chairs preparing to close. Representative Blair is...

Bills: HB2059 , HB3920 , HB2992 , HB3267 , HB4457 , HB3800 , HB3818 , HB4425 , HB4427 , HB4430 , HB4431 , HB4333 , HB4340 , HB4343 , HB4344 , HB4363 , HB4229 , HB4230 , HB4236 , HB4246 , HB1979 , HB3431 , HB3052 , HB3047 , HB3048 , HB4092 , HB4302 , HB3261 , HB3704 , HB3312 , HB3546 , HB3849 , HCR1021 , HB4105 , HB4159 , HB4304 , HB3835 , HB3619 , HB4490 , HB3710 , HB4201 , HB3907 , HB3748

Keywords: health care, medication, inmates, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, reimbursement, county jails, medical expenses, sales tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, procurement, transplant research, Oklahoma Tax Code, HB2992, Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, Corporation Commission, Oklahoma utilities, ratepayer protection, data centers, artificial intelligence computing, AI data centers

Transcript Highlights:

• Ramos, would you like to close? Well, thank you, Mr.
• As I close, I want you to test your knowledge on Star Wars quotes, and I will close with some of those
• As I close, I want you to test your knowledge on Star Wars quotes, and I will close with some of those
• Clerk will close the roll and tally the vote. The clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.
• Clerk will close the roll. There are 65 co-authors added.

Summary: The Assembly met after a quorum call, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved routine procedural motions, and recognized several guest groups, including First Five California, a fourth-grade class from Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, visitors from Modoc and Lassen counties, and representatives from the Port of Long Beach. The chamber then moved through second reading and concurrence items, with most bills and resolutions being read, deemed adopted, or passed on file without debate. The main floor action centered on ACR 39, designating May 2025 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Month. Assembly Member Ramos and many caucus members spoke in strong support, describing the crisis as a state of emergency and emphasizing violence against Native women, girls, and two-spirit people, the need for better data collection, agency coordination, tribal sovereignty, and continued action beyond symbolic recognition. The resolution passed concurrence with 67 ayes and 0 noes. The Assembly also passed a series of bills on topics including classified school employee pay stubs (AB 374), allowing voucher preferences in housing (AB 282), authorizing nurse practitioners to sign death certificates (AB 583), student health insurance protections (AB 594), local housing pre-approval programs (AB 1206), veterans education program administration (AB 1509), expanding the Family Urgent Response System (AB 898), Star Wars Day (H.R. 33), local news sale notice requirements (AB 611), mask-wearing protections in public spaces (AB 1326), a Chula Vista university land-use measure (AB 76), undercover officer record protections (AB 1178), and preservation of Clover Valley in Rocklin (AB 1152). Most passed with broad support, though AB 282 and AB 611 drew some opposition. A major debate occurred on AJR 10, which urged the President to reverse cuts to the U.S. Forest Service. Members from both parties discussed wildfire prevention, forest health, staffing, and federal-state responsibility, with some criticizing the administration and others emphasizing forest management and the need for bipartisan cooperation. The resolution was adopted after a co-author roll and final roll vote of 67 ayes and 0 noes. The chamber then adopted the second-day consent calendar, heard an adjournment in memory for Giovanni “Johnny” of East Side Italian Deli, and adjourned until Monday, May 12, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ma'am, you're recognized to close on your amendment. Representative Berfield: Waive close.
• Chair: Having waived close.
• Representative Berfield: Waive close. Chair: Having waived close.
• Chair: To close on your bill. Representative: Waive close.
• Sir, you're recognized to close on your bill. Rep. Hartlowman: Thank you, Chair. Waive close.

Transcript Highlights:

• We wish to close. Just appreciate my colleague from Long Beach.
• I've seen up close how strong and brave people are.
• The clerk will close the roll. There are 65 co-authors added.
• Close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 68, noes 0, the measure passes.
• The clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 70, noes 0.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have no witnesses, so if you'd like to close. I close. Thank you for your consideration.
• Walle to close the bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I close. Thank you.
• Paul to close on HB2827. Thanks a lot, but not closed. I appreciate y'all's time.
• She closes. I close. Please stand. The Chair withdraws the Committee Substitute HB1842.
• I close. All right, Representatives Wiener closes.

Bills: HB589 , HB705 , HB1842 , HB1874 , HB2349 , HB2614 , HB2827 , HB3012 , HB3214 , HB3308 , HB3385 , HB3529

Committee: House Licensing & Administrative Procedures

Keywords: cosmetology, licensure, interstate compact, state regulations, public safety, workforce mobility, charitable raffles, nonprofit, wildlife conservation, ticket sales, fundraising, master electrician, electrical work, occupational licensing, work scope, Texas law, Texas Real Estate Commission, TREC, real estate broker, sales agent

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I I came close to district.
• We're only about $80,000 close to those.
• </c> say that we're we're sneaking up close say that we're we're sneaking up close to<01:10:06.880><c
• Our commissioners close to market rate.
• </c> even close. even close.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 13 January, 2026; 1:45 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> we pride ourselves in a close-knit we pride ourselves in a close-knit service<00:12:38.639><c> uh
• And so we appreciate your closing down.
• And the primary reason that we're here.
• Um, and I will just close it there.
• Um and I will just close it always.

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Gates, you're recognized closing the bill? I waive close, sir.
• Seeing none, Senator Martin, you’re recognized to close on your bill. I’ll waive close.
• Seeing none, Senator Martin, you're recognized to close. I waive close.
• Seeing none, Senator Martin, you're recognized to close on the bill. I waive close.
• Seeing none, Senator Martin, you're recognized to close. I'll waive close.

Bills: S0132 , S0418 , S0442 , S0646 , S0748 , S1326 , S1332 , S1660 , S1734 , S1742 , S1750

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: voting rights, felony conviction, database, Florida Commission on Offender Review, restoration of rights, autism spectrum disorder, law enforcement, communication, training, blue envelope, blue card, search warrant, remote appearance, drones, data privacy, drug paraphernalia, narcotic testing, fentanyl, controlled substances, civil forfeiture

Summary: The committee took up a series of criminal justice and public safety bills. SB 646, allowing the use of drug testing tools such as fentanyl test strips and reagent kits to detect dangerous adulterants, was presented as a harm-reduction measure and reported favorably after supportive testimony from advocates and criminal defense groups. SB 442, extending the return period for warrants involving digital evidence from 45 days to one year, also passed unanimously amid testimony from prosecutors and law enforcement about encryption, backlogs, and large volumes of child exploitation evidence. SB 418, creating autism-related law enforcement training and a Blue Envelope Program for traffic stops and other encounters, was reported favorably with support from police, disability advocates, and families. SB 132, creating a public database to help people determine eligibility for restoration of voting rights, and SB 748, requiring notice of voting-rights restoration information on sentencing score sheets, both passed with broad support from voting-rights and criminal defense advocates. The committee also approved SB 1734, recognizing juvenile probation and detention officers as officers under Florida law and extending related training and benefits, and SB 1660, designating June as Responsible Firearm Safety Awareness Month. SB 1742, which repealed the existing “unnatural and lascivious acts” statute and created a new offense for indecent exposure of sexual organs to a minor, was amended with a delete-all amendment and then reported favorably. SB 1750, a major overhaul of career offender registration requirements, was later reconsidered after a bill-number mix-up and then reported favorably as SB 1332, with FDLE and sheriff’s association support. The most contentious measure was SB 1326, which would eliminate the traditional insanity defense and replace it with a lack-of-culpable-mental-state defense, require malingering assessments in competency evaluations, and limit downward departures based on mental illness. Criminal defense attorneys and disability advocates argued it lacked a treatment component, raised scientific and cost concerns, and could worsen public safety by sending mentally ill defendants to prison without adequate care. Supporters, including the sponsor and the Attorney General’s office, argued it would close gaps and better protect the public. After extensive debate, the bill was reported favorably on a divided vote, with several members voting no. At the end of the meeting, members recorded additional votes on some bills, and Senator Pizzo moved for reconsideration of SB 1326 for a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I can't close the whole thing. It's right there. Is it important? I think we're good.
• Let me just close out by talking about the public finance impact.
• Still not going to come anywhere close to the housing prices.
• These don't address that, not even coming close.
• I will now entertain a motion to close this hearing. So moved. Second. Second.

Bills: H5006 , H5007

Committee: Joint Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions

Keywords: tax revenue, state surplus, taxpayer refunds, budget growth, Massachusetts General Laws, income tax, tax reduction, state law, personal income tax, tax rates, 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will not close a loophole.
• We will not close a loophole. secure. We will not close a loophole.
• </c> closely. Let's uh make it quite plain. closely. Let's uh make it quite plain.
• </c><08:15:25.280><c> So</c><08:15:25.600><c> close.</c> Hang in there. So close. Hang in there.
• So close. &gt;&gt; So<08:15:26.478><c> close.

Keywords: 1189, house, all