Transcript Highlights:

• Government Code 511.021 was... passed to ensure that in-custody death investigations are independent,
• As defined in the Texas Penal Code, a person commits an offense... ...causes the death of an individual
• Wilkerson, shots fired, shots fired. Mr.
• Part one: You can't be fired if you're on this list.
• Officers getting fired because they're on a Brady list, I agree with you, they shouldn't be fired just

Bills: SB614, SB872, SB1199, SB1212, SB1278, SB1573, SB1588, SB1602, SB1660, SB1704, SB1723, SB1833, SB1858, SB1946, SB2009, SB2146, SB2177, SB2373, SB2460, SB2785

Keywords: forensic science, capital writs, criminal justice, case review, Texas Forensic Science Commission, SB 872, burglary of a vehicle, vehicle burglary, theft of a firearm, stolen gun, firearm theft, Penal Code Section 30.04, third-degree felony, Class A misdemeanor, criminal penalty enhancement, gun theft, vehicle break-in, property crime, sentencing enhancement, Texas criminal law

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1278 seeks to amend the Texas penal code by allowing survivors of human trafficking to present

Bills: SB 614, SB 872, SB 1199, SB 1212, SB 1278, SB 1573, SB 1588, SB 1602, SB 1660, SB 1704, SB 1723, SB 1833, SB 1858, SB 1946, SB 2009, SB 2146, SB 2177, SB 2373, SB 2460, SB 2785

Keywords: forensic science, capital writs, criminal justice, case review, Texas Forensic Science Commission, SB 872, burglary of a vehicle, vehicle burglary, theft of a firearm, stolen gun, firearm theft, Penal Code Section 30.04, third-degree felony, Class A misdemeanor, criminal penalty enhancement, gun theft, vehicle break-in, property crime, sentencing enhancement, Texas criminal law

Bills: SB15, SB65, SB241, SB304, SB402, SB413, SB427, SB499, SB583, SB621, SB673, SB840, SB850, SB854, SB974, SB1023, SB1024, SB1025, SB1106, SB 15

Keywords: SB 15, Texas Local Government Code, zoning preemption, housing affordability, small lots, lot size, lot density, single-family zoning, residential subdivision, municipal land use, local control, state preemption, parking requirements, setbacks, infill development, missing middle housing, lot width, lot depth, homebuilders, housing supply

Bills: SJR39, SJR47, SB227, SB1942, SB1627, SB625, SB1716, SB1303, SB2180, SB504, SB1209, SB1448, SB1597, SB1679, SB2182, SB2112, SB2170, SB2084, SB1496, SB1595, SB1655, SB1876, SB1621, SB1944, SB1266, SB2072, SB2104, SB1769, SB1827

Keywords: property valuation, tax limit, homestead, income threshold, elderly, constitutional amendment, voter ID, elections, Oklahoma, proof of identity, gross production tax, ad valorem tax, property exemption, Oklahoma Tax Commission, oil and gas production, regulatory impact, economic implications, dental insurance, health care, medical necessity

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, so not only are we paying for things that we believe are good public policy, the actual code itself
• I would like to, Senator, have a conversation with your county judge because I think he knows the code

Bills: SB 10, SB 8, SB 15, SB 12, SB 6, SB 13, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4

Keywords: sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, law enforcement, department file, employee records, misconduct, confidentiality, Texas occupations code, election laws, attorney general, prosecution, criminal offenses, criminal prosecution, jurisdiction, hemp, consumable hemp, hemp-derived cannabinoids

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, SB1196 makes conforming changes in various sections of the Family Code to require courts to
• bill addresses non-competes and proximity restrictions by amending the Texas Business and Commerce Code
• This bill requires the creation of those codes.
• The nursing home facilitators are required by the code to help assist them in applying for a ballot.
• There's already a lot in the code. You know, and again, House Bill 658 was repealed.

Bills: SB397, SB481, SB596, SB760, SB855, SB1195, SB1196, SB1233, SB1257, SB1318, SB1368, SB1388, SB1398, SB1524, SB1558, SB1589, SB1677, SB1792, SB2034

Keywords: SB 397, telemedicine, telehealth, teledentistry, remote care, virtual care, consent documentation, patient consent, data collection, data sharing, audio-only telehealth, in-person examination, irreversible medical procedure, health professional regulation, Occupations Code, Texas Health and Human Services, medical records, provider compliance, data privacy, consumer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• This County Fire Marshal's office was the first county to adopt a power backup fire code implementation
• The Administrative Fire Code states that fire marshals shall inspect every licensed facility.
• This bill actually aligns with what we have created with our partners as part of our fire code.
• Everybody in the fire marshal's office and the state has an adopted code as well.
• Our fire and life safety code, Chapter 4, is very clear: you have to have an emergency plan.

Bills: SB397, SB481, SB596, SB760, SB855, SB1195, SB1196, SB1233, SB1257, SB1318, SB1368, SB1388, SB1398, SB1524, SB1558, SB1589, SB1677, SB1792, SB2034

Keywords: SB 397, telemedicine, telehealth, teledentistry, remote care, virtual care, consent documentation, patient consent, data collection, data sharing, audio-only telehealth, in-person examination, irreversible medical procedure, health professional regulation, Occupations Code, Texas Health and Human Services, medical records, provider compliance, data privacy, consumer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Missing a point that we're just adding to this, to the code.
• I think it's the language that's already in that code, but I want to make sure that it's covered.
• All right, and then if we go to... okay, you have the code in front of you. Ms.
• I'm sorry, we refer to it as 3914 because that's the code of criminal procedure. My apologies.
• I'm not terribly familiar with this part of the code, but I know that in the family violence code, there

Bills: HB207, HB235, HB324, HB449, HB463, HB502, HB 1121, HB1445, HB1465, HB1778, HB1977, HB2000, HB2066, HB2596, HB207, HB235

Keywords: child protection, sexual offenses, obscenity laws, visual material, anatomically correct dolls, mannequins, robots, criminal offenses, sexually explicit material, minors, artificial intelligence, sexually explicit, doll, mannequin, robot, law enforcement, healthcare, insurance, affordable care, access

Bills: HB207, HB235, HB324, HB449, HB463, HB502, HB 1121, HB1445, HB1465, HB1778, HB1977, HB2000, HB2066, HB2596, HB207, HB235

Keywords: child protection, sexual offenses, obscenity laws, visual material, anatomically correct dolls, mannequins, robots, criminal offenses, sexually explicit material, minors, artificial intelligence, sexually explicit, doll, mannequin, robot, law enforcement, healthcare, insurance, affordable care, access

Transcript Highlights:

• were able to do some incredible work, especially with the teachers of Minnesota and in the police and fire
• And the police and fire chose to move up the time frame for the delay in their COLA by one year, which
• <00:03:11.599> uh Minnesota and in the police and fire uh Minnesota and in the police and
• , city police uh and persons in that fire, city police uh and persons in that space<00:04:26.960>
• And the police and fire um chose 1.25%.

Bills: SF2884, HF1889

Keywords: pension, retirement, omnibus pension, MSRS, PERA, TRA, public employees retirement, state employees retirement, correctional employees, police and fire retirement, State Patrol retirement, teachers retirement, firefighter relief association, volunteer firefighter, state aid, postretirement adjustment, COLA, annuity, disability benefit, duty disability

Transcript Highlights:

• Because police and fire, once you get to 25, you can drop back to 20.
• For fire, it'd be $342,000. For police, $665,000. OLERS is $156,000.
• So am I remembering correctly that there was a difference on the fire and police retirees?
• House Bill 1889 is a catch-up for police and fire employees. For police and fire employees.
• However, the estimate on the fire was $80 million.

Bills: HB1784, HB1245, HB1268, HB2116, HB2193, HB2206, HB1739, HB1889, HB1904, HB3172, HB4225, HB4352, HB3625, HB4263

Keywords: education reform, local control, student outcomes, curriculum changes, school funding, retirement, pension, public employees, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, benefits, survivorship, contribution rates, disability retirement, deferred option plan, service credit, contributions, distributions, HB2116, Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System, OLERS

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, it clarifies standardized protective order provisions across the Code to ensure consistent
• This provision in the Code of Criminal Procedure was established when newspapers were more widely read
• Although this behavior is currently classified as a sexual offense under Chapter 20 of the Penal Code
• The purpose of juvenile law, which is prosecuted under the Family Code, is rehabilitation of the child
• Under the Family Code, when we prosecute juvenile offenses, to rehabilitate.

Bills: HB33, HB45, HB48, HB1261, HB1465, HB1778, HB2596, HB5238, SB2969, HB45, HB48

Keywords: HB 48, oilfield theft, organized theft, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, DPS, Department of Public Safety, Texas, Railroad Commission, criminal justice, energy resources, theft prevention, organized crime, border region, El Paso, law enforcement task force, asset recovery, pipeline theft, drilling equipment, equipment theft

Transcript Highlights:

• And who had, uh, was alleged to have committed a number of violations of the elections code, uh, the,
• So, this is just an amendment to the government code that would, uh, make clear that the, uh, a trial
• time that's lapsed and there's a short two-year statute of limitations with most of these election code

Bills: SB 231, SB 667, SB 689, SB 825, SB 965, SB 992, SB 1059, SB 1220, SB 2368, SB 2601

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Transcript Highlights:

• Washington County, who was alleged to have committed a number of... ...of violations of the Elections Code
• This bill is an amendment to the Government Code that would make clear that a trial court...
• time that lapses, and there's a short two-year statute of limitations with most of these Election Code

Bills: SB231, SB667, SB689, SB825, SB965, SB992, SB1059, SB1220, SB2368, SB2601

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Transcript Highlights:

• So modified RNA is when you, in a lab, genetically change the genetic code.
• In a lab, genetically change the genetic code.
• You’re actually—there are four nucleotides that are used in coding for DNA and RNA.
• And it was substituted for all the uracil in the code.
• A family code has 20. protecting families from needless destructions at the hands of the state.

Bills: HB18, HB37, HB 116, HB388, HB879, HB913, HB 1151, HB2216, HB2358, HB2809, SB577, SB1590, SB1782, SB1887, SB2744

Keywords: rural health, hospital funding, healthcare access, mental health services, financial stability, perinatal bereavement, healthcare, hospital training, bereavement support, maternal care, fetal demise, stillbirth, neonatal death, parent-child relationship, involuntary termination, family law, child welfare, child protection, HB 388, HB388

Summary: The committee first reopened testimony on House Bill 2216, which would strengthen child welfare requirements by expanding “active efforts” to help families avoid removal and support reunification, while also raising standards related to removals and terminations. Supporters from child welfare and family defense groups said the bill would better protect families and align Texas more closely with ICWA-style principles, but several warned it would require significant new funding, staffing, and community services such as mental health care, housing, child care, and substance use treatment. The committee then left HB 2216 pending. The committee next heard Senate Bill 1782, aimed at boarding and group homes. Senator Miles said the bill closes enforcement gaps left by prior law by requiring retention of background-check records and creating misdemeanor penalties for failing to conduct or keep them, or for knowingly hiring people with serious convictions. Harris County sheriff’s investigators testified in support, describing illegal boarding homes, operators who evade permits and background checks, and exploitation of vulnerable residents; the bill was left pending. The committee also took up Senate Bill 481 on emergency preparedness for nursing facilities and assisted living facilities, adopted a new committee substitute that softened some requirements and removed the fiscal note, and left the bill pending. The committee then heard House Bill 388, which would require the Texas Department of Insurance to create a single standardized coordination-of-benefits form for dual health plans to reduce errors and surprise bills; it was left pending. Senate Bill 1590 would move paternity registry searches for adoptions to an electronic process with a 10-day target, and House Bill 2809 would track child suicide attempts in managing conservatorship and require related reporting and parental notice; both were left pending. The committee also heard Senate Bill 1887, which would prohibit administering mRNA-containing products for immunization for 10 years, with exceptions for cancer and genetic disorders. Supporters argued the bill was needed for safety, informed consent, and medical freedom, while opponents from the medical, research, and public health communities said mRNA vaccines are well-studied, save lives, and that the bill would harm access, research, and Texas’s biotech economy. The bill remained under discussion as testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• That would enable the commission, through our rate-making authority in the Human Resources Code, to update
• This bill will add these hospitals to state code.
• They have codes for this, yeah. Okay. Senator Sparks. Thank you.
• House Bill 2216 seeks to incorporate the principles of ICWA directly into the Texas Family Code.

Bills: HB18, HB37, HB 116, HB388, HB879, HB913, HB 1151, HB2216, HB2358, HB2809, SB577, SB1590, SB1782, SB1887, SB2744

Keywords: rural health, hospital funding, healthcare access, mental health services, financial stability, perinatal bereavement, healthcare, hospital training, bereavement support, maternal care, fetal demise, stillbirth, neonatal death, parent-child relationship, involuntary termination, family law, child welfare, child protection, HB 388, HB388

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services met with a quorum and took up several House and Senate bills, with public testimony limited to two minutes per witness. The committee first heard HB 2358, a cleanup bill requested by HHSC that would repeal outdated training and conference requirements for long-term care facility surveyors and certain providers; there were no witnesses, and the bill was left pending. The committee then heard HB 18, the rural hospital stabilization bill, which would create financial assessment tools, a rural hospital finance office at HHSC, an academy for rural hospital officers, multiple grant programs, enhanced Medicaid reimbursement tied to average cost, OB/GYN add-on payments, expanded pediatric telehealth connectivity, and a rural pediatric mental health program. Senator Perry and witnesses from TORCH, a rural hospital, AARP Texas, and ARCHI strongly supported the bill as a way to stabilize rural hospitals, improve OB access, and address workforce and financial pressures. Committee members discussed rural hospital closures, low-volume quality metrics, system affiliation, and the need for predictable monthly reimbursement; the bill was left pending after testimony and questions. The committee next heard HB 37, which would create a perinatal bereavement care initiative for families experiencing stillbirth, neonatal death, or intrauterine fetal demise, including counseling, staff training, and access to cooling devices, with possible grants and a recognition program for hospitals. Senator Huffman explained the bill, and several witnesses testified in support, sharing personal stories about infant loss and the importance of time with the baby, trained staff, and cuddle cots or similar devices. A neonatologist also supported the bill while suggesting clarification that hospitals should not be penalized if state funding is unavailable and recommending use of regional advisory councils to help implement training. Public testimony was then closed and the bill left pending. The committee also heard HB 879, which would create a streamlined licensing pathway for veterans with medical or nursing experience to practice in Texas, and HB 913, which would add new state hospitals to statute and split the North Texas State Hospital into two separate hospitals with their own superintendents; both bills had no opposition testimony and were left pending. Later, the committee heard SB 2744, a heart disease screening bill that would update the 2009 Texas Heart Attack Prevention Act to require insurance coverage for coronary CT angiography with plaque analysis, including soft plaque detection, as a preventive screening tool. The author and invited witnesses argued the technology is more effective than calcium scoring alone, can identify patients before symptoms appear, and could save lives at a cost comparable to or lower than colonoscopy. An insurance industry witness opposed the bill, arguing the technology has not been recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for universal screening and that the mandated coverage and payment level would raise costs; the bill was left pending after testimony. Finally, the committee heard HB 1151, a parental rights bill clarifying that refusing psychotropic medication or psychiatric treatment is not neglect unless the child is harmed. Supporters, including parent advocates and attorneys, said the bill would protect parents from CPS overreach and preserve medical decision-making authority, while one witness urged broader attention to physical causes of behavioral issues. Public testimony was closed and HB 1151 was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 5169 addresses this issue by introducing a new section of the tax code which prohibits
• Correct, because the revenues need to be where the retailer is, because the city is providing sewage and fire
• We had already budgeted for roads, police, and fire protection.
• Meanwhile, you know, you're still providing police and fire service, you're paving roads.
• Police and fire... It sounded familiar. I just needed to wake up. I appreciate you.

Bills: HB 105, HB982, HB1483, HB1508, HB2575, HB3646, HB3993, HB4083, HB4580, HB4725, HB5169, HB5511, HJR73, HJR102, HJR174, HB3746, HB4240

Keywords: economic development, job creation, energy, tax incentives, technology investment, ad valorem taxes, elderly, disabled, low-income, tax limitation, homesteads, Texas Tax Code, property tax, ad valorem tax, tax exemption, residential real property, home improvement, energy efficiency, energy-efficient upgrades, HVAC

Transcript Highlights:

• That's why the Texas Education Code lays it out.
• Under current statute, there are inconsistencies in the education code.
• The bill amends sections of the Education Code, Government Code, and Insurance Code to standardize these
• It has a military compact, and ours is in Title IV of the Education Code.
• That's the big title found in Education Code Chapter 162.

Bills: HB178, HB178, HB1551, HB1939, HB2040, HB2354, HB2674, HB3029, HB3460, HB3631, HB3662, HB5201, HB5381

Keywords: efficiency audit, political subdivision, tax rate, fiscal management, government accountability, Texas education, public schools, curriculum, social studies, high school graduation requirements, State Board of Education, Education Code, ethnic studies, world history, world geography, U.S. history, government, economics, personal financial literacy, free enterprise

Transcript Highlights:

• A waiver under Section 7056 of the Education Code.
• this is the bill we heard previously relating to a school psychologist licensed under the Occupations Code
• The substitute amends Section 11059E of the Education Code.
• Also, the substitute adds the repeal of sections 11059F and G of the Education Code.
• House Bill 824 builds on the Texas Education Code which... ...outlines curriculum requirements for public

Bills: HB178, HB1551, HB1939, HB2040, HB2354, HB2674, HB3029, HB3460, HB3631, HB3662, HB5201, HB5381, HB178

Keywords: Texas education, public schools, curriculum, social studies, high school graduation requirements, State Board of Education, Education Code, ethnic studies, world history, world geography, U.S. history, government, economics, personal financial literacy, free enterprise, religious literature, Hebrew Scriptures, Old Testament, New Testament, ninth grade

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 557 amends the Texas Family Code to create reasonable safeguards.
• This bill proposes several changes to the estate code in Texas.
• This bill is designed to fill a void in the estates code.
• Yes, as Representative Schoolcraft, this does fill a void in the Estates Code.
• Chapter 116 of the Trust Code defines what is trust income and what is trust principal, and it can be

Bills: HB557, HB732, HB1892, HB1954, HB2301, HB3180, HB3405, HB3650, HB3758, HB4035, HB4621, HB4795, HB4870, HB5069, HB5137, HB5149

Keywords: child support, arrears, court enforcement, contempt, legal protections, healthcare, insurance, cost reduction, accessibility, regulations, impotency, marriage annulment, Family Code, Texas law, family law, Texas legislation, dissolution of marriage, annulment, marriage, child custody