Bills: SB2026 , SB1376 , SB1355 , SB2115 , SB1533 , SB1732 , SB1217 , SB1443 , SB1455 , SB1457 , SB1459 , SB1465 , SB1944 , SB1946 , SB1218 , SB1942 , SB1352 , SB2132 , SB1920 , SB1285 , SB1304 , SB1305 , SB1326 , SB1590 , SB1767

Keywords: military discharge, veterans, DD Form 214, confidentiality, grandchildren access, Oklahoma National Guard, education assistance, military benefits, dependents, CareerTech Assistance Act, burial grant, memorial headstone, eligibility requirements, funding, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, fiscal management, state law, veteran burial, burial assistance, indigent veterans

Summary: The Senate convened, a quorum was established, and Senator Yek delivered the opening prayer. The body then granted unanimous consent for an entourage to appear on the floor for a citation presentation honoring Oklahoma State Troopers Michael Patnode and Joy McLaughlin for their quick response and lifesaving assistance during a medical emergency at the Capitol on January 13, 2026. The citation praised their professionalism and noted that emergency responders arrived in less than eight minutes because of their actions. The floor leader also recognized the Senate staff and others involved in the incident, noting that the person who had the medical emergency was recovering and had returned part-time. Senator Nice introduced an intern, Cottrell Strain, a sophomore English major at Langston University with an interest in politics. Several announcements followed, including a Farm City Festival lunch on the second floor, a Veterans and Military Affairs Committee meeting, and a Business and Insurance Committee meeting. The Senate also adopted a motion to celebrate Senator Julie Daniels’ birthday. No legislation was debated or voted on in the transcript beyond the citation and the procedural motions, and the chamber adjourned until Monday, February 16, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• They've been operating some on reserves. They've been increasing... ...IB came up with.
• They've been operating some on reserves. They've been increasing some compensation with reserves.
• Maybe they're not expected to survive without the operation.
• or altering consumer protections, and ensures clearer, more predictable enforcement for storage operators
• It also ensures clearer, more predictable enforcement for storage operators.

Bills: SB1732 , SB1217 , SB1443 , SB1455 , SB1457 , SB1459 , SB1465 , SB1944 , SB1946 , SB1218 , SB1942 , SB1352 , SB2132 , SB1920 , SB1285 , SB1304 , SB1305 , SB1326 , SB1590 , SB1767

Committee: Senate Business and Insurance

Keywords: professional licensing, licensing fees, home inspection, home inspector, Construction Industries Board, CIB, contractor license, journeyman license, apprentice registration, alarm endorsement, code inspector, electrical license, plumbing license, mechanical license, permit fees, renewal fee, reciprocity, poultry house contractor, poultry house wiring, environmentally controlled poultry house

Summary: The Business and Insurance Committee considered a long agenda of Senate bills covering real estate, construction licensing, insurance, alcohol regulation, medical marijuana, and other business matters. Among the measures discussed were SB 1732, which preserves Oklahoma’s current rule that brokers are not required to enter into a buyer brokerage agreement before showing real estate; SB 1443, which codifies payment rules for anesthesia services and physical status modifiers; and several sunset-extension bills for boards and agencies including the architects and interior designers board, the Construction Industries Board, the Abstractors Board, and the engineering and surveying board. The committee also heard bills on workers’ compensation, dental insurance billing practices, salvage title thresholds, energy standards for state-funded buildings, self-storage lien modernization, and medical marijuana training and licensing issues. Testimony and debate focused heavily on consumer costs, market competition, and regulatory clarity. Supporters of the dental bill (SB 1942) argued it would keep insurers from setting prices for non-covered services and allow patients and providers to negotiate directly, while opponents warned it could raise costs for consumers; the bill passed 8-2. Similar free-market arguments were made for the real estate, anesthesia, and alcohol-related bills, while consumer protection concerns were raised on the self-storage and dental measures. SB 1590, which would expand a fortified-roof grant program to commercial buildings, drew discussion about funding and the state’s role in helping reduce insurance costs. SB 1767 sought stronger enforcement against out-of-state spirit shipping, with concerns noted about lost tax revenue and age verification. Most bills received committee approval, often unanimously or by wide margins, including SB 1732, SB 1217, SB 1443, SB 1455, SB 1457, SB 1459, SB 1466, SB 1944, SB 1946, SB 1352, SB 2132, SB 1920, SB 1285, SB 1304, SB 1305, SB 1326, SB 1590, and SB 1767. Several bills were amended in committee, often to update sunset dates or clarify language, and title-striking motions were adopted on some measures that were still being worked on. The meeting ended with the chair noting that 20 bills had been handled and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• :24.240><c> Planning</c> the Strafford Regional Planning the Strafford Regional Planning Commission.
• </c> Um Strafford RPC is one of nine regional Um Strafford RPC is one of nine regional planning<00:31
• Um, we operate from the Seacoast region of New Hampshire into Boston South Station, Logan Airport, and
• </c> between where you run your operation between where you run your operation from<00:42:05.800><c>
• </c> regional drinking water infrastructure. regional drinking water infrastructure.

Committee: House Public Works and Highways

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so when I define it as a national security issue, and I think of it as national security, I think
• We need to operate in real time.
• And what I would say is we're probably operating at about 10% of the level that we should operate at.
• And what I would say is we're probably operating at about 10% of the level that we should operate at.
• I also just want to emphasize your focus on food security being ...to emphasize your focus on food security

Summary: The committee received an overview from Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson on the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, including staffing, licensing, forestry, law enforcement, and consumer services. He emphasized agriculture as a major economic driver and a national security issue, arguing that Florida should protect farmland, aquifer recharge areas, and the wildlife corridor through the Rural and Family Lands program. He said the program is cost-effective because the state buys development rights rather than land outright, keeps land on local tax rolls, and helps preserve farmland in perpetuity. He also highlighted the Fresh From Florida marketing program, increased social media reach, and the department’s efforts to reduce vacancies and improve pay and efficiency. Members asked about nutrient management, citrus disease, housing, disaster recovery, wildfire prevention, interdiction stations, and concealed carry permitting. Simpson said SB 1000 and updated best management practice manuals, informed by University of Florida research, are helping agriculture use less water and fertilizer, and he described citrus greening as having devastated the industry while noting research, replanting programs, and CUPS as possible paths to recovery. On housing, he argued that allowing H-2A farmworker housing on farms would ease pressure on the broader housing market, and on disasters he described a zero-interest loan program for farmers affected by hurricanes and other events. He also detailed wildfire preparedness improvements, including upgraded helicopters, dozers, drones, and prescribed burns. The commissioner said ag interdiction stations are catching stolen semis, drugs, human trafficking, and other illegal activity, and that the department wants more technology, including X-ray scanning, to inspect more trucks. He also discussed concealed carry administration, saying the department cleared a large backlog and that constitutional carry reduced but did not eliminate permit demand because permits still provide reciprocity and other benefits. Members generally praised the department’s work, expressed support for rural land protection, Fresh From Florida, water-quality improvements, and foreign-interference concerns, and the meeting ended with no formal votes or other committee action beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• But as some of those in this room are aware, there was a reduction to our overall operating budget.
• Plant and operations. And so, basically, really quickly, why we use phased. Plant and operations.
• That's what, and 4 million is not going to go far when you're building a technical center.
• Our public meetings were in regard to our future goals for the current vocational center.
• One is Mount Naird, which hasn't yet secured about in a moment in more detail.

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one, it clarifies that regional occupational centers and programs are eligible to participate
• funding for LEAs that expand dual enrollment opportunities for justice-involved youth in county-operated
• So mirroring how we have technical assistance centers for our community schools, this would be something
• I mean, have you talked to folks that are currently operating and doing screening within...
• , particularly in some of the regions where, you know, we need to be making investments.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard the Governor’s proposals on dual enrollment, reading difficulty screeners, special education, school facilities, and Commission on Teacher Credentialing programs. On dual enrollment, the Department of Finance described a $100 million one-time Proposition 98 investment to expand the Dual Enrollment Opportunities Grant Program, along with changes to make regional occupational centers eligible, add funding for justice-involved youth, prioritize higher-need LEAs, support teacher professional development, and reduce daily instructional minute requirements for some dual enrollment students. The LAO recommended rejecting the new funding as not clearly addressing implementation barriers, while CDE supported the proposal and suggested reserving $10 million for technical assistance. Committee members and public commenters generally supported the expansion, with some asking for technical assistance and broader access, including adult dual enrollment. The committee also reviewed a $40 million one-time Proposition 98 proposal for reading difficulty screener implementation and related trailer bill language that would require screening after 91 school days for kindergarten and 46 school days for grades 1-2. Finance said the timing was intended to reduce over-identification and align with evidence from preliminary data; the LAO recommended rejecting the funding and redirecting it to a discretionary block grant. CDE supported the funding and the general approach but acknowledged the need for local support and training. Several committee members and public witnesses raised concerns that the proposed timing restrictions were too rigid and could delay early intervention, while others supported the delay as a way to improve accuracy and avoid misidentification. For special education, Finance proposed ongoing Proposition 98 increases to adjust for COLA and enrollment changes and to raise the statewide special education base rate to $99 per ADA, equalizing rates across SELPAs. The LAO said the proposal should be adopted but estimated it could be funded for less than the Governor’s figure. CDE and multiple local education representatives strongly supported the increase, citing rising special education enrollment, cost pressures, and large local funding gaps. The committee also heard a brief overview of the school facilities proposal, which continues $1.5 billion in Proposition 2 bond funding for the School Facility Program; OPSC reported significant remaining bond authority but also substantial pending demand, and explained that natural disaster school rebuilding draws from the broader new construction and modernization pools. Finally, the committee reviewed Commission on Teacher Credentialing proposals, including the already-funded $300 million Student Teacher Stipend Program, new state operations resources for misconduct investigations and grant administration, and a $250 million one-time continuation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program. CTC said its grants management system is ready and that it expects better data tracking; public testimony broadly supported the educator workforce investments and urged continued funding for the Golden State Teacher Grant Program and additional support for rural and leadership pipeline programs. No votes were taken, and the hearing adjourned after public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, what you're speaking about is what most of our work is actually centered around.
• And so our board has said, let's develop a regional plan and... said, let's develop a regional plan and
• So, we already have the regional basis set. We should probably have a vision for the state.
• So, how do data centers and trunk lines that would provide access to data centers, how do they play..
• . ...access to data centers, how do they play into this funding?

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We were the ones setting the pace for the entire region.
• We were the ones setting the pace for the entire region.
• We're not really pleased with, you know, the region right now.
• We're not really pleased with, you know, the region right now.
• They operate primarily like a business.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee heard presentations on the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the State Liquor Division. For Agriculture, legislative staff reviewed the agency’s structure, staffing, dedicated funds, and FY 2026–2027 budget requests, including pay adjustments, replacement items, IT hardware, a reappropriation for the Resilient Food Systems Grant, and two major one-time requests: a deficiency warrant for exotic pest response and a supplemental appropriation for quagga mussel treatment. Director Chanel Tewalt emphasized the history and urgency of Idaho’s invasive species program, described the state’s rapid response to quagga mussels, and explained how the program uses inspections, stations, chemicals, and other tools to reduce risk. Members asked about grant timing, vehicle replacement, signage costs, research into alternative treatments, chemical costs, possible use of sturgeon, and whether budget cuts would affect inspection stations; the director said some station openings or hours could be delayed or reduced, but priority would be given to border crossings and higher-risk locations. The committee then reviewed the State Liquor Division budget. Staff outlined the division’s dedicated-fund operations, personnel levels, statutory distributions, and FY 2027 requests for inflation, replacement items, and IT/security equipment, all recommended by the governor. Director Andrew Arulenandum said his priorities were safety, legal exposure, and operational continuity, citing a store shelving collapse and warehouse safety needs as reasons for some requests. Members asked about a policy proposal to restrict bulk lottery ticket purchases by out-of-state syndicates, the division’s pricing and markup structure, and whether Idaho might move away from a state-run liquor model. The director and his staff said the lottery restriction would not have a fiscal impact, that the markup is standardized, and that while the division remains open to efficiency ideas, the current control-state structure is intended to support revenue and temperance. The meeting ended with notice that the committee would return the next day to take action on FY 2027 maintenance budgets.

Transcript Highlights:

• Border security is my number one issue.
• is a fact that in the Republican Party of Texas, their number-one legislative priority is border security
• So far this session, the major push... ...to address illegal immigration centers around four policies
• It passed the Senate on April 16th and was recently referred to the House Homeland Security Committee
• Every second we waste is another opportunity lost to secure the border, protect children from abuse,

Keywords: immigration, children's rights, E-Verify, social transitioning, election integrity, Texas GOP, legislative session, urgent legislation

Summary: The committee meeting was characterized by fervent discussions surrounding critical legislation, particularly regarding immigration, children's rights, and election integrity. Key bills such as HB2258, aiming to ban social transitioning for children, and E-Verify legislation were highlighted as urgent priorities. Several representatives expressed frustration over stalled bills and emphasized the necessity of decisive action to fulfill their commitments made during their campaigns. The urgency was marked by the approaching deadline for bill passage, with only days remaining in the legislative session. Members urged House leadership to prioritize these bills, warning that failure to act would undermine public trust in their capacity to fulfill the Republicans' campaign promises.

Transcript Highlights:

• Not only is immigration and the border security my number one issue, it's the number one top priority
• So far this session, the major push to address illegal immigration centers around four policies E-Verify
• Speaker Burrows waited over two weeks to refer that bill to the House Subcommittee on County and Regional
• help shut off the magnets that are bringing illegal aliens into Texas and to pass strong border security
• Every second we waste is another opportunity lost to secure the border, protect children from abuse,

Transcript Highlights:

• Benjamin Henderson with the Western Center on Law and Poverty in support. Thank you.
• Like, is there a regional dimension to it?
• A regional dimension to it.
• I'm the local and regional policy director with California YIMBY.
• As you know, in my region, L.A.

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This creates structural barriers for housing projects for farm workers in agricultural regions.
• Salvador Lopez, on behalf of Center for Employment and Training and Central Valley Opportunity Center
• Salvador Lopez, on behalf of the Center for Employment and Training and Central Valley Opportunity Center
• , even as the state attempts to drive economic development in disadvantaged regions like the Central
• California manufacturers are operating in one of the most challenging environments in the country.

Summary: The Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee heard a series of bills focused on nonprofit tax status, housing, tribal land return, tax relief, economic development, journalism, reparations, manufacturing investment, and pawned property sales tax. The chair explained the committee’s suspense file process and noted that only AB 2270 and AB 2641 were eligible for immediate votes; other measures were referred to suspense after presentation. AB 2084 (Bauer-Kahan) would give the Franchise Tax Board discretion to delay or review revocation of state nonprofit tax-exempt status when federal status is revoked, and AB 2167 (Macedo) would clarify that tribally chartered corporations are eligible for existing tribal conservation land return tax exemptions. Both drew support from nonprofit and tribal representatives and were sent to suspense. AB 2270 (Arambula) sought to improve farmworker housing access to low-income housing tax credits by adjusting scoring criteria to reflect rural agricultural realities. Supporters said current amenity-based scoring disadvantages projects near farmland; the bill passed the committee 4-1 and was sent to Housing and Community Development. AB 2336 proposed excluding the first $25,000 of overtime pay and pension income from taxation; supporters framed it as affordability relief, while an opponent warned of major General Fund losses and a member raised the lack of an income cap. AB 2205 would reinstate the New Employment Credit to encourage hiring in high-unemployment areas, and AB 2222 would create refundable tax credits for local news organizations hiring journalists; both received strong support from business, labor, and media advocates and were referred to suspense. The committee also heard AB 2186, which would exclude future reparations payments from state income tax, with supporters arguing reparations should not be reduced by taxation; it was sent to suspense. AB 2377 would accelerate depreciation deductions for manufacturing equipment, with a larger benefit in high-need areas, and AB 2641 would extend the sales tax exemption for people repurchasing their own property from pawnbrokers, with the author agreeing to a five-year sunset amendment. AB 2641 passed 4-0 and was sent to Appropriations. After taking up the remaining roll calls for absent members, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Californians are not the only people who may not have a social security number.
• In 2014, the CPUC issued a decision that Social Security numbers are not needed to verify identities
• First, it makes clear that Social Security numbers are not required for Lifeline, but still encouraged
• Second, it protects access to federal Lifeline funding for people with Social Security numbers, which
• Kathy McBride, on behalf of the Michelson Center for Public Policy. and support. Good afternoon.

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, voluntary though, voluntary that the people in a region could choose to form a region, but once
• a region is formed, can one hotel in the region say, 'I don't want to charge that tax.
• Physical gold held in secure custody is one of the few financial assets with no counterparty risk.
• We operate 25 watercraft and 10 jet skis.
• But they wanted operational money.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance Committee of Reference

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee approved the March 16, 2026 minutes and then heard testimony on several bills, with the chair noting that votes would be taken in batches because members were coming and going. HB 2939 would increase the rural qualified facilities tax credit from $20,000 to $25,000 per job for certain projects with initial investment under $2 billion; Lucid Motors supported it as a rural economic development tool, while Senator Epstein questioned the fiscal note and whether the higher credit would actually attract new investment. HB 2950 would authorize tourism improvement areas funded by voluntary lodging assessments to support marketing and tourism promotion; the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association and Visit Phoenix backed it as a competitive tool for rural and urban destinations, and committee members focused on whether participation was truly voluntary and how the assessments would be administered. HB 2780 made technical conforming changes to Arizona’s property tax lien foreclosure and excess proceeds sale process, building on a prior law that created a mechanism for delinquent property owners to recover equity; the sponsor and a longtime constituent said the changes would fix timing and credit-bid language so qualified entity sales could work in practice. HB 2502 would let certain elected officials in ASRS retire at normal retirement age without resigning their office, with the employer paying the alternate contribution rate; ASRS said it was neutral, and the sponsor argued the bill would treat elected officials more like other ASRS members. The committee then adopted do-pass recommendations for HB 2502, HB 2780, HB 2950, and HB 2939, with each passing on split votes. The committee also adopted a striker to HB 2140, allowing the State Treasurer to invest up to 10% of state trust and treasury monies in physical gold or silver bullion held in secure U.S. depositories. The sponsor and the Sound Money Defense League argued it would diversify reserves and hedge against market disruption, while opponents said gold is volatile, costly to store, and not something taxpayers need the state to buy. HB 2140 then passed as amended on a 4-2 vote. Finally, the committee heard HB 2398, as amended, which requires commercial liability insurance for watercraft rentals and peer-to-peer boat sharing programs, with supporters saying it addresses uninsured rental boats and law enforcement concerns; the bill passed as amended on a 6-1 vote. The committee also heard HB 2999, a major housing-finance bill creating state affordability infrastructure districts to finance public infrastructure through bonds and assessments; proponents said it would lower housing costs by spreading infrastructure costs over time, while contractors and some senators raised concerns about payment risk, impact-fee treatment, and whether savings would reach homebuyers. After adopting a striker and hearing extensive questions, HB 2999 passed as amended on a 6-1 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, heavily centered in the Northeast, but also New Mexico, California, Florida.
• We are the regional planning agency for Greater Boston.
• And then the yellow is also operated by MAPC.
• address their local and regional housing needs.
• Their local and regional housing needs.

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on the Census

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And also making sure that our CTE centers are all part of the conversation as that goes forward. 955,
• And also the regional level will give larger districts the ability to include more properties in that
• regional...
• More properties in that regional assessment district will kind of modify those spikes that you might
• The federal government changed how their income taxes for corporations and businesses operate.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A little history on the Excel Center: It is operated by Goodwill Industries of Arkansas as the state's
• There are 51 Excel Centers across the nation, and 49 operate through a combination of state education
• to operate.
• Every state where we operate the Excel Center provides funding to support the school except for the state
• The next one is student-centered.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• WE DON'T RELY ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR ANY OPERATIONS AT THE AIRPORT AND WE NOW HAVE A DOUBLE A CREDIT
• WE HAVE FOCUSED ON THE BILL ON REGIONAL, THE REGION NOW ANY OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEMBERS AS ESSENTIAL
• CERTAIN LEVEL SO WE'VE LOOKED INTO OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND SEEN THE WAY IT OPERATES
• I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SECURE STABLE HOUSING BUT SAW MY MENTAL HEALTH AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE DRAMATICALLY
• STATEWIDE STUDY DIRECTING ALL PARTNER TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON THE BARRIERS YOUNG ADULTS FACE WHEN TRYING TO SECURE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• because we want to maintain Idaho as the place where the best outfitters and guides in the country operate
• Another one that is just a concern for outfitters: outfitters operate on public land for the most part
• We operate on state public land. We operate on federal public land.
• We operate under federal permits. We understand how those systems work.
• So those who... ...Riggins, Lewiston, there's a lot of people in your community who operate in these

Summary: The committee began with presentations from the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association and the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRI). Eric Wyseth of IOGA described the association’s history, its more than 400 members, and the industry’s economic impact, saying outfitting and guiding generates about $891 million annually, supports over 7,500 jobs, and largely benefits rural Idaho. He also raised concerns about Fish and Game allocation changes, the importance of keeping public lands in public hands, and the ongoing FERC relicensing process for Hells Canyon Dam, where outfitters want daytime minimum flows maintained for jet boating. Dr. Kendra Kaiser of IWRI outlined the institute’s water research priorities and funding process, including a 32-member advisory committee, more than $500,000 distributed to university projects, and work on statewide issues such as water scarcity, recharge and water quality, snowpack data, flood mapping, monitoring gaps, East Snake Plain reach gains, and Lake Pend Oreille management. Director Matt Weaver praised IWRI’s renewed role as a neutral, applied-science partner for water management. The committee then set aside several code cleanup bills at the sponsor’s request. House Bill 569, sponsored by Representative Sauter, was introduced to expand recreational water skiing rules to allow driver-and-skier operation on public waters under specified equipment, age, and time restrictions; it was moved and passed to the floor with a due pass recommendation. Senate Bill 1222, presented by Representative Pickett, was described as a follow-up to last year’s domestic water exemption law, clarifying the definition of a subdivision as five lots and making the changes prospective beginning July 1, 2025. Testimony from the Idaho Water Users Association supported the bill, and it was also sent to the floor with a due pass recommendation after questions about domestic use, irrigation limits, and enforcement. Finally, Representative Boyle presented Senate Joint Memorial 108, which urges federal officials to address concerns that livestock producers on BLM and Forest Service allotments are discouraged from filing depredation claims for wolf or grizzly bear losses because of threats to their permits or grazing terms. The memorial was supported by a Farm Bureau letter in the packet. The committee moved it to the floor with a due pass recommendation, and the meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one, it clarifies that regional occupational centers and programs are eligible to participate
• funding for LEAs that expand dual enrollment opportunities for justice-involved youth in county-operated
• I mean, have you talked to folks that are currently operating and doing screening within...
• , particularly in some of the regions where, you know, we need to be making investments.
• Give a really great overview of all the various state operations requests that were approved.

Keywords: 987, senate, all