Transcript Highlights:

• Good afternoon, Maggie Epson with the Legislative Budget Board.
• certain legislation.
• that comes before this body, we look at the impact of that legislation. only.
• when that legislation went in place.
• I believe you will see legislation.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: infrastructure, water supply, flood mitigation, Texas Water Fund, community projects, funding allocations

Summary: During this committee meeting, the focus was on discussing critical infrastructure funding, especially related to water supply and flood mitigation projects. Chairwoman Stepney and the Water Development Board presented extensive details regarding the Texas Water Fund, which included $1 billion appropriated to assist various financial programs and tackle pressing water and wastewater issues. Additionally, funding allocations aimed at compromising the state's flood risk and improving water conservation were hotly debated, emphasizing collaboration among committee members and the necessity of addressing community needs in such projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• . legislate. legislate.
• It's not enabling legislation.
• </c> legislate on CACR30. legislate on CACR30.
• </c> to legislate to legislate hearing hearing hearing &gt;&gt; you<01:35:33.440><c> can</c><01:35:33.520
• And the legislate with an 18 to0 vote.

Committee: House Election Law

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Let him finish. new legislation we haven't seen it new legislation we haven't seen it before<00:07:39.960
• </c><00:10:33.480><c> or</c> frivolous and misguided legislation or frivolous and misguided legislation
• </c><00:11:07.000><c> that</c> justice this includes legislation that justice this includes legislation
• > that</c> legislation the model legislation that legislation the model legislation that we<00:28:38.200
• </c> meant on or in this legislation meant on or in this legislation placed<00:32:28.320><c> on</c><00

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on HB 733-FN, a bill on third-party litigation financing (TPLF). Representative Cole, the prime sponsor, described TPLF as outside investors financing lawsuits in which they have no personal stake, arguing that the practice is largely unregulated, can involve foreign entities, and contributes to litigation abuse, higher insurance costs, and what he called a “tort tax.” He said the bill is modeled on an NCOIL proposal and would require disclosure of TPLF agreements, with specific references to foreign-entity restrictions, consumer-protection guardrails, and reporting requirements. He also noted a few technical fixes to the draft, including adding the word “knowingly” and restoring a section that had been omitted. Committee members questioned how the bill’s foreign-entity language would work, including whether a governor or the Department of Safety would designate countries of concern, and whether the bill would bar foreign parties from using litigation funding. Cole and others clarified that the bill was intended as a reporting measure, not a ban on litigation funding itself, and that the goal was to disclose who is funding lawsuits and to what extent. Representative Sal asked whether the bill would prevent a litigant from getting outside financing; Cole answered no, emphasizing disclosure rather than prohibition. Brandon Grat of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau testified that the bill’s enforcement provisions were too limited. He said the draft appears to give the Attorney General only a civil-penalty remedy, likely too small to deter violations, and not the broader Consumer Protection Act tools such as injunctions, restitution, or investigation authority. He also raised concerns about whether the Attorney General or Insurance Department would have proper jurisdiction, given that the product may be financial or insurance-related. Insurance Commissioner DJ Benton Court said the department sees possible benefits from transparency because disclosure of litigation funding could help insurers assess risk, improve underwriting, and potentially ease hard-market pressures, especially for nonprofits and child care providers. He also said the bill’s language likely needs further work to clarify agency authority and suggested involving the Attorney General, Insurance Department, and banking regulators. Opposition testimony came from the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association. Marissa Chase and Samantha Hering argued the bill is one-sided because it requires disclosure only on the plaintiff side and not from defendants or insurers. They said New Hampshire already has court rules and discovery procedures that cover relevant disclosures, making the bill unnecessary, and questioned whether the existence of a funding contract is even relevant in litigation. The hearing ended with the committee continuing to discuss possible revisions and enforcement options, but no vote or final action was taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill requires the Director of DCS, upon enactment of federal legislation that provides grants to
• And with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions. ...the Director of Legislative Council of the date
• Arizona was the first state to introduce legislation requiring these interviews be recorded, showing
• Just last week, Virginia passed similar legislation unanimously with no fiscal note, and at least eight
• Thank you very much for voting in favor of this legislation. Thank you. Thank you. Excellent.

Bills: HB2049 , HB2178 , HB2179 , HB2307 , HB2322

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: radiation therapy, particle accelerator, critical access hospitals, patient care, rural healthcare, HB2178, Arizona, state agencies, chief medical officer, medical license, physician license, osteopathic license, licensure requirement, Title 41, Title 32, Arizona Revised Statutes, A.R.S. 41-5902, public health administration, agency leadership, state government personnel

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to call to order the Legislative Joint Audit Committee for Friday, February 13th.
• the audit and special reports scheduled to be presented to the standing committees and the full Legislative
• Of the 64 delinquent entities, 59 have filed their reports since the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee
• Legislative Audit staff gave a presentation covering the history of the Medicaid Subcommittee and Legislative
• This report was issued in response to a legislative request for Legislative Audit to conduct a review

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As that legislation goes through the legislative process, members of the public will have the opportunity
• the administration of state government prior to a full hearing and public participation in that legislative
• It does not include heavily debated legislation and tends to be technical in nature.
• And under new business, we have a presentation of the proposed legislation for the 2026 regular session
• Following my explanation, in your packets you will have a summary of the proposed legislation in addition

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The State Board of Election Supervisors met on February 5, 2026, with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the March 11, 2025 meeting. Chair Nancy Landry explained that the board was reviewing proposed technical and administrative changes for the Department of State’s 2026 elections omnibus bill, which would later go to the House and Senate Governmental Affairs Committees for public hearing. No public comment cards were submitted, and the board reiterated that comments could also be emailed to the acting secretary. First Assistant Secretary of State Catherine Newsom and Deputy Commissioner Lainey Boyd presented items 1 through 39, with item 7 removed before consideration and item 37 later removed after board discussion. The proposals covered a wide range of election-administration topics, including registrar salary payment timing, restrictions on ROV employees running for office, clarifying party affiliation for voters who select “unaffiliated,” technical updates for voter registration transfers and precinct changes, protections for pre-registrants’ personal information, removal from protected voter lists, absentee ballot procedures, nomination petition certification, notice requirements when a candidate dies, watcher deadlines, over-voting, ballot curing, nursing home voting timing, procurement authority for voting equipment, and deadlines for contesting constitutional amendments and election irregularities. Several items were explained as cleanup or consistency changes to align the election code with current practice and prior omnibus revisions. Board members asked multiple clarifying questions, especially about the meaning of “unaffiliated,” the timing language for pre-registrants, what counts as actual notice of a candidate’s death, and whether proposed rules would follow the APA. The most substantive disagreement involved item 37, which would have allowed the Secretary of State to bring an election contest based on irregularities reported by an election official; after discussion, the board agreed to remove that item from the omnibus recommendations. Members also discussed item 38, which would create a cause of action and deadline for contesting the calling of a constitutional amendment, and item 39, which clarifies that election contests cannot be filed before election day. The board then approved the remaining provisions—items 1 through 6, 8 through 36, and 38 and 39—and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Start by stating your name and your legislative district.
• Start by stating your name and your legislative district.
• This piece of legislation clarifies the language of who will pay for the fee for the evaluation.
• This legislation is preventative in nature and is not related to a specific example.
• This legislation is focused on a certain kind of crime.

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I thank you all for being here virtually and in person to share your thoughts on the legislation before
• , otherwise known as the Residential Improvement Legislation, H.B. 3040, under consideration today.
• So enabling legislation for commercial PACE, or C-PACE, already exists in Massachusetts today, and we've
• So enabling legislation for commercial paste or C-pace already existed. local job creation.
• So enabling legislation for commercial paste or C-PACE already exists in Massachusetts today, and we've

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Revenue

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a hearing on several housing-related bills, with chairs Adrienne Madaro and James Eldridge framing the discussion as part of the Legislature’s broader response to the state’s housing crisis and noting that many of the bills build on the 2024 Affordable Homes Act. The chairs reviewed hearing procedures, including the three-minute oral testimony limit, the option to submit written testimony, and the hybrid format. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony began with support for H. 3278, a bill to create a graduated deed excise tax for affordable housing. Representative Worel argued that higher-end real estate transactions should contribute more to fund affordable housing production, saying the measure would not burden working families and would help address racial inequities in homeownership and displacement. Representative Soder then supported H. 3247, which would promote redevelopment of abandoned buildings through expanded tax incentives for renovating vacant properties for sale or rent, arguing that it would bring blighted units back into use and generate future tax revenue. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3040/S. 1969, residential improvement or R-PACE legislation. Robert Giles of Home Run Financing and Nicole Steele of Amalgamated Bank described the program as a voluntary, assessment-based financing tool that could help homeowners pay for energy efficiency, resilience, and other major repairs without upfront costs, and said it could complement existing Mass Save programs while expanding access to more homeowners. In contrast, Judith Lieben of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute opposed H. 3039/S. 1946, the Housing Development Incentive Program bill, arguing it would expand subsidies for market-rate and luxury housing in Gateway Cities instead of directing resources to low-income renters. Representative Hawkins also testified in support of H. 3121, which would end large investor control of homes in Massachusetts by imposing an excise tax on large owners of small residential properties and using the revenue for first-time homebuyer down payment assistance. After testimony and a few member questions, the chairs asked whether anyone else wished to testify and then adjourned the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Go through the legislative stuff. ...us adding that word. I see what you're saying. Okay.
• Go through the legislative step, yeah. All right. Any other comments?
• changes, like new material or legislative intent sections.
• Similarly, I got legislation passed last year that repealed a lot of sections related...
• Similarly, I got legislation passed last year that repealed a lot of sections related to seizure and

Committee: Joint Statute Law Committee

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, basically for many years I've been on a Legislative Audit Commission, where we see during the audits
• frankly, with all of the increased focus on audits, I talked with Ann Rest, who's the chair of the Legislative
• Well, basically, for many years I've been on a Legislative Audit Commission, where we see during the
• Um, there needs to be legislative authority to issue the grant.
• So, thank you very much. needs to be a legislative man or needs to be a legislative man or legislative

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The notwithstanding clause is standard in this piece of legislation.
• This legislation does exactly that. Senate Bill 1342 does not eliminate local authority.
• This legislation does exactly that. Senate Bill 1342 does not eliminate local authority.
• This legislation does exactly that. Senate Bill 1342 does not eliminate local authority.
• This legislation does exactly that. Senate Bill 1342 does not eliminate local authority.

Committee: Senate Agricultural Affairs

Summary: The Senate Agricultural Committee first approved the February 12, 2026 meeting minutes by voice vote. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1342, sponsored by Senator Tammy Nichols, which would create a statewide minimum standard allowing owner-occupants of detached single-family residences to keep up to four hens for household egg production, while preserving local authority over sanitation, noise, odor, pests, nuisance, and rooster restrictions. Nichols said the bill was a narrower version of a similar proposal from last year and was intended to support food security, self-reliance, and agricultural literacy; she also noted it would not affect final enforcement actions before July 1, 2026. Public testimony was split. Supporters argued the bill would protect basic homeowner freedoms, strengthen food security, and give families a small way to produce their own food. Opponents, including representatives of the Idaho Community Association Institute and the Association of Idaho Cities, said it would interfere with private covenants and local control, create nuisance and health concerns, and raise questions about lot size and possible egg sales in residential areas. A Nampa city councilman testified in support, saying the bill sets a reasonable state floor without eliminating local authority. In committee questions, senators asked about how the bill would affect existing HOA rules, whether it differed from last year’s proposal, and how the rooster provision would work. Nichols said the bill applies prospectively, leaves lot-size decisions to local governments, and only prohibits roosters where they are expressly banned. The committee then voted to send Senate Bill 1342 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation; Senator Taylor said he would not support it, while Senator Lakey said he would support it.

Transcript Highlights:

• So about a year after Dopple was created, there was a legislative audit that went back three years prior
• But the idea, or the plan, that was accepted by the legislative auditors and by JFAC was to increase
• And then last year, there was legislation passed and codified.
• Also with that legislation was the ability for me as the administrator to implement fee holidays.
• Additionally, Idaho House Bill 28 passed during the 2025 legislative session and was enacted July 1,

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We hold the Texas legislative drive-in.
• In each legislative session, including this, the eighty-ninth session.
• To continue sharing the findings we will learn about today during our meetings with legislators.
• Act now as we dive into this legislative session and keep the momentum going in the coming years.
• So then the question is the non-monetary solutions that the legislator can't legislation can do to improve

Transcript Highlights:

• prog program that this legislative body prog program that this legislative body set<00:37:25.920><c>
• There's not a need for this legislation.
• </c><00:55:31.839><c> uh</c> have struck down similar legislation uh have struck down similar legislation
• </c><00:58:39.839><c> would</c> or other legislative committees would or other legislative committees
• So, I'd ask the legislative citation.

Keywords: Convene 00:00:00 Senate Message 00:04:53 Calendar/2nd Readings 00:05:27 Report of Committees 00:06:16 Orders of the Day 00:08:42 SB 172 00:08:54 HB 392 00:11:47 HB 529 00:16:02 HB 456 00:22:04 HB 424 00:25:27 HJR 50 00:30:04 HB 577 00:32:29 HB 213 00:36:10 HB 58 00:40:22 HB 10 00:45:23 Motions, Petitions, and Communications 01:04:32 Introduction of New Bills and Resolutions 01:17:33 Recess for ConC/Rules Meeting 01:20:15 ConC/Rules Report 01:25:00 Floor Amendments 01:26:56 Adjournment 01:27:21, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• legislation legislation are<00:02:49.280><c> calling</c><00:02:49.599><c> on</c><00:02:50.319><c> there
• </c> case and guidance from legislative case and guidance from legislative counsel,<00:03:22.080><c>
• </c> This approach mirrors prior legislative This approach mirrors prior legislative efforts<00:04:10.720
• We are simply trying to legislating.
• Legislation should be geraness.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And lastly, I would like to thank my staff for their dedication in crafting this legislation.
• The first goal of this legislation is geared toward restructuring the current CCC model.
• And then... ...when it came to the CBD aspect of this legislation.
• Today we stand before a critical piece of legislation, H. 4187.
• Furthermore, this legislation commits us to robust data collection and analysis.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and welcomed students from the Frederick C. Murphy School in Weymouth, along with other guests introduced by members. The chamber then suspended Joint Rule 12 to allow several petitions to be referred, including proposals on alcohol labeling for beers consumed on premises, parity in funding for regional vocational and traditional public schools, and legal protections for victims of childhood sexual abuse. The main floor business was House No. 4187, An Act Modernizing the Commonwealth’s Cannabis Laws, reported by Ways and Means as a substitute bill. Members speaking in support described it as a comprehensive overhaul of the Cannabis Control Commission and the state’s cannabis and hemp regulatory framework. The bill would reduce and restructure the CCC, expand options for cannabis businesses and social equity operators, raise license and ownership caps, remove the vertical integration requirement for medical marijuana, and create stronger rules for hemp and CBD products, including a ban on unregulated intoxicating hemp products and a new regulatory structure for allowable hemp beverages and CBD items. Several amendments were offered and adopted by roll call, including changes narrowing the hemp beverage ban from 11 ounces to 7.5 ounces, requiring out-of-state testing labs to be certified in good standing with the commission, and other technical revisions. After debate, the House passed H. 4187 to be engrossed by a roll call vote of 153-0. The chamber also passed to be engrossed two sick leave bank bills, for Andrew Satara and Dana Johnson, and ordered House No. 1590, establishing a sick leave bank for Eric J. Wenaka, to a third reading. The House then adopted an order to meet the next day at 11 a.m. and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's not just legislation. It's also Missouri regulation.
• And it's not just legislation. It's also Missouri regulation.
• So intent of the General Assembly, intent of the legislator. So you...
• So intent of the General Assembly, intent of a legislator.
• So intent of the General Assembly, intent of a legislator.

Committee: House Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence

Summary: The committee first met in executive session and approved House Bill 2666, Representative Keithley’s anti-SLAPP bill, on an 8-4 vote after a brief clarification that it was the anti-SLAPP measure being considered. The committee then held a public hearing on House Bill 3054, also by Representative Keithley, which would shift Cole County appellate venue to the Eastern District for workload balancing and require certain challenges to the enactment or validity of statutes and regulations to be filed originally in Cole County to reduce forum shopping. Representative Keithley said the bill was intended to centralize procedural and constitutional challenges tied to lawmaking or rulemaking in Jefferson City, not to move ordinary fact-based civil cases. Committee members pressed him on whether the language would also sweep in personal injury, medical malpractice, or criminal cases, and several expressed concern that the bill was broader than intended and could create venue fights or burden litigants. Keithley acknowledged the language might need clarification, especially regarding whether it could affect cases with constitutional counts in otherwise ordinary civil actions. Opposition testimony came from the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys and the Missouri Circuit Judges Association. Both groups said the bill, as drafted, was too broad and could unintentionally move many cases to Cole County, including cases where constitutional challenges are commonly pleaded, and possibly criminal matters because of the “notwithstanding” clause. They also warned it could encourage new venue disputes and undermine expected local venue. The Judicial Conference of Missouri offered to provide data on case types if the committee wanted more information. No further action was taken on HB 3054, and the hearing adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so from that perspective, that money is under the direction of this legislative body.
• And so from that perspective, that money is under the direction of this legislative body. ...is under
• the direction of this legislative body.
• I believe that this legislative body has consistently and overwhelmingly chosen, over a multitude of
• legislative sessions, to support pro-life policies, but also to support young women who choose to go

Bills: SB1177

Committee: House Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget

Keywords: education funding, mental health services, public safety, housing, state budget

Summary: The Joint Appropriations and Budget Committee took up Senate Bill 1177, the main budget bill, and first adopted the committee substitute as the working version. Chairman Caldwell presented the bill as the measure funding state government and answered a series of questions about major budget items, including CareerTech funding, child care, school security, teacher pay raises, the state plane purchase, Medicaid, mental health, veterans’ homes, and higher education projects. He said CareerTech received increased funding, child care funding was increased by roughly $12 million over last year, school security funding was continued at $50 million, and teacher pay raises were included through a mechanism that would raise the state minimum by $2,000. He also explained the $3 million state plane item as a restructuring of state aviation assets, and said the budget did not cut law enforcement funding tied to 287(g) agreements.

Transcript Highlights:

• The provisions of this legislation remove unnecessary barriers, The provisions of this legislation remove
• And finally, I'd like to remind people that the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee assigns us topics
• During the 2025 legislative session, we did hear from the department about their goal to increase the
• And the department stated that legislative action would be required to implement this recommendation.
• There were a couple tension points that would require legislation potentially, but I remember one of

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 639 from Senator Ben Taves, which would modernize Idaho’s licensed midwifery laws by replacing a fixed statutory medication list with a board-defined formulary and protocol for maternal and neonatal care. Supporters, including licensed midwives Charity Catlin and Valerie Hall, said the bill would reduce unnecessary hospital transfers, especially for stable postpartum hemorrhage cases and other rural maternity situations, while lowering costs and preserving recovery and bonding. Senator Taves said he worked with the Idaho Midwifery Council and that the bill aligns Idaho with neighboring states. The committee voted to send HB 639 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee then received a presentation from the Office of Performance Evaluations on state oversight of children’s residential care. OPE reported concerns about limited licensing authority, unclear children’s rights information, lack of required reporting on restraint and seclusion, weak enforcement, and inconsistent monitoring practices. The report also found that foster youth placements in residential care had increased, including out-of-state placements, and that the state lacked a clear way to track whether children were in the most appropriate setting. OPE recommended more unannounced surveys, standardized contract monitoring, better communication across divisions, and clearer abuse-investigation procedures. Department of Health and Welfare officials responded that they had already reduced congregate care use, created a Continuity Care Bureau, and implemented or were implementing several recommendations. They said licensing had adopted priority response timelines similar to child protection cases and was working on resident-rights improvements, but acknowledged a remaining gap in placing substantiated perpetrators on a registry and said legislative action would be needed. The committee discussed the need for stronger oversight for both foster and privately placed children, and the chair announced the committee would meet again the next day for a Medicaid and managed care presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is if you notice in the bill title above it, it does not have for the Legislative Education Study Committee
• That is the only change is that the drafters did not include for the Legislative Education Study Committee
• It just reflects that the interim Legislative Education Study Committee endorsed this piece of legislation
• I'm so pleased that this is the first bill I'm testifying on in support of this legislative session.
• How is this going to be deciding for future policy or for future legislation for us, Mr. Chair?”

Bills: SB29 , SB64

Committee: House House Education

Keywords: SB29, math requirements for teaching license, teacher licensure, teacher endorsement, mathematics methods, elementary education, secondary education, special education, early childhood education, reciprocity, Public Education Department, Mathematics and Science Education Act, mathematics instructional leadership framework, professional learning plan, K-3 screening, mathematics screening assessment, mathematics difficulty, support plan, multilevel support, intervention