Transcript Highlights:

• I’m the Executive Director of the Energy Authority.
• I’m the Executive Director of the Energy Authority.
• <00:10:50.560> branch Uh I think even the executive branch Uh I think even the executive branch
• I can't speak for the executive branch.
• 11:45.280> of Anthony Apollo, executive director of Anthony Apollo, executive director of the<

Bills: SF0102, SF0123, SF0021, SF0099

Keywords: energy transmission, load growth, Wyoming energy authority, transmission planning study, public utilities, regional cooperation, energy, funding, grants, loans, coal, natural gas, mineral processing, economic development, stable token, liquidity, trust account, Wyoming, fund distribution, financial regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• We will now have Aaron McGuire, Executive Director... Thank you, Mr. Parks.
• I'm the Executive Director of the Board of State and Community Corrections for BSCC.
• And I gave you an extra minute and a half, but I will let you get one last sentence. All right.
• That is a great sentence to end on. Thank you. Thank you to both of you.
• California State Retirees, and I'm executive vice president.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met to consider new audit requests and received a status update from the State Auditor, who reported 10 JALAC audits in progress, several statutory audits underway, and that all audits approved in 2025 are moving forward. The committee first approved a consent calendar covering audits on University of California library resources, law enforcement information sharing, EDD unemployment insurance claims, and Housing and Community Development housing development monitoring. One requested audit on local law enforcement and human trafficking had been withdrawn before the hearing. The committee then debated and approved an audit request from Assembly Member DeMaio on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and its road project management and use of transportation funds. DeMaio argued the audit was needed to examine whether restricted funds, voter-approved revenues, and project commitments were properly used, while SANDAG officials said the agency already undergoes extensive oversight and that its funding sources and project uses are governed by multiple existing audits and reporting requirements. Several members questioned whether the audit would duplicate existing reviews, but the motion passed after roll call. Next, the committee approved Senator Valadares’s audit request on Board of State and Community Corrections Proposition 47 grant administration. Supporters said the audit would assess whether grant recipients and BSCC oversight are producing reliable outcome and recidivism data and whether the funds are achieving public safety goals; BSCC responded that it already has internal controls, that the State Controller conducts biennial audits, and that its reported outcomes show reductions in homelessness, unemployment, and recidivism among participants. The committee also approved Senator Cortese’s audit of CalHR’s dental benefits procurement and contract oversight, prompted by concerns about stagnant annual maximums, provider network losses, and out-of-pocket costs for employees and retirees. CalHR said its current dental network remains strong, that it recently completed an RFP adding MetLife as a second carrier beginning in 2027, and that it maintains performance guarantees in its contracts. All three regular-calendar audit requests were approved, and the committee then completed add-on votes approving the earlier consent calendar items before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• It deletes the sentence in lines 8 through 11 that is in current law, and that's the sentence that provides
• <02:35:19.120> in clear uh it deletes the the sentence in clear uh it deletes the the sentence
• so that's gone it creates a new sentence so that's gone it creates a new sentence in<02:35:31.880
• The committee came back to order and resumed executive session on HB 15.
• Okay, that ends the executive session on HB 15.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The executive session focused primarily on HB 563, which revises the school funding formula, especially the adequate education grant amounts for special education students and the treatment of fiscal capacity disparity aid. Representative Ladd moved OTPA on Amendment 06508, explaining that FY 26 would largely hold the current formula steady, while FY 27 would increase several per-pupil amounts, including base cost, free and reduced-price meals, English language learner aid, and special education differentiated aid. He said the special education change was based on estimated case loads across disability categories and that the amendment also reinstates fiscal capacity disparity aid, using a formula intended to better assist property-poor communities. Several members supported the amendment as a step in the right direction, saying it better recognizes special education costs and separates property wealth from low-income student counts. Others raised concerns about the lack of time and the absence of a printed spreadsheet showing how the fiscal capacity disparity aid would affect each town. In response, sponsors said the spreadsheet existed, that the LBA had copies, and that the amendment would help about 40 target towns, while Manchester would be the main community receiving less under the new formula because of prior shifts in the extraordinary needs grant. Discussion also covered the broader impact of the bill, with members noting that about 200 of the state’s 245 cities and towns would see an increase and 45 a decrease under the proposed FY 27 changes. Supporters argued the bill was a compromise given limited revenues and that it should move forward so it can be considered by the full House and then Finance. No final vote on the amendment or bill was taken in the portion provided, and the chair indicated the committee was still deciding whether it had enough information to proceed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ma'am, you shall register as Nicole Golden, executive director of the Texas Gun Sense.
• I'm the executive director of Texas Gun Sense.
• More to sentence someone to death versus life without parole.
• My name is Kristen Hole Cuellar as the executive director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the death
• This is the part of a shadow of a doubt they're like there's when it comes to sentencing, that's where

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, a defendant is required to pay $50 for the execution process of an arrest warrant.
• This bill proposes a long-overdue increase in the fee for executing and processing arrest warrants from
• The vast majority of these warrants are never executed.
• hospital, law enforcement faces procedural gaps in executing a capias order.
• It's also defined under the sentencing commentary to the sentencing guidelines.

Bills: HB47, HB171, HB285, HB305, HB449, HB908, HB 1024, HB 1306, HB1443, HB1445, HB1741, HB1866, HB1902, HB2001, HB2282, HB2355, HB2492, HB2637, HB2697, HB3464, HB4263, HB4996, HB5667

Keywords: sexual assault, victim rights, forensic examination, medical care, trauma-informed care, crime victims compensation, evidence retention, chemical dependency, court-ordered treatment, mental health, health care, treatment facility, juvenile justice, criminal justice reform, animal cruelty, nonlivestock, prosecution, veterinary defense, animal welfare, pretrial hearings

Summary: The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice met with a quorum and heard a long agenda of bills on criminal justice, public safety, mental health, victims’ rights, and related administrative issues. Early bills included HB 47, the omnibus sexual assault survivors bill, which would expand post-assault care, require courts to consider delays for adult survivors, bar sex offenders from rideshare driving, allow lease termination regardless of where an assault occurred, and require more reporting from sexual assault response teams. Testimony was generally supportive, though one witness raised concern that the bill’s reporting requirements could jeopardize county grant funding. HB 171, the Annel Borrego Act, would set a minimum period for court-ordered chemical dependency treatment; NAMI Texas supported it. HB 908 would require missing children reports to be sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children within two hours, and HB 1443 would criminalize possession and promotion of childlike sex dolls; both drew supportive testimony and were left pending. HB 567, changing juvenile board chair selection in Parker County, and HB 4263, a TJJD workforce retention bill, were also heard and left pending after brief discussion and adoption of committee substitutes where applicable. The committee also heard several bills focused on jail and prison safety, court process, and victim protection. HB 2282 would raise the arrest warrant fee from $50 to $75; constables supported it as a cost-recovery measure, while the Texas Fair Defense Project opposed it as a regressive fee that burdens low-income defendants. HB 3464 would increase penalties for correctional employees who bring drugs or alcohol into prisons, with support from Harris County jail officials and a formerly incarcerated advocate who described the dangers of contraband and retaliation. HB 285, “Poncho’s Law,” would add criminal negligence to non-livestock animal cruelty offenses; animal welfare advocates said it would close a loophole that lets pet service businesses avoid accountability, and the bill was left pending. HB 2355 would keep certain Crime Victims Compensation records confidential when held by the Attorney General, and HB 2637 would standardize jury exemption ages and clean up jury disqualification reporting; both were left pending after limited testimony. Mental health and competency-related bills received significant attention. HB 305 would require a pretrial hearing within 14 days after a defendant is restored to competency, aimed at reducing repeated decompensation and the forensic waitlist; NAMI Texas supported it. HB 1741 would tighten procedures for not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity outpatient commitments by requiring a stronger nexus to the receiving county and clearer supervision authority; law enforcement and mental health witnesses said it would improve public safety and treatment success. HB 2492 would make the four-hour family-violence post-bond cooling-off period mandatory rather than discretionary, and HB 1445 would allow a managed assigned counsel director to designate someone to approve certain payments for indigent defense attorneys; both were left pending. HB 1024 would require prompt execution of warrants for parole violators on superintensive supervision, and HB 1306 would extend first-responder-style benefits to death investigation professionals; neither drew opposition in the hearing. The committee also heard a series of public integrity and technology bills. HB 449 would expand the deepfake sexual content statute to include sexually explicit images, with Public Citizen supporting the change as necessary to address a rapidly growing problem. HB 1902 would create a new offense for “jugging,” or following bank or ATM customers to rob them; the Texas Bankers Association supported it. HB 2697 would require sureties to notify prosecutors before surrendering a felony defendant’s bond, and HB 2001 would sharply increase penalties for misuse of public information for financial gain and related coercion, with prosecutors and Texas Rangers describing bid-rigging and public corruption investigations as difficult to prove under current law because of short limitations periods and limited penalties. HB 1866 would grant Texas peace officer authority to National Park Service rangers within Texas park boundaries, and HB 4996 would increase penalties for fraudulent liens filed against public servants. Throughout the hearing, most bills were left pending after testimony, and several committee substitutes were adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Trump International Airport is subject to approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and execution
• The registry is a life sentence. Many of our youth choose suicide. Our youth, they're our future.
• It only applies to those executed or renewed after January 1, 2027. ...applies to those executed or renewed
• or there is a renewal executed.
• One executive office may support some holidays that others don't.

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of retained bills and several new measures, with most receiving favorable reports after amendments. Major debate centered on CS/SB 706, which preempts airport naming to the state and designates Palm Beach International Airport as the Donald J. Trump International Airport subject to FAA and trademark-related conditions. Senator Jones offered amendments to avoid private royalty benefits, but both failed. Senators Berman, Osgood, Jones, and Pizzo spoke against the bill, raising concerns about naming an airport after a sitting president, lack of local input, and ethical issues; Senator Mayfield defended the bill as cost-free to the airport and noted the naming agreement. The committee ultimately voted the bill favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 546 on conservation land notice requirements and CS/SB 1014 on municipal utility service to properties outside city limits, both with amendments and some opposition from the Florida League of Cities on the utility bill. Several other bills were heard and reported favorably with little controversy. CS/SB 1500 would streamline uncontested probate proceedings; SB 962 would exclude farms and farm operations from certain zoning definitions tied to affordable housing preemption; CS/SB 820 would strengthen reporting for problem-solving courts; SB 840 would revise portions of last year’s hurricane-related land-use law to narrow its scope and sunset temporary restrictions; and SB 856 would require online property listings to show estimated ad valorem taxes, with an amendment excluding social media platforms and broadening liability protections. SB 110 would clarify homestead exemption eligibility for 98-year or longer residential leases. SB 394 would exempt certain underwriting managers handling limited facultative reinsurance from licensure requirements, and SB 434 would prevent wind-hardening improvements from increasing assessed value for residential property tax purposes. The committee also advanced several public-safety and transparency measures. CS/CS/SB 658 and 608, a combined water-safety bill, would require safety features for rental properties with pools or nearby water bodies and authorize DBPR enforcement; supporters framed it as a response to Florida’s high child-drowning rates, and Airbnb waived in support. SB 748 would place constitutional language on restoration of voting rights on sentencing score sheets, with broad support from voting-rights and civil-rights groups. CS/SB 824 would require annual reporting of unimproved school-district land inventories, and CS/SB 848 would create a framework for off-site stormwater treatment and related credits, with support from builders and mitigation bankers. The committee also heard CS/SB 1036 on school counselors, which clarifies certification requirements and performance criteria after a delete-all amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• be Jelcar instead of the executive be Jelcar instead of the executive council.<03:10:43.359>
• <03:11:00.479> And executive council looks at that. And executive council looks at that.
• uh which is about the executive council. uh which is about the executive council.
• executive counselors could approve that. executive counselors could approve that.
• in every um executive council agenda. in every um executive council agenda. you,<03:14:02.239>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:16:51.320> to felony and may be sentenced to felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment
• <01:17:06.199> to felony and may be sentenced to felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment
• I'm executive director for the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association.
• I like a wider range, a larger possibility for a sentence to be a bit more severe.
• I like a wider range, a larger possibility for a sentence to be a bit more severe.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• such as probation or deferred sentences such as probation or deferred sentences something<01:19:
• The annulment window is three years from completion of the sentence.
• Complete discretion, as long as it's not a mandatory sentence.
• <02:07:38.800> departments because I'm now on executive departments because I'm now on executive
• executive what we think would be executive what we think would be amendable<04:33:33.039> um<04

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SENATE BILL 984 ADDS ADDITIONAL AGGRAVATING FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION DURING CAP THE TRIALS AND SENTENCING
• FLORIDA, THE PRACTICE OF THE DEATH PENALTY HAS INVOLVE THE STATE IN ERRONEOUS CONVICTIONS, BOTCHED EXECUTIONS
• I FEEL LIKE WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME INCREASING SENTENCING ON MISDEMEANOR FELONIES ARE MAKING EVERYTHING
• ALL WE'RE DOING IS MAKING SENTENCING HARSHER AND THAT'S THE WRONG WAY TO GO.
• THIS IS FOR THE DEFENDANT TO BE SENTENCED. THAT IS THE BILL. >> LATE FILED AMENDMENT BY ME.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the executive director of the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition.
• appropriate to remove that sentencing appropriate to remove that sentencing disparity.<01:41:47.280
• A motion to end the executive session. Second. All in favor? I.
• <03:18:15.040> for want to have a mandatory sentence for want to have a mandatory sentence
• Um, so motion to go out of executive session. All in favor? Aye. Thank you.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Kuhio Lewis, who is the chief executive officer, counsel for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
• And my last sentence is, we really need NAHASDA, a shorthand on housing. Thank you. Well summed up.
• Recent executive ordinance and guidance have unintentionally impacted the Indian health system.
• I'm the Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
• It is also about the ability to execute under the programs.

Keywords: tribal sovereignty, healthcare, education, public safety, Economic Development, Tax Parity Act, PROTECT Act, trust obligations, bipartisan support, Indian Health Services

Summary: The committee meeting focused on crucial issues facing tribal nations, particularly emphasizing the federal government's trust and treaty obligations. The discussions highlighted ongoing challenges such as disparities in healthcare, education, and public safety within Native communities. Chair Murkowski underscored the importance of listening to Native leaders and aligning congressional efforts with community needs, advocating for legislative actions that support tribal sovereignty and economic development. Various initiatives, including the Tax Parity Act and the PROTECT Act, aimed at addressing jurisdictional and financial disparities, were discussed in detail. A call for bipartisan support to alleviate the funding shortages affecting Indian Health Services was made several times during the meeting. Testimonies from tribal leaders and representatives emphasized the dire need for legislative support to enhance infrastructure, healthcare access, and public safety initiatives in tribal communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:12:55.519> and<00:12:55.760> our between our executive and our between our executive
• executive to run absolutely rampant. executive to run absolutely rampant.
• <00:25:45.679> in as much flexibility to the executive in as much flexibility to the executive
• >> Uh, executive branch to step in. >> Yeah. Where would that accountability lay under?
• >> uh executive branch to step in. >> uh executive branch to step in.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2145, which would establish a statutory right for the public to record law enforcement activities in public. Supporters, including the Libertarian Party of Hawaii and the ACLU of Hawaii, said the bill would clarify First Amendment protections, reduce confusion, and provide a private right of action if the right is violated. Most written testimony was in support, while the Maui Police Department and Honolulu Police Department submitted opposition. A senator asked about existing court cases, and the ACLU witness said courts have consistently recognized a right to record officers in public so long as recording does not obstruct police activity. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2151 on emergency management. Testimony from the Office of Information Practices and HEMA focused on proposed changes to Chapter 127A, including limits on emergency powers and a two-thirds legislative override. Earthjustice and other supporters argued the bill was needed after the Hawaii Supreme Court’s Nakoa decision, which they said read emergency powers too broadly and could allow suspension of laws for long-term policy issues rather than true emergencies. HEMA opposed the restrictions, saying emergency managers need flexibility to respond to unknown, statewide crises such as tsunamis, hurricanes, war-related threats, and large disasters, and objected especially to limits on the governor’s ability to suspend public records requirements during emergencies. Several witnesses, including the Public First Law Center, said the bill was a step in the right direction but suggested amendments to better define emergencies and make clear the changes respond to the Nakoa decision. Committee members questioned whether the proposed limits would hinder disaster response and whether the legislature already has tools to override emergency proclamations. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then we have Jill Dixon, who's the Executive Director of the Food Depot, and Katie Anderson, who's Vice
• I'm the sitting Chair of the New Mexico Association of Food Banks, as well as the Executive Director
• And that deals with before sentencing, before legal proceedings have ended.
• Whereas the CYFD facility is for after a sentence or a commitment has been made.
• I first ran into you when I was the Executive Director of Inles.

Transcript Highlights:

• Offending President Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship, Mr.
• All of these events happened within that confines, and so virtually everything is subject to executive
• That's because they were the holders of the privilege, of that executive privilege.
• Do you believe, I'll ask each of you, do you believe a litigant, including the executive branch or a
• No questions about his inability to construct sentences, let alone foreign policy.

Keywords: John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general, national security, China Initiative, Department of Justice, judicial authority, executive actions, nomination hearing

Summary: The committee meeting primarily involved discussions around key nominations and pressing legal issues pertaining to the Department of Justice. Notable discussions included the nomination of John Eisenberg for assistant attorney general for national security, where concerns over the revival of the China Initiative were raised. Senators expressed significant apprehensions regarding previous actions taken under this initiative and its implications for national security. Additionally, there were critiques of the broader implications of executive actions that challenge judicial authority, aligning with ongoing dialogues about the integrity of the judiciary and executive oversight.

Transcript Highlights:

• It establishes a base penalty for a violation that would have a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
• It establishes a base penalty for a violation that would have a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
• It establishes a base penalty for a violation that would have a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
• A maximum prison sentence of 10 years. And then it has enhanced penalties.
• search warrants, do that data execute search warrants, do that data analysis<00:44:36.000> to

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, we have Randy Perreira, Executive Next, we have Randy Perreira, Executive Director<00:13:59.360
• ><00:21:25.920> incremental sentence reads is annual incremental sentence reads is annual incremental
• c> Director<00:25:29.920> Deirdre Next, we have Executive Director Deirdre Next, we have Executive
• Next we have Christian Fern, executive Next we have Christian Fern, executive director<00:40:08.760
• Next we have Randy Perreault, executive Next we have Randy Perreault, executive director<00:47:45.880

Bills: SB2567, SB2448, SB3046, SB2231, SB2526

Keywords: harassment, restraining order, temporary restraining order, injunction, protective order, public employer, public servant, public employee, government employee, state employee, legislator, judge, judicial branch, executive branch, local government, political subdivision, workplace violence, threats, stalking, employee safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Second, it allows the PRC to operate as a self-funded agency while fully preserving legislative and executive
• the legislative appropriation process, maintaining full oversight by both the legislature and the executive
• Madam Chair, can I just say one little half a sentence?
• My first one is on page two, line two, the sentence that starts with members and ends with law.
• We have accountability issues with the executive and the secretaries and all these kinds of...

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A one more sentence. No, ma'am, you cannot. Thank you. Thank you.
• You're representing State Republican Executive Committee and yourself, and you're for the bill.
• I'd like to share some sentences from the United States, uh, Constitution.
• Long beyond their sentence. Why?
• I serve as the president and executive director for La Union del Pueblotero Lupe.

Bills: HB 256, HB 1308, HB 1554, HB 1743, HB 2308, HB 2351, HB 2858, HB 3676, HB 3784, HB 4312, HB 4552, HB 4823, HB 4852, HB 5007, HB 5010, HB 5520, HB 5524, HCR 19

Keywords: E-verify, employment verification, illegal employment, state contracts, government entities, license suspension, immigration compliance, state grant funding, E-Verify, compliance, penalties, immigration, government contracts, employee status, state contractors, E-verify program, legally present, employment practices, legal services, public money

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean as far as in sentencing<01:19:45.840> or sentencing or sentencing or >> Yes.<01:19
• legislature and the executive branch. legislature and the executive branch.
• Which has a potential sentence of five years.
• In support, Chair, I believe in reining in the power of the executive. So there you go. Okay.
• In support, Chair, I believe in reining in the power of the executive. So there you go. Okay.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1790 HD1, which would require law enforcement and oversight agencies to collect and report data on stops, use of force, and complaints to the Hawaii Crime Lab, which would publish incident-level information and annual reports. Supporters, including the Office of the Public Defender, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the ACLU of Hawaii, Hawaii Justice Rising, and the Policing Project, said the bill would improve transparency, help identify disparities, and support better policy and accountability. OHA requested amendments to ensure Hawaiians are identified as a distinct category in the data, and the University of Hawaii’s Ashley Rubin said the Crime Lab would work with agencies to make implementation as seamless as possible. The Department of Law Enforcement supported the bill’s intent but asked for a longer timeline and culturally appropriate methodology, while HPD opposed the bill as written, saying it would require too many new data points, create a significant administrative burden, and rely on subjective perceptions of race and ethnicity; HPD also noted it is piloting an e-citation system that could help with data collection. Committee members questioned HPD about current manual processes and technology options. The chair reported 18 testimonies total: 15 in support, one in opposition, and two with comments, and no vote was taken in the excerpt. The committee then heard HB 1611 HD1, which would phase down the general excise tax on groceries and nonprescription drugs until a full exemption takes effect in 2034. The Department of Taxation offered technical recommendations, including clearer definitions for groceries and nonprescription drugs and a technical change regarding the county surcharge exemption. Supporters, including the Hawaii Public Health Institute and the Hawaii Food Industry Association, argued the GET on groceries is regressive and worsens food insecurity, especially for low-income households, and said the bill would provide needed relief. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered technical concerns, including a possible wholesale-tax enforcement issue once the exemption is fully phased in. The excerpt ends during testimony on HB 1611, with no final committee action shown.