Transcript Highlights:

• We have not done that analysis yet, but we could certainly.
• We need to know.
• But it's not lost on us the bigger picture analysis of all of this.
• Perhaps those tools need to be beefed up.
• It's so in the weeds it wouldn't make a difference to your analysis.

Bills: HB134, HB135, HB 1109, HB 1243, HB1392, HB1399, HJR99, HB134, HB135

Keywords: sales tax, use tax, local tax, municipal tax, county tax, tax sourcing, place of business, principal business location, small business, retailer, marketplace seller, economic development agreement, Chapter 321, Chapter 323, Tax Code, Texas Comptroller, local sales and use tax, tax jurisdiction, order consummation, ship-to location

Transcript Highlights:

• But if we're saying we need to, we need to do it. We're saying we need to do it.
• I don't see a need for, for... ...that we don't need that bill.
• And I'm not pushing for that, but do we need it or not needed?
• I would say there needs to be a limit, or it either needs to be...
• And we need to, this needs to either be expanded on, kind of give some guidance.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They do not need a state statute to do this.
• This bill attempts to balance the serious need for reform.
• The analysis really thoroughly lists many other missing pieces.
• We want to make sure we don't need to include LEAs, it likely needs to include direct funded charter
• We need motion and a second for file item 3 SB 373. Moved and seconded.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It needed beauty filters.
• That's why we need AB 1043.
• We need to regulate.
• I know that it needs work.
• I didn't need a sorry. He didn't need to cut it in front of.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 56, which would require social media platforms to display a warning label about potential mental health harms from prolonged use, with amendments shortening the initial warning and allowing immediate access to the platform. The author and supporters, including a parent who lost a daughter to suicide and a therapist, argued that social media contributes to teen anxiety, self-harm, and other harms and that families need clearer public health information. Opponents from tech and civil liberties groups argued the bill would be ineffective, burdensome, and likely unconstitutional, saying it would create warning fatigue and should be replaced by more targeted tools and digital literacy measures. Several members discussed emergency access concerns, language access, and whether the warning should be more actionable; the bill was moved on a 9-0 vote to the Judiciary Committee. The committee then took up AB 358, which would amend CalECPA to allow law enforcement, with the victim’s consent, to inspect certain abandoned tracking or surveillance devices found in a victim’s home, vehicle, or personal property without first obtaining a warrant. The author and a San Diego prosecutor said the bill is narrowly tailored to devices used solely for spying and is intended to help stalking and domestic violence survivors act quickly before evidence is lost. Opponents from EFF and the ACLU warned the bill would weaken warrant protections, create a loophole around CalECPA, and reduce transparency and accountability. Members debated Fourth Amendment issues, abandonment, and the practical need for rapid access; the bill passed the committee on a 9-0 vote to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 1137, which builds on last year’s CSAM reporting law by allowing any user to report child sexual abuse material, requiring clearer reporting mechanisms, adding human review in some cases, and mandating third-party audits and public reporting. Supporters, including survivor advocates and a parent of a child victim, said the bill would reduce the burden on survivors and improve removal of abusive content. Tech industry opponents said they support the goal but objected to the human-review mandate, public audit disclosures, and enforcement provisions, arguing they could create security risks and compliance burdens. Members generally supported the bill’s intent but raised questions about audit frequency and human review; the bill was moved on call with seven votes at the time of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, consultants would be needed to conduct analysis for the policy advisory committee process
• <00:27:11.919> conduct<00:27:12.240> analysis<00:27:13.679> um would be needed
• to conduct analysis um would be needed to conduct analysis um for<00:27:14.159> the<00:27:14.400
• <00:47:42.960> concerns needs, local needs or other concerns needs, local needs or other concerns
• So of those needs needs to be addressed.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we needed vulnerability report.
• This wasn't a forensic analysis fraud. This wasn't a forensic analysis of<01:03:13.200> fraud.
• So, we need to have trust in that. So, we need to have trust in that.
• we need to know this stuff. we need to know this stuff.
• Uh and it needs to the administration. Uh and it needs to be<01:17:44.320> corrected.

Bills: HF3378

Keywords: human services, Optum reports, data privacy, transparency, legislative oversight, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And we think that's different than policy analysis.
• And obviously, we need more fiscal, too.
• And we think that's different than policy analysis.
• And obviously, we need more fiscal, too. But that's where...
• And obviously, we need more fiscal, too.

Bills: HB1220

Keywords: accelerated degree, high-demand occupations, education reform, North Dakota, licensing, 908, all

Summary: The Workforce Development Committee reconvened to discuss House Bill 1119, which would create a child care advisory committee and authorize a Legislative Council program evaluation of child care services. Senator Hogan explained that the bill is intended to review child care licensing rules, child care assistance, and related laws and policies, while also giving child care providers a stronger voice in the rulemaking process. He described the proposal as a new model for legislative program evaluation and noted that leadership had been briefed and was supportive. Committee members raised concerns about the bill’s wording, scope, and structure. Senator Larson questioned the title and several sections, and multiple members suggested making the response language less directive and more collaborative, including changing “shall” to “may” in the section requiring a written response from the Department of Health and Human Services. Members also discussed limiting the advisory committee to the interim, clarifying that the evaluation would focus on child care services rather than broader early childhood programs, and adjusting language about enacted legislation to sound more neutral. The committee also discussed fiscal impact, with Hogan saying the evaluation would be done by Legislative Council staff and that any costs would likely be limited to meetings and existing DHS rulemaking activities. Members compared the proposal to other oversight models, including audit-style reviews and a possible DOGE process, and Hogan emphasized that the bill is meant to evaluate why child care issues keep recurring and why some laws are not fully implemented. No vote was taken; the committee agreed to continue refining the bill and planned to meet again the following Thursday.

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, we need the quorum. Sorry, thanks.
• So we need to force a conversation about those mandates, and we need to force a conversation about tradeoffs
• We may need a more sustainable framework here.
• We all need a lot of transmission and we're all competing for the underlying equipment that we need.
• That's a huge amount of clean power that the state's going to need if we're going to need load growth

Summary: The committee first heard AB 13, which would restructure the CPUC to increase legislative oversight, add legislative liaisons, require more detailed and timely reporting on rate-setting decisions, and add a public advocate member. The author and supporters argued the bill would improve transparency, accountability, and geographic diversity in CPUC decision-making amid rising utility rates. Witnesses from TURN, San Joaquin County, SDG&E, and former CPUC Commissioner Loretta Lynch offered support or support-in-principle, while no opposition testimony was presented. Members generally praised the bill’s transparency goals, and AB 13 passed 10-0 to Appropriations, with the roll left open for absent members. The committee then adopted the 2025-2026 committee rules and approved three consent items: AB 61, AB 365, and AB 406. The next bill, AB 99, would cap investor-owned utility rate increases above inflation except for specified costs such as safety, modernization, and fuel/commodity costs. The author and supporters, including a representative of the California Senior Legislature, said the bill was needed to protect ratepayers, especially seniors and low-income customers, from repeated rate hikes. Opposition came from utility labor, utilities, the Chamber of Commerce, and others, who argued the bill was too simplistic, could suppress labor costs, and did not account for major cost drivers such as wildfire mitigation, mandates, and net metering. Several members supported moving the bill forward as a starting point on affordability, while others criticized it as overly blunt. AB 99 passed 11-0 to Appropriations, with the roll left open. The hearing then shifted to an informational panel on strategies to reduce California transmission costs. A Public Advocates Office staffer described a growing backlog of approved-but-unbuilt transmission projects, rising transmission access charges, and long project timelines driven largely by utility pre-application and construction periods. Panelists from Net Zero California and consulting firms presented research suggesting that public financing or public-private partnership lease models could reduce transmission costs by lowering financing, tax, and capital costs, with estimated savings of up to 57% and as much as $123 billion over 40 years. PG&E’s representative said the utility is already pursuing federal loan guarantees, grants, and a public-private partnership with Citizens Energy, but warned that state ownership could create tax, wildfire-liability, and governance risks. Members asked about the CPUC’s role, the causes of delays, and whether public financing could complement existing competitive solicitation processes.

Transcript Highlights:

• The state resources are needed among multiple programs.
• Deficit and the need to address that.
• This is a real need for our community. Thank you.
• Yeah, we've been doing an analysis of target drugs.
• diapers to those who need them.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• really be needed until the project is more completed.
• So that data center needs natural gas.
• Banking needs a new set of payment rails.
• need.
• type of disaster program in 2027, would be I need to find some deposits, or I need something to change

Summary: The committee took roll, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a compliance-report update on the Industrial Commission and related funds and programs. Staff reviewed the status of one-time appropriations and grant programs, including electric grid resiliency, lignite research, enhanced oil recovery, the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, the salt cavern business-case study, and the new NDSU research and technology park grant. Members asked about funding balances, reimbursement timing, matching requirements, and how some commitments would affect the State Investment Fund and future biennia. Industrial Commission staff then gave a broader update on the agency’s administrative office, grant management system, leadership transitions at several commission agencies, and active grant rounds. They reported that the grant management system is nearing completion, that several agency leadership searches have concluded, and that the commission’s grant programs currently have 108 active grants totaling more than $165 million. They also described the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority round, the oil and gas research program’s enhanced oil recovery awards, the grid resiliency grants, the salt cavern study, and the research technology park program, noting that some projects are awaiting federal funds or additional matching cash. Ron Ness, speaking for the Oil and Gas Research Council, focused on the state of the oil industry and the enhanced oil recovery “Bakken 2.0” effort. He said production remains steady, but future growth depends on better infrastructure, longer laterals, and new EOR methods such as CO2, natural gas, and surfactants. He emphasized the importance of the Bakkeneast pipeline and related gas-utilization projects, the recent DOE funding that will return some money to the research council, and the need to modernize tax and incentive rules for CO2-based recovery. Members discussed the potential economic benefits for oil, agriculture, and manufacturing. The Bank of North Dakota then presented its compliance report and a broader strategic update. Bank leadership reviewed the bank’s mission, governance, participation lending, student lending, disaster programs, and legislatively directed programs, and said the bank is managing for a flatter deposit base and stronger liquidity because of fintech competition and changing market conditions. They reported improved earnings, with net income rising to about $231 million, and described Rough Rider Coin as a new internal payment rail for North Dakota banks and credit unions, not a public cryptocurrency. Members asked about student loan eligibility, disaster lending, and the bank’s capacity to support state programs while maintaining its balance-sheet and liquidity requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to have compactness, we need to have communities of interest.
• We need you to be transparent. ...We need you as a working partner, not as an adversary.
• There was no need to change it.
• Because the performance analysis will show that it did not need to have a 50% CVAP, Black CVAP, to perform
• needed to do.

Bills: HB4, HB 4

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And if it's not expressly written into law, then you don't need to be doing it.
• good for Texas, then maybe we need to repeal that law.
• Does it need more definition?
• We need to lead by example.
• You're going to have to spend time looking stuff up, maybe doing a lot of analysis.

Bills: HB565, HB3743, HB4310, HB5083, HB5129, HB5195, HB5331, HB5469, SB21, HB3185, SB 21

Keywords: constitutional amendment, fiscal impact, state budget, ballot measure, transparency in voting, management-to-staff ratio, state agencies, employee regulations, government efficiency, workforce management, public information, governing board, transparency, confidentiality, access rights, privacy, identifying information, state agency, consent, occupational license

Transcript Highlights:

• But we need to put that waste to beneficial, climate-friendly use. Waste from landfills.
• But we need to put that waste to beneficial, climate-friendly use.
• So it's funny that you're sitting here saying there needs to be more language.
• The state would need to triple its rate of reducing greenhouse gas...
• Now, the second point I'd like to make is the need and the urgency for this bill.

Summary: The committee heard and advanced a series of natural resources and climate-related bills. AB 70 would codify a definition of pyrolysis and allow procurement credit for projects using organic waste to generate pipeline biomethane; supporters said it would help divert organic waste from landfills, reduce methane, and support energy reliability. AB 30 would authorize E15 fuel sales in California, with supporters arguing it could lower consumer fuel costs and emissions, while opponents from boating and marine groups raised concerns about engine damage and the need for clear labeling and continued E10 availability. AB 66 would create a CEQA exemption for emergency evacuation routes in high fire-risk areas; supporters emphasized wildfire evacuation safety, while some members worried the bill lacked sufficient guardrails and environmental review. AB 399 would let the Coastal Commission consider blue carbon sequestration in coastal permitting and authorize blue carbon demonstration projects; environmental groups supported it, while business groups objected to new costs and regulatory uncertainty. AB 491 would codify California’s nature-based solutions climate targets for lands and wetlands, with supporters citing climate and adaptation benefits and the Farm Bureau opposing statutory targets. AB 580 would extend Metropolitan Water District authority related to the Colorado River Aqueduct, and AB 43 would make permanent state authority to protect federally designated wild and scenic rivers if federal protections are weakened. The committee also considered AB 436 to streamline siting and permitting of composting facilities and AB 539 to streamline certain Coastal Act procedures and reporting. Most measures received due-pass recommendations and were reported out on roll calls, with several bills also moving on consent; AB 404 was pulled at the author’s request.

Transcript Highlights:

• use our gas plants all that long we need use our gas plants all that long we need them<00:10:47.920
• We'll take an off-ramp as needed, but we don't hope and don't think for sure we're going to need those
• <00:14:47.079> some going to need some going to need some additional<00:14:49.800> and<
• <00:46:50.040> an this you're saying you need an this you're saying you need an additional
• meetings the regulatory analysis meetings the regulatory analysis division<01:18:15.120> is

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Language added the required analysis Turman defending.
• So if it's really we need to have a really deliberative.
• You can't have the talent you need making for this kind of actuarial analysis work.
• We need to kind of figure out. I've talked to one insurance.
• Is that a conversation that we need to have?

Transcript Highlights:

• believe, were included in the analysis believe, were included in the analysis numbers<00:12:52.639
• need of those hazardous duty benefits. need of those hazardous duty benefits.
• >> No, I'm pretty sure through the analysis >> No, I'm pretty sure through the analysis
• <00:25:27.440> or anything else that they need or anything else that they need or anything
• that um you know we we need.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Rep. Ashley Tacket Laferty on a bill to expand minimum hazardous-duty retirement and health benefits for certain public safety workers injured in the line of duty. She used a video and examples from Floyd County to describe officers and an emergency management director who were catastrophically injured but did not qualify for existing hazardous-duty coverage because their employers had enrolled them in non-hazardous retirement plans. The bill would provide a minimum benefit of 25% of pay, plus 10% for dependent children and limited health coverage, for eligible workers who cannot return to hazardous work. Laferty said the proposal would apply retroactively through a five-year window, estimated to affect a limited number of workers statewide, and would be funded by small increases in employer contribution rates. Committee members questioned how many former employees might qualify, how the bill interacts with the pension system, and who would pay the added cost. Discussion also noted that local governments choose whether to place employees in hazardous or non-hazardous coverage, largely based on cost. The sheriff’s association was present online in support, and no vote was taken. The committee then heard Rep. Daniel Gber present a revised bill allowing teachers and school district employees to use accumulated sick leave to observe religious holidays not already on the school calendar, if they provide a personal statement and sufficient advance notice. He said the measure is intended to address the rigid school calendar and the difficulty teachers face in observing non-school holidays without losing service credit toward retirement. He noted that the earlier version of the bill had allowed make-up work time, but the current draft is shorter and focused on sick leave use. He also referenced a supporting letter from a constituent who could not attend because of weather. The bill was presented for discussion only, with no committee action reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• And a number of them are based on analysis performed by external organizations and how they've scored
• We need to say you have to stay in these rural communities.
• I think it was the 65 need bill that that we've had was my first. But I think we took his freshman.
• And I think it's like 25 that certificate of need. So Cicero ranked does, sir, scored us as a 17.
• But I think we got a 75 of 100 points and that's because or significant need.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the state's forest inventory analysis.
• <01:41:32.520> is the pending cost benefit analysis is the pending cost benefit analysis is
• to everybody that we need to we need<01:57:38.040> to<01:57:38.560> get<01:57:38.719><
• So why do we need this bill?
• <05:16:54.520> um quantifiable cost benefit analysis um quantifiable cost benefit analysis

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I totally agree that what we have is not working and definitely it needs—we need to look at this.
• in 20 21 of the other states analysis in 20 21 of the other states that<00:36:35.640> analysis
• <00:59:41.720> I corner of the state and I only need I corner of the state and I only need
• even questioned the uh maybe the need even questioned the uh maybe the need for<01:00:08.280>
• <01:04:01.000> thank analysis thank analysis thank you<01:04:02.839> thank<01:04:03.000

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think this is a vital need to make sure that we're not wasting money on things that we don't need to
• I think this is a a a vital need to make sure that we're not wasting money on things that we don't need
• Because of that, there is a need to update so we can streamline our processes and address development
• I think I'm probably the only one that's here around that was here back then, but we do need to make
• A consultant reviews the cost analysis every year so the city can be certain it is in line.

Bills: HB3115, HB5671, HB5693, SB790, SB1055, SB1302, SB1504, SB1625, SB1663, SB2692

Keywords: Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District, groundwater, water wells, domestic well, livestock well, exempt well, metering device, well meter, groundwater conservation district, Special District Local Laws Code, Water Code, Section 36.117, groundwater regulation, water rights, aquifer management, municipal utility, retail public utility, groundwater export, water supply contract, election

Summary: The Committee on Natural Resources heard testimony on a series of water, utility, and groundwater-related bills. Early items included HB 5693, which would let Drainage District 7 hold board elections in November of odd-numbered years when a countywide election is occurring, and HB 5671, which would update the Johnson County Special Utility District by clarifying board eligibility, allowing bond issuance, and removing redundant TCEQ approval language to reduce costs and delays. Both bills were left pending after brief testimony from bill sponsors and local witnesses. The committee also heard SB 1504, which would update the Gulf Coast Authority to allow video-conference participation in meetings, and SB 1302, aimed at closing a TCEQ permitting loophole that allowed dischargers with prior denials or suspensions to reapply through an automated process without meaningful review. SB 2692 drew substantial discussion: it would change the signature threshold for outside-city-limits customers appealing municipal utility rates to the PUC by customer class. Valero supported the bill as a way to avoid requiring large-volume users to gather signatures from unrelated residential customers, while the City of Corpus Christi opposed it, arguing that lowering the threshold to one customer could trigger expensive appeals costing $500,000 to $1 million. A PUC witness said such cases are increasing and that the agency would need additional staff under the fiscal note. SB 790, creating a simplified PUC complaint process for small water and wastewater billing disputes, and SB 1663, expanding TCEQ notice requirements for nearby residents when groundwater contamination is discovered, were also heard and left pending. Additional bills included HB 3115, clarifying that the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District cannot require meters on exempt domestic or livestock wells; SB 1055, raising the Southeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District’s production fee cap from 1 cent to 7 cents per 1,000 gallons; and SB 1625, requiring private water and wastewater utilities to report cybersecurity incidents to TCEQ and DIR. The committee then took up pending business and adopted a substitute for SB 7, which made several changes to water fund use, eminent domain coordination, and EDAP-related provisions, and voted 10-0 to report it favorably. The committee also adopted a substitute for HB 2347, a county water conservation program bill, and reported it favorably 9-1. HB 5675 and SB 2476 were each reported favorably 10-0. The meeting concluded with adjournment.